A new study conducted by the FDA says that acrylamide found in
fried and baked goods is unlikely to cause reproduction problems if
the general public consume it as part of the average daily diet -
but research is ongoing for its carcinogenic...
Even children who eat two or fewer servings of fruit each week are
less likely to experience recurrent abdominal pain (RAP), a common
condition in children and adolescents that can interfere with
school activities, said researchers...
Folic acid - the B vitamin found commonly in supplements and
increasingly in a wide range of bread products - is already known
to prevent severe birth defects and to lower risk of death from
heart disease. But it could also help to...
At least 155 million school-age children worldwide are overweight
or obese, a growing problem which needs to be tackled now if more
serious ailments such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease are to be
avoided, according to the International...
People who shift their caffeine 'buzz' from a morning dose to small
amounts consumed throughout the day could avoid falling asleep, may
perform well on cognitive tests, and sleep soundly at night.
The benefits of including fruit in a daily dietary regime have been
given greater support with US researchers suggesting that natural
compounds found in fresh Bing cherries could help people who suffer
from gout or other forms of...
Breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid and other B vitamins
could help consumers protect against heart disease by lowering
levels of homocysteine, suggests new research. The amino acid
homocysteine is increasingly accepted as...
The US food watchdog had made steps to find out more about the
potential carcinogen furan after a new technology detected very low
levels of furan in a wider range of foods larger than previously
thought.
With global corn stocks at 20 year lows and prices slated to
continue their upward rise in 2004 the prospect of a new technology
that doubles the protein and oil content of corn while cutting the
carbohydrate levels should be well...
Burcon NutraScience, the Canada-based producer of rapeseed protein
products, has contracted Germany's Fraunhofer Institute to carry
out tests on its Supertein and Puratein products with a view to
finding new added-value opportunities...
Human milk has long been thought to have an effect on reducing the
likelihood of obesity among adults, but scientists have struggled
to say exactly why this is the case - until now.
Taking supplements of soy isoflavones, thought to help women fight
menopause symptoms and offer other health benefits, may not be
equally beneficial for men, suggests new animal research, writes
Dominique Patton.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with numerous health
benefits, from brain development and preventing memory loss to
suppressing tumours and cutting heart disease. But according to new
findings in the US, one particular fatty...
As society ponders the reasons for the rising tide of obesity in
children, researchers in the US suggest that the 'striking
alterations' in children's meal patterns over the past 20 years may
not be related to the current...
A naturally occurring compound in broccoli, already shown to fight
cancer in cells, may also be able to reduce risk of high blood
pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to a new
animal study.
Leading gelatine producer GELITA will take a seat at the WHO-driven
bone and joint health initiative Bone and Joint Decade, one of just
a few food ingredients firms invited to the table, created to
improve research, prevention and...
People may need to eat more beta-carotene to get enough vitamin A
as researchers reveal the nutrient may be less absorbable than
previously thought, writes Dominique Patton.
A compound in the curry spice turmeric appears to correct the
cystic fibrosis defect in mice, report Canadian scientists,
demonstrating the potential for treating the disease in humans.
Food manufacturers are in the firing line again with scientists
suggesting corn syrup and other refined foods could be the cause of
the obesity epidemic and the rising rate of type 2 diabetes. The
food industry immediately reacts,...
A fat hormone that causes weight loss could open up new routes to
tackling the rising tide of obesity currently affecting 200 million
people worldwide, say researchers in the US, following
investigations into the hormone adiponectin.
Lycopene, the tomato-derived antioxidant thought to fight prostate
cancer, may also help to inhibit benign tumours of the uterus,
which cause painful symptoms for millions of women, say
researchers, reports Dominique Patton.
New evidence to suggest that a diet high in artery-clogging trans
fats could accelerate the development of cardiovascular disease
comes from a recent study in the US.
Brain circuits involved in drug addiction are also activated by the
desire for food, say researchers this week, claiming that the mere
display of food - the smelling and tasting of favourite foods
without actually eating them - causes...
A cauliflower with 25 times more vitamin A than its 'regular'
sister could meet the daily needs of consumers with the new
vegetable now available on the market.
Vitamin C breaks boundaries with a new study showing for the first
time that the vitamin reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a marker
of inflammation and chronic disease risk in humans. Their findings
could provide tools to beat...
Evidence continues to mount suggesting a link between various
stages of depression and low blood levels of the B vitamin folate,
according to research funded by the Agricultural Research Service
in the US.
Scientists in the US are well on the way to developing sugar beets
with improved seedling vigour, higher sugar content, and enhanced
disease resistance.
New data from the US suggests that carcinogens such as heterocyclic
amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), formed
when meat is cooked may be responsible for the risk of rectal
cancer and not the consumption of...
Lutein supplements can reverse some of the damage done by 'dry'
age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most prevalent form of
the disease, according to a study out yesterday.
A link up between US space technologists and the leading
Swedish-Danish dairy firm Arla Foods could lead to new knowledge
about how to provide humans with calcium and yoghurt bacteria.
Participants at the annual meeting of the Association for
Chemoreception Sciences later this month will learn that cinnamon -
as a flavour or fragrance - could boost brain simulation related to
attentinal processes, according to...
High protein diets may in fact boost bone health, shows new
research, that contradicts fears by nutritionists that increasing
protein intake could lead to calcium losses.
As the US advisory body on dietary advice convenes in Washington,
D.C. to discuss salt consumption, the Salt Institute and the US
Chamber of Commerce were taking the Bush government to court,
claiming the full scientific facts on...
New ways to combat the global obesity epidemic could be on the way
as recent findings from influential obesity researcher Jeffrey
Friedman improves our understanding of leptin resistance and
obesity. New studies show that the appetite-regulating...
The active component in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate
(EGCG), already shown to fight several types of cancer, also
appears to kill cells of the most common form of leukaemia, reports
a US team this week.
Is Big Red the next functional food fad? Scientists in the US claim
the natural flavours found in the chewing gum brand manufactured by
gum giant Wrigley's could beat the bacteria that causes bad breath.
A small US study on honey, a food consumed by mankind for thousands
of years, suggests daily consumption of this sweet ingredient could
be a good source of protective antioxidant compounds for the human
body, writes Dominique Patton.
In the same week that the US food watchdog releases new findings on
the presence of acrylamide, the probable human carcinogen, in
processed food products, the American Chemical society will
dedicate an entire symposium to this sensitive...
Boosting 'added-value' opportunities for companies working with
corn, new research from government scientists on a fungus could
hold the key to using corn fibre as a factory for the production of
the potent antioxidant lycopene,...
A diet rich in vitamin E appears to protect against both prostate
cancer and bladder cancer, according to new research that lifts
hopes for the vitamin after disappointing recent studies, writes
Dominique Patton.
New research appears to absolve the soft drinks industry from
responsibility for the low calcium intake among US adolescents but
it suggests that creative and effective ways of increasing levels
of the mineral, such as through fortified...
'It is incorrect to focus on any specific food or ingredient in
attempting to address obesity,' cautions the US food industry, in
the face of mounting criticism that sugar intake plays a key role
in today's overweight...
Walnuts, one of the oldest food ingredients known to mankind, are
the focus of an upcoming symposium organised by Europe that will
aim to bridge the gap between scientific, technical and user
communities. Opportunities for growth...
People appear to be eternally optimistic when it comes to dieting,
always believing that the next diet will lead to weight loss. But
the results of a new study suggest that this cycle of dieting will
continue as most are not prepared...
Vitamin C may prevent symptoms associated with respiratory diseases
such as cystic fibrosis and asthma by hydrating the airways and
clearing them from potential pathogens, report scientists this
month, helping to explain some of the...
Oil from the seeds of an Asian plant, already shown to fight
leukaemia, also appears to kill prostate cancer cells and shrink
human tumours grown in mice, report US researchers. Human trials
could provide a promising treatment for...
A key discovery about how prions - mysterious morsels of protein
thought to be the cause of mad cow disease and similar brain
disorders - infect healthy cells is being hailed by scientists as a
breakthrough in the quest to understand...
A new study points to yet another risk associated with a diet rich
in animal protein - it may increase the risk of gout, the most
common form of inflammatory arthritis in men.
Manufacturers on the health wagon will welcome news this week that
food scientists have designed free radical beating crisps, complete
with an oregano flavour.