Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

People with prehypertension are at much higher risk of heart attack

Normal blood pressure is lower than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Prehypertension is systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 and/or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg. (Systolic pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats and diastolic pressure is the force when the heart is at rest.) Hypertension is blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg or higher.

4 Aug 2005

More than fifty percent of the U.S. population tested positive to one or more allergens

The new findings, based on data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), shows that 54.3% of individuals aged 6-59 years old had a positive skin test response to at least one of the 10 allergens tested.

4 Aug 2005

Exposure to secondhand smoke can increase your chances of getting heart disease

In a study of women smokers, those whose spouses also smoked had a higher risk of stroke than those married to nonsmokers, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

4 Aug 2005

Risk of metabolic syndrome raised even by secondhand smoke

A new study has shown that even secondhand smoke can raise the risk of metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by obesity, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and pre-diabetes.

4 Aug 2005

Updated view of global nutrition

While nutritional status has improved worldwide over the past fifty years, new nutrition-related problems have also emerged. In an article recently published in The Journal of Nutrition, Eileen Kennedy DSc, RD, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, offers an updated view of global nutrition.

4 Aug 2005

New insights into dietary divergences between some of our human ancestors

A Penn State researcher is part of the team that developed techniques that have generated insights into dietary divergences between some of our human ancestors, allowing scientists to better understand the evolutionary path that led to the modern-day diets that humans consume.

3 Aug 2005

Babies born during famine are at higher risk of schizophrenia

A new study has found that malnutrition can harm mental as well as physical health, and babies born during famine are at higher risk of schizophrenia.

3 Aug 2005

Lowering the current PSA threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy may subject millions of men to unnecessary, potentially harmful medical procedures

Lowering the current prostate-specific antigen (PSA) threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy may subject millions of men to unnecessary, potentially harmful medical procedures with no evidence that it will improve prostate cancer mortality rates, according to a new study in the August 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

2 Aug 2005

High fructose corn syrup: a safe, natural ingredient

The July 31 article "Fructose sweetning could be even worse than using other sweeteners," mischaracterizes high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a natural, home-grown sweetener from U.S. corn fields. The article reports on a recent University of Cincinnati study whose authors assert that the body processes HFCS differently than other sugars due to the fructose content.

2 Aug 2005

Countries throughout the Americas are joining together to observe World Breastfeeding Week

...with a special focus on complementary feeding after six months of exclusive breastfeeding. The week of August 1-7 has the theme, "Breastfeeding and Family Foods: Loving and Healthy," highlighting the importance of timely, adequate, safe, and properly fed complementary foods.

2 Aug 2005

South African Department of Health celebrating World Breastfeeding Week

The South African Department of Health will be celebrating World Breastfeeding Week from the 1st August to 7th August 2005. World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) takes place annually from the 1st to 7th August and was created by World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) in 1990.

2 Aug 2005

The wonders of watermelon

On a hot summer day, nothing refreshes quite like a crisp, juicy slice of cool watermelon. Whether you're chomping into watermelon, enjoying it as part of a fruit salad or slurping on a watermelon smoothie, that red pulp provides a powerhouse of nutritional value.

2 Aug 2005

Signs of atherosclerosis seen in apparently healthy young adults

Young adults who seem to be healthy, but have a clustering of heart disease risks factors known as metabolic syndrome, tend to have signs of thickening of their carotid artery walls, which is an early indication of atherosclerosis, according to a new study in the Aug 2, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Aug 2005