Nutrition & Wellness

The synthetic chemicals used in the packaging, storage, and processing of foodstuffs might be harmful to human health over the long term, warn environmental scientists in a commentary in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. This is because most of these substances are not inert and can leach into the foods we eat, they say. Despite the fact that some of these … [Read more...]

Lone star tick bites are likely the cause of thousands of cases of severe red meat allergies that are plaguing patients in Southeastern states including Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia and spreading up the Eastern Seaboard along with the deer population. Vanderbilt's Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program (A.S.A.P.) clinic is seeing one or more new cases each week of … [Read more...]

Obesity is on the rise in Indonesia, one of the largest studies of the double burden of malnutrition in children has revealed. Affecting many low and middle-income countries, the double burden of malnutrition describes the prevalence of both under nutrition and over nutrition in the same place at the same time. It can have a devastating impact on individuals and … [Read more...]

The prevalence of celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune disease, is increasing. The only treatment for CD is a gluten-free diet. However, the increasing prevalence of CD does not account for the disproportionate increase in growth of the gluten-free food industry (136% from 2013 to 2015). A Commentary scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics discusses several of the … [Read more...]

Two linked papers in The BMJ this week shed new light on the relation of alcohol and diet with breast cancer and heart disease. The first study reports that high fruit consumption during adolescence may be associated with lower breast cancer risk, while the second study finds that increasing alcohol intake in later life is associated with an increased risk of breast … [Read more...]

Dieters looking to cut calories may believe it's best to pick a fast casual restaurant over a fast food chain, but new research from the University of South Carolina shows that may not be the best choice. According to researchers from the Arnold School of Public Health, entrées at fast casual restaurants -- a category that includes restaurants such as Chipotle and Panera … [Read more...]

A diet rich in soy may help feminine hearts, but timing matters, finds a new study published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society. Lifelong soy consumption, similar to the diet of women in Asia, produces the least atherosclerosis. Switching to a Western diet after menopause, similar to Asian migrants to North America, leads to just … [Read more...]

New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases shows consuming a "Southern-style" diet -- consisting of processed meats, fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages -- results in higher risk of death in those with chronic kidney disease. Choosing the right foods can control the buildup of waste products and fluid … [Read more...]

Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a signaling pathway that switches on a powerful calorie-burning process in brown fat cells. The study, which is reported in this week's online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds light on a process known as "brown fat thermogenesis," which is of great interest to … [Read more...]

Eating a meal of seafood or other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids at least once a week may protect against age-related memory loss and thinking problems in older people, according to a team of researchers at Rush University Medical Center and Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Their research findings were published in the May 4 online issue of Neurology, the … [Read more...]

Transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS, has proved effective for binge-eating disorder for the first time, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. tDCS is a type of neuromodulator that delivers constant, low-current electricity to a targeted portion of the brain. While it has been tested and proved effective for many disorders and … [Read more...]

Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have new information on what happens at the molecular level when we go hungry. Working with the Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (German Center for Diabetes Research -- DZD) and the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German Cancer Research Center -- DKFZ) they were able to show that upon deprivation of food a certain protein is … [Read more...]

Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) finds that the younger a woman is when she goes on her first diet, the more likely she is to experience several negative health outcomes later in life. Dieting is very common among girls and young women; however, people often fail to consider the long-term consequences of … [Read more...]

Researchers from the University of Liverpool have published a paper regarding their work on how beliefs about food addiction can affect eating behaviour. Obesity is often attributed to an addiction to food and many people believe themselves to be "food addicts." However, until now no studies have looked at whether believing oneself to be a food addict influences how much we … [Read more...]

A review of large-scale studies involving more than 1.5 million people found all-cause mortality is higher for those who eat meat, particularly red or processed meat, on a daily basis. Conducted by physicians from Mayo Clinic in Arizona, "Is Meat Killing Us?" was published today in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. The authors analyzed six studies that … [Read more...]

If you’re a carb counter and looking for a great way to shave some starchy ones out of your diet, get crazy for cauliflower. Halley Todd is a lot more careful about her diet today than just last year. Todd said, “So I went to graduate school and during my time in graduate school it was really stressful and I gained some weight.” No, Halley’s not dropping those 20 … [Read more...]

Understanding that diets are often built around food groups rather than specific nutrients, researchers from Switzerland, France, and North America decided to examine interactions between four nutrients found in dairy products and their role in preserving bone and skeletal muscle. Their Open Access article with these findings, "Dairy in Adulthood: From Foods to Nutrient … [Read more...]

  While necessary for some, many people eat gluten-free diets because they believe they'll gain certain health benefits, but these beliefs are not all supported by research, a University of Florida nutrition expert says. Those with celiac disease, or about 1 percent of the U.S. population, must follow a gluten-free diet because it's the only treatment for their … [Read more...]

The microbes living in the guts of males and females react differently to diet, even when the diets are identical, according to a study by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and six other institutions published this week in the journal Nature Communications. These results suggest that therapies designed to improve human health and treat diseases through nutrition … [Read more...]

A new study involving researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and other institutions says patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes should eat a diet low in carbohydrates. The study, accepted for publication in Nutrition and available on the journal's website, offers 12 points of evidence showing that low-carbohydrate diets should be the first line of attack … [Read more...]

During the school year, 21 million children receive free or reduced-price lunches, yet less than 10% of those children participate in the Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program. This discrepancy places responsibility for food choices during the summer on parents. Previous efforts to improve the healthfulness of foods and beverages provided by parents have … [Read more...]

Could stuffing yourself full of high-fat foods cause you to lose your sense of smell? A new study from Florida State University neuroscientists says so, and it has researchers taking a closer look at how our diets could impact a whole range of human functions that were not traditionally considered when examining the impact of obesity. "This opens up a lot of possibilities … [Read more...]

Open a child’s lunch box and you’re likely to find that the lunches and snacks inside fall short of federal guidelines. Those are the findings of a study conducted by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. The findings are … [Read more...]

Children with mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration experienced fewer treatment failures such as IV rehydration or hospitalization when offered half-strength apple juice followed by their preferred fluid choice compared with children who received electrolyte maintenance solution to replace fluid losses, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being … [Read more...]

New research by Andersen et al, published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, may have an impact on the sugar tax debate. The research team observed overall changes in dietary patterns in overweight children, including a decrease in consumption of sugary drinks, when additional water or milk is added to their diet. Since 2011 the European Society for … [Read more...]

Contrary to conventional wisdom, a growing body of evidence shows that eating lean beef can reduce risk factors for heart disease, according to recent research by nutritional scientists. "This research adds to the significant evidence, including work previously done in our lab, that supports lean beef's role in a heart-healthy diet," said Penny M. Kris-Etherton, … [Read more...]

Spanish scientists have demonstrated through an experiment on obese rats that the consumption of probiotics for thirty days helps diminish the accumulation of fat in the liver. This new finding, recently published by the journal PLOS ONE, is a step forward on the fight against Non-Alcolohic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which is closely related to obesity and … [Read more...]

Dietary elimination is a successful method of treatment for adults with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. "By eliminating specific foods from patients' diets, symptoms improved in 71 percent of patients, and endoscopic … [Read more...]

A new study in women suggests that experiencing one or more stressful events the day before eating a single high-fat meal can slow the body's metabolism, potentially contributing to weight gain. Researchers questioned study participants about the previous day's stressors before giving them a meal consisting of 930 calories and 60 grams of fat. The scientists then measured … [Read more...]