Feature Channels: Nutrition

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Total fruit consumption falls far short of national goals. More than 85% of the population is not meeting recommended amounts. General fruit consumption patterns show whole fruit provides about 65% (2/3’rds) of total fruit while 100% juice provides about 35% (1/3). These findings show 100% juice does not displace fruit in the diet and is not typically overconsumed – even among children (the largest consumers of juice). Consumption patterns for whole fruit versus 100% fruit juice showed different gradients by race/ethnicity, education, and income. Total fruit and whole fruit consumption was generally higher among those with higher incomes or more education. The advice to replace 100% juice with whole fruit may pose a challenge for the economically disadvantaged and some minority groups, whose fruit consumption falls short of national goals..For those segments of the population who are unable to afford whole fresh fruit, 100% fruit juice offers a convenient, affordable, and nutrient-den

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Sleep researchers at the University of Adelaide are warning doctors and parents not to provide the drug melatonin to children to help control their sleep problems.

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Although essential marine omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D have been shown to improve cognitive function and behavior in the context of certain brain disorders, the underlying mechanism has been unclear. In a new paper published in FASEB Journal* by Rhonda Patrick, PhD and Bruce Ames, PhD of Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), serotonin is explained as the possible missing link tying together why vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids might ameliorate the symptoms associated with a broad array of brain disorders.

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An Indiana University study has revealed that there may be a greater connection between mussels and muscles than previously thought. The study, by kinesiology professor Timothy Mickleborough at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, found that taking a pre-exercise supplement of the omega-3 PCSO-524, a marine oil lipid derived from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel, has significant positive effects on post-exercise muscle damage.

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An estimated 26 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease, which can lead to complete kidney failure. Once the kidneys fail, patients either need to undergo dialysis treatments three times a week or have a kidney transplant to remain alive.

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A recent Lancet series explores various international efforts to address obesity, and calls for public health and policy approaches to improve the food environment as it relates to obesity treatment and prevention. The Obesity Society supports ongoing dialogue and collaborative discussions with the food industry, other industry stakeholders and public health officials, and calls for developing evidence-based initiatives to improve public health.

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The report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, released Thursday, February 19, offers realistic, science-based recommendations that can be translated into practical and easy-to-follow guidance for consumers, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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- In a first-of-its-kind analysis of worldwide dietary patterns, a team including researchers from t Tufts University found overall diet quality worsened across the world even as consumption of healthier foods increased in many countries. The study compared trends in intakes of healthy versus unhealthy foods in 1990 and 2010 and found major differences by country.

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Public health researchers have analyzed soda consumption data in order to characterize people’s exposure to a potentially carcinogenic byproduct of some types of caramel color. Caramel color is a common ingredient in colas and other dark soft drinks. The results show that between 44 and 58 percent of people over the age of six typically have at least one can of soda per day, possibly more, potentially exposing them to 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), a possible human carcinogen formed during the manufacture of some kinds of caramel color.

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When it comes to milk, it’s no longer just about whole, two percent, skim, and flavored anymore. Consumers now have a variety of nut, grain, and seed milks that are all nondairy to choose from. In the February issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), IFT member David Despain writes about the increasing number of dairy-free options on the market in response to consumers’ growing in interest in plant-based milk products.

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Convenience and taste are high on the list of what consumers want—especially when it comes to snack and nutrition bars. In the February issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), associate editor Melanie Zanoza Bartelme writes about unexpected flavors and emerging trends in the snack and nutrition bar category. Consumers can all find a bar to fulfill their specific need including people looking for a meal replacement, athletes looking to up their protein, and those looking to lose weight.

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Feeding the rapidly expanding world population will require 470 million tons of annual meat production by 2050, an increase of more than 200 million tons from current annual levels, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Replacing and/or supplementing traditional animal protein with alternatives that require drastically lower levels of water, feed, energy and land is not only more sustainable but may result in healthier proteins too, according to the latest series of interviews from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FutureFood 2050 publishing initiative.

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To better empower its members to be food and nutrition leaders while strengthening its resolve to optimize the nation’s health through food and nutrition, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics announces the launch of its new and redesigned websites: www.eatright.org, www.eatrightPRO.org and www.eatrightSTORE.org.

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A high-fat diet, eaten one day to two weeks days before a heart attack, reduced heart attack damage in mice by about 50 percent, according to a new study. The finding could provide insight into the "obesity paradox," by which obesity appears to provide protection to heart attack patients.

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Residents of snowy, northern U.S. cities are at risk of vitamin D deficiency and worse, may not even know it.

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A study by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute sheds significant new light on a surprising and critical role that microbes may play in nutritional disorders such as protein malnutrition.

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Growing global trade is critically important for providing food when and where it’s needed — but it makes it harder to link the benefits of food and the environmental burden of its production. A study published this week in the journal BioScience by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment proposes to extend the way we characterize global food trade to include nutritional value and resource consumption alongside more conventional measures of trade’s value.

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Children treated for moderate acute malnutrition — a condition suffered by an estimated 35 million children worldwide — experience a disturbingly high rate of relapse and even death in the year following treatment and recovery. But without clear evidence that any one feeding regimen trumps another, the global health community has been divided on how best to treat these children and reduce the 37 percent rate of relapse. A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that supplementary feeding for a set time period — 12 weeks — makes an impact but may not be as important as treating children until they reach target weights and measures of arm circumference. The latter is a strategy recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, to the researchers’ surprise, they found that the WHO targets are insufficient and that raising the weight and arm thresholds could significantly lower the rate of relapse.

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The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has championed the effort to include a daily serving of iodine in multivitamin/mineral supplements intended for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and it applauds the new guidelines released by the U.S. Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) advising manufacturers to include 150 micrograms of iodine to these daily supplements.

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“Many favorite Valentine’s Day indulgences have amazing health benefits that are supported by research,” says Kim Sasso, RD, who regularly counsels patients on achieving better nutrition and weight loss at the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care. “Dark chocolate, in particular, is rich in a group of antioxidants called flavanols, which may help lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting and lower LDL cholesterol.”

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A large percentage of the world's population -- fully one third, by the World Health Organization's estimates -- is currently overweight or obese. This staggering statistics has made finding ways to address obesity a top priority for many scientists around the globe, and now a group of researchers at the University of Wyoming has found promise in the potential of capsaicin -- the chief ingredient in chili peppers -- as a diet-based supplement.

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Researchers found that a baby’s diet during the first few months of life has a profound influence on the composition, diversity, and stability of the gut microbiome. These factors influence the baby’s ability to transition from milk to solid foods and may have long-term health effects.

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A newly published research study conducted by researchers at the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University, examined whether noticing and using calorie menu labels was associated with demographic characteristics of customers at a national fast food chain currently posting calorie counts. They found that approximately 60% of participants noticed the calorie menu labels but only 16% reported using the labels to determine food and beverage choices.

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Eating healthier is a common recommendation for people looking to reduce their risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other medical concerns. Now a growing body of research is evaluating whether certain dietary changes can impact the skin by reducing the signs of aging and improving some skin conditions. Nutricosmetics – the use of nutrition or nutritional supplements for skin health and beauty – is popular abroad and may be the next frontier for improving skin health and beauty in the United States.

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Nikhil Dhurandhar, who discovered a strain of virus that appears to cause obesity while also causing low cholesterol and low triglycerides, is the chairman of the Nutritional Sciences department

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Is it better to tell people about the harms of certain health decisions or about the benefits of positive health related decisions? That depends on who you are talking to, according to recent research by the Cornell Food & Brand Lab. Published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, the paper finds that the type of health messaging that is most effective might vary depending on certain characteristics of the target audience.

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IFT Past President Roger Clemens, DrPh, CFS, explains why it’s important to incorporate fats in our diets in this IFT Food Facts video. Dr. Clemens emphasizes needing a balance of fats and exercise to help our body function at its highest level and reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

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A Kansas State University nutritionist explains a new regulation requiring calorie labeling at restaurants and why it's not just the numbers that put weight on your waistline.

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For people who have celiac disease, going gluten-free isn't a lifestyle choice, it's a necessity. For everyone else, steering clear of gluten isn't necessarily a good idea.

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Most young adults might assume they have years before needing to worry about their cholesterol. But new findings from researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute suggest that even slightly high cholesterol levels in otherwise healthy adults between the ages of 35 and 55 can have long-term impacts on their heart health, with every decade of high cholesterol increasing their chances of heart disease by 39 percent.

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An international research team led by scientists at McGill University has found that excessive salt intake “reprograms” the brain, interfering with a natural safety mechanism that normally prevents the body’s arterial blood pressure from rising.

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This semester’s Journal Club will add a new component. Attendees will be provided a sample data base for use throughout the series. During the webinar, presenters will walk the participants through the mechanics of running the procedure. They will then have a “homework” assignment where the participants can try running the procedure on their own and comparing their answers with the correct answers and interpretations. The participants will then pose questions to the presenter in the week after the webinar through a LinkedIn online discussion.

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Current government-mandated nutrition labeling is ineffective in improving nutrition or curbing the obesity epidemic, but there is a better system available, according to a study by McGill University researchers.

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According to recent research from the Arnold School of Health at the University of South Carolina, use of social media sites like Facebook can be associated with a significant drop in pounds, especially during the critical maintenance period of a weight loss journey.

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A new study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators demonstrates that vitamin D can protect some people with colorectal cancer by perking up the immune system’s vigilance against tumor cells.

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There is no one food, drink, pill or machine that is the key to achieving optimal health. A person’s overall daily routine is what is most important. That is why, as part of National Nutrition Month® 2015, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics urges everyone to “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle.”

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New strategies for acquiring objective data are in their infancy, and support for better tools is needed, say experts in the International Journal of Obesity.

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Game day nutrition tips from the experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

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Just one cup of blueberries per day could be the key to reducing blood pressure and arterial stiffness, both of which are associated with cardiovascular disease.

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Learning how good bacteria in the gut feast on complex carbohydrates could end your break up with bread.

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A study of nearly a half-million Americans has found that following cancer prevention guidelines from the American Cancer Society may modestly reduce your overall risk of developing cancer and have a greater impact on reducing your overall risk of dying. Having a healthy body weight and staying active appeared to have the most positive impact.

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Enzymes linked to diabetes and obesity appear to play key roles in arthritis and leukemia, potentially opening up new avenues for treating these diverse diseases, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

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Technology may be the key to helping college-age adults make healthier choices when it comes to food and physical activity. The Youth Adults Eating and Active for Health project found that participants in the intervention groups ate more fruits and vegetables and were more physically active than those in the control groups. The 15-month U.S. Department of Agriculture study involved researchers from 14 institutions, according to lead researcher Kendra Kattelmann, head of the dietetics program at South Dakota State University.

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Men’s eating habits are associated with the availability of healthy food sources in their residential neighbourhood but women’s are not, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHUM hospital.

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Breast cancer is the most frequent cause of death among women worldwide, and five-year survival rates are just 58.4% in Brazil, lower than in many other regions. In a new study, however, researchers from Federal University of Santa Catarina provided Brazilian breast cancer patients with nutrition education and found it could benefit patients and may help prevent reoccurrence of the cancer.

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Women who have adequate levels of B vitamins in their bodies are more likely to get and stay pregnant even when they also have high levels of a common pesticide known to have detrimental reproductive effects, according to new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research.

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Salk scientists made a more effective diet pill