Magnesium Treats Depression
As little as 248 mg of magnesium per day leads to an astounding reversal of depression syndrome, according to research conducted at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and published in the journal PLoS One in June 2017.
Source of Yuma E. Coli Romaine Found
Federal officials first announced on April 13 an E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown and produced in the Yuma, Ariz., area. Federal investigators found the source of the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 on July 28: canal water.
Lab-
More and more meat is being grown in labs from cultured cells. Several start-
DNA Diet Matching Doesn’t Work
A new study finds it doesn’t matter whether people try low-
Food, Mood and Aging
Young and mature adults require different foods to improve their mental health, say researchers from the State University of New York at Binghampton. The researchers used an anonymous Internet survey, asking people around the world to complete the Food-
Vegetables Harvested in Antarctica Without Sun, Soil or Pesticides
Scientists in Antarctica have harvested the first crop of vegetables grown without soil, daylight or pesticides as part of a project designed to help astronauts cultivate fresh food on other planets. Researchers at Germany’s Neumayer Station III say eight pounds of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes....
Farm-
Children attending schools with Farm-
Food Safety Tips for People with Diabetes
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now has available a free booklet called “Food Safety for People with Diabetes.” Practicing food safety is critical for people who have diabetes, the FDA says, because diabetes can affect the function of various organs and systems of the body, making people living....
Researchers Create Genetically Modified Gluten-
Bread’s appealing texture is gluten, a group of proteins found in wheat, rye and barley. But gluten damages the small intestines of people with the serious autoimmune disorder celiac disease. Most gluten-
Tomatoes No Longer Considered ‘Poison Apples’
Originating in Mesoamerica, tomatoes were part of the Aztecs’ diet as early as 700 A.D., but they weren’t grown in Britain until the 1590s. First arriving in southern Europe in the early 16th century via Spanish conquistadors returning from Mesoamerica, the tomato was considered a “poison apple”
U.S. Obesity Rates Begin to Level
After years of increasing, adult obesity rates remained stable in 45 states from 2015 to 2016, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit health advocacy organization, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds health research.
Milk Proteins Make Edible Wrapping
To create an all-
Diet Soda Can Cause Weight Gain
Diet sodas with aspartame can boost the appetite, said a study published in the International Journal of Obesity last December. The researchers found people who consumed diet drinks with aspartame felt hungrier than those who did not, and thus ended up consuming more calories.
Ruby Ring Red Onions Fight Cancer
Ontario-
Lead Found in Baby Food
Detectable levels of lead were found in 20 percent of 2,164 baby food samples. Analyzing 11 years of federal data, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) found the toxic metal most commonly in fruit juices, root vegetables and teething biscuits and cookies.
Soda News
A new study corroborates previous studies that show switching to diet soda may not help cut calories. Diet drinks contain a chemical that boosts the appetite. Research published in the International Journal of Obesity found those who consumed diet drinks with aspartame felt hungrier than those who did not.
Don’t Reheat These Foods
Some foods can lose their health benefits or even cause food poisoning if they are reheated in a microwave. Celery and spinach contain nitrates that turn into toxic nitrates and carcinogenic nitrosamines after reheating. Eggs can also become toxic after reheating, so it’s best to use leftover eggs cold....
Gluten-
People who follow diets with little to no gluten were found to have a slightly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes over a few decades, according to researchers at Harvard University School of Public Health. “We wanted to determine if gluten consumption will affect health in people with....
Labels Confuse People with Food Allergies
Food allergies affect approximately 8 percent of children and up to 2 percent of adults. Almost 40 percent of children with a food allergy have experienced at least one life-
Bomb-
Experimenting with a new field called plant nanobionics, MIT scientists have embedded the leaves of spinach plants with carbon nano-
Understanding Sticker Codes on Produce
The Price Look Up (PLU) codes on the stickers placed on fruits and vegetables reveal important information. A four-
Fruit Protein Could Be New Sweetener Alternative
A new sweetener alternative that tastes more like sugar than other substitutes may be possible to obtain from a fruit protein called brazzein. Brazzein is far sweeter than sugar but has fewer calories
Cancer and Sugar-
A study by researchers at the Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans suggests age is an important factor in the association between cancer and sugar-
Virtual Reality Can Alter Taste
The environment in which we eat is just as important as taste, say Cornell University researchers. Food scientists used virtual reality to demonstrate how people’s perception of real food can be altered by their surroundings. “When we eat, we perceive not only just the taste and aroma of foods, we get....
Not-
Billed as healthier because it’s low in saturated fat, canola oil has been a kitchen staple for decades. But a 2017 study suggests the oil could worsen memory loss and learning ability in Alzheimer’s patients. Canola oil increased the build-
Combat Anxiety With Food
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. Eighteen (18) percent of American adults – about 40 million individuals – struggle with anxiety, says the National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand.
Fast Food Daily Diet for Many in U.S.
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds more than one in three Americans eat fast food on a typical day – about 85 million people. The CDC surveyed people from 2013 to 2016, and 40 percent of the respondents ate fast food but not necessarily every day.
FDA Now Allows Genetically Engineered Salmon Imports
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on March 8 it is lifting an import alert that prevented genetically engineered salmon from entering the United States. AquaAdvantage Salmon won the first-
Hip Hop Music Ages the Funkiest-
For six months, Swiss cheese maker Beat Wampfler and a team of researchers from the Bern University of Arts played different songs unceasingly to cheese wells to see how sound waves impact flavor. They used a mini transducer that sent the sound waves directly into 22-
U.S. Cancer Cases and Unhealthy Diets
About 5 percent of U.S. cancer cases have been linked to a poor diet, according to a study published in the journal JNCI Cancer Spectrum in May of this year. These diets were characterized by low intakes of whole grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables and high intakes of processed….
Pantry Pain Relief
Several foods, spices, herbs and supplements can aid in pain relief. Turmeric, frequently used in Indian cooking, has long been studied clinically for its anti-
America’s Packaged Food is Ultra-
Store-
Gut Microbes and Processed Foods
Processed foods such as breads, cereals and sodas are associated with negative health effects, including insulin resistance, obesity and heart disease. One contributing factor to the unhealthiness of processed foods is Maillard reaction products.
Liquid Salt Prevents Fat Absorption
Orally administered liquid salt can reduce the absorption of fats from foods with no obvious side effects in rats. It also reduced the rats’ total body weight by about 12 percent. “[That] is like getting a human from 200 pounds down to 176 – a significant change,”
Dopamine, Biological Clock Linked to Eating Habits
From 1976 to 1980, 15 percent of U.S. adults were obese. Today, about 40 percent of adults are obese and another 33 percent are overweight. “Half of the diseases that affect humans are worsened by obesity,” said Ali Güler, a biology professor at the University of Virginia. Rates of….
Ketogenic Diets May Help With Asthma
Even low concentrations of some allergens can cause severe inflammation of the bronchi in those with asthma. This inflammation is accompanied by increased mucus production, which makes breathing even more difficult. Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC) that were discovered….
Too Much Salt Weakens the Immune System
A high-
A Road Map for FODMAPs
If you frequently have bloating, gas or abdominal pain after eating certain foods, FODMAPs could be to blame. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. This group of carbohydrates is found abundantly in many plant foods.
Will Real Meat Become Obsolete?
Lab-
Cancer-
It’s long been known that your diet can impact your health, whether negatively or positively. What foods have been touted as being good allies in the fight against cancer? Here are some you may want to add to your diet:
We Still Eat Too Many Carbs and Too Much Fat
Americans are still eating too many low-
Scientists Develop ‘Ink’ to Produce Food Via 3D Printing
A group of researchers believe they have come a step closer to the mass industrialization of 3D printed food. The team at the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-
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FOOD BITES
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FOOD BITES: NOVEMBER 2018
Lab-
More and more meat is being grown in labs from cultured cells. Several start-
Who Owns Marine Genes?
Certain snippets of DNA can be patented so private entities have exclusive rights to their use for research and development. Delegates met at the United Nations in September to begin negotiating a new treaty to conserve biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Some issues on the agenda included marine genetic resources; which marine species are providing genes that are of commercial interest; how many sequences are appearing in patents; and which entities are applying for these patents. The research paper “Corporate control and global governance of marine genetic resources” was published in the journal Science Advances in June. It analyzed 38 million records of patent sequences. Of the patented marine life genetic sequences, 73 percent of the patents studied in the paper are for microbial species, which only account for about 20 percent of marine life. The paper cites 862 separate species of marine life that have genetic patents. Lead author Robert Blasiak, a conservation researcher at the University of Stockholm, says he was “shocked” to learn how many genetic sequences in the ocean were patented, including iconic species such as plankton, manta rays and sperm whales. German chemical giant Baden Aniline and Soda Factory (BASF), the largest chemical production company on Earth, according to
Chemical & Engineering News, owns 47 percent of the 13,000 patented marine gene sequences. “Some of these microorganisms come from the deep sea, particularly unique areas of the ocean,” said Blasiak’s coauthor Colette Wabnitz, an ecosystem scientist at the University of British Columbia. By laying claim to stretches of these adaptive organisms’ DNA, BASF is paving the way for future innovation in the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors, Wabnitz says. BASF has been experimenting with the genes of tiny aquatic lifeforms to produce designer health foods. “They’ve been splicing genes from different microorganisms into grapeseed and canola, then taking the seeds and seeing if they can produce oils that contain omega-
ANGELA S. HOOVER
Angela is a staff writer for Health & Wellness magazine.
more articles by Angela s. hoover