Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Personalized medicine to improve the outcome for breast cancer patients

As cancer remains a leading cause of death in the United States, early detection and treatment are critical keys to improving the survival rate. Yet, an individual's response to treatment varies considerably, even among cancers of the same histological type.

12 Oct 2005

Severe hypoglycemia - complication of gastric bypass surgery

Physicians monitoring patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery should be on the alert for a new, potentially dangerous hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) complication that, while rare, may require quick treatment, according to a new study

12 Oct 2005

New study of the public's priorities for the funding of research into what people eat and how it affects their health

The study, conducted by MORI Social Research Institute, explores any differences between the agendas of the public and research funders at a time when the health implications of the food that we consume have a very high profile. The study was commissioned by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Institute of Food Research (IFR), who will consider the results as part of their strategic planning for future funding.

12 Oct 2005

Researchers call for better recognition and pain management of endometriosis

Women with endometriosis can wait up to ten years for the painful gynaecological condition to be diagnosed, according to a paper in latest issue of UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing.

12 Oct 2005

New hormone discovery has implications for liver diseases

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered that the small intestine communicates with the liver to control the production of bile acids - a finding that has great medical implications in treating people at risk for certain types of liver disease.

11 Oct 2005

Obesity associated with a threefold increase in SCD1 expression in obese muscle

The gene encoding an enzyme that hinders muscle from burning fat manufactures three times more enzyme in the muscle of obese people than lean people, researchers from Duke University Medical Center and Louisiana State University have found. This causes the obese muscle tissue to both store more fat and burn less fat, the researchers said.

11 Oct 2005

Sleletal muscle findings highlight the importance of exercise in obese people

The findings suggest that muscle bears a metabolic memory of obesity, which may help to explain why sustained weight loss can be difficult despite cutting calories, according to the researchers. Exercise might more successfully override the aberrant metabolic program in muscle, they suggest, thereby improving the long-term prognosis of those prone to obesity.

11 Oct 2005

Cholesterol levels among older adults has declined significantly

The total cholesterol level among older adults has declined significantly, while there has been little change among younger adults, according to a study in the October 12 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Oct 2005

People only need to walk up to 12 miles per week or for about 125 to 200 minutes per week to improve their heart health

The amount of exercise may be more important than intensity to improve cardiovascular health, according to a new analysis of the first randomized clinical trial evaluating the effects of exercise amount and intensity in sedentary overweight men and women.

10 Oct 2005

High fat foods can soothe inflammation

"Take two cheeseburgers and call me in the morning," may sound like far-fetched medical advice. After all, high fat foods can worsen blockages in blood vessels.

10 Oct 2005

Screening for cardiovascular risk by measuring blood levels of C-reactive protein should not be advocated

C-reactive protein (CRP) is released by the liver in response to inflammation related to an infection, injury, or conditions such as arthritis. Inflammation also has been associated with the cause and progression of cardiovascular disease, particularly in the build up of fatty deposits in the lining of arteries.

10 Oct 2005

Rapid urbanization is a huge challenge to food production

Swedes eat on average twice as much meat, and considerably more fruit and vegetables in the early 21st century than in the 1870s. Nevertheless, the surface area required to produce our food has decreased, measured per person. But this decrease is largely based on non-sustainable use of resources.

5 Oct 2005

Effects of anticonvulsants on women

The Epilepsy Foundation has issued a Call to Action to women of childbearing age who take anticonvulsant medications for conditions that include epilepsy, migraine headaches, and certain psychiatric disorders, urging them to talk to their healthcare providers about treatment options.

4 Oct 2005

Study paves the way for new therapeutic targets which can potentially improve heart disease in patients with end-stage kidney failure

Night-time hemodialysis patients may have a greater capacity to repair their hearts and blood vessels compared to those on conventional dialysis three times a week, according to a study in the October issue of the American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society.

4 Oct 2005

United States has a major weight problem and it will get worse

A large, community-based study -- considered the first study to assess the long-term risk of developing overweight and obesity in adults -- found that over 30 years, nine out of 10 men and seven out of 10 women were overweight or became overweight. In addition, more than one in three were obese or became obese.

4 Oct 2005

Chemical in cocoa beans can limit the development of fluids that cause diarrhea

A new study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is the first to discover that a chemical in cocoa beans can limit the development of fluids that cause diarrhea. Cocoa beans contain a large amount of chemicals called flavonoids.

3 Oct 2005

Doctors should encourage teens to limit their intake of food prepared away from home and to eat family dinners together

New research shows that adolescents who eat large amounts of fried food away from home are heavier and more likely to have a poor-quality diet.

3 Oct 2005

Study shows that high-fat diets correlate to a chronic inflammatory state in the liver,

Mice that were fed diets high in fat and sugar developed immune system abnormalities in their livers, including reduced numbers of natural killer T (NKT) cells. These diet-related changes may contribute to obesity-related liver disease, according to a new study.

3 Oct 2005

Survey highlights the need to increase folic acid fortification of the grain supply

Only one-third of childbearing age women are taking a multivitamin containing the B vitamin folic acid daily to prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine in their future babies, according to a decade of March of Dimes surveys.

3 Oct 2005

New genes tied to lifespan extension

Drastically reducing calorie intake, or caloric restriction, is known to extend the lifespan of species including yeast, worms and rodents. Previous research linked a gene called Sir2 with lifespan extension due to caloric restriction, but worms and yeast that lack Sir2 also live longer when put on a tough diet, showing that some other genes must be at work.

3 Oct 2005