Feature Channels: Nutrition

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A monthly roundup of research briefs showcasing recent scientific advances led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center faculty.

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With the holiday party season in full swing, deciding what to wear can be the biggest headache. But paying attention to what you eat at such occasions might reveal it’s your diet more in need of a makeover. The good news is experts at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) can help.

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A randomized trial by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers indicates that magnesium optimizes vitamin D status, raising it in people with deficient levels and lowering it in people with high levels.

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A multi-country study finds that large portion sizes in fast food and full service restaurants is not a problem unique to the U.S. The researchers found that 94 percent of full service meals and 72 percent of fast food meals studied in five countries contained 600 calories or more.

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The holiday season is a hard one for anyone watching their weight. The sights and smells of food are hard to resist. One factor in this hunger response is a hormone found in the stomach that makes us more vulnerable to tasty food smells, encouraging overeating and obesity.

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A medida que el nuevo año se aproxima, entre las resoluciones de muchas personas está alcanzar un buen estado físico y mejorar el bienestar. Ahora, los científicos descubren que ambas mejoras pueden llevar a vivir más largo.

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A research team at South Ural State University (SUSU) (Chelyabinsk, Russia), in cooperation with their colleagues from the Russian State Agrarian University and the National Institute of Technology Warangal (India), have significantly enhanced the health properties of fermented milk products (kefir in particular) thanks to ultrasonic treatment.

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Thousands of people can take heart as new research from the University of South Australia shows a dairy-enhanced Mediterranean diet will significantly increase health outcomes for those at risk of cardiovascular disease – and it’s even more effective than a low-fat diet.

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It costs the global economy an estimated US$2 trillion annually and has been dubbed a modern day health epidemic, but new research from the University of South Australia has unearthed a possible cure for obesity – and it is as plain as dirt!

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Remember when being a vegetarian or vegan was considered radical? It’s now thought quite ordinary, according to a new book co-edited by QUT and University of Adelaide food researchers.

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A new study led by Amitai Abramovitch, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Texas State University, shows that individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are significantly less likely to become overweight or obese.

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School nutrition programs will have more flexibility in areas related to serving flavored milk and whole grains under a final rule released this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The rule also allows more time for schools to reach sodium reduction targets.

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Vitamin C may reduce the harm done to lungs in infants born to mothers who smoke during their pregnancy, according to a randomized, controlled trial published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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A new poultry research facility at Mississippi State University is addressing the growing consumer and corporate demands for cage-free eggs.

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A longer duration of infertility was associated with lower sperm count and other parameters of impaired sperm in a BJU International study of 1644 infertile men. Also, older age and higher body mass index were associated with a longer duration of infertility.

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Precision medicine will extend beyond prediction, diagnosis and treatment of disease to also include broader health initiatives, including prevention, nutrition and wellness. These new procedures raise novel legal, policy and ethical issues.

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Conditions encountered in the womb - when the embryo consists of only about 100 cells - can have life-long impact on health. Scientists previously assumed that this is because embryos respond to adverse conditions by programming their gene expression. Now an international team of researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center, Wageningen University and Research, Lund University, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York propose a radically different alternative. Rather than being programmed by the environment, random differences in gene expression may provide some embryos with a survival advantage, in particular when conditions are harsh. By studying DNA methylation, an important mechanism to control gene activity, the researchers found that a specific part of the DNA methylation pattern was missing among famine-exposed individuals. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.

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The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recently honored U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (Minn.) with its 2018 Public Policy Leadership Award for her work in nutrition, food and agriculture policy.

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You may remember a loved one making you a bowl of chicken noodle soup whenever you were feeling under the weather as a child. Just how healthy is this culinary cure-all? BIDMC clinical dietitian Sandy Allonen, RD, weighs in.

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Patients who experience disturbances in sleep, mobility, nutrition or mood while admitted in hospital may be more likely to be readmitted within 30 days after discharge, finds a new study co-led by St. Michael’s Hospital and the University Health Network (UHN) in Canada.

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Breast cancer survivors who used a smartphone app created at Houston Methodist consistently lost weight, largely due to daily, real-time interactions with their health care team via the mobile app.

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We’re more likely to overeat when we only have a little bit of food left over, and we justify it by convincing ourselves it’s not as unhealthy as it is, according to new research by Vanderbilt's Kelly Haws.

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Millions of Americans have no idea that they have fatty liver disease. This growing problem will soon be the number one reason for liver transplantation, overtaking hepatitis C. Holiday overindulgence in alcohol and food could make the problem dramatically worse.

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Allen Taylor, a senior scientist and director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

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Vitamin and mineral supplements may be beneficial for people who aren’t getting the micronutrients they need through their diet, but do not help in preventing chronic disease, according to an updated position paper published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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A major U.S. study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that a commonly used probiotic is not effective in improving symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting in young children with gastroenteritis.

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While probiotics are often used to treat acute gastroenteritis (also known as infectious diarrhea) in children, the latest evidence shows no significant differences in outcomes, compared to a placebo.

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Eating leafy greens, dark orange and red vegetables and berry fruits, and drinking orange juice may be associated with a lower risk of memory loss over time in men, according to a study published in the November 21, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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If you have epilepsy, should you stop drinking coffee? ILAE speaks with researcher Astrid Nehlig, who reviewed the latest research at the 2018 European Congress on Epileptology in Vienna.

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The study assigned a “Health Score” (5 stars = highest rate, 0 star = lowest) based on eleven criteria including health and calorie levels of meals, snack boxes and individual snacks, level of transparency (display nutrient information & ingredients), improvement and maintenance of healthy offerings, menu innovation, food and water safety and cooperation in providing this information. The survey includes health ratings, average calories per airline, comments, best bets, food offerings, costs, nutrition information (e.g., calories, and exercise equivalents.

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In recent years, more than a dozen states have passed laws limiting local governments’ ability to create food and nutrition policies and more than two dozen states previously enacted laws preventing obesity-related lawsuits against food businesses, finds a new analysis led by NYU College of Global Public Health. These laws are examples of preemption, a legal mechanism in which a higher level of government withdraws or limits the ability of a lower level of government to act on an issue.

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Cutting back considerably on high-calorie foods, even full meals, in the days or weeks before Thanksgiving in anticipation of pigging out on turkey, sweet potato pie and other traditional dishes on the big day is a common pre-holiday diet plan.

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New research found that over two percent of all U.S. children under the age of 5 have a milk allergy, and 53 percent of food-allergic infants under age 1 have a cow’s milk allergy.

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Hot water treatment may help improve inflammation and blood sugar (glucose) levels in people who are unable to exercise, according to a new study. The findings are published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

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A South American tribe living in near-total isolation with no Western dietary influences showed no increase in average blood pressure from age one to age 60, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In comparison, a nearby tribe whose diet includes some processed foods and salt did show higher blood pressure into late middle age.

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The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and The Obesity Society have announced a three-year collaboration to develop educational, scientific and clinical materials, programs and other activities related to evidence-based treatment of obesity and weight management.

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New research presented today at the American Public Health Association’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Expo revealed that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation declined in the first half of 2018 among immigrant families, following 10 years of increasing participation from 2007 through 2017.

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Social media communities supporting moms who are breastfeeding create a unique bond.

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A new University of Florida-developed forecasting system could help citrus growers control postbloom fruit drop this winter, despite the predicted El Niño weather pattern that’s expected to bring more rain and moderate temperatures.

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Kathryn Weatherford, RD, LDN, CNSC, a registered dietitian at BIDMC, shares five food recommendations to help strengthen bones and joints.

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Elevated levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)—a compound linked with the consumption of fish, seafood and a primarily vegetarian diet—may reduce hypertension-related heart disease symptoms. New research in rats finds that low-dose treatment with TMAO reduced heart thickening (cardiac fibrosis) and markers of heart failure in an animal model of hypertension. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Heart and Circulatory Physiology and was chosen as an APSselect article for November.

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Young adults who are educated about dietary supplements in college are more likely to use them appropriately, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University at New York.

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Looking for ways to make your Thanksgiving feast more nutritious? Here are some suggestions for preparing dishes:

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A widely held and controversial myth that high-protein diets may cause kidney damage in healthy adults has been debunked by scientists at McMaster University, who examined more than two dozen studies involving hundreds of participants.

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The holidays can be extra stressful for people with diabetes. But with a little extra planning and help from family and friends, anyone can manage their diabetes at a healthy level. AADE has tips to make diabetes management during the holidays a family (and friends) affair.

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The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food & Nutrition Guide was recently honored as one of the nation’s best consumer health information materials in 2018 with the Best of Show Award among all Gold Awards during the National Health Information Awards.