Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced yesterday that
President Bush will propose record-level funding for USDA's Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) nutritional program as part of his 2004
budget request.
The acuity of senses like taste and smell, essential for our
enjoyment of food and drink, decreases with age. Such changes in
sensory capacities will clearly have an impact on the choice the
older consumer makes with regards to their...
There is strong evidence that heart disease may be caused by
vitamin D deficiency, according to researchers from the University
of Bonn in Germany, who have been studying the causes of cardiac
failure. They report that there is a...
People who restrict their calorie intake may not only prevent
cardiovascular disease and cancer, but could also protect their
mental health, say researchers in the US, who claim they have found
significant results in a study on calorie-restricted...
Despite the widely held belief that adolescents who come from
higher-income families tend to be less obese than comparable
children from families with less income, a new study suggests that
this may not be uniformly true for both...
Having a drink at least three times a week may help protect men
from heart attacks, report researchers in the US in this week's
New England Journal of Medicine. The observational study,
which tracked the drinking habits of nearly...
Eating fish may help to reverse some of the damage caused by
smoking, according to new research by scientists in Ireland. The
researchers found that taurine, an amino acid present in fish,
restored normal vessel function in smokers,...
Genetically modified potatoes, developed to tackle malnutrition
among poor Indian children, are in the final stages of testing,
according to a report in the journal New Scientist.
Drinking black tea may lower the risk of heart disease, report
researchers who studied the link between the beverage and heart
health in Saudi Arabians.
As consumerism continues on its upward curve, new figures released
this week show that obesity and diabetes epidemics continued to
escalate in 2001. In just over ten years, obesity has increased by
more that 70 per cent in the US.
Men who eat fish once a month or more have a reduced risk of
ischemic stroke, compared with those who eat fish less often,
according to researchers reporting in a recent issue of The
Journal of the American Medical Association. Even...
Echinacea, currently one of the most popular herbal remedies in US,
had no effect when tested on a small group of students with colds,
report researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has
received funding to set up new research centers on complementary
and alternative medicine.
White wine can be just as healthy as red, according to researchers
from the University of Montpellier in France who have made a
Chardonnay with a high polyphenol content.
'Impractical and unenforceable,' is how the European food
and drink association, the CIAA, last week condemned the new EU
legislation on the labelling of genetically modified organisms in
food. We spoke with Dr Geraldine...
Eating too much refined bread and cereal may be at the root of the
teenage acne suffered by almost all adolescents in the developed
world, according to a report in this month's New Scientist
which reveals new US research.
Researchers at Oregon Health Science University and the National
College of Naturopathic Medicine in the US are launching a clinical
trial to determine whether a dietary supplement, derived from
Bacopa monniera or Brahmi, a plant...
A diet combining a number of cholesterol-lowering plant components
can cut bad cholesterol as much as first generation statin drugs,
finds new research, suggesting that there may be a drug-free method
of combating high cholesterol...
People who regularly eat peanut butter or nuts can significantly
reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to
researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. Researchers
found that consuming one tablespoon of...
People who eat fish with a raised mercury content run a greater
risk of coronary heart disease than previously thought, an
international team of researchers reports in the recent issue of
the New England Journal of Medicine.
Interest in herbal alternatives to HRT is on the increase following
negative press coverage this summer but medical experts warn that
many alternatives do not always have much success. A report in this
month's Annals of Internal...
Drinking grape juice may be a better alternative to taking
supplements, say researchers, who report that concord grape juice's
powerful antioxidant effects may offer extra benefits that
supplements do not.
Cargill Sweeteners North America forms marketing alliance with
sugar beet cooperative to sell and distribute its sugar products to
food and beverage manufacturers. Both companies hope the agreement
will lead to the development of...
Folic acid could dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease,
deep vein thrombosis and stroke according to researchers in this
week's British Medical Journal. Scientists report that the
vitamin can reduce levels of homocysteine...
Chocolate may actually be good for you, suggests new research
confirming previous studies which show that the flavonols found in
certain chocolates and cocoa can have benefits for heart health.
US agri-giant Cargill, the new owner of French starch company
Cerestar, made further steps to increasing its texturiser business
when the company announced this week its intention to form a 50/50
joint venture with Chinese company...
US researchers reported findings this week from a vitamin E dose
response and time course study which could help supplement
manufacturers to select the appropriate dose of a particular
antioxidant ingredient or formula.
Both hormone therapy and high dose antioxidant vitamins --either
alone or in combination with hormones - do not reduce the risk of
heart attacks, deaths, or progression of coronary disease,
according to a new study by US researchers....
Recent research suggests that coffee may be beneficial for heart
health. Now, a team of Swiss scientists say that ingredients other
than caffeine are responsible for the stimulating effects of the
beverage on the cardiovascular system.
Nearly one in five American workers is grossly obese, smokes,
drinks heavily and never exercises, yet believes he or she is in
excellent health, according to a national survey released last week
by Oxford Health Plans.
Elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a blood-marker for
inflammation, is a better predictor of risk for heart attacks than
high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, report researchers
this week.
From the main course to dessert, the traditional Thanksgiving meal
is stuffed with healthy food choices, particularly those rich in
disease-fighting antioxidants, according to a new report from by
the American Chemical Society, which...
Dietary zeaxanthin plays an essential role in protecting the retina
from light damage, report researchers at the Schepens Eye Research
Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
in the US this month.
People who drink coffee regularly are half as likely to develop
diabetes as adults, finds new research published in the latest
issue of British journal The Lancet. The controversial study
shows that caffeine, which actually reduces...
The American arm of Danish ingredients company Danisco announced
this week that in order to capitalise on the most influential
segment of US shoppers in America - women - the company has
launched a new juice bar novelty idea, Elevations...
A new method for frying snacks is keen to tap into the current
trend towards healthy eating. US company Harvest Bay has come up
with a cooking method whereby by vegetable sticks and chips are
vacuum fried leaving the product with...
Eating fresh grapes provides the same heart-health benefits touted
for red wine, according to an article in the November 2002
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology.
A diet rich in flaxseed seems to reduce the size, aggressiveness
and severity of tumors in mice that have been genetically
engineered to develop prostate cancer, according to new research
from Duke University Medical Center.
Cranberry sales for US co-operative Ocean Spray Cranberries may be
booming in Europe but news this week that its CEO of three years,
Robert Hawthorne, has resigned led US ratings agency Moody's to
review a possible downgrade...
Are organic foods better for us? This is the question on the lips
of many a consumer, food manufacturer and scientist. For what,
exactly, is the consumer paying a higher price? The US Institute of
Food Technologists took a refreshing,...
A new study confirms that a high-fiber diet has no positive impact
on those at risk of colon cancer. Scientists re-investigating the
Wheat Bran Fiber trial have found that even for people starting on
a low fiber diet, supplements...
Scientists from the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) are probing the role that the protein leptin
plays in regulating appetite and weight gain, in a bid to stem the
worrying rise in obesity among...
Researchers from the US claim the essential mineral zinc may help
protect cells against oxidative damage. Not usually linked to
antioxidant properties, the scientists say that zinc may safeguard
red blood cell membranes against oxidative...
Prescribing high doses of vitamin supplements to ageing baby
boomers with vision loss due to macular degeneration - the leading
cause of blindness in patients over 50 years old - could save the
North American health care system more...
American Herbal Products Association has submitted comments to the
FDA on the agency's new adverse event reporting system. In a
letter, the trade association pointed out the inconsistency of
consumer access to the FDA's...
Isoflavone-enriched soy proteins fail to increase bone mineral
density in young women, according to a new study by researchers at
the University of North Carolina in the US. While a small study,
the findings throw into doubt the claims...
With growing interest in the role played by genes on health, the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the US is conducting a
study, called DIGEST, to examine the interplay of genes and diet on
the body's detoxifying machinery.
Increasing dietary intake of vitamin E could help reduce the risk
of developing Parkinson's disease, according to research published
this month in the journal Neurology. Setting out to examine
if there was any positive impact...
