A new study from Northwestern University 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. The researchers speculate that the […]
Archive | Diet
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. The findings, published in Breast Cancer Research, offer a possible way to improve outcomes for patients in the later stages of the disease. Conducted by scientists from […]
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, according to a new study in the journalBiology Letters, might explain the dramatic differences in gut bacteria observed in people from different latitudes. Researchers at […]
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. Their report, published in The Journal of Physiology, hints that the blunting effect may be caused by a reduction of oxidative stress. “Our results show that vitamin C […]
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. The intriguing new findings, based on experiments with mice, appear in the […]
Mercury levels in herbal teas surprise scientists
A new study from the University of Bristol (UK) 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. The negative effects of mercury on fetal development have been well documented and led to official warnings against eating too […]
Cholesterol metabolism implicated in anorexia
A 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. “These findings point in a direction that probably no one would have considered taking before,” said lead […]
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. The study “Postharvest Circadian Entrainment Enhances Crop Pest Resistance and Phytochemical Cycling” […]
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. The researchers, from the University of California and University of West Virginia used data from the US […]
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. The researchers say that sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra) converts white fat cells intobrown fat, which burns caloric energy much […]