Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Study provides strongest link to date between trans fat and heart disease

High consumption of trans fat, found mainly in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and widely used by the food industry, has been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

28 Mar 2007

Mother's high beef consumption while pregnant associated with lower sperm counts in her son

Researchers sought to examine the relationship between semen quality and long-term risks from growth hormones and other chemicals in beef.

28 Mar 2007

FDA releases final report on 2006 E.coli spinach outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and California's Department of Health Services (CDHS) have released a joint report on an extensive investigation into the causes of an E.coli O157:H7 outbreak last fall that was associated with contaminated Dole brand Baby Spinach and resulted in 205 confirmed illnesses and three deaths.

27 Mar 2007

Why people eat the foods they do

People purchase foods based on their income level, their belief in a food's health benefit and cost. However, ethnicity and gender also impact people's food choices, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

27 Mar 2007

Screening key to early detection of colorectal cancers

Studies show that only half of the people who are at risk of colon and rectal cancers are getting screened regularly.

21 Mar 2007

Just 15 minutes of exercise lowers a child's chances of being obese by almost 50 per cent

Everyone knows children are getting fatter and that both a poor diet and a lack of exercise are to blame. But, what researchers have been unable to discover until now, is exactly how major a role activity plays in the battle to keep obesity at bay.

21 Mar 2007

Schools need more nurses to help pupils tackle health problems

Every school should have its own school nurse, based on site, to help tackle child obesity, nutritional problems and teenage pregnancy, according to new research from the Fabian Society.

19 Mar 2007

Growing number of young people have fatty liver disease

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are taking a closer look at a disease whose incidence is rising as obesity in children increases.

15 Mar 2007

Large-scale Japanese study finds soy protective against localized prostate cancer, but not advanced

The largest study examining the relationship between the traditional soy-rich Japanese diet and development of prostate cancer in Japanese men has come to a seemingly contradictory conclusion: intake of isoflavone chemicals, derived largely from soy foods, decreased the risk of localized prostate cancer but increased the risk of advanced prostate cancer.

15 Mar 2007

Exposure to phthalates linked to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in adult males

Exposure to phthalates, a common chemical found in everything from plastics to soaps, already has been connected to reproductive problems and now, for the first time, is linked to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in adult males, according to a study by the University of Rochester Medical Center.

14 Mar 2007

New report urges expanded health coverage for children

The American Public Health Association (APHA) today released its recommendations for expanding health coverage to uninsured children through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a successful federal and state joint program that is set to be reauthorized this year.

13 Mar 2007

FDA proposes rule to allow use of alternative temperature devices for food processing

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule which, if finalized, would benefit both consumers and the food industry by enabling manufacturers of heat-processed low-acid canned foods to modernize their equipment by using alternative temperature-indicating devices (TIDs).

13 Mar 2007

Guide to minimize microbial food safety hazards of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today published a draft final guidance advising processors of fresh-cut produce how to minimize microbial food safety hazards common to the processing of most fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which are often sold to consumers in a ready-to-eat form.

12 Mar 2007

A food supplement that could prevent the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis

The health benefits of cutting down on dietary saturated fatty acids and including higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids are well documented. Nutritional research is focusing on the effects of incorporating these healthier fatty acids, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), into animal and human diets. CLA is present in dairy products and meat from ruminants and in very low amounts in our bodies.

11 Mar 2007