Nutrition | SilverScorpio.Com

India steps in to tackle Lankan drug shortage

May 15, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Colombo, May 15 — India has stepped in to help Sri Lanka overcome a severe shortage of medicines including the fast depleting stock of saline in hospitals across the country. A worried Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition had to request the Sri Lankan air force (SLAF) to fly special missions to India to pick up bulks of saline bottles to supply to hospitals and health care units in cities, towns and villages. A team of senior officials from the healthcare ministry is also expected to fly to Mumbai to speed up the process of acquiring stocks of dozens of categories of life saving medicine as well.

“The first two flights came back with 27,750 bottles of saline each. The third flight from Mumbai is expected to bring back another 25,000 bottles of saline,” Healthcare Ministry’s C Samarawikrama said.

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High obesity rates in disabled children

May 4, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 4 (ANI): Children who are disabled are at increased risk of becoming obesity. Now, a team of researchers has described possible ways to prevent or treat this problem.

In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Thomas Reinehr and his colleagues from Witten/Herdecke University have tried to tackle the problem.

There are many reasons that a disabled child may be overweight. One reason may be the disability itself, for example, if this includes the cerebral regions responsible for weight regulation. Lack of exercise may also be important; this may be linked to a physical or mental disability or be due to overprotective care providers.

These children or adolescents are anyway restricted by their disabilities and the consequences of overweight are often more serious than for healthy persons. Problems associated with disability include social isolation, restricted mobility, and depression. These problems are often exacerbated by overweight, further reducing the child”s independence.

Current therapeutic approaches for obese children and adolescents are of little or no use for obese disabled children. Only a few interventional studies have been performed which are adapted to specific disabilities. The patients can be assisted in reducing their overweight if they are instructed about the importance of nutrition and exercise and are helped in reducing factors which restrict their mobility. (ANI)

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Summit to focus on fresh food in remote areas

April 21, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

A summit will be held next month aimed at closing the gap in Indigenous health by improving access to fresh food in remote communities.

The chief executive of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance, John Patterson, says the primary health care sector has largely been ignored in previous government attempts to address nutrition.

He is hoping the summit in Tennant Creek will attract Aboriginal health organisations, store managers and remote community residents from the region.

“This opportunity at our summit will provide our members a forum to discuss some local community strategies which they can go about and implement rather than having some other entity or external adviser coming in and telling them what ought to be done.”

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Granite Belt produces new plum

April 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

A new type of plum that has been grown for added nutrition will soon make its way onto tables.

The Queensland Government and a private company will sell the Queen Garnet Plum and turn it into nutritional drinks.

The plum was developed at research stations on the Granite Belt and is high in anti-oxidants.

Dr Roger Stanley from the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation says the plum will be exported all year round.

“As a processed fruit you can process it at peak condition and sell the extract for 12 months of the year and indeed export the extract so that it can be sold into the marketplace and advertising to promote the health properties,” he said.

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Miranda Kerr’s success secret – fried chicken, Aussie meat pies!

March 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Mar 31 (ANI): Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr has revealed the secrets behind her successful modeling career – fried chicken and Aussie meat pies.

“I studied nutrition and really believe in healthy eating and wellbeing but I have my moments,” The Daily Express quoted her, as saying.

She added: “My grandmother cooks a delicious meat pie which I love or I have fried chicken sometimes.

“If you eat healthily all the time you don’t have the energy to perform, so pie and chicken are great for me.” (ANI)

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Book helps graziers with stock health

March 27, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Biosecurity Queensland says it hopes graziers will get the most out of a new book when searching for answers about their animals’ health problems.

The second edition, titled Animal Health and Disease Investigation, covers a range of topics such as nutrition and autopsy procedures.

Book co-author Dr Janet Berry says it is common for producers to know when something is wrong but do not know where to find answers.

“They go do disease examination and some of them will do post-mortems themselves but this book provides them with information on how to do it properly, how to get the most out of it and how to really search for information during the process of the disease investigation and hopefully lead to an answer,” she said.

She says the book will help animal owners maintain the health and welfare of their stock.

“Graziers in the west or anywhere else are very keen to find out what is wrong, from one sick horse to a hundred ill or dying cattle, they are very keen to find out how this book sets them on the path of finding out, but also points them in the direction of assistance, veterinary assistance or government assistance if they suspect it is something they can’t control,” she said.

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How some people maintain weight loss, others don’t

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 16 (ANI): Ever wondered how some people successfully maintain a significant weight loss, while others tend to regain the weight? Well, researchers at The Miriam Hospital attribute such tendencies to a difference in brain activity patterns.

The researchers showed that when individuals who had kept the weight off for several years were shown pictures of food, they were more likely to engage the areas of the brain associated with behavioural control and visual attention, as compared to obese and normal weight participants.

The findings of the study suggest that successful weight loss maintainers may learn to respond differently to food cues.

“Our findings shed some light on the biological factors that may contribute to weight loss maintenance. They also provide an intriguing complement to previous behavioral studies that suggest people who have maintained a long-term weight loss monitor their food intake closely and exhibit restraint in their food choices,” said lead author Dr. Jeanne McCaffery.

Long-term weight loss maintenance continues to be a major problem in obesity treatment.

Participants in behavioural weight loss programs lose an average of 8 to 10 percent of their weight during the first six months of treatment, and will maintain approximately two-thirds of their weight loss after one year.

However, despite intensive efforts, weight regain appears to continue for the next several years, with most patients returning to their baseline weight after five years.

The researchers used functional magnetic resource imaging (fMRI) to study the brain activity of three groups- 18 individuals of normal weight, 16 obese individuals (defined as a body mass index of at least 30), and 17 participants who have lost at least 30 lbs and have successfully maintained that weight loss for a minimum of three years.

When the participants were shown pictures of food items after a four-hour fast, it was found that those in the successful weight loss maintenance group responded differently to these pictures compared to the other groups.

Specifically, researchers observed strong signals in the left superior frontal region and right middle temporal region of the brain – a pattern consistent with greater inhibitory control in response to food images and greater visual attention to food cues.

“It is possible that these brain responses may lead to preventive or corrective behaviors – particularly greater regulation of eating – that promote long-term weight control. However, future research is needed to determine whether these responses are inherent within an individual or if they can be changed,” said McCaffery.

The study has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (ANI)

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Climate change is faster in Arctic than in any other location on Earth

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 13 (ANI): Researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland have participated in two new studies, which indicate that climate change is progressing faster in Arctic areas than in any other location on Earth.

The study results indicate that the Arctic eco-system has experienced immense changes in the last twenty years.

At many levels, the changes impact the eco-system services that the environment provides for people: the effects extend to the adequacy of natural resources, food production, climate temperature, and result in changes to the landscape.

The changes in the northern nature can be interpreted as an advance warning of what is to be expected on all latitudes.

The results show that spring begins considerably sooner than before.

The blossoming and pollination period of plants starts as much as twenty days sooner in comparison to the situation ten years ago.

Predators are in dire straits because nutrition is now available too soon in relation to the otherwise favourable nesting period.

The distribution of many insects has moved even more north. European winter moths, for example, have destroyed extensive birch areas in Lapland after moving north.

Species invading new areas might supersede the original species in the area, which is already happening to Arctic foxes, which are currently being overrun by red foxes.

Ivory gulls, ringed seals, polar bears and narwhals are examples of species with a small distribution and specialized habitats, and such species will be the first ones to suffer from the changes.

Climate change also has indirect effects that appear in the interaction between different species.

Olivier Gilg and academy professor Ilkka Hanski from the University of Helsinki have teamed up with Benoit Sittler, a researcher from the University of Freiburg, and studied the waning of the previously cyclical population dynamics of the collared lemming in Greenland.

With mathematical models, the researchers showed that the drastic change in the population dynamics of collared lemmings is explained by the fact that snow melts sooner than before.

The lemmings do not procreate as long as before below the snow, and are also easier for predators to hunt.

In addition, frost-melt events in winter form ice layers in the snow layer or at the tundra’s surface, which is why the lemmings are unable to find food like they used to. (ANI)

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How people lose muscles as they get older

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 12 (ANI): Even the most well-built people tend to loose their muscles and develop thinner arms and legs as they get older, and researchers in Nottingham have now explained why this happens.

As age catches up, it becomes harder to keep our muscles healthy-they get smaller, which decreases strength and increases the likelihood of falls and fractures.

The researchers have already shown that when older people eat, they cannot make muscle as fast as the young, and now they have found that the suppression of muscle breakdown, which also happens during feeding, is blunted with age.

Led by Michael Rennie, the scientists and doctors at The University of Nottingham Schools of Graduate Entry Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, believe that a ‘double whammy’ affects people aged over 65.

But the team think that weight training may “rejuvenate” muscle blood flow, and help retain muscle for older people.

The study’s results may explain the ongoing loss of muscle in older people- when they eat they do not build enough muscle with the protein in food and also, the insulin (a hormone released during a meal) fails to shut down the muscle breakdown that rises between meals and overnight.

Normally, in young people, insulin acts to slow muscle breakdown.

These problems could be a result of a failure to deliver nutrients and hormones to muscle because of a poorer blood supply.

In the study, the researchers compared one group of people in their late 60s to a group of 25-year-olds, with equal numbers of men and women.

Professor Rennie said: “The results were clear. The younger people’s muscles were able to use insulin we gave to stop the muscle breakdown, which had increased during the night. The muscles in the older people could not.”

“In the course of our tests, we also noticed that the blood flow in the leg was greater in the younger people than the older ones. This set us thinking: maybe the rate of supply of nutrients and hormones is lower in the older people? This could explain the wasting we see,” he added.

Later, Beth Phillips, a PhD student working with Rennie, confirmed the blunting effect of age on leg blood flow after feeding, with and without exercise.

The team predicted that weight training would reduce this blunting.

“Indeed, she found that three sessions a week over 20 weeks ‘rejuvenated’ the leg blood flow responses of the older people. They became identical to those in the young,” said Rennie.

The study has been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (ANI)

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Long working hours make parents compromise on food choices

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): Long work hours and irregular schedules are forcing people to compromise on food choices for themselves and their children, suggests a new study.

The research team from Cornell University measured food choice coping strategies in low- to middle-income families in five categories: (1) food prepared at/away from home; (2) missing meals; (3) individualizing meals (family eats differently, separately, or together); (4) speeding up to save time; and (5) planning.

They found that fathers who worked long hours or had nonstandard hours and schedules were more likely to use take-out meals, miss family meals, purchase prepared entrees, and eat while working.

Similarly, mothers were also likely to purchase restaurant meals or prepared entrees or missed breakfast.

About a quarter of mothers and fathers said they did not have access to healthful, reasonably priced, and/or good-tasting food at or near work.

The findings suggest that better work conditions may be associated with more positive strategies such as more home-prepared meals, eating with the family, keeping healthful food at work, and less meal skipping.

“This study examined how work conditions are related to the food choice coping strategies of low- and moderate-income parents,” said Dr Carol M. Devine, RD, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, and colleagues.

“Study findings will enhance understanding of social and temporal employment constraints on adults’ food choices and may inform workplace interventions and policies…The importance of work structure for employed parents’ food choice strategies is seen in the associations between work hours and schedule and food choice coping strategies, such as meals away from home and missed family meals.

“Long work hours and irregular schedules mean more time away from family, less time for household food work, difficulty in maintaining a regular meal pattern, and less opportunity to participate in family meals; this situation may result in feelings of time scarcity, fatigue, and strain that leave parents with less personal energy for food and meals,” the researchers added.

The study appears in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. (ANI)

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Here’s why sugar in green tea is a healthy idea

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): A new study has shown that adding ascorbic acid and sugar to green tea can help the body easily absorb helpful compounds that help fight health problems.

Mario Ferruzzi, lead researcher and associate professor of food science and nutrition at Purdue University, insists that adding ascorbic acid to green tea would increase the absorbability of catechins found in the tea.

Catechins, a class of polyphenols common in tea, cocoa and grape, are antioxidants thought to fight heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and other health problems.

Ascorbic acid, sucrose or both together increase by as much as three times the amount of catechins that can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

According to Ferruzzi, Elsa Janle, a Purdue associate research professor of foods and nutrition, and Catrina Peters, the new study also demonstrates the effectiveness of a model that could reduce the number of animals needed for these types of studies.

The model charts how the digestive stability, solubility and absorption of polyphenols changes based on modifications to a beverage’s formula.

Ferruzzi said testing with the model could allow researchers to predict how a new product formula might change the product’s properties, reducing the number of animals needed for testing to only products that showed desired characteristics in the model.

The study backed up the model study that showed adding sugar and vitamin C to green tea enhanced the body’s ability to absorb polyphenols.

Ferruzzi said that adding lemon juice or other citrus juice to tea would do the trick, or consumers could look for ready-to-drink products that contain 100 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin C or ascorbic acid on the ingredient list.

“Having that vitamin C seems to do it,” Ferruzzi said. “And if you don’t want to squeeze a lemon into your cup, just have a glass of juice with your green tea.”

The study appears in journal Food Research International. (ANI)

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Vitamin C deficiency may impair newborn babies’ mental development

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 3 (ANI): A new study has revealed that vitamin C deficiency may impair the mental development of newborn babies.

The study showed that guinea pigs, which lack vitamin C, have 30 per cent less hippocampal neurones and significantly worse spatial memory.

According to lead researcher Jens Lykkesfeldt, like guinea pigs, human beings are dependent on getting vitamin C through their diet.

He speculates that vitamin C deficiency in pregnant and breast-feeding women may also lead to impaired development in foetuses and new-born babies.

This vitamin seems quite important to brain activity.

Tests have shown that mouse foetuses that were not able to transport vitamin C develop severe brain damage, which resembles the ones found in premature babies and which is linked to learning and cognitive disabilities later in life.

In some areas in the world, vitamin C deficiency is very common – population studies in Brazil and Mexico have shown that 30 to 40 per cent of the pregnant women have too low levels of vitamin C, and the low level is also found in their foetuses and new-born babies.

“We may thus be witnessing that children get learning disabilities because they have not gotten enough vitamin C in their early life,” said Lykkesfeldt, from Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen.

“This is unbearable when it would be so easy to prevent this deficiency by giving a vitamin supplement to high-risk pregnant women and new mothers,” Lykkesfeldt added.

The researchers are currently studying how early in pregnancy vitamin C deficiency affects the embryonic development of guinea pigs and whether the damage may be reversed after birth.

The study appears in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (ANI)

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Smoking, overweighing up breast cancer risk

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 2 (ANI): A study conducted in Canada has reinforced the correlation between being overweight, smoking and breast cancer.

Published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, the study is unique because it did not include subjects who were diagnosed for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which predispose women to breast cancer.

The study entirely focused on lifestyle factors like smoking, exercise, nutrition and weight.

All women analysed in the study were direct ancestors of the first French colonists.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted on a sample of women without BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which are often found in French-Canadian women,” said lead researcher Vishnee Bissonauth, a graduate of the Universite de Montreal’s Department of Nutrition, and a researcher at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center.

The study found that weight gains after the age of 20 increased the risk of breast cancer.

Where the weight gain was more than 15.5 kilos, the risk was found to increase by an average of 68 percent.

Risk increases depending on how late in life the weight gain occurs, according to the study.

Women who gained more than 10 kilos after age 30, or more than 5.5 kilos after age 40, were found to be almost twice as likely to suffer from breast cancer as a those whose weight was stable.

The study showed that the risk tripled if the body mass index was at its maximum after age 50.

Smoking a pack a day for nine years was also found to increase breast cancer risks by 59 percent.

Though the impact of smoking seemed to decrease for menopausal women, it remained at 50 percent.

Bissonauth stressed the need for more research into the correlation between smoking and breast cancer.

The researchers revealed that moderate physical activity appeared to decrease cancer risks by 52 percent for pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women.

The correlation was also observed for women who did intense physical activity, but the difference was not significant, said the lead researcher.

That finding, said Bissonauth, may be down to the fact that women who did moderate physical activity were more likely to do it regularly, while those who did intense physical activity were likely to quit after a few weeks.

“Cancer is a complex disease and can be latent for several years. Therefore, it is important to work on the factors we can control and to lead a healthy lifestyle, which means watching one’s weight, avoid smoking and doing regular exercise,” said Bissonauth. (ANI)

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Whole grains can lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer

August 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Stressing on the importance whole grains, experts have claimed that incorporating them in the diet can lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and certain cancers.

Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says that it’s important for people to keep whole grains in their daily diet.

“Research shows that whole grains are good for your heart, lower risk of diabetes and stroke, and may help prevent certain cancers. They also help in managing weight,” she said.

Sandon said that whole grains are chock full of good-for-you nutrients including fiber, folate and niacin, vital B vitamins, and magnesium.

“The phytochemicals found in whole grains have been shown to have health promoting and disease prevention benefits,” she added.

Sandon recommended that adults aim for three servings, or 48 grams, of whole grains a day.

She advised that people should by rule look for the words “Made with whole grain” and “100 percent whole grain” on packages.

She gave other going-with-the-grain tips, which include swapping whole wheat breadstuffs for white rolls and breads, using whole wheat bread crumbs for stuffing.

Adding wild rice or brown rice to dishes as well as serving whole wheat crackers with hors d’oeuvres can also ensure that there is a good amount of whole grains in your diet. (ANI)

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Smoking may aggravate malnutrition in developing countries

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 24 (ANI): Smokers may exacerbate the problem of malnutrition in developing countries because they tend to finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget, say a pair of researchers.

Steven Block and Patrick Webb, of Tufts University, have revealed that their fidning is based on a study conducted in Java, Indonesia.

They say that their findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks.

The researchers surveyed 33,000 households, most of which were poor, and found that the average family with at least one smoker spent 10 percent of its already tight budget on tobacco.

They observed that 68 percent of a smoking family’s budget went to food, and 22 percent for non-food, non-tobacco purchases.

On the other hand, said the researcher duo, the average non-smoking family spent 75 percent of its income on food, and 25 percent for non-food items.

“This suggests that 70 percent of the expenditures on tobacco products are financed by a reduction in food expenditures,” the researchers write.

They note in their report that that decreased spending on food appeared to have real nutritional consequences for children of smokers, with the study finding that smokers’ children tended to be slightly shorter for their ages than those of non-smokers.

The decrease in child nutrition associated with a parent who smokes is “an intuitive but rarely documented empirical finding,” the researchers write.

The team further pointed out that the poorer nutrition in smoking families came not only because they bought less food in total, but also because the food they ate tended to be of lower quality.

They said that, compared to non-smoking families, families with a smoker were found to spend a larger budget share on rice and a smaller share on meats, fruits and vegetables, which are nutrient-rich, but more expensive.

“The combination of direct health threats from smoking coupled with the potential loss of (food) consumption among children linked to tobacco expenditure presents a development challenge of the highest order,” the researchers conclude.

The study has been published in Economic Development and Cultural Change. (ANI)

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‘Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls’ approved

August 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today gave its approval for continuation of the ‘Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls’ in 2009-2010 in 51 districts as per existing guidelines till the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls is approved.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the CCEA, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said here.

The CCEA also approved the releasing of funds as central assistance (100 per cent grant basis) to States/UTs out of the allocated amount of Rs.162.77 crore for the year 2009-2010.

With the implementation of this project, it is expected that the nutritional status of the adolescent girls in the selected districts would improve. (ANI)

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Pine bark extract ‘helps reduce inflammation’

July 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 16 (ANI): An antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree has been found effective in reducing inflammation, and soothing pain associated with various health problems, claim researchers.

According to lead researcher Dr. Raffaella Canali of the National Research Institute on Food and Nutrition in Rome, Italy, pycnogenol can actually decrease pain and reduce inflammatory conditions by shutting down the production of enzymes COX-2 and 5-LOX involved with inflammation.

During the study, the researchers investigated healthy volunteers ranging from ages 35-50, who consumed Pycnogenol tablets (150 mg) for five consecutive days in the morning before breakfast.

Blood was drawn before and after supplementation to investigate how immune cells respond towards pro-inflammatory stimuli.

The behaviour of specific white blood cells (leukocytes) for generating a repertoire of enzymes in inflammatory condition was tested by real-time PCR.

The gene expression of enzymes COX-2, 5-LOX, FLAP and COX-1 were monitored and the products these enzymes generate, prostaglandins and leukotrienes, were quantified.

The researchers found that the volunteers’ immune cells rapidly initiated production of COX-2, 5-LOX and FLAP enzymes upon pro-inflammatory stimulation.

Taking Pycnogenol almost entirely subdued COX-2, 5-LOX and FLAP induction in the immune cells of volunteers.

“Standard NSAID medications reduce the production of prostaglandins by COX enzymes for lowering the pain,” said Dr. Canali.

“In contrast, Pycnogenol turns to the root of the problem, completely stopping the production of COX-2 in inflammation. Thus far, Pycnogenol seems to be a unique tool for modulating inflammatory processes,” Canali added.

The study is published in International Immunopharmacology. (ANI)

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Signalling pathway operational in intra-abdominal fat identified

July 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 15 (ANI): Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers and Germany-based University of Leipzig experts have announced the identification of a signalling pathway that is operational in intra-abdominal fat, the fat depot that is most strongly tied to obesity-related morbidity.

“Fat tissue in obesity is dysfunctional, yet, the processes that cause fat tissue to malfunction are poorly understood-specifically, it is unknown how fat cells ‘translate’ stresses in obesity into dysfunction,” said Dr. Assaf Rudich, senior lecturer from the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Ben-Gurion University.

Fat tissue is no longer considered simply a storage place for excess calories, but in fact is an active tissue that secretes multiple compounds, thereby communicating with other tissues, including the liver, muscles, pancreas and the brain.

Normal communication is needed for optimal metabolism and weight regulation, but in obesity, fat (adipose) tissue becomes dysfunctional, and mis-communicates with the other tissues.

According to the researchers, this places fat tissue at a central junction in mechanisms leading to common diseases attributed to obesity, like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

The researchers highlight the fact that fat tissue dysfunction is believed to be caused by obesity-induced fat tissue stress: Cells over-grow as they store increasing amounts of fat. They say that this excessive cell growth may cause decreased oxygen delivery into the tissue; individual cells may die (at least in mouse models), and fat tissue inflammation ensues.

Excess nutrients, they add, may also lead to increased metabolic demands, and cause cellular stress.

The BGU and Leipzig teams collected fat tissue samples from people undergoing abdominal surgery, and identified a signalling pathway that is operational in intra-abdominal fat, the fat depot that is most strongly tied to obesity-related morbidity.

They say that the degree of activation of a signalling pathway from these individuals was compared with those of leaner people, those with obesity predominantly characterized by accumulation of “peripheral” fat, and those with obesity with predominant accumulation of fat within the abdominal cavity.

They found that the signalling pathway was more active depending on the amount of fat accumulation in the abdomen, and that it correlated with multiple biochemical markers for increased cardio-metabolic risk.

In their study report, they have revealed that the expression of one of the upstream signaling components, a protein called ASK1, predicts whole-body insulin resistance (an endocrine abnormality that is strongly tied to diabetes and cardiovascular disease), independent of other traditional risk factors.

The researchers have also shown that although non-fat cells within adipose tissue express most of this protein in lean persons, the adipocytes themselves increase its expression by more than four-fold in abdominally-obese persons.

“The importance of this study is not only in contributing to the understanding of adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity, but as a consequence, may provide important leads for novel ways to prevent the dangerous consequences, such as type 2 diabetes, of intra-abdominal fat accumulation,” states Dr. Iris Shai, a BGU researcher at the S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition and Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel.

The study has been published in the Endocrine Society’s the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. (ANI)

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‘Heart healthy’ diet, exercise ‘protects against cognitive decline’

July 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 15 (ANI): A ‘heart healthy’ diet and taking moderate exercise can protect against cognitive decline, according to two new studies.

Researchers at Utah State University in the US found that over-65s on a diet full of green leafy vegetables, oily fish and the odd glass of red wine scored higher in mental tests.

A separate study at the University of California found that moderately physically active older adults might experience slower rates of mental decline.

In the first study, Heidi Wengreen, an assistant professor of nutrition at Utah State University, asked 3,831 adults, aged 65 and older, to complete a food survey. They then tested their cognitive skills over an 11-year period, beginning in 1995.

The researchers looked to see how well the participants followed the DASH diet, an eating regimen that protects against hypertension and heart trouble.

Those who followed the DASH diet more closely had higher scores on the cognitive tests at the start of the study and over time, Wengreen found.

In the second study, Deborah E. Barnes, of the University of California, San Francisco, followed more than 3,000 adults aged 70 to 79.

Those who were sedentary had the lowest level of cognitive function at the start and higher rates of decline over the course of the seven-year study.

The two studies were reported at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Vienna. (ANI)

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Can an individual’s bitter-taste sensitivity help determine diabetes risk?

July 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 11 (ANI): A research team at Kansas State University, including an Indian origin scientist, are studying whether an individual’s bitterness sensitivity can help predict his/her risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Lead researcher Kathy Nguyen, senior in public health nutrition along with colleagues Koushik Adhikari and Mark Haub, are studying the genotypes of diabetic and non-diabetic individuals to determine the possible link.

For the study, Nguyen is collecting cheek cell samples from about 60 men and women between the ages of 40 and 70. The sample includes people with and without type 2 diabetes.

The researchers will later genotype two variations within a DNA sequence to determine whether the individuals are supertasters, tasters or non-tasters of bitterness.

Supertasters are more sensitive to bitterness than tasters, and non-tasters are not sensitive.

The team hopes that by understanding whether bitterness sensitivity is linked to type 2 diabetes, there is a potential to screen individuals for bitterness sensitivity, and to use that information as a predictive marker for the disease and other chronic disease such as heart disease and obesity.

“This is a preliminary stage with a small sample size,” Adhikari said.

“The study has to be repeated with a larger population of different ethnicities to arrive at any meaningful conclusions. However, Kathy will establish the protocol for this project,” he added. (ANI)

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