Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Faster and more objective way to examine the surfaces of fossilized teeth

Using a powerful microscope and computer software, a team of scientists from Johns Hopkins, the University of Arkansas, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and elsewhere has developed a faster and more objective way to examine the surfaces of fossilized teeth, a practice used to figure out the diets of our early ancestors.

10 Aug 2005

Endorphin system may hold the key to understanding and treating bulimia nervosa

The role of the brain's opioid receptor system - or endorphin system - may hold the key to understanding and treating bulimia nervosa, according to research reported in the Society of Nuclear Medicine's August issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

9 Aug 2005

$Experts predict that bone fractures will become a bigger and more costly problem$

Experts predict that bone fractures will become a bigger and more costly problem

With an aging population, and with people living longer, experts say bone fractures will become a bigger and more costly problem unless more is done to prevent them.

9 Aug 2005

Bill Clinton leads childhood obesity fight

Former President Bill Clinton, famous for among other things, his love of fast food, says he has firsthand experience of how unhealthy eating habits can do to a young body.

8 Aug 2005

High intakes of dairy foods and lactose may increase the risk of ovarian cancer

An analysis of 21 studies that have investigated the link between ovarian cancer and the consumption of milk products and lactose has found some support for the hypothesis that high intake is associated with increased cancer risk.

7 Aug 2005

Breastfeeding lowers mothers stress

Moms, want to lower stress? Try breastfeeding. New research from the McGill-affiliated Douglas Hospital Research Centre in Montreal shows mothers who breastfeed respond less to stressful situations than those who bottle-feed their children. These findings suggest these mothers may be better able to care for their children.

7 Aug 2005

Doubt cast over study that says milk linked to ovarian cancer

Swedish researchers say that drinking just one glass of milk a day may increase the risk of women developing ovarian cancer.

7 Aug 2005

Low levels of folate linked to lower birth rates

Mothers-to-be with lower levels of the vitamin folate in their body during early pregnancy are more likely to have babies with lower, or less healthy, birth weights, a study has revealed.

4 Aug 2005

People with prehypertension are at much higher risk of heart attack

Normal blood pressure is lower than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Prehypertension is systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 and/or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg. (Systolic pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats and diastolic pressure is the force when the heart is at rest.) Hypertension is blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg or higher.

4 Aug 2005

More than fifty percent of the U.S. population tested positive to one or more allergens

The new findings, based on data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), shows that 54.3% of individuals aged 6-59 years old had a positive skin test response to at least one of the 10 allergens tested.

4 Aug 2005

Exposure to secondhand smoke can increase your chances of getting heart disease

In a study of women smokers, those whose spouses also smoked had a higher risk of stroke than those married to nonsmokers, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

4 Aug 2005

Risk of metabolic syndrome raised even by secondhand smoke

A new study has shown that even secondhand smoke can raise the risk of metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by obesity, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and pre-diabetes.

4 Aug 2005

Updated view of global nutrition

While nutritional status has improved worldwide over the past fifty years, new nutrition-related problems have also emerged. In an article recently published in The Journal of Nutrition, Eileen Kennedy DSc, RD, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, offers an updated view of global nutrition.

4 Aug 2005

New insights into dietary divergences between some of our human ancestors

A Penn State researcher is part of the team that developed techniques that have generated insights into dietary divergences between some of our human ancestors, allowing scientists to better understand the evolutionary path that led to the modern-day diets that humans consume.

3 Aug 2005

Babies born during famine are at higher risk of schizophrenia

A new study has found that malnutrition can harm mental as well as physical health, and babies born during famine are at higher risk of schizophrenia.

3 Aug 2005

Lowering the current PSA threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy may subject millions of men to unnecessary, potentially harmful medical procedures

Lowering the current prostate-specific antigen (PSA) threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy may subject millions of men to unnecessary, potentially harmful medical procedures with no evidence that it will improve prostate cancer mortality rates, according to a new study in the August 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

2 Aug 2005

High fructose corn syrup: a safe, natural ingredient

The July 31 article "Fructose sweetning could be even worse than using other sweeteners," mischaracterizes high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a natural, home-grown sweetener from U.S. corn fields. The article reports on a recent University of Cincinnati study whose authors assert that the body processes HFCS differently than other sugars due to the fructose content.

2 Aug 2005

Countries throughout the Americas are joining together to observe World Breastfeeding Week

...with a special focus on complementary feeding after six months of exclusive breastfeeding. The week of August 1-7 has the theme, "Breastfeeding and Family Foods: Loving and Healthy," highlighting the importance of timely, adequate, safe, and properly fed complementary foods.

2 Aug 2005

South African Department of Health celebrating World Breastfeeding Week

The South African Department of Health will be celebrating World Breastfeeding Week from the 1st August to 7th August 2005. World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) takes place annually from the 1st to 7th August and was created by World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) in 1990.

2 Aug 2005

The wonders of watermelon

On a hot summer day, nothing refreshes quite like a crisp, juicy slice of cool watermelon. Whether you're chomping into watermelon, enjoying it as part of a fruit salad or slurping on a watermelon smoothie, that red pulp provides a powerhouse of nutritional value.

2 Aug 2005