Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Placentophagia may offer benefits to human mothers

A paper by neuroscientists at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College suggests that ingestion of components of afterbirth or placenta -- placentophagia -- may offer benefits to human mothers and perhaps to non-mothers and males.

28 Mar 2012

Specific precautions must be taken for individuals on longer-term oral glucocorticoid therapy

Millions of people around the world are prescribed glucocorticoids for a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, including, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and inflammatory bowel diseases. Although they are effective and widely used, one of the potentially serious side effects of these medications is glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

28 Mar 2012

CINJ celebrates National Library Week

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) joins communities, schools and other institutions across the nation in recognizing National Library Week (April 8-14). Sponsored by the American Library Association, this celebration aims to remind everyone that libraries serve as knowledge centers and a readily-available resource for all.

28 Mar 2012

Diet guru Pierre Dukan to face ethical hearing

Dr. Pierre Dukan, the founder of the controversial Dukan Diet now faces an ethics hearing after suggesting children could pass a new exam by staying thin. His diet, said to be followed by some celebrities, recommends avoiding starch and carbohydrates. Some nutritionists say it can be dangerous. Dr Jean-Michel Cohen said the protein-rich diet could cause heart disease and breast cancer.

27 Mar 2012

Experimental drugs from Sanofi and Regenron cut cholesterol in a new way

An experimental drug that acts in a novel way to lower cholesterol proved even more effective than statins and had few undesirable side effects, newly released data shows. The drug acts by modifying the way cholesterol levels are naturally controlled. A protein produced in the liver helps limit the amount of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, that liver cells can remove from the bloodstream. The new drug, called REGN727, is a monoclonal antibody, made in a laboratory, that blocks the action of that protein.

27 Mar 2012

Chocolate for weight loss: Study

The US survey of a population of more than 1000 adults, published as a research letter in the Archives on Internal Medicine, reinforces the idea that chocolate packs heart healthy benefits, despite its high calorie and sugar content. For the study the participants reported eating chocolate an average of twice a week and exercising an average of 3.6 times a week. Their average age was 57.

27 Mar 2012

Opinion pieces, editorials, blog posts recognize World TB Day

Saturday, March 24, was World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. The following is a summary of several editorials, opinion pieces, and blog posts published in recognition of the day.

27 Mar 2012

Scientists create first full 3-D images of vitamin B12

In a paper published recently in the journal Nature, scientists from the University of Michigan Health System and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report they have created the first full 3-D images of B12 and its partner molecules twisting and contorting as part of a crucial reaction called methyltransfer.

27 Mar 2012

ASBP releases weight-loss tips for patients with type 2 diabetes

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) today released a set of weight-loss tips that are effective for improving and reversing type 2 diabetes.

27 Mar 2012

Lowering LDL at younger age can reduce risk of CHD

Coronary atherosclerosis - a hardening of the arteries due to a build-up of fat and cholesterol - can lead to heart attacks and other forms of coronary heart disease (CHD). Lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, reduces the risk of CHD, and researchers found that lowering LDL beginning early in life resulted in a three-fold greater reduction in the risk of CHD than treatment with a statin started later in life, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

27 Mar 2012

Ripeness of fruit determines how food-poisoning bacteria grow on them

The ripeness of fruit could determine how food-poisoning bacteria grow on them, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week. Their work could lead to new strategies to improve food safety, bringing many health and economic benefits.

27 Mar 2012

Popcorn – a healthy snack with antioxidants higher than fruits and veggies

Popcorn when it is not covered with butter and salt is already known to be a healthy snack food and now a group of scientists say it may even top fruits and vegetables in antioxidant levels.

26 Mar 2012

Minimally invasive treatments could target ‘hunger hormone’

A minimally invasive treatment may target hunger at its source, another uses X-ray visible embolic beads to block arteries to the stomach and suppress hunger and a third explores the use of stem cells to repair vertebral disc degeneration. Initial results from all these studies were reported at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

26 Mar 2012

Raisins may help lower blood pressure

If you have slightly higher than normal blood pressure - known as prehypertension - consider eating a handful of raisins. New data suggest that, among individuals with mild increases in blood pressure, the routine consumption of raisins (three times a day) may significantly lower blood pressure, especially when compared to eating other common snacks, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

26 Mar 2012

Well-balanced diet and exercise can prevent colorectal cancer

When Dessa Ledet repeatedly experienced pain on the right of her body, she never dreamed she would hear the words "you have cancer" when she woke up from a colonoscopy. In fact, she didn't believe that almost three years after her diagnosis she would run in MD Anderson's seventh annual Sprint for Colorectal Oncology Prevention and Education (SCOPE) Run on Saturday, March 24.

26 Mar 2012

High-fat, low-carb foods linked with increased risk of heart attack in obese people

High-fat, low-carb foods are a popular choice for dieters, but new laboratory research by University of Alabama at Birmingham cardiologists indicates these may be detrimental to the health of people who have ischemic cardiovascular disease or a predisposition to heart attacks.

26 Mar 2012

Unique clinic gives new lease of life – solves a family mystery

Isobel Dickinson, 62, of Wadsley, Sheffield, suffers from gluten ataxia – a neurological condition that can affect balance, co-ordination and speech. Until her diagnosis six years ago, little did she know that her difficulty balancing was being caused by sensitivity to gluten.

26 Mar 2012

Study validates Mitofusin 2 as possible target for treatment of diabetes mellitus

Researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have discovered that deficiency of a single protein, Mitofusin 2, in muscle and hepatic cells of mice is sufficient to cause tissues to become insensitive to insulin, thus producing an increase in blood glucose concentrations. These are the two most common conditions prior to development of diabetes type 2.

26 Mar 2012

Obese or overweight women may have increased risk of breast cancer recurrence

Women who are overweight or obese when they are diagnosed with breast cancer are at higher risk of cancer recurrence or related death than are leaner women, according to a new study to be presented to the 8th European Breast Cancer Conference.

26 Mar 2012

NSBRI, NASA's Johnson Space Center extend cooperative agreement

NASA's Johnson Space Center has awarded a five-year, $120 million extension of its cooperative agreement with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, or NSBRI, of Houston.

26 Mar 2012