Many of the health benefits linked with foods have yet to be fully
proven, and following on from last week's report highlighting the
conflicting evidence on soya, the latest reports on fiber seem
equally confusing. Two new studies...
A dietary supplement containing soy extract genistein reduced
prostate-specific antigen levels by as much as 61 per cent in a
group of prostate cancer patients undergoing 'watchful waiting' for
their disease, report University...
A combination of daily followed by weekly iron supplementation
appears to be the answer for treating severe anemia in babies in
the developing world, according to a new French - Vietnamese study.
Substituting sesame oil for other cooking oils appears to help
reduce high blood pressure and lower the amount of medication
needed to control hypertension, Indian researchers reported in the
US yesterday.
The US Food and Drug Administration has released a statement on the
National Academy of Sciences' report, 'Scientific Criteria to
Ensure Safe Food'. The report has been received as a reinforcement
of the FDA's...
A new mouse study suggests fasting every other day can help fend
off diabetes and protect brain neurons as well as or better than
either vigorous exercise or caloric restriction.
Body weight is directly associated with mortality from cancer, US
researchers report, suggesting that overweight and obesity could
account for up to 20 per cent of all deaths from cancer in American
women.
From the beginning of June this year Denmark will become the first
country in the world to introduce restrictions on the use of
industrially produced trans fatty acids. The move follows an
extensive review of all current knowledge...
New animal research suggests that even modest restrictions in
maternal nutrition around the time of conception can lead to
premature births and long-term adverse health effects for the
offspring.
A recent conference on chromium picolinate highlighted the evidence
backing the use of chromium in glucose control for people with type
2 diabetes and insulin resistance, suggests chromium maker
Nutrition 21.
Japanese researchers have discovered a new vitamin that has an
important role in immune response and fertility in mice. The
chemical, pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), may have a similar
function in humans, they said.
Lower sales volumes and higher selling expenses resulted in a drop
in net sales for the first quarter ended 31 March 2003 for US
company Technology Flavors & Fragrances (TFF).
Risk assessors from the German Federal Institute for Risk
Assessment (BfR) repeated their call for the levels of acrylamide
in foods to be reduced as far and as quickly as possible. Speaking
one year after the Swedish National Food...
An adequate intake of folic acid during pregnancy, believed to
protect against neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies, may also help
prevent Down's syndrome, researchers report in The Lancet
this week.
Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy
products, known as the DASH diet, is one of the most effective ways
of controlling and reducing blood pressure, say reseachers.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) release their controversial report on diet and
its impact on disease in Rome today, despite severe lobbying from
the US Sugar Association.
Drinking tea appears to prime the immune system to fight infection
and chronic disease, according to US researchers, who report on
both laboratory and in vivo studies this week.
The quality of the active ingredient in ginkgo supplements appears
to have dropped significantly in the last three years, according to
tests done by ConsumerLab.com.
Despite tougher trading conditions UK food and food ingredients
business Associated British Foods (AB Foods) reported on Tuesday
that operating profit had risen 14 per cent for the first 24 weeks
ended 1 March 2003 to £204 million....
Low levels of vitamin B6 in smokers may raise their risk of cancer,
according to researchers at Washington State University, who found
that even moderate smokers had dangerously low levels of the
vitamin.
Proliant sister company American Protein Corporation says that
bovine immunoglobulin could be an effective way of broadening
immunity in humans, and helping to fight the SARS virus.
Researchers at a Dutch university claim to have developed a model
that predicts how cheese will change when a force is applied to it.
The new model will help to predict how cheese will be damaged
during the packaging or transportation...
Americans may not be consuming enough of the mineral chromium, an
essential mineral thought to enhance insulin sensitivity, according
to research presented by chromium producer Nutrition 21.
A daily glass of red grape juice may help men with hypertension
lower their blood pressure, according to results from a preliminary
study presented in the US last week.
Girls who consume more calcium tend to weigh less and have lower
body fat than those with low calcium consumption, suggest new
findings presented last week.
A combination of B vitamins has been found to reduce the severity
of chronic pain in rats. The new research suggests that relief from
chronic pain, which affects millions every year, could be provided
in the form of vitamin tablets.
Following hot on the heels of last week's announcement that net
income for the first quarter is set to exceed projections,
privately owned US agribusiness Bunge said yesterday that it now
owns 100 per cent of French oil processor...
International Flavours & Fragrances is to launch CoolTek, a
high-intensity cooling technology designed to add 'fun and
originality' for a wide variety of products including food,
beverages and even pharmaceutical products.
Individuals who are susceptible to genetic damage and who do not
eat enough dietary folate are almost three times as likely to
develop bladder cancer as those who eat plenty of fruit and
vegetables and who have efficient capacity...
A derivative of the green tea leaf may help reduce risk factors for
heart disease, including bad cholesterol and high blood pressure,
researchers will report at an Experimental Biology meeting next
week.
Researchers have expressed the need for long-term studies on the
effects of low-carbohydrate diets, especially to assess the impact
of the diet on people over 50 years old. In a special obesity issue
of JAMA a team from Stanford University...
The debate on the yield superiority of traditional crops over
organic crops is set to continue as a recent study reveals that
corn and soybeans were only minimally reduced when organic
production practices were used instead of conventional...
Researchers question the efficacy of the hormone DHEA, taken in
supplement form to help treat cancer and Alzheimer's disease, in a
new study showing it had no effects on cognition in Alzheimer's
patients.
With cancer rates expected to rise 50 per cent to 15 million by
2020, a WHO report suggests that if governments act now, there are
several ways to reduce these rates - especially through diet.
Over-the-counter dietary supplements containing the ephedra herb do
more harm than good and should be removed from the market,
according to the American Heart Association.
Doctors in the US have raised recommended levels of vitamin D for
infants because they say exposure to sunlight, which generates
production of the vitamin in the skin, is no longer a safe way to
prevent deficiency in children.
International scientists, gathering to discuss the growing body of
research on lycopene at a US conference this week, revealed a new
study suggesting the antioxidant may help male infertility.
Food safety is in the limelight this week with the United Nation's
Food and Agriculture Organisation advocating a new approach to
ensure that the food we eat is free from food-borne hazards.
Simple folic acid-iron supplements taken during pregnancy may be
more effective than multiple vitamins in reducing the risk of low
birth weight babies, according to a US study.
New research from UK-based Institute of Food Research reveals that
two food components recognised for their ability to fight cancer
are up to 13 times more powerful when put to work together. The
findings could open up new possibilities...
Eating fish several times a week not only helps keep the heart in
good condition in healthy people, but can also significantly cut
the risk of heart disease in diabetics, at elevated risk of the
disease, report researchers today.
New insights about the foundations of our health could soon be
revealed thanks to the recent completion of the genome sequence of
one of the most prevalent bacteria that live in the human intestine
- Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.
Researchers from biopharmaceutical company Zengen announced this
week that supplements of a naturally occurring hormone may be able
to help patients with brain injury.
Researchers in Hong Kong report that the hormone melatonin, more
commonly used to reduce the effects of jetlag, could protect the
brain from the effects of stroke.
US food company Kraft Foods has put its powdered soft drink
concentrate plant in Hyderabad, India up for sale, reports the
Indian paper Financial Express.
Energy bars with low or moderate levels of carbohydrates may not
help dieters lose weight as they promise to do, as overall energy
contents are similar to that of higher carbohydrate bars, reports a
US study.
Vitamins are increasingly recognised for their role in skin health,
according to experts who this week highlighted the new research
showing the benefits of vitamin K and niacin.
Taking supplements of creatine to slow the muscular disease
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be a waste of time and
money, conclude the authors of a new clinical trial published this
week.
