Diet



21 May 2014

Vitamin E in canola linked to asthma, lung inflammation


A new study shows the drastically different health effects of vitamin E depending on its form. The study authors say a vitamin E variant known as gamma-tocopherol - found in soybean, corn, and canola oils - was found to be associated with decreased lung function in humans...

28 February 2014

New evidence for link between alcohol consumption and cancer metastasis


New research looking at the biological processes involved in breast cancer development has strengthened the argument for a potential link between alcohol consumption and progression of the disease...

14 February 2014

Obesity could be an evolutionary hangover from prehistoric gut bacteria


Today, obesity is considered to be undesirable, but in the past getting more fat and more energy from the diet might have been important to survival in cold places. This, say scientists, might explain the dramatic differences in gut bacteria between people from warm latitudes and those who live in colder parts of the world...

3 February 2014

Vitamin C and E supplements found to handicap muscular endurance


Scientists from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences report that vitamin C and E supplements can interfere with cellular signaling and handicap the development of muscular endurance...

24 November 2013

Obesity can change our sense of taste


Previous studies have shown that obesity can lead to alterations in the brain, but in new research, scientists have found that being severely overweight alters our sense of taste at the most fundamental level: by changing how our tongues react to different flavors...

30 September 2013

Mercury levels in herbal teas surprise scientists


A new study suggests that fish accounts for only seven percent of mercury levels in the human body, while herbal teas appear to be a significant, previously unrecognized, contributor...

11 September 2013

Cholesterol metabolism implicated in anorexia


A large DNA-sequencing study of anorexia nervosa sufferers has linked the eating disorder to variants in a gene that regulates cholesterol metabolism, suggesting that anorexia could be caused in part by a disruption in the normal processing of cholesterol...

21 June 2013

It's alive! Nutritional value of fresh produce varies with time of day


The fruits and vegetables we buy in the grocery store are actually still alive, leading scientists to conclude that the way we store our produce (as well as the time of the day we cook it) has significant effects on its nutritional value...

22 January 2013

Car designs may change to protect obese


An analysis of traffic collision fatalities showing that obese drivers are far more likely to die than drivers of normal weight has prompted researchers to suggest that car designs might need to change to better protect obese drivers...

17 January 2013

Viagra's surprising weight-loss properties


German scientists investigating why mice given Viagra were resistant to obesity say they have discovered a "quite amazing" anti-obesity effect related to a cell signaling pathway that tells the body how to store fat...

21 November 2012

Stabbed or shot? Drink up


Hospital patients with traumatic injuries such as fractures, internal injuries and open wounds were far more likely to survive if they had consumed alcohol, and the protective effect increased with the amount of alcohol consumed...

17 October 2012

Significant testosterone deficiency found in obese boys


For the first time, medicos have measured testosterone levels in teens of different weights and found that young obese males have up to 50 percent less testosterone, significantly increasing their potential to be impotent and infertile as adults...

2 October 2012

Blood-brain barrier in obese people hotwired for fatty foods


US scientists say diets high in saturated fat and refined sugar appear to cause changes to the blood-brain barrier of obese people that in turn may fuel overconsumption of those same foods and make weight loss more challenging...

27 August 2012

Tackling obesity by manipulating gut flora


Antibiotics could one day be the standard treatment for regulating weight, suggests a new study that examines the interactions between diet, the bacteria in our gut, and our immune systems...

26 July 2012

Hunter-gatherer study contradicts obesity theory


Comparing the lifestyles of modern African hunter-gatherers and Westerners, scientists found no difference in energy expenditure, leading the researchers to posit that diet - rather than lack of exercise - may be the culprit in the obesity epidemic...

18 May 2012

US diet engenders stupidity


A new UCLA study with rodents is the first to show how a diet high in fructose sabotages memory and learning functions in the brain...

30 March 2012

Slow food, better mood


"The more fast food you consume, the greater the risk of depression," say Euro researchers who have linked the consumption of hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza to a significantly greater likelihood of developing depression...

14 March 2012

Trans fats and aggression: the Twinkie defense gets scientific


Researchers have provided the first evidence linking the consumption of trans fats with a range of adverse behaviors, ranging from impatience to overt aggression...

20 December 2011

Lower calorie intake provides brain boost


A low caloric diet changes the chemistry in the brain, enhancing both cognitive performance and memory, a discovery which scientists hope will yield new drugs to arrest the cognitive decline associated with aging...

25 November 2011

BPA levels in canned soup unexpectedly high


In one of the first studies to investigate levels of the chemical bisphenol A in canned food, Harvard researchers recorded unexpectedly high levels of the plastics additive from tinned soups, prompting a warning for consumers of those products...

9 September 2011

Not all trans fats are created equal


Natural trans fats produced by ruminant animals such as dairy and beef cattle are not detrimental to health and in fact show significant positive health effects...

5 September 2011

Switch hands for a healthier diet


Psychologists from the University of Southern California found that popcorn munching moviegoers ate about the same amount of popcorn regardless of whether it was fresh or one-week old, showing that bad eating habits persist even when the food we're eating tastes bad. But when using the non-dominant hand, moviegoers ate much less of the stale than the fresh popcorn, and this worked even for those with strong eating habits...

28 June 2011

Artificial sweeteners contributing directly to diabetes risk


The findings from two new studies have prompted US health scientists to declare that the promotion of diet sodas and aspartame sweeteners as healthy alternatives may be "ill-advised"...

9 May 2011

"Bad" cholesterol not so evil


Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - popularly known as bad cholesterol - turns out to be critical for building muscle mass, and significant lowering of the body's LDL levels can cause serious health problems...

8 February 2011

Processed food cripples young brain


Somewhat unsurprisingly, a new study has found that infants with a higher intake of processed foods during the first three years of their lives had lower IQs. More surprising is the discovery that the cognitive effects relating to these eating habits in early childhood appear to persist into later life - despite any subsequent improvements to dietary intake...

6 January 2011

Benefits of breastfeeding last into adolescence


Breastfeeding appears to confer advantages well beyond infancy, with European researchers reporting significant differences in muscle strength and aerobic capacity when comparing teenagers who were breastfed as infants with others who were not breastfed...

25 November 2010

High protein low GI diet wins weight loss test


Which diet is the most effective for shedding weight? According to researchers who have just completed the world's largest study into diet, one that is high in proteins with less starch calories is the optimum way to lose weight and maintain a healthy BMI...

15 November 2010

Vitamin D brouhaha gets heavy


While public health professionals continue to argue about whether current federal standards for vitamin D intake are too low, a new study has linked vitamin D deficiency to abnormal weight gain in children...

24 August 2010

Water, the simplest appetite control method


An appetite control agent that requires no prescription, has no side-effects and costs almost nothing? A new clinical trial has confirmed that just two 8-ounce glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The new miracle elixir? Water...

7 May 2010

Antioxidant supplements found to induce genetic abnormalities


A chance discovery by Cedars-Sinai researchers has shown that high doses of antioxidant nutritional supplements can increase genetic abnormalities in cells, which may predispose the supplement-takers to cancer...

28 April 2010

Soda drinks found to accelerate signs of aging


New research shows that the phosphates in popular sodas accelerate signs of aging and may also increase the prevalence of age-related complications such as kidney disease, cardiovascular calcification and skin atrophy...

27 January 2010

Antioxidants found to impair muscle function


Antioxidants increasingly have been praised for their benefits against disease and aging, but new studies show they can also seriously impair muscle function by limiting oxygen in the bloodstream...

26 January 2010

Traveling into the future... with sugar


Researchers looking into how blood glucose levels impact our thought processes have found that when we have more energy available (higher levels of blood glucose), we tend to be more future-oriented in our decision-making...

21 October 2009

High protein diet shrinks brain


Reported in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration, a study by Alzheimer's researchers has unexpectedly found that a high protein diet, such as the Atkins diet, can lead to a smaller brain...

7 January 2009

Surprising finding from calorie-weight study


An international study has failed to find supporting evidence for the common belief that the number of calories burned in physical activity is a key factor in rising rates of obesity...

8 September 2008

Work smarter, eat harder


An intriguing new study has demonstrated that intellectual work induces a substantial increase in calorie intake. The discovery, contend the researchers involved, could go some way to explaining the current obesity epidemic...

6 August 2008

Prof Pooh-Poohs "Exercise Pill" Reports


An expert in exercise and the human metabolic system has criticized recent media stories about the invention of an "exercise pill" as unrealistic and largely ignorant of the benefits that physical activity has on human physiology...

3 April 2008

Water Intake Guidelines Questioned


A study into the health effects of drinking 8 glasses of water a day reveals that most supposed benefits are not backed by solid evidence...

27 March 2008

Brain Has Sixth Sense For Calories


New research suggests that the brain can "sense" the calories in food, independent of our normal tasting mechanism...

12 July 2007

Antibiotics Absorbed By Vegetables


Antibiotics fed to livestock are contaminating corn, lettuce and potato crops via the cattle manure that is used to fertilize the soil...

6 June 2007

Newly Identified "Starvation Hormone" Behind Low-Carb Diet Effectiveness


The effectiveness of low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets appears to depend on increased levels of what researchers have termed the "starvation hormone"...

20 April 2007

Green Tea Suppresses Inflammatory Autoimmune Response


A compound found in green tea appears to reduce the inflammatory responses associated with autoimmune diseases...

14 March 2007

The Skinny On Bad Fat


All fats are not equal, say researchers who are probing the workings of a particular fat found in the belly, which appears to be a big contributor to diabetes, heart disease and other disorders...

20 September 2006

Fat Gets A Makeover


There is an increasing amount of evidence that too little body fat can have some surprisingly dire consequences on your health...

1 September 2006

Veggie Juice Reduces Risk Of Vegetative State


A specific class of antioxidant found in fruit and vegetable juice could stave off Alzheimer's disease, particularly for those people genetically predisposed to the disease...

3 August 2006

Obesity's Double-Whammy Effect On Healthcare System


Radiologists are finding that conventional x-ray and CT machines aren't powerful enough to effectively penetrate obese patients...

7 June 2006

New Theory On Green Tea's Medicinal Properties


Is it green tea that helps prevent against cancer and cardiovascular disease in chain-smoking Asian populations? Scientists from Yale University have been investigating what is termed "the Asian paradox"...

24 April 2006

Researchers Give Cholesterol Critics The Finger


Cholesterol has had a lot of bad press, but researchers have now discovered that it's also responsible for giving us the correct number of fingers and toes...

8 March 2006

Wrong Genes And Coffee's A Heart Stopper


A cup of coffee in the morning may seem innocuous enough, but some genetically predisposed coffee drinkers may be putting themselves at risk of a heart attack...

10 November 2005

Human Guinea Pig Success For Omega 3 Cancer Treatment


Success with omega-3 fatty acids in animal cancer trials have been repeated in a human subject whose lung cancer has now all but disappeared...

16 September 2005

Savoring The Flavoring


Are wine-buffs coaxed into buying their particular brand of poison just because that's what current trends dictate? Is an appreciation of haute cuisine no more than a learned social behavior? These are just two of the conclusions you could draw from recent research into taste perception. According to the researchers, one person's taste is unique from the next, with taste and odor perception being dramatically more complicated than our other sense perceptions. To understand why this is so, scientists have had to study taste at the genetic level…

12 August 2005

Food, Notorious Food


Our ancestors had it pretty tough when it came to feeding the family. Leaving the cave to spear something for dinner was fraught with danger and disappointment. We may have it easier nowadays, but have we swapped nutritional content for convenience? Evidence is mounting that the foods we eat are becoming less and less nutritious thanks to factors that seem beyond our control...

3 December 2004

Nutrients Being Bred Out Of Modern Crops


Important nutrients like protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and riboflavin are being bred out of modern crops as farmers seek higher yields...

Related:
Emerging Threats
Environmental Factors
News From The Lab
Mental Health
Reproductive Health