Sunday 23 February 2014

Extreme Weather Decides Distribution Of Insects

Extreme weather caused by climate change in the coming decades is likely to have profound implications for distributions of insects and other invertebrates. This is suggested by a new study of insects in tropical and temperate regions of Australia.
As climate change is progressing, the...
Read more Extreme Weather Decides Distribution Of Insects

Tesco ‘Free From’ Digestive Biscuits Withdrawn

IRELAND – Tesco Ireland is recalling Tesco ‘Free From’ Digestive Biscuits, because some packs may contain biscuits from the Tesco ‘Free From’ Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits range, which contains soya and milk.  This allergen information is not declared on the label of the implicated Tesc...
Read more Tesco ‘Free From’ Digestive Biscuits Withdrawn

Saturday 22 February 2014

Over 10,000 Prosecuted Over Food Safety Violation In China

China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) reported that between 2011 and 2013 over 10,100 people have been prosecuted for production and sale of substandard and poisonous food.
According to data from the SPP, prosecutors also approved the arrest of some 7,000 people linked to...
Read more Over 10,000 Prosecuted Over Food Safety Violation In China

TSILI Chilli Pepper Recalled

GREECE – Greek Food Safety Authority (EFET) Regional Directorate in Crete, following Official Food Control Program and in collaboration with the General Chemical State Laboratory, A’ Chemical Service in Piraeus, proceeded to official sampling of “chili pepper” seasoning powder product. This...
Read more TSILI Chilli Pepper Recalled

Fir Honey Of Mainalos Origin Recalled

GREECE – Greek Food Safety Authority (EFET) Regional Directorate in Attiki in collaboration with the Directorate of Rural Economy and Veterinary of the Prefecture Unit in Arcadia, Prefecture of Peloponnese and also with the Veterinary Laboratory in Chania, following sampling program,...
Read more Fir Honey Of Mainalos Origin Recalled

Obtiene Cinvestav Maíz Azul Que Ayuda A Prevenir Enfermedades Cardiovasculares

Investigadores del Cinvestav, Unidad Irapuato, crearon una variedad de maíz azul con mayor contenido de vitaminas, antocianinas (antioxidantes) y carotenos, nutrientes que ayudan a prevenir enfermedades cardiovasculares, amén de beneficiar la salud en general.
“Se trata de Vitamaíz, un híbrido ...
Read more Obtiene Cinvestav Maíz Azul Que Ayuda A Prevenir Enfermedades Cardiovasculares

Finnsweet Oy Withdraws Sprits Shortbread Biscuits

FINLAND – Finnsweet Oy has withdrawn Brink Sprits Shortbread Biscuits (Sprits murokeksin pakkauksessa) because English labels mislead consumers, suggesting that shortbread is suitable for gluten-sensitive individuals. However the product contains wheat flour and Finnish label states...
Read more Finnsweet Oy Withdraws Sprits Shortbread Biscuits

Friday 21 February 2014

European Citrus Plants Are Safe, EFSA Assesses

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concludes on its risk assessments carried out on Phyllosticta citricarpa and Xanthomonas citri, that existing measures are effective at protecting the EU from two serious diseases that attack citrus plants. Phyllosticta citricarpa is the organism which ca...
Read more European Citrus Plants Are Safe, EFSA Assesses

Tesco Withdraws 'Free From' Digestive Biscuits

UNITED KINGDOM – Tesco has withdrawn its ‘Free From’ Digestive Biscuits because some packs may contain Tesco ‘Free From’ Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits, which contain milk and soya. This information is not mentioned on the label, making the product a possible...
Read more Tesco Withdraws 'Free From' Digestive Biscuits

High Prices of Fruits And Vegetables Linked to Higher Body Mass Index in Children

High prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are associated with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) in young children in low- and middle-income households, according to American University researchers in the journal Pediatrics.
“There is a small, but significant, association between the prices of fr...
Read more High Prices of Fruits And Vegetables Linked to Higher Body Mass Index in Children

Explore New Foods and Flavors During National Nutrition Month

Research confirms that taste is the number-one reason why one food is purchased over another. So what are consumers to do when the taste of favorite foods starts to lose its luster? As part of the 2014 National Nutrition Month® theme, “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right,” the Academy of Nutrition ...
Read more Explore New Foods and Flavors During National Nutrition Month

Agricultural Crops More Vulnerable To Climate Change

A new study by a Wits University scientist has overturned a long-standing hypothesis about plant speciation (the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution), suggesting that agricultural crops could be more vulnerable to climate change than was previously thought.
Unlike...
Read more Agricultural Crops More Vulnerable To Climate Change

Gut & Günstig Haselnusskerne Recalled

GERMANY – Edeka Zentrale AG & CO. KG is recalling Gut & Günstig Hazelnuts because pieces of glass were found in the product. Therefore the product can cause potential risk to human health.
The recalled product is Gut & Günstig Hazelnuts (Gut & Günstig Haselnusskerne) packed ...
Read more Gut & Günstig Haselnusskerne Recalled

Bitter Melon Extract May Help Combating Head and Neck Cancer

Extract taken from an Asian vegetable may have therapeutic qualities to treat head and neck cancer, a Saint Louis University researcher has found.
Preliminary findings of the research were published in the Public Library of Science One Journal by Ratna Ray, Ph.D. associate professor of...
Read more Bitter Melon Extract May Help Combating Head and Neck Cancer

Lone Star Tick Likely To Cause Red Meat Allergies

Lone star tick bites are likely the cause of thousands of cases of severe red meat allergies that are plaguing patients in Southeastern states including Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia and spreading up the Eastern Seaboard along with the deer population.
Vanderbilt’s Asthma, Sinus and A...
Read more Lone Star Tick Likely To Cause Red Meat Allergies

Fruit Fly Controlled In Orange Crops Without Using Pesticides

Orange crop infestation by the Mexican Fruit Fly and the cancelation of exportations of frozen pulp that experience the Mexican enterprise Cítricos Ex (Citrex), motivated its research area to create an effective technique to control the plague without using pesticides, as well as to the ...
Read more Fruit Fly Controlled In Orange Crops Without Using Pesticides

Food Packaging Chemicals May Be Harmful To Human Health

The synthetic chemicals used in the packaging, storage, and processing of foodstuffs might be harmful to human health over the long term, warn environmental scientists in a commentary in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
This is because most of these substances are not inert...
Read more Food Packaging Chemicals May Be Harmful To Human Health

Thursday 20 February 2014

Dining Preferences of Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities Changing Significantly

A new generation of residents in long-term care facilities is changing the way such facilities approach food-service and dining options, according to new research sponsored by the Nutrition & Foodservice Education Foundation (NFEF).
The research, conducted by Technomic, a national...
Read more Dining Preferences of Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities Changing Significantly

Nitrogen-Tracking Tools For Better Crops And Less Pollution

As every gardner knows, nitrogen is crucial for a plant’s growth. But nitrogen absorption is inefficient. This means that on the scale of food crops, adding significant levels of nitrogen to the soil through fertilizer presents a number of problems, particularly river and groundwater...
Read more Nitrogen-Tracking Tools For Better Crops And Less Pollution

Food Packaging: New Self-Cleaning Adhesive Tapes

Microhairs similar to the gecko’s setae before and after cleaning through lateral friction contact with a smooth surface. (Photograph with scanning electron microscope: Michael Röhrig, KIT)

Geckos outclass adhesive tapes in one respect: Even after repeated contact with dirt and dust do their ...
Read more Food Packaging: New Self-Cleaning Adhesive Tapes

Managed Honeybees Diseases Driven Into Wild Bees

Diseases that are common in managed honeybee colonies are now widespread in the UK’s wild bumblebees, according to research published in Nature. The study suggests that some diseases are being driven into wild bumblebee populations from managed honeybees.


Dr Matthias Fürst and Professor M...
Read more Managed Honeybees Diseases Driven Into Wild Bees

Sweet Valley Pinienkerne And Salat Plus Kernige Vielfalt Recalled

GERMANY – Märsch Import GmbH is recalling Sweet Valley Pine Nuts and Sweet Valley Salad Plus Diversity (Sweet Valley Pinienkerne & Sweet Valley Salat Plus Kernige Vielfalt) because some of the batches may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Salmonella is the name of a group of bacteria. ...
Read more Sweet Valley Pinienkerne And Salat Plus Kernige Vielfalt Recalled

Organic Agriculture Can Pollute Groundwater

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), using specialized monitoring technology, have determined that intensive organic agriculture can cause significant pollution from nitrate leaching into groundwater.
Public demand has led to the rapid development of organic farming in...
Read more Organic Agriculture Can Pollute Groundwater

Why Did You Eat That?

Emotional eating is something we’re all familiar with. Maybe you had had a rough week at work and all you want on Friday night is to plop down and watch a movie with a giant bowl of buttery popcorn. But what if we could make better choices in any emotional state?

 

Emotional eating is s...
Read more Why Did You Eat That?

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Mujeres Con Diabetes, Más Propensas A Infecciones En Órgano Reproductivo

No es raro que las mujeres que viven con diabetes experimenten inflamación de la pared mucosa de la vagina, es decir, vaginitis, pues por tener altos niveles de glucosa es blanco de infecciones, principalmente causadas por hongos o bacterias.
Este tipo de afecciones en el órgano reproductor f...
Read more Mujeres Con Diabetes, Más Propensas A Infecciones En Órgano Reproductivo

Extreme Weather Images Cause Disengagement With Climate Change

The paper ‘ Images of Extreme Weather: Symbolising Human Responses to Climate Change’, by Brigitte Nerlich & Rusi Jaspal, published in Science as Culture, reveals that extreme weather images represent human suffering and loss. They are iconic of climate change and are symbols of its natural ...
Read more Extreme Weather Images Cause Disengagement With Climate Change

Un Nuevo Sistema De Depuración De Aguas Con Microalgas Permite Eliminar Fósforo Y Nitrógeno Durante La Noche

Los investigadores de la UCA han patentado esta tecnología que permite simplificar el proceso de depuración, reducir costes, capturar CO2  y generar materia prima para obtener energía a través de la biomasa resultante
Eliminar nitrógeno y fósforo de las aguas residuales a través de un procedi...
Read more Un Nuevo Sistema De Depuración De Aguas Con Microalgas Permite Eliminar Fósforo Y Nitrógeno Durante La Noche

Mediterranean Aquaculture Sustainable Development Project Delivers High-Potential Results

AQUAMED was an EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)-funded project designed to support the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean region. Following the completion of the project in May 2013, the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) invited Dr...
Read more Mediterranean Aquaculture Sustainable Development Project Delivers High-Potential Results

New Better Microbatteries Used To Track Salmon

Scientists have created a microbattery that packs twice the energy compared to current microbatteries used to monitor the movements of salmon through rivers in the Pacific Northwest and around the world.
The battery, a cylinder just slightly larger than a long grain of rice, is certainly not...
Read more New Better Microbatteries Used To Track Salmon

Appetite Linked To Genetic Predisposition To Childhood Obesity

A heartier appetite is linked to more rapid infant growth and to genetic predisposition to obesity, according to two papers published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The studies investigated how weight gain is linked to two key aspects of appetite, namely lower satiety responsiveness (a reduced urge to eat...
Read more Appetite Linked To Genetic Predisposition To Childhood Obesity

Progress In The Automatic Detection Of Water Contaminants

Researchers at UPM are working in the development of hydrocarbons early detection devices for rivers in order to prevent contamination that could seriously affect the environment.
The new devices use ultraviolet LED as light source that detects contaminant substances thanks to a fluorescence...
Read more Progress In The Automatic Detection Of Water Contaminants

Fertilization Destabilizes Global Grassland Ecosystems

A new study led by University of Minnesota researchers demonstrates that fertilization of natural grasslands — either intentionally or unintentionally as a side effect of global farming and industry — is having a destabilizing effect on global grassland ecosystems. Using a network ...
Read more Fertilization Destabilizes Global Grassland Ecosystems

Healthy Lunchbox Challenge Helps Influence Healthy Eating Habits In Children

During the school year, 21 million children receive free or reduced-price lunches, yet less than 10% of those children participate in the Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program. This discrepancy places responsibility for food choices during the summer on parents. Previous...
Read more Healthy Lunchbox Challenge Helps Influence Healthy Eating Habits In Children

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Diet Rich in Tomatoes May Lower Breast Cancer Risk

A tomato-rich diet may help protect at-risk postmenopausal women from breast cancer, according to new research accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Breast cancer risk rises in postmenopausal women as their body mass index c...
Read more Diet Rich in Tomatoes May Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Avances En La Detección Automática De Contaminantes En Aguas

Investigadores de la UPM trabajan en el desarrollo de dispositivos de detección temprana de hidrocarburos en los ríos para evitar episodios de contaminación que afectarían gravemente a la naturaleza.
Los nuevos dispositivos utilizarían LED ultravioleta como fuente de luz para la detección de sus...
Read more Avances En La Detección Automática De Contaminantes En Aguas

Microalgae Used To Remove Phosphorous And Nitrogen From Wastewater

Removal of nitrogen and phosphorous from urban waste waters using a simpler and more inexpensive system based on microalgae was the starting point of the research conducted by several UCA scientists of the TEP-181:Tecnología del Medio Ambiente research group, member of Campus de Excelencia Inte...
Read more Microalgae Used To Remove Phosphorous And Nitrogen From Wastewater

Fiorucci Salame Milano Recalled

BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, AUSTRIA, ITALY – Fiorucci Salame Milano has been recalled because some of the batches may be contaminated with E. enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a subset of pathogenic E. coli that can cause diarrhea or hemorrhagic...
Read more Fiorucci Salame Milano Recalled

Can Oranges, Peppers, Broccoli Or Strawberries Decrease Your Risk of Stroke?

Eating foods that contain vitamin C may reduce your risk of the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke, according to a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.
Vitamin C is found in fruits and vegetables s...
Read more Can Oranges, Peppers, Broccoli Or Strawberries Decrease Your Risk of Stroke?

Fertilizer Could Be Too Much Of A Good Thing For Grasslands

The worldwide study shows that, on average, additional nitrogen will increase the amount of grass that can be grown. But a smaller number of species thrive, crowding out others that are better adapted to survive in harsher times. It results in wilder swings in the amount of available...
Read more Fertilizer Could Be Too Much Of A Good Thing For Grasslands

IBIS 12 Original Milchbrötchen Recalled

GERMANY – Ibis Backwarenvertriebs GmbH is recalling 12 Original French Milk bread (IBIS 12 Original französische Milchbrötchen) has been recalled because some of the batches may be contaminated with pieces of glass.
The recalled product is IBIS 12 Original French Milk bread (IBIS 12 O...
Read more IBIS 12 Original Milchbrötchen Recalled

Monday 17 February 2014

Antimicrobial Preservation Strategies to Prevent Food Contamination Described in Industrial Biotechnology Journal

Food spoiling and poisoning caused by microbial contamination can cause major health, social, and economic problems. The broad scope of antimicrobial approaches to kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms in foods and beverages, including a variety of natural and artificial preservative...
Read more Antimicrobial Preservation Strategies to Prevent Food Contamination Described in Industrial Biotechnology Journal

Grape Seed Can Combat Bowel Cancer?

University of Adelaide research has shown for the first time that grape seed can aid the effectiveness of chemotherapy in killing colon cancer cells as well as reducing the chemotherapy’s side effects.
Published in the prestigious journal PLOS ONE, the researchers say that combining grape seed e...
Read more Grape Seed Can Combat Bowel Cancer?

Consumers Confused By Contradictory Nutrition News

Exposure to conflicting news about the health benefits of certain foods, vitamins and supplements often results in confusion and backlash against nutrition recommendations, finds a recent study in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives.
This confusion and backlash may ...
Read more Consumers Confused By Contradictory Nutrition News

Look To Heart Shaped Foods To Protect Your Heart

What to eat to keep your heart healthy? While some dietitians extol the virtues of red wine, dark chocolate and salmon for heart health, Katie Eliot, Ph.D., assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University, has a different plan.
Keep it simple. Look to heart shaped foods...
Read more Look To Heart Shaped Foods To Protect Your Heart

Love Is In The Water?

Salmon can spot their true love across a crowded stream, according to research from a university-industry partnership involving the University of Waterloo. Allowing female salmon to follow their heart and mate with the male of their choice produces healthier babies than those who have their...
Read more Love Is In The Water?

Arctic Biodiversity Under Serious Threat From Climate Change

Unique and irreplaceable Arctic wildlife and landscapes are crucially at risk due to global warming caused by human activities according to the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA), a new report prepared by 253 scientists from 15 countries under the auspices of the Conservation of Arctic Flora...
Read more Arctic Biodiversity Under Serious Threat From Climate Change

Making Biodiverse Agriculture Part Of A Food-Secure Future

Given the need to feed an estimated 2.4 billion more people by the year 2050, the drive toward large-scale, single-crop farming around the world may seem inexorable.
But there’s an important downside to this trend, argues Timothy Johns, Professor of Human Nutrition at McGill University in...
Read more Making Biodiverse Agriculture Part Of A Food-Secure Future

How Bacteria Build A Successful Relationship With Us

Communication is vital to any successful relationship. Researchers from the Institute of Food Research and the University of East Anglia have discovered how the beneficial bacteria in our guts communicate with our own cells.
This is a key step in understanding how our bodies maintain a close...
Read more How Bacteria Build A Successful Relationship With Us

RASFF Food Alerts, Week 7

Here is the summary of food alerts issued by Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) last week.
On 13/02/2014, norovirus (GG I and GG II) was identified in chilled oysters (Crassostrea Gigas) from the Netherlands. The product was distributed to Denmark. RASFF reference No.: 2014.0218.
On...
Read more RASFF Food Alerts, Week 7

Sunday 16 February 2014

Black Raspberry Candies Find The Sweet Spot For Cancer Prevention

Whether it’s a plate or pyramid, healthy eating guidelines always give fruits and vegetables center stage – and for good reason: they contain critical nutrients that the human body needs and that experts think may help prevent illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The research aro...
Read more Black Raspberry Candies Find The Sweet Spot For Cancer Prevention

Genetic Chip To Boost Atlantic Salmon Production

Atlantic salmon production could be boosted by a new technology that will help select the best fish for breeding.
The development will enable salmon breeders to improve the quality of their stock and its resistance to disease.
A chip loaded with hundreds of thousands of pieces of DNA – each h...
Read more Genetic Chip To Boost Atlantic Salmon Production

Saturday 15 February 2014

Carrefour Discount Roquefort Recalled

FRANCE – Carrefour Discount Roquefort has been recalled because the product may be contaminated with E. coli.
E. coli is the name of a germ, or bacterium that lives in the digestive tracts of humans and animals. E. coli is short for the medical term Escherichia coli. E. coli normally lives ...
Read more Carrefour Discount Roquefort Recalled

Vejle Seafood A/S Recalls Ocean Sea Trout Fillets

THE NETHERLANDS – Vejle Seafood A/S is recalling Ocean Sea Trout Fillets garlic (Ocean Sea Forellen Filets knoflook) because the product due to production error has been labelled with incorrect Expiry Date 14/12/2014. The correct date should read 14/02/2014.
The recalled product is Ocean...
Read more Vejle Seafood A/S Recalls Ocean Sea Trout Fillets

Milka Luflee Caramel Chocolate Withdrawn

FINLAND – Mondelez Finland Oy is withdrawing Luflee Milka Caramel milk chocolate because the list of ingredients has not been included in the Finnish and Swedish. The product contains milk, hazelnut and soy and therefore may pose a hazard to people who allergic to the milk, hazelnut and...
Read more Milka Luflee Caramel Chocolate Withdrawn

Friday 14 February 2014

Asda Withdraws 4 Breaded Alaska Pollock Fillets

UNITED KINGDOM – Asda has withdrawn its 4 Breaded Alaska Pollock Fillets with a use-by date of 19 February 2014 because some packs may contain Lightly Dusted River Cobbler, which contains milk. On the product label, the allergen information is incorrect and the presence of milk is not...
Read more Asda Withdraws 4 Breaded Alaska Pollock Fillets

Air Pollution Increases Risk For Hypertension In Pregnant Women

Breathing the air outside their homes may be just as toxic to pregnant women —if not more so — as breathing in cigarette smoke, increasing a mom-to-be’s risk of developing deadly complications such as preeclampsia, according to findings from a new University of Florida study.
UF researchers compa...
Read more Air Pollution Increases Risk For Hypertension In Pregnant Women

Agrupan A Empresas Para Combatir Basura Y Obtener Ganancias

Reúne emprendedor las mejores tecnologías que transforman los desechos en gas, electricidad y fertilizantes
Cerca de la mitad de la basura orgánica e inorgánica en México termina esparcida en las calles, barrancas y terrenos baldíos, situación que motivó a un emprendedor a desarrollar un proyect...
Read more Agrupan A Empresas Para Combatir Basura Y Obtener Ganancias

Genetic Find Might Lead To Cattle With Increased Resistance To Bovine Tuberculosis

Scientists have identified genetic traits in cattle that might allow farmers to breed livestock with increased resistance to bovine tuberculosis (TB).
The study, which compared the genetic code of TB-infected animals with that of disease-free cattle, could help to impact on a disease that leads...
Read more Genetic Find Might Lead To Cattle With Increased Resistance To Bovine Tuberculosis

Plastic Shopping Bags Can Be Converted Into Diesel Fuel

Plastic shopping bags, an abundant source of litter on land and at sea, can be converted into diesel, natural gas and other useful petroleum products, researchers report.
The conversion produces significantly more energy than it requires and results in transportation fuels – diesel, for example –...
Read more Plastic Shopping Bags Can Be Converted Into Diesel Fuel

Carrefour Roquefort Recalled

BELGIUM – Carrefour Belgium is recalling Roquefort 100g because some of the batches may be contaminated with E. coli.
E. coli is the name of a germ, or bacterium that lives in the digestive tracts of humans and animals. E. coli is short for the medical term Escherichia coli. E. coli normally live...
Read more Carrefour Roquefort Recalled

Asian Longhorned Beetles Pheromone May Help To Control Pest

Female Asian longhorned beetles lure males to their locations by laying down sex-specific pheromone trails on tree surfaces, according to an international team of researchers. The finding could lead to the development of a tool to manage this invasive pest that affects about 25 tree species in...
Read more Asian Longhorned Beetles Pheromone May Help To Control Pest

What’s On The Consumer’s Mind?

A look around the local grocery store might show images of consumers reading meat labels or checking the expiration date on a gallon of milk. Each consumer has a set of values when making food purchases, and the level of importance placed on each value by consumers allow for food producers and...
Read more What’s On The Consumer’s Mind?

What Is Dietary Fibre And How Do We Metabolise It?

We are all aware of the health benefits of “dietary fibre”. But what is dietary fibre and how do we metabolise it?
Research at the University of York’s Structural Biology Laboratory, in collaboration with groups in Canada, the USA and Sweden, has begun to uncover how our gut...
Read more What Is Dietary Fibre And How Do We Metabolise It?

Thursday 13 February 2014

Explore Chocolate This Valentine's Day

Here’s a brief look at where chocolate comes from, nutritional information, how it’s made, and the ingredients that make chocolate – whether milk, dark or white – a memorable treat.
 
Cocoa Seeds, Not Beans
Cocoa comes from the cocoa plant grown in the remote areas of West Africa, Asia and S...
Read more Explore Chocolate This Valentine's Day

Serve Dark Chocolate And Red Wine This Valentine's Day To Keep Your Honey Heart-Healthy

Forget the oysters and the champagne this Valentine’s Day. If you want to keep your true love’s heart beating strong, the real foods of love are dark chocolate and red wine, said Loyola University Health System preventive heart specialist Sara Sirna, MD.
“Red wine and dark...
Read more Serve Dark Chocolate And Red Wine This Valentine's Day To Keep Your Honey Heart-Healthy

Urban Bees Using Plastic to Build Hives

Once the snow melts, Canada’s bee population will be back in business — pollinating, making honey and keeping busy doing bee things. For at least two urban bee species, that means making nests out of plastic waste.
A new study by a University of Guelph graduate and a U of G scientist r...
Read more Urban Bees Using Plastic to Build Hives

Por Medio De Innovación, Transforman El Mercado De Leche De Cabra

En la comarca Lagunera, una de las zonas productoras de leche de vaca más importantes del país, se ha encontrado otro nicho de oportunidad para el mercado de lácteos, solo que esta vez el insumo proviene de otra especie: la cabra. Apoyado por el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Conacyt) ...
Read more Por Medio De Innovación, Transforman El Mercado De Leche De Cabra

Spinach Or Eggs Help React Faster

A child suddenly runs out into the road. Brake!! A driver who has recently eaten spinach or eggs will stop faster, thanks to the amino acid tyrosine found in these and other food products. Leiden cognitive psychologist Lorenza Colzato publishes her findings in the journal Neuropsychologia.
The...
Read more Spinach Or Eggs Help React Faster

Improved Training Required for New Teachers To Help Promote Healthy Lifestyles

Research by the University of Southampton suggests new teachers could be better trained to help them promote health and lifestyle issues to children in schools.
A survey of managers of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses has shown there is a lack of attention paid to public health priorities...
Read more Improved Training Required for New Teachers To Help Promote Healthy Lifestyles

Sustainability Labelling On Food And Drink Products Do Not Translate Into Action On Food Choices

Sustainability labelling on food and drink products informs consumers about environmental and ethical issues related to food choice and consumption. However, it is unclear what impact this information has on consumer behaviour, in light of the number of other types of information also found on...
Read more Sustainability Labelling On Food And Drink Products Do Not Translate Into Action On Food Choices

Healthy Habits Pay Off In The Long Term

Can initial modes of behavior be used to predict how fit and healthy a person will be 18 years later? This question was in the focus of studies performed by researchers of KIT, Technische Universität München, and the universities of Konstanz and Bayreuth. A basic survey covered about 500 adults o...
Read more Healthy Habits Pay Off In The Long Term

Photo And Fragrance Advertisements Of Food Can Increase Sales

Fashion magazines come pre-loaded with scratch-and-sniff panels for perfume and aftershave, but what about advertisements for foods like chocolate chip cookies and fresh-baked bread? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, when food advertisements combine a photo of food...
Read more Photo And Fragrance Advertisements Of Food Can Increase Sales

Can Pizza Help Combating Winter Vomiting Disease?

Scientists have found that carvacrol – the substance in oregano oil that gives the pizza herb its distinctive warm, aromatic smell and flavour – is effective against norovirus, causing the breakdown of the virus’ tough outer coat. The research is published today (12 February) in the Soc...
Read more Can Pizza Help Combating Winter Vomiting Disease?

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Food Label Descriptions Affect Odour Perception

According to Simona Manescu and Johannes Frasnelli of the University of Montreal’s Department of Psychology, an odour is judged differently depending on whether it is accompanied by a positive or negative description when it is smelled. When associated with a pleasant label, we enjoy the...
Read more Food Label Descriptions Affect Odour Perception

REWE / BILLA Salame Milano Recalled

AUSTRIA – REWE International AG is recalling REWE / BILLA Salame Milano because the product may be affected by microbial contamination.
The recalled product is Salame Milano packed in 100g branded BILLA packs with Expiry Date 21.04.2014. The product was manufactured by Cesare Fiorucci...
Read more REWE / BILLA Salame Milano Recalled

Nuevo Proyecto De Acuaponia De Gran Escala Financiado Por La UE

¿Cómo podemos enfrentarnos a los futuros retos mundiales? La creciente población mundial crea más competición para el agua, la tierra, los alimentos y la energía. Sin embargo, estos recursos son limitados y tanto las prácticas agrícolas no sostenibles como el cambio climático agravan estos proble...
Read more Nuevo Proyecto De Acuaponia De Gran Escala Financiado Por La UE

Demon Shrimps Attack Native Shrimps In British Waters

A species of shrimp, dubbed the ‘demon shrimp,’ which was previously unknown in British waters, are attacking and eating native shrimp and disrupting the food chain in some of our rivers and lakes. The problem is contributing to the cost of Invasive non-native species (INNS) to the...
Read more Demon Shrimps Attack Native Shrimps In British Waters

MEPs Call For Stronger Measures To Boost Food Safety In The EU

New legislation to tackle outbreaks of animal diseases, such as African swine fever, more effectively, restrict the introduction of dangerous new pests and enable the EU to act quickly but responsibly in emergencies was adopted by the agriculture committee in two separate votes on Tuesday.
MEPs...
Read more MEPs Call For Stronger Measures To Boost Food Safety In The EU

Are Wind Farms Changing Europe's Climate?

The development of wind farms in Europe only has an extremely limited impact on the climate at the continental scale, and this will remain true until at least 2020. These are the main conclusions of a study carried out by researchers from CNRS, CEA and UVSQ, in collaboration with INERIS and...
Read more Are Wind Farms Changing Europe's Climate?

Crop Pests May Be Greatly Underestimated In Developing Countries

The abundance of crop pests in developing countries may be greatly underestimated, posing a significant threat to some of the world’s most important food producing nations, according to research led by the University of Exeter.
Data on the known distributions of almost 2,000...
Read more Crop Pests May Be Greatly Underestimated In Developing Countries

Feeling Tired? It's Time To Make Health Decisions

From keeping up a daily exercise routine to eating healthy foods and avoiding impulse purchases, self-control is hard work. Ironically, when it comes to making decisions about our bodies, a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research finds we make better health care decisions when we’re...
Read more Feeling Tired? It's Time To Make Health Decisions

No Large Costs Involved In Improving Biodiversity in Production Forests

Forest management is based on recommendations that are supposed to maximize economic revenues. However, in 40% of cases a better economic result would be achieved by neglecting some of the recommendations. This would also greatly benefit biodiversity.
These results were obtained by a research...
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What Do Bacteria “Say”?

In a study published today in Nature Communications, a research team led by Ken Shepard, professor of electrical engineering and biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, and Lars Dietrich, assistant professor of biological sciences at Columbia University, has demonstrated that integrated...
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Milk Protein Measurement Standard Expanded

IDF and ISO have joined forces to expand the scope of an international standard used worldwide in the dairy industry to measure the protein content of cow’s milk. The Kjeldahl method* now encompasses milk from other species as well as internationally traded dairy products covered by Codex...
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Tuesday 11 February 2014

Manga Comics May Improve Healthy Snack Selection

A recent pilot study in Brooklyn, New York, with minority students found that exposure to Manga comics (Japanese comic art) promoting fruit intake significantly improved healthy snack selection. As snacking accounts for up to 27% of children’s daily caloric intake, and childhood obesity...
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Sin Pesticidas, Controlan Mosca De La Fruta En Cultivos De Naranja

La infestación de cultivos de naranja por mosca mexicana de la fruta y la cancelación de exportaciones de pulpa cítrica congelada que experimentó la empresa veracruzana Cítricos EX (Citrex), motivó a su área de investigación a crear una técnica eficaz en el control de la plaga sin usar pesticid...
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Pacific Trade Winds Stall Global Surface Warming

The strongest trade winds have driven more of the heat from global warming into the oceans; but when those winds slow, that heat will rapidly return to the atmosphere causing an abrupt rise in global average temperatures
Heat stored in the western Pacific Ocean caused by an unprecedented...
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Bees, Birds And Bats Linked To Better Coffee Harvest

Bees, birds and bats make a huge contribution to the high yields produced by coffee farmers around Mount Kilimanjaro – an example of how biodiversity can pay off. This effect has been described as result of a study now published in the „Proceedings of the Royal Society B“. It has been conducted b...
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A Potential For Research On Diversification Linked To Aquatic Insects

Inland waters cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface yet harbor 10% of all known animal species, 60% of them being aquatic insects. Nearly 100,000 species from 12 orders spend one or more life stages in freshwater. Still today, little is known on how this remarkable diversity arose....
Read more A Potential For Research On Diversification Linked To Aquatic Insects

Drifting Herbicides Produce Uncertain Effects

Farmers should take extra precautions so drifting herbicides do not create unintended consequences on neighboring fields and farms, according to agricultural researchers.
The researchers found a range of effects — positive, neutral and negative — when they sprayed the herbicide...
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EU Funds New Large-scale Aquaponics Project

How can we cope with the global future challenges? The growing world population induces competition for water, land, food, and energy. But resources are limited, and unsustainable agricultural practices and climate change are aggravating these problems. Therefore, the European Union (EU) decided...
Read more EU Funds New Large-scale Aquaponics Project

How Smell Perception Influences Food Intake?

A research team led by Giovanni Marsicano, a Inserm Research Director at Unit 862 (NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux), has succeeded in elucidating how the endocannabinoid system controls food intake through its effects on the perception of smells. These results are due to appear in the...
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New Online Resource Centre Developed To Improve Food Safety

Food scare make authorities uneasy. In previous cases, national food safety agencies have not always known how to react, making the public wary. For example, in 2011, the German health authorities incorrectly linked the deadly E. coli outbreak to cucumbers from Spanish greenhouses. The ensuing pa...
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Hemp Plant Can Be A Cooking Oil Contender

Scientists at the University of York today report the development of hemp plants with a dramatically increased content of oleic acid. The new oil profile results in an attractive cooking oil that is similar to olive oil in terms of fatty acid content having a much longer shelf life as well as...
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Researchers Develop Better Broccoli With Longer Shelf Life

While researching methods to increase the already well-recognized anti-cancer properties of broccoli, researchers at the University of Illinois also found a way to prolong the vegetable’s shelf life.
And, according to the recently published study, the method is a natural and inexpensive way to p...
Read more Researchers Develop Better Broccoli With Longer Shelf Life

Monday 10 February 2014

Yogurt Reduces The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes

New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that higher consumption of yoghurt, compared with no consumption, can reduce the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes by 28%. Scientists at the University of Cambridge found that in fact ...
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Wal-Mart Linked To Crime Rates Declines?

Communities across the United States experienced an unprecedented decline in crime in the 1990s. But for counties where Wal-Mart built stores, the decline wasn’t nearly as dramatic.
“The crime decline was stunted in counties where Wal-Mart expanded in the 1990s,” says Scott...
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Will Your Kid Be An Overweight Adult?


Try this: ask five hundred people what they believe most contributed from their childhoods to how slim or overweight they are as adults. Could they — the crowd — discover insights into eating behaviors that experts may not have considered?
Apparently, yes.
An international group of researchers, i...
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Tuesday 5 November 2013

Healthy Diet of Fruit and Vegetables Extends Life Expectancy in Women




Women in their seventies who exercise and eat healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables have a longer life expectancy, according to research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Researchers at the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University studied 713 women aged 70 to 79 years who took part in the Women's Health and Aging Studies. This study was designed to evaluate the causes and course of physical disability in older women living in the community.
"A number of studies have measured the positive impact of exercise and healthy eating on life expectancy, but what makes this study unique is that we looked at these two factors together," explains lead author, Dr. Emily J Nicklett, from the University of Michigan School of Social Work.
Researchers found that the women who were most physically active and had the highest fruit and vegetable consumption were eight times more likely to survive the five-year follow-up period than the women with the lowest rates.
To estimate the amount of fruits and vegetables the women ate, the researchers measured blood levels of carotenoids-beneficial plant pigments that the body turns into antioxidants, such as beta-carotene. The more fruits and vegetables consumed, the higher the levels of carotenoids in the bloodstream..
Study participants' physical activity was measured through a questionnaire that asked the amount of time the spent doing various levels of physical activity, which was then converted to the number of calories expended.
The women were then followed up to establish the links between healthy eating, exercise and survival rates.
Key research findings included:

  • More than half of the 713 participants (53%) didn't do any exercise, 21% were moderately active, and the remaining 26% were in the most active group at the study's outset.
  • During the five-year follow up, 11.5% of the participants died. Serum carotenoid levels were 12% higher in the women who survived and total physical activity was more than twice as high.
  • Women in the most active group at baseline had a 71% lower five-year death rate than the women in the least active group.
  • Women in the highest carotenoid group at baseline had a 46% lower five-year death rate than the women in the lowest carotenoid group.
  • When taken together, physical activity levels and total serum carotenoids predicted better survival.

"Given the success in smoking cessation, it is likely that maintenance of a healthy diet and high levels of physical activity will become the strongest predictors of health and longevity. Programs and policies to promote longevity should include interventions to improve nutrition and physical activity in older adults," said Dr. Nicklett.

When You Eat Matters, Not Just What You Eat




When it comes to weight gain, when you eat might be at least as important as what you eat.
When mice on a high-fat diet are restricted to eating for eight hours per day, they eat just as much as those who can eat around the clock, yet they are protected against obesity and other metabolic ills, the new study shows. The discovery suggests that the health consequences of a poor diet might result in part from a mismatch between our body clocks and our eating schedules.
"Every organ has a clock," said lead author of the study Satchidananda Panda of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. That means there are times that our livers, intestines, muscles, and other organs will work at peak efficiency and other times when they are—more or less—sleeping.
Those metabolic cycles are critical for processes from cholesterol breakdown to glucose production, and they should be primed to turn on when we eat and back off when we don't, or vice versa. When mice or people eat frequently throughout the day and night, it can throw off those normal metabolic cycles.
"When we eat randomly, those genes aren't on completely or off completely," Panda said. The principle is just like it is with sleep and waking, he explained. If we don't sleep well at night, we aren't completely awake during the day, and we work less efficiently as a consequence.
To find out whether restricted feeding alone—without a change in calorie intake—could prevent metabolic disease, Panda's team fed mice either a standard or high-fat diet with one of two types of food access: ad lib feeding or restricted access.
The time-restricted mice on a high-fat diet were protected from the adverse effects of a high-fat diet and showed improvements in their metabolic and physiological rhythms. They gained less weight and suffered less liver damage. The mice also had lower levels of inflammation, among other benefits.
Panda says there is reason to think our eating patterns have changed in recent years, as many people have greater access to food and reasons to stay up into the night, even if just to watch TV. And when people are awake, they tend to snack.
The findings suggest that restricted meal times might be an underappreciated lifestyle change to help people keep off the pounds. At the very least, the new evidence suggests that this is a factor in the obesity epidemic that should be given more careful consideration.
"The focus has been on what people eat," Panda said. "We don't collect data on when people eat."