Feature Channels: Nutrition

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An estimated eight million adults in the U.S. suffer from binge eating disorder. Now, researchers have shown that compulsive binging on foods that are high in fat and sugar can trigger specific molecular changes that can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension). While others have studied the effects of binge eating on the brain, this study is the first to look at its molecular effects on the expression of certain proteins in the body.

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Roughly 8 percent of people in the US suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). SSRIs, such as Zoloft and Paxil, are the only currently-approved therapy, but their effectiveness is marginal. LSU researchers have found that blueberries could be an effective treatment. Research will be presented at the 2015 Experimental Biology Meeting on Monday, 3/30.

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Scientists have recently discovered a link between inflammation and depression, which affects approximately 148 million people in the United States. A new study finds that resveratrol — a natural anti-inflammatory agent found in the skin of red grapes — can prevent inflammation as well as depression-related behaviors in rodents exposed to a social stress.

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Something as easy as adding more spinach, kale, collards and mustard greens to your diet could help slow cognitive decline, according to new research. The study also examined the nutrients responsible for the effect, linking vitamin K consumption to slower cognitive decline for the first time.

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A study of peanut consumption showed that including them as a part of a high fat meal improved the post-meal triglyceride response and preserved endothelial function.

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There is burgeoning research showing that co-consuming cooked whole eggs with your veggies can increase carotenoids absorption. With the recent scientific report from the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee lessening past concern over cholesterol in eggs, this is particularly good news.

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A nation-wide analysis of grocery purchases reveals that highly processed foods make up more than 60 percent of the calories in food we buy, and these items tend to have more fat, sugar and salt than less-processed foods.

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The obesity epidemic among children has caused alarm throughout the United States and Canada. Achieving healthy energy intake among this age group is a widespread health concern. A new method of appetite regulation in children was recently investigated by graduate student Megan Hume from University of Calgary.

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A team of University of Missouri researchers has discovered that another nutrient in garlic offers the brain protection against aging and disease. The finding provides more understanding of how garlic may prevent age-related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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An analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) found that the risks of drinking raw (unpasteurized) cow’s milk are significant. The researchers determined that raw milk was associated with over half of all milk-related foodborne illness.

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Amidst fears that global warming could zap a vital source of protein that has sustained humans for centuries, bean breeders with the CGIAR global agriculture research partnership announced today the discovery of 30 new types, or lines as plant breeders refer to them, of “heat-beater” beans that could keep production from crashing in large swaths of bean-dependent Latin America and Africa.

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A nationwide survey of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) is helping to formalize a career path for RDNs seeking more responsibility and autonomy as clinicians, according to a paper published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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A list of foods and supplements recommended by James McDonnell, MD, ophthalmologist at Loyola University Health System.

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Strategies aimed at reducing childhood obesity should acknowledge individuals’ rational taste preferences and apply insights from behavioral economics to design choice architecture that increases their likelihood of success, say two physician-scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics in an editorial published in JAMA Pediatrics.

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Vitamin D deficiency is linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and both disorders are rooted in chronic inflammation. Now, studying mice that lack the ability to process vitamin D in immune cells involved in inflammation, Washington University School of Medicine researchers found that the animals made excess glucose, became resistant to insulin action and accumulated plaques in their blood vessels. He said the way those key immune cells behave without vitamin D may provide new targets for treating diabetes and atherosclerosis patients.

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A new diet, appropriately known by the acronym MIND, could significantly lower a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, even if the diet is not meticulously followed, according to a paper published online for subscribers in March in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

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Vitamin D may play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with aging, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). These findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Aging and Gerontology.

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Researchers are challenging the intake of vitamin D recommended by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine saying their Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin D underestimates the need by a factor of ten.

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Women who watched food television and cooked frequently from scratch had a higher body-mass-index, or BMI – weighing on average 10 more pounds – than those who obtained information from sources like family and friends, magazines and newspapers, or cooking classes. Women who watched food television but didn’t cook from scratch failed to see their viewing habits translate to a higher BMI.

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In a study that included more than 20,000 adults in China with high blood pressure but without a history of stroke or heart attack, the combined use of the hypertension medication enalapril and folic acid, compared with enalapril alone, significantly reduced the risk of first stroke, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session.

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The green of St. Patrick’s Day is a symbol of the luck of the Irish, and Vanderbilt nutrition educator Stacey Kendrick says when it comes to good food, green can bring good luck to our health, too.

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Healthy young adults who don’t consume caffeine regularly experienced greater rise in resting blood pressure after consumption of a commercially available energy drink — compared to a placebo drink — thus raising the concern that energy drinks may increase the risk of cardiac events, Mayo Clinic researchers found.

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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects the world population will increase more than nine billion people by 2050, which means food production will have to increase by 70 percent to meet the demand for adequate nutrition. According to the authors of a new supplement to the March issue of Journal of Food Science published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), dairy products are a feasible means to help meet the demands of a growing world market as well as the nutritional needs of the growing population.

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Although there is no universal standard definition of a super seed or superfruit, they are often described as providing a number of nutrients and health benefits all in one package. In the March issue of Food Technology published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), contributing editor Linda Milo Ohr writes about nine seeds and superfruits that fit the bill for consumers’ desire for natural, minimally processed foods.

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Scientists have developed a new, simple way to cook rice that could cut the number of calories absorbed by the body by more than half, potentially reducing obesity rates, which is especially important in countries where the food is a staple.

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Chocolate has many health benefits — it can potentially lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce stroke risk. But just as connoisseurs thought it couldn’t get any better, there’s this tasty new tidbit: Researchers have found a way to make the treat even more nutritious –– and sweeter. They will describe their research here today at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Taking vitamin D supplements could slow or even reverse the progression of less aggressive, or low-grade, prostate tumors without the need for surgery or radiation, a scientist will report today at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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A new weapon in the war against type 2 diabetes is coming in an unexpected form: fat. Researchers have discovered a new class of potentially therapeutic lipids, called FAHFAs, that are at low levels in people with insulin resistance, a risk factor for diabetes. FAHFAs improved glucose metabolism and insulin secretion in diabetic mice. The team will describe their approach at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Microbes may just be the next diet craze. Researchers have programmed bacteria to generate a molecule that, through normal metabolism, becomes a hunger-suppressing lipid. Mice that drank water laced with the programmed bacteria ate less, had lower body fat and staved off diabetes — even when fed a high-fat diet — offering a potential weight-loss strategy for humans. The team will describe their approach at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Kansas State University nutritionist gives tips on finding the most nutritious food at the dollar store.

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Researchers at Dartmouth College examined a database of television advertisements broadcast between March 2012 and February 2013 on 139 network and cable channels and found that more than 608 hours of advertisements for energy drinks were aired. Nearly half of those advertisements, 46.5%, appeared on networks with content themes likely to appeal to adolescents.

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A new soybean oil genetically modified to be healthier than conventional soybean oil causes obesity, pre-diabetes and fatty liver in a nearly identical manner to that of regular soybean oil when part of a typical American high-fat diet, an animal study shows. The study results will be presented Friday at The Endocrine Society’s 97th annual meeting in San Diego.

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Modest consumption of nuts every day is associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile among adolescents, a new analysis of a large national database shows. The study results will be presented Friday at the Endocrine Society’s 97th annual meeting in San Diego.

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In adults with obesity, lowering dietary fat may lead to greater body fat loss than lowering dietary carbohydrate, a new study finds. The results will be presented in a poster Thursday, March 5, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in San Diego.

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Human milk provides the best nutrition for most babies and breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for infants and very young children, according to an updated position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The paper also outlines the health risks of not breastfeeding, which include increased rates of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, increased health care costs and significant economic losses to families and employers.

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Researchers at Vanderbilt University and in Germany have found that sodium – salt – accumulates in the skin and tissue in humans and mice to help control infection.

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Drug-induced acute liver failure is uncommon, and over-the-counter medications and dietary and herbal supplements -- not prescription drugs -- are its most common causes, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings are published in the current issue of Gastroenterology.

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Researchers at Vanderbilt University and the Shanghai Cancer Institute examined the association of nut consumption with mortality among low-income and racially diverse populations and found that intake of peanuts was associated with fewer deaths, especially from heart disease.

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Researchers have for the first time successfully converted adult human skin cells into neurons of the type that regulate appetite, providing a patient-specific model for studying the neurophysiology of weight control and testing new therapies for obesity.

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Targeting mechanisms in the central nervous system that sense energy generated by nutrients might yield the beneficial effects of low-calorie diets on healthy aging without the need to alter food intake, suggests new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Locating full-service supermarkets within neighborhoods considered to be “food deserts” may not result in healthful dietary habits or reductions in childhood obesity -- at least in the short term, according to a new study by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers in the February 26th online edition of the journal Public Health Nutrition.

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Two UW-Madison graduate students are working to introduce highly productive kits for farming mealworms to regions such as sub-Saharan Africa where eating insects is already culturally palatable. They are just practicing what they are beginning to preach: insects, and mealworms in particular, are an overlooked, healthful, economically viable and sustainable source of nutrition for people.

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An eating pattern that meets people’s nutrient needs within calorie limits is vital to maintaining good health and quality of life. That’s why the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is encouraging everyone to “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle” with informed food choices during National Nutrition Month® 2015 and throughout the year.

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There is no one food, drink, pill or machine that is the key to achieving optimal health. A person’s overall daily routine is what is most important. That is why, as part of National Nutrition Month® 2015, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics urges everyone to “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle.”

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Snacks can be a fun and valuable part of a person’s healthful eating plan – but they can also add unneeded calories, sugar, sodium and fat. During National Nutrition Month®, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers smart snacking ideas that help everyone “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle.”

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Make physical activity a part of your daily routine as you “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle” during National Nutrition Month®.

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March is National Nutrition Month®, when the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reminds everyone to return to the basics of healthful eating. It is also when the Academy celebrates Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, honoring the contributions and expertise of RDNs as the food and nutrition experts. This year, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day will take place March 11.

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Emulsifiers, which are added to most processed foods to aid texture and extend shelf life, can alter the gut microbiota composition and localization to induce intestinal inflammation that promotes the development of inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome, new research shows.

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Total fruit consumption falls far short of national goals. More than 85% of the population is not meeting recommended amounts. General fruit consumption patterns show whole fruit provides about 65% (2/3’rds) of total fruit while 100% juice provides about 35% (1/3). These findings show 100% juice does not displace fruit in the diet and is not typically overconsumed – even among children (the largest consumers of juice). Consumption patterns for whole fruit versus 100% fruit juice showed different gradients by race/ethnicity, education, and income. Total fruit and whole fruit consumption was generally higher among those with higher incomes or more education. The advice to replace 100% juice with whole fruit may pose a challenge for the economically disadvantaged and some minority groups, whose fruit consumption falls short of national goals..For those segments of the population who are unable to afford whole fresh fruit, 100% fruit juice offers a convenient, affordable, and nutrient-den