Scientists in the US are well on the way to developing sugar beets
with improved seedling vigour, higher sugar content, and enhanced
disease resistance.
Food manufacturers in the EU this month take on tough new labelling
rules on GM ingredients designed by Brussels to boost consumer
choice. But if the end chink in the chain does not actually
understand the labels, the thrust of change...
New data from the US suggests that carcinogens such as heterocyclic
amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), formed
when meat is cooked may be responsible for the risk of rectal
cancer and not the consumption of...
Lutein supplements can reverse some of the damage done by 'dry'
age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most prevalent form of
the disease, according to a study out yesterday.
Anticipating growing pressure on UK food manufacturers to cut the
trans fats from food products, UK fudge and toffee ingredients firm
Food Design joins the growing number of ingredients companies to
offer alternatives, launching a...
Biotech firms, consumer groups and environmental campaigners have
the opportunity to voice their concerns about the framework for the
risk assessment of GM food in the EU with the European food
watchdog inviting comments on a new...
A link up between US space technologists and the leading
Swedish-Danish dairy firm Arla Foods could lead to new knowledge
about how to provide humans with calcium and yoghurt bacteria.
Coffee contains similar levels of antioxidants to black tea and can
be just as beneficial to health, according to Scottish scientists
that have found coffee's antioxidants are highly absorbable by the
human body.
Participants at the annual meeting of the Association for
Chemoreception Sciences later this month will learn that cinnamon -
as a flavour or fragrance - could boost brain simulation related to
attentinal processes, according to...
Only 3 per cent of Britons are aware that being overweight
increases their chance of developing cancer, according to a new
survey commissioned by the cancer charity Cancer Research UK.
"The brain's perception of fat cannot be completely reduced to
viscosity," Dr. Ivan de Araujo at Oxford University tells
Lindsey Partos, following new findings on the texture of
food that suggest there is 'something...
High protein diets may in fact boost bone health, shows new
research, that contradicts fears by nutritionists that increasing
protein intake could lead to calcium losses.
Zinc appears to significantly reduce the duration of fever and
severity of illness in boys with pneumonia and other serious lower
respiratory infections, according to new research.
As the US advisory body on dietary advice convenes in Washington,
D.C. to discuss salt consumption, the Salt Institute and the US
Chamber of Commerce were taking the Bush government to court,
claiming the full scientific facts on...
New ways to combat the global obesity epidemic could be on the way
as recent findings from influential obesity researcher Jeffrey
Friedman improves our understanding of leptin resistance and
obesity. New studies show that the appetite-regulating...
The active component in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate
(EGCG), already shown to fight several types of cancer, also
appears to kill cells of the most common form of leukaemia, reports
a US team this week.
Is Big Red the next functional food fad? Scientists in the US claim
the natural flavours found in the chewing gum brand manufactured by
gum giant Wrigley's could beat the bacteria that causes bad breath.
A small US study on honey, a food consumed by mankind for thousands
of years, suggests daily consumption of this sweet ingredient could
be a good source of protective antioxidant compounds for the human
body, writes Dominique Patton.
In the same week that the US food watchdog releases new findings on
the presence of acrylamide, the probable human carcinogen, in
processed food products, the American Chemical society will
dedicate an entire symposium to this sensitive...
Boosting 'added-value' opportunities for companies working with
corn, new research from government scientists on a fungus could
hold the key to using corn fibre as a factory for the production of
the potent antioxidant lycopene,...
New research on walnuts - a key ingredient in a host of cakes and
bakery goods - will help manufacturers in the mature bakery market
gain a slice of the burgeoning health-promoting food trend.
A diet rich in vitamin E appears to protect against both prostate
cancer and bladder cancer, according to new research that lifts
hopes for the vitamin after disappointing recent studies, writes
Dominique Patton.
Helping Europe reduce the massive 70 per cent of vegetable proteins
it imports for consumption, a new EU-funded project will focus on
how we can obtain quality proteins from grain legumes for both
human and animal consumption.
Japanese scientists may have explained why green tea stops the
progression of cancer. They report that the active component
epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) binds to a receptor thought to be
behind the spread of cancer.
New research appears to absolve the soft drinks industry from
responsibility for the low calcium intake among US adolescents but
it suggests that creative and effective ways of increasing levels
of the mineral, such as through fortified...
'It is incorrect to focus on any specific food or ingredient in
attempting to address obesity,' cautions the US food industry, in
the face of mounting criticism that sugar intake plays a key role
in today's overweight...
Concerns over the presence of acrylamide in processed foods have
flared up again after the US food watchdog detects levels of this
carcinogenic chemical in a new batch of foods. The industry risks
being bruised.
Walnuts, one of the oldest food ingredients known to mankind, are
the focus of an upcoming symposium organised by Europe that will
aim to bridge the gap between scientific, technical and user
communities. Opportunities for growth...
A UK firm is hoping to develop an extract of the plantain banana as
a medical food, after initial research shows it could treat
inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease, writes
Dominique Patton.
Served straight from the barrel in the mosaic clad bars of Madrid,
Spain's favourite apertif is good for the heart, say scientists,
investigating the potential health benefits of sherry.
People appear to be eternally optimistic when it comes to dieting,
always believing that the next diet will lead to weight loss. But
the results of a new study suggest that this cycle of dieting will
continue as most are not prepared...
A lack of integration at a European level is 'severely hampering'
efforts to co-ordinate stakeholder efforts - food industry and
independent scientists - in the area of chemical contaminants in
food, warn Swedish scientists....
The bacteria involved in the ripening of cheeses may find their way
into the final product by surviving the pasteurisation process, say
researchers from Italy, Ireland and France.
Vitamin C may prevent symptoms associated with respiratory diseases
such as cystic fibrosis and asthma by hydrating the airways and
clearing them from potential pathogens, report scientists this
month, helping to explain some of the...
The UK egg industry received a pat on the back from the country's
food watchdog following a survey that found salmonella levels in
UK-produced eggs have fallen by two thirds since 1996.
Oil from the seeds of an Asian plant, already shown to fight
leukaemia, also appears to kill prostate cancer cells and shrink
human tumours grown in mice, report US researchers. Human trials
could provide a promising treatment for...
UK scientists are hoping to confirm that components in the
artichoke can lower cholesterol, a major risk factor for the
world's biggest health problem, heart disease, writes Dominique
Patton.
A key discovery about how prions - mysterious morsels of protein
thought to be the cause of mad cow disease and similar brain
disorders - infect healthy cells is being hailed by scientists as a
breakthrough in the quest to understand...
The health benefits of green tea dovetail into sleep as researchers
in Japan find an amino acid located in green tea could improve
slumber in young men.
Comforting news for parents as survey of infant formula by the UK's
food watchdog finds levels of harmful chemicals, dioxins and
dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in infant formula
have fallen significantly over the...
Skimmed milk is the source of a new calcium-rich miso to hit the
market as Japan's Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation
(ALIC) teams up with two research bodies to develop a new
functional fermented miso derived from...
A new study points to yet another risk associated with a diet rich
in animal protein - it may increase the risk of gout, the most
common form of inflammatory arthritis in men.
A diet of rapeseed oil fed to dairy cows can produce healthier milk
and butter to beat their artery-clogging equivalents, find British
scientists, signalling future gains for suppliers of ingredients to
the animal feed industry.
Much of the flour that goes into breads, pasta, cakes,
breakfastcereals and other foods comes from so-called 'winter
wheats', planted in autumn and harvested in spring. New research
has identified the key gene involved in...
Adding to the growing list of potential benefits of vitamin D
consumption, researchers from Australia find that doses of vitamin
D in early life could help reduce the onset of schizophrenia in
men.
A warm glow from a regular pint at the pub might not be the only
benefit to the health as a small study finds moderate beer
consumption could help prevent osteoporosis through the
bioavailability of silicon rooted in the beverage.
In a move set to fuel the already heated GM debate swirling around
Britain, the country's medical body said this week it sees no
'current evidence of potential harm from GM food'.
If we see our parents eating fruit and vegetables the likelihood is
we will follow in their footsteps, finds a UK study that has nailed
several factors involved in infant consumption of fruit and
vegetables.
