Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Analysis of different sweeteners and sweet substances

The most important factor in what kind of sweetener people prefer has little to do with how sweet it tastes. Rather, it has more to do with other tastes in the sweetener, such as bitterness or sourness, new research suggests.

13 Apr 2006

Active ingredient in soy may explain why Asians have lower rates of obesity and cancer

A single nutrient found in soy products elicits changes in gene behavior that permanently reduce an embryo's risk of becoming obese later in life, according to an animal study at Duke University Medical Center.

13 Apr 2006

Research provides clues to obesity's cause

Hot fudge sundaes and french fries aside, new research suggests obesity is due at least in part to an attraction between leptin, the hormone that signals the brain when to stop eating, and a protein more recently associated with heart disease.

13 Apr 2006

Sexy media matters

A new study establishes a strong connection between young adolescents' media diet and increased sexual intercourse.

13 Apr 2006

Adolescents with unhealthy weight-control behaviors more likely to be overweight five years later

Adolescents who diet and use unhealthy weight-control behaviors are more likely to be overweight and put themselves at risk for eating disorders in the future, according to new research done at the University of Minnesota.

11 Apr 2006

U.S. watchdog says Xenical should be withdrawn

A consumer watchdog group in the U.S., Public Citizen, has petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw the prescription diet drug Xenical (orlistat) from the market; the group also want the FDA to refuse approval for the weight-loss pill to be made widely available over the counter.

11 Apr 2006

Forget the diet, just zap that fat!

Scientists in the U.S. are in the process of developing a laser which melts fat and they believe that in future it could be used to treat heart disease, cellulite, and acne.

11 Apr 2006

Alcohol use, tobacco use and male gender associated with an earlier onset of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, according to background information in the article. Screening asymptomatic patients is an important strategy for reducing these deaths, because by the time patients experience symptoms, the cancer may have progressed beyond the point where it can be cured.

11 Apr 2006

Leptin may lead to new approaches for curbing appetite

11 Apr 2006

Alcohol use, comorbidity, and mortality

Older men who drink as few as two drinks twice a week and also have diseases that could be worsened by alcohol or cause problems with medications taken while drinking alcohol have higher death rates, as compared to men who either drink less or may drink more but don't have such comorbidities.

11 Apr 2006

Seniors cite financial need as the greatest barrier to receiving dental care

A survey of seniors' access to dental care conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College presents a sobering picture of the dental needs and barriers to dental care experienced by seniors.

11 Apr 2006

Genetic variants in estrogen-related genes linked to Parkinson's disease in women

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a possible connection between increased risk for Parkinson's disease and variants in three genes that control estrogen production and activity in the body.

11 Apr 2006

Type 2 diabetics' urine acidity increases risk for kidney stones

People with type 2 diabetes have highly acidic urine, a metabolic feature that explains their greater risk for developing uric-acid kidney stones, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

7 Apr 2006

Photodynamic therapy may become the first line of treatment for Barrett's esophagus

When you think of heartburn, you probably think of greasy food, not cancer. You may not know that chronic heartburn is linked to esophageal cancer.

7 Apr 2006

Specific gene that could be responsible for metabolic diseases

We are all familiar with the dangers of too much fat in our diet--increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are just a few of the most severe consequences.

7 Apr 2006

Carbon monoxide inhibitor controls traumatic bleeding

A chemical that blocks carbon monoxide (CO) has been used for the first time to arrest traumatic bleeding in rats, according to a Tulane University research team.

6 Apr 2006

Mankind benefits from eating less meat

If people were to eat more vegetable proteins instead of animal proteins, this would result in multiple - and much-needed - benefits.

6 Apr 2006

Moving in with the boyfriend, bad for girls health!

According to researchers in the UK when women move in with a boyfriend they gain weight.

6 Apr 2006

Vitamin C in the blood stream is directly related to fat oxidation

Nutrition researchers from Arizona State University report that the amount of vitamin C in the blood stream is directly related to fat oxidation - the body's ability to use fat as a fuel source - during both exercise and at rest.

6 Apr 2006

Healthy lifestyle changes reduce high blood pressure

Men and women with elevated blood pressure who make healthy lifestyle changes and sustain them for up to a year and a half can substantially reduce their rates of high blood pressure and potentially decrease their heart disease risk.

6 Apr 2006