Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Ziziphora may be effective in treatment of gastric cancer

A recent publication in the journal Food and Agricultural Immunology investigating the effects of aloe vera, ginger, saffron and ziziphora extracts as herbal remedies for gastric cancer suggests that the latter may be effective in the treatment of the fourth most common form of the disease.

13 Feb 2013

WFP to feed 1.6M people in Somalia this year, agency reports

"The World Food Programme (WFP) reports it plans to feed 1.6 million people in Somalia this year, including more than one million people who are in a state of crisis" because of an ongoing insurgency by the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, VOA News writes.

13 Feb 2013

Tips for menopausal women to better enjoy their sex lives

Menopause can be a real rollercoaster—and that can impact women's sex lives. It can cause women's libidos to climb, suddenly drop, and then climb again due to the combination of estrogen and women's own levels of testosterone powering this wild cycle.

13 Feb 2013

Community health workers can help individuals better manage their diabetes

Newly published results from a randomized controlled clinical trial in the Pacific U.S. territory of American Samoa add clear evidence for the emerging idea that community health workers can meaningfully improve type 2 diabetes care in medically underserved communities.

12 Feb 2013

Eight ways to say ‘I love you’ from Loyola dietitian

If you want to keep your true love's heart beating strong, Susan Ofria, clinical nutrition manager at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, said the real food of love is dark chocolate and red wine. In moderation, red wine and dark chocolate are good health choices not just on Valentine's Day, but for any occasion.

12 Feb 2013

Maryland Higher Education Commission awards university status to Tai Sophia Institute

Maryland now has an accredited university dedicated to integrative health. Howard County–based Tai Sophia Institute announced today that it has been awarded university status by the Maryland Higher Education Commission and will change its name to Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) effective March 1.

11 Feb 2013

Short but frequent exercise best for beating weight gain

Results from a small exploratory study suggest that short bouts of intermittent exercise may stimulate fat metabolism more effectively than longer continuous exercise sessions.

11 Feb 2013

Work stress ‘unlikely’ cause of cancer

Work-related stress is unlikely to be a major cause of cancer, say researchers who found no link between job strain and the risk for overall or site-specific malignancy.

11 Feb 2013

Researchers discover miR-27b that regulates lipid levels in the blood

Researchers have identified a microRNA liver gene, miR-27b, which regulates lipid (cholesterol or fat) levels in the blood. This regulator gene controls multiple genes involved in dyslipidemia-abnormal blood cholesterol levels that can contribute to heart disease.

11 Feb 2013

Parenteral nutrition safety: an interview with Dr. Phil Ayers, A.S.P.E.N PN Safety Task Force Chair and Dr. Peggi Guenter, Director of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.)

Parenteral nutrition is intravenous nutrition for patients who are unable to eat or be tube fed. It is used with more than 300,000 patients per year - a quarter of whom are children and newborns.

11 Feb 2013

Four-month instructional dance program can improve health of Latino seniors

Vigorous activity can improve the physical and mental health of older adults, but for many, particularly Latinos, exercise is not a regular part of their lives, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago researcher.

11 Feb 2013

Majority of Americans not aware of detrimental effects of obesity

A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests that few Americans realize the many ways obesity can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer, arthritis, sleep apnea and other less common conditions.

11 Feb 2013

Diet high in fruits and vegetables may help protect kidneys of patients with CKD

Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet may help protect the kidneys of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with too much acid build-up, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

10 Feb 2013

India holds national summit on child survival, development

"[M]ore than 200 delegates ranging from policymakers and representatives of development agencies to global health practitioners and civil society members" are gathering in India this week for a national summit on the "Call to Action for Child Survival and Development," IIP Digital reports.

10 Feb 2013

Frequent hemodialysis can cause vascular complications in patients

Compared with standard dialysis, frequent dialysis can cause complications related to repeated access to the blood, requiring patients to undergo more repair procedures to the site through which blood is removed and returned, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

10 Feb 2013

Northwestern Medicine expert offers tips to battle seasonal affective disorder

Winter is in full force. With short days and less exposure to sunlight, everyone feels less energetic and more people are vulnerable to depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or winter depression, is a mood disorder related to seasonal variations of light. Symptoms start in late fall and oftentimes last until April or early spring. It affects between 10 to 20 percent of Americans, primarily younger adults and women.

10 Feb 2013

AHRQ, CMS announce new children's EHR format

The benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) may become more widely available to children through an EHR format for children's health care announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

10 Feb 2013

LPA genetic variant increases risk of heart valve calcification

Researchers have found a genetic variant that doubles the likelihood that people will have calcium deposits on their aortic valve. Such calcification, if it becomes severe, can cause narrowing or a blockage of the aortic valve, a condition called aortic stenosis.

9 Feb 2013

Older adults with COPD more frequently use benzodiazepines

A popular class of drugs commonly used to treat sleep and mood symptoms continues to be frequently prescribed despite being known to have potentially life-threatening side effects.

9 Feb 2013

CtBP may play a key role in aggressive forms of breast cancer

A protein associated with conditions of metabolic imbalance, such as diabetes and obesity, may play a role in the development of aggressive forms of breast cancer, according to new findings by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues.

9 Feb 2013