A better insight into how harmful food pathogens such as E.coli and
Salmonella survive on fresh fruits and vegetables is the key to
stemming the rising tide of human disease outbreaks linked to fresh
produce.
Improving the quality and texture of beef for consumer tastebuds
could lift sales for a US beef industry knocked lately by the BSE
scare. In a recent link up, US agri-giant Cargill and life science
firm MetaMorphix have completed...
As food manufacturers keen to jump on the low-carbohydrate train
continue to roll out a raft of new food products, US researchers
reveal the 21st century potato developed with a massive cut in the
low-carb content. The new spud will...
Egg quality and usefulness can be safely maintained beyond the
sell-by date if the eggs are stored properly - indeed, they can be
safely consumed up to four or five weeks beyond the recommended
use-by date, claim US researchers this...
Antioxidants found in oats can significantly reduce blood
cholesterol levels by suppressing the adhesive molecules which make
blood cells stick to artery walls, report scientists from the US
this week - evidence of the cholesterol-busting...
Small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate eaten over a
two-week period significantly improved blood vessel function,
report US researchers this week, without increasing blood
cholesterol levels.
Probiotic bacteria appear to tackle the HIV virus and may even stop
it from being transferred from a mother to her children, said
researchers at the American Society for Microbiology general
meeting this week.
Scientists have discovered a possible mechanism for the anti-cancer
activity of resveratrol, the compound found in red wine and thought
to be responsible for the drink's widely reported health benefits,
writes Wai Lang Chu.
Numerous studies of the properties of green tea have shown that the
beverage can stimulate the human immune system to fight against a
variety of diseases, but new research presented this week suggests
that its cousin, white tea, may...
Pregnant women with asthma who eat oily fish, such as salmon or
trout, may help protect their children against developing asthma,
according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in
Orlando...
A compound in cilantro could prove to be a safe, natural means of
fighting foodborne disease such as Salmonella, according to a joint
study by US and Mexican researchers.
Vaccines to combat a number of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria
could be commercially available in the near future, a breakthrough
which would "greatly enhance human health and wellbeing
worldwide," according to US researchers.
Green tea may help to lower the prevalence of oesophageal
adenocarcinoma, one of the fastest growing cancers in western
countries, said researchers speaking at a meeting on digestive
disease in the US last week.
Nutritionists and health food campaigners have been saying it for
years, but now a new study from the US Department of Agriculture
has confirmed it: people who eat fast food have a greater calorie
intake than those who do not, and...
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.
