Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Low folate and vitamin B12 intake increase risk of melancholic depressive symptoms

A low intake of folate and vitamin B12 increases the risk of melancholic depressive symptoms, according to a study among nearly 3,000 middle-aged and elderly Finnish subjects. On the other hand, non-melancholic depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk for the metabolic syndrome.

27 Nov 2012

AMITIZA for treatment of chronic constipation now available in Japan

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Abbott today announced the availability of AMITIZA (lubiprostone) in Japan, a prescription medicine for the treatment of chronic constipation not caused by organic diseases. AMITIZA was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan in June.

26 Nov 2012

Weight loss and quality of sleep: an interview with Kerry Stewart

In our particular study we used a survey which consisted of 50 different questions which get at different aspects of sleep health. It was a patient self-report.

26 Nov 2012

UPC teams conduct research in biomedical engineering to improve people's health

Systems to improve patient rehabilitation, methods that help detect diseases, and smart biomaterials for optimising treatments—scientific advances in the field of biomedical engineering are unstoppable. A number of leading UPC teams are carrying out research aimed at harnessing technology to improve people's health.

23 Nov 2012

New research provides unprecedented clarity to aging process

For the first time, scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have defined key events that take place early in the process of cellular aging.

23 Nov 2012

Microbiologists discover how the spread of antibiotic resistance works in pneumococcus

Antibiotic resistance results from bacteria's uncanny ability to morph and adapt, outwitting pharmaceuticals that are supposed to kill them. But exactly how the bacteria acquire and spread that resistance inside individuals carrying them is not well-established for most bacterial organisms.

22 Nov 2012

Habitual physical activity improves midlife women's health

Moving 6,000 or more steps a day-no matter how-adds up to a healthier life for midlife women. That level of physical activity decreases the risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome (a diabetes precursor and a risk for cardiovascular disease), showed a study published online this month in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society.

22 Nov 2012

Obesity and oxidative stress: an interview with Dr Elizabeth New

Even though oxygen is essential for us to live, it can react with other compounds in the body to produce molecules called free radicals, which are highly reactive and damaging.

22 Nov 2012

Human Food Project, University of Colorado Boulder launch American Gut

Ever wondered who is living in your gut, and what they're doing? The trillions of microbial partners in and on our bodies outnumber our own cells by as many as 10 to 1 and do all sorts of important jobs, from helping digest the food we eat this Thanksgiving to building up our immune systems.

22 Nov 2012

Tips to achieve dieting success

There are a wide range of estimates pinpointing the amount of weight Americans gain over the holidays, but one thing is for sure – you know it when you feel it. On the heels of the average American consuming more than 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day, it's no wonder that for many "Black Friday" can feel like "Fat Friday."

22 Nov 2012

Inhaled nitric oxide reduces adverse effects of stored blood transfusion in mice

Inhaled nitric oxide reduced the adverse effects of transfusing stored blood in mice, according to a study from the December issue of Anesthesiology. Researchers found that inhaled nitric oxide reduced tissue injury and improved short-term survival in mice that were resuscitated with a stored blood transfusion after hemorrhagic shock.

22 Nov 2012

Five follow-up visits help gastric bypass patients achieve optimal weight loss

Gastric bypass patients who attended five follow-up office visits in two years as recommended by their surgeons lost nearly twice as much weight (113 lbs. vs. 57 lbs.) as patients who attended only two follow-up visits, according to a University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing study in Obesity Surgery.

22 Nov 2012

Collaborative guidebook helps improve health of Hispanic populations

A collaborative guidebook involving Kansas State University researchers is helping individuals, families and communities improve the health of Hispanic populations.

22 Nov 2012

Reckitt Benckiser to acquire Schiff

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC today announces it has signed a definitive merger agreement with Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. a leading provider of branded vitamins, nutrition supplements and nutrition bars in the United States and elsewhere. The Board of Directors of Schiff has approved the transaction and will recommend that its stockholders tender their shares into Reckitt Benckiser's previously announced cash tender offer of $42.00 per share, valuing Schiff at $1.4 billion.

21 Nov 2012

Poor oral health linked to severe mental health issues

UK study results show that individuals with severe mental illness who live in the community and receive community-based psychiatric care have poorer oral health than the national adult population.

21 Nov 2012

Only 3% of patients actually receive stress management counseling: Study

While stress may be a factor in 60 to 80 percent of all visits to primary care physicians, only three percent of patients actually receive stress management counseling, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

21 Nov 2012

High blood levels of vitamin D may protect mothers more than babies against MS

High blood levels of Vitamin D may protect mothers more than babies against multiple sclerosis (MS), Umeå University researcher Jonatan Salzer concludes in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Nov 2012

Internet best method to communicate health messages to baby boomers

Communicating health information to the “baby boomer” generation might best be done via the internet, especially once they have hit 50, and then 65 years of age, suggest US researchers.

20 Nov 2012

Developmental key to overactive sympathetic system

Being small for gestational age may be accompanied by an exaggerated sympathetic response to physical exercise, an animal study suggests.

20 Nov 2012

Most African countries not on track to achieve MDGs, U.N. officials say

"Most African countries are lagging behind in achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] and will not make as much progress in health, nutrition and sanitation as had hoped, U.N. officials said" on Thursday, the Associated Press/ABC News reports.

20 Nov 2012