Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Study: Tart cherry juice improves overall sleep efficiency

Americans seeking a better night's sleep may need to look no further than tart cherry juice, according to a new study in the European Journal of Nutrition. An international team of researchers found that when adults had two daily glasses of tart cherry juice, they slept 39 minutes longer, on average, and had up to 6 percent increase in overall sleep efficiency (significantly less non-sleep time in bed), compared to when they drank a non-cherry, fruit cocktail.

9 Dec 2011

The Hormone Foundation publishes fact sheet about harmful hCG diet

In an effort to provide clarity to the confusion surrounding the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) diet, The Hormone Foundation, the public education affiliate of The Endocrine Society, today published, "Myth vs. Fact: The Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) Diet."

9 Dec 2011

VIVUS announces results of Qnexa clinical study on cardiometabolic disease

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that results from the SEQUEL study were published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a peer-reviewed journal with broad, multidisciplinary readership.

9 Dec 2011

Dietary fibers from brown algae help people lose more weight

A new research project conducted at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE), University of Copenhagen, shows that dietary fibres from brown algae boost the sensation of satiety, thereby making people eat less and lose more weight.

9 Dec 2011

Working night shifts may raise risk of diabetes: Study

About 26% percent of the American workforce, including health-care workers and sanitation staff, need to work night shifts. Earlier research has shown that regular night shifts may disrupt the circadian rhythm, raising the risk of heart disease, obesity, ulcers and even depression.

8 Dec 2011

Breakfast cereals high in sugars: Report

In a new report by the Environmental Working Group, 84 popular brands of breakfast cereals were reviewed. The report suggested that many of these contain a high amount of sugar.

8 Dec 2011

Simple mindful eating, stress-reduction techniques help prevent weight gain in obese women

Many dread gaining weight during the holiday season, but there may be hope for those who find that stress causes them to reach for yet another helping of holiday goodies. In a study by UCSF researchers published online in the Journal of Obesity, mastering simple mindful eating and stress-reduction techniques helped prevent weight gain even without dieting.

8 Dec 2011

Are parents and pediatricians turning a blind eye to their kids’ weight gain?

Childhood obesity is fast becoming a major problem in the United States. However a new study shows that parents, pediatricians and even nursery schools or kindergartens have not really paid the attention the problem needs.

7 Dec 2011

Arsenic in rice worrisome

Studies have shown that rice takes up more arsenic from soil than other crops. Now a new study shows that higher arsenic levels are ingested by women who eat as little as half a cup of cooked rice in a day. Currently, there are no limits on the amount of allowable arsenic in rice in the United States. But the Environmental Protection Agency has set arsenic limits in water of 10 parts per billion.

7 Dec 2011

Personalized action plans to combat depression

A new book co-authored by the director of the University of Louisville Depression Center recognizes that depression is different for everyone and provides techniques and strategies for each person to develop a personalized action plan to combat depression.

7 Dec 2011

Pycnogenol enhances mental performance

Keeping your brain in shape-no sweat. Health-conscious consumers may not realize that supplementing a healthy diet is just as important to maintaining mental performance as it is to maintaining six-pack abs.

7 Dec 2011

Racial differences in inflammation might explain survival paradox among dialysis patients

In the general population, African Americans die at earlier ages than whites, but among patients on dialysis, African Americans live longer than whites. A new study helps explain this paradox and could help prolong the lives of all patients on dialysis.

7 Dec 2011

Scientists help uncover evolutionary history of TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene

Long the bane of picky eaters everywhere, broccoli's taste is not just a matter of having a cultured palate; some people can easily taste a bitter compound in the vegetable that others have difficulty detecting. Now a team of Penn researchers has helped uncover the evolutionary history of one of the genes responsible for this trait.

7 Dec 2011

Evaluation method supports soy as high-quality protein

The importance of protein in the human body is undeniable. However, the idea of what makes a protein a "quality protein" has not been as easy to determine. A new study from the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry takes a closer look at the criteria for determining the quality of a protein.

7 Dec 2011

First international agricultural communications symposium to be held on Feb. 17 at U of I

Is it possible to find common ground among colliding beliefs surrounding food and agriculture? Food security is one of the most pressing issues facing world leaders today, and despite the technological tools available to help more of the world's population reach self-sufficiency, an epic communications challenge remains.

7 Dec 2011

INT-777 shows promise against metabolic syndrome

Heart disease is a major cause of death in industrialised countries, and is strongly associated with obesity and diabetes. Many scientists believe that what links these conditions is a chronic, low-grade inflammation.

7 Dec 2011

Smoking, excess weight, unhealthy diets and alcohol cause cancer

More than 100,000 cancers - equivalent to one third of all those diagnosed in the UK each year - are being caused by smoking, unhealthy diets, alcohol and excess weight, according to new research by Cancer Research UK.

7 Dec 2011

Study evaluates whether genetic GST polymorphisms increase risk of ALD in alcoholics

It has been widely observed that only a small percentage of alcoholics develop cirrhosis of the liver, the most advanced form of alcoholic liver disease (ALD); the reason why all alcoholics do not develop such disease is not known. The present study from Spain, that includes original work and a meta-analysis, evaluates whether genetic polymorphisms that determine levels of glutathione-S-transferases (GST) relate to the risk of developing ALD among alcoholics.

6 Dec 2011

Communication break down in warning parents about their overweight children

A new analysis of national survey data finds that less than one-quarter of parents of overweight children recall ever being told by a doctor or other health care provider that their children were overweight.

6 Dec 2011

Alzheimer's Australia, Bupa Health launch brain health app in the UK

The Bupa Health Foundation and Alzheimer's Australia have announced the UK launch of a world-first brain health app, the latest digital tool to help in the fight against dementia.

6 Dec 2011