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Genetically predicted, lifelong, higher plasma caffeine concentrations were associated with lower body mass index and fat mass, as well as a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Image credit: Sci.News.

Study: Higher Blood Caffeine Levels Might Reduce Body Fat and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Mar 27, 2023 by News Staff

Karolinska Institutet researcher Susanna Larsson and colleagues investigated the potential causal effects of long term plasma caffeine concentrations on...

In two large population-based cohorts, Ochoa-Rosales et al. observed longitudinal associations between higher habitual coffee consumption and lower risk of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Image credit: Sci.News.

Coffee Consumption Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, New Study Suggests

Mar 24, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Coffee is among the most consumed beverages worldwide. Coffee consumption has been associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but underlying mechanisms...

Using an interventional study in healthy, normal-weight participants, Thanarajah et al. demonstrate that, independent of body weight gain and alterations in metabolic markers, exposure to high-fat/high-sugar food: (i) reduces preferences for low-fat food, (ii) plays a critical role in up-regulating brain responses to anticipation and consumption of highly palatable, energy-dense food, and (iii) has a generalized effect on the neuronal encoding of prediction errors in the context of associative learning and independent of food rewards. Taken together, repeated consumption of high-fat/high-sugar relative to isocaloric low-fat/low-sugar food, and in the absence of changes in body weight or metabolic state, can rewire brain circuits and thereby induce neurobehavioral adaptations. Hence, changing the food environment and reducing the availability of energy-dense high-fat/high-sugar food items is pivotal to combating the obesity pandemic. Image credit: Thanarajah et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.02.015.

Daily Consumption of Sweet and Fatty Snacks Alters Our Reward Circuits: Study

Mar 23, 2023 by News Staff

Western diets rich in fat and sugar promote excess calorie intake and weight gain; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. To close this gap, researchers...

Duan et al. identified a mechanism of intestinal Th17 cell differentiation that emerges from an intestinal epithelial cell-associated an unfolded protein response. Image credit: Duan et al., doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.02.018.

Xanthine Plays Important Role in Gut Health, New Study Suggests

Mar 15, 2023 by News Staff

Xanthine, which is found in coffee, tea and chocolate, may play a role in the generation of interleukin-17-producing T helper (Th17) cells, an important...

Daily consumption of strawberries at a dose of two-and-a-half cups per day significantly improved insulin resistance and moderately improved high-density lipoprotein particle size. Image credit: Roberto Barresi.

Dietary Strawberry Consumption May Help Heart Health

Feb 13, 2023 by News Staff

Dietary strawberries significantly improve cardiometabolic risks, mainly via improving insulin resistance and lipid particles, and improve vascular health,...

People who drank 2 cups of coffee per day and people who drank over 3 cups per day had lower systolic blood pressure than non-coffee drinkers by 5.2 mmHg and 9.7, respectively; similar trends were also observed for peripheral pulse pressure, aortic blood pressure and aortic pulse pressure. Image credit: Sci.News.

Regular Coffee Drinking Associated with Lower Blood Pressure

Feb 9, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to new research from the University of Bologna and the Sant’Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, self-reported regular coffee drinkers have...

The potent antibacterial activity of lunaemycins against antibiotic resistant Gram-positive bacteria may in part explain how Streptomyces lunaelactis strains have found their own place in extremely oligotrophic and competitive environments such as moonmilk deposits. Image credit: Martinet et al., doi: 10.3390/ijms24021114.

New Group of Antibiotics Isolated from Moonmilk Deposits

Feb 8, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Lunaemycins are produced by Streptomyces lunaelactis, a species of bacterium that inhabits the moonmilk deposits of La Grotte Des Collemboles in Belgium...

Cantuaria et al. found positive associations between exposure to road traffic noise and risk of tinnitus; highest risk estimates were found for women, people without a hearing loss, people with high education and income, and people who had never been in a blue-collar job. Image credit: Pexels.

Residential Exposure to Road Traffic Noise Increases Risk of Tinnitus, New Study Suggests

Feb 6, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a nationwide cohort study, scientists in Denmark investigated the association between residential road traffic and railway noise exposure, measured...

Caffeic and chlorogenic acids are commonly found phenolic acids in plant-derived foods and beverages; their corresponding adducts with an amino acid called cysteine have been detected in coffee-containing beverages. Image credit: StockSnap.

Coffee With Milk Have Anti-Inflammatory Effect, New Study Says

Jan 30, 2023 by News Staff

A combination of proteins and antioxidants doubles the anti-inflammatory properties in immune cells, according to a new paper published in the Journal...

Dmitrieva et al. tested the hypothesis that optimal hydration may slow down the aging process. Image credit: StockSnap.

Optimal Hydration Slows Down Aging Process, New Study Suggests

Jan 2, 2023 by News Staff

In a large population-based observational study with a long 25-years follow-up, scientists at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute analyzed links...

The SMART 5-A-DAY app tells the user whether they have consumed a full or partial portion, what is needed to make up a full portion, and keeps a running tally of their progress to 5 a day. Image credit: Bournemouth University.

New Mobile Phone App to Help People Reach Target of Eating 5 Portions of Fruits, Vegetables a Day

Dec 29, 2022 by News Staff

The SMART 5-A-DAY app is available in the Google Play Store for Android phones from December 29, 2022. It tells users whether they are eating the right...

Creative rendition of SARS-CoV-2, displaying 3D prints of virus particles (colorized red and teal/blue; the red virus surface is covered with teal/blue spike proteins that enable the virus to enter and infect human cells), and a background image that is a colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell (blue) infected with the Omicron strain of the virus (red). Image credit: NIAID.

Researchers Explore Relationship between COVID-19 and Fatty Liver Disease

Dec 12, 2022 by News Staff

Scientists led by the Storr Liver Centre at the University of Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified a gene — called...

In older women, greater habitual dietary flavonoid intake associates with less extensive abdominal aortic calcification. Image credit: Parmenter et al., doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.122.318408.

Flavonoid-Rich Diet May Lower Cardiovascular Risks in Older Women

Nov 29, 2022 by News Staff

In a study of 881 elderly women, a team of researchers from Edith Cowan University and elsewhere found that the participants were far less likely to have...

Carter et al. compared postprandial changes in appetite-regulating hormones and self-reported appetite ratings after consuming almonds or an isocaloric carbohydrate-rich snack bar. Image credit: PIRO.

Almond Consumption May Reduce Risk of Obesity: Study

Nov 22, 2022 by News Staff

A snack of 30-50 grams of almonds could help people cut back on the number of calories they consume each day, according to a new study led by University...

Dillard et al. aimed to determine the prevalence of unsafe listening practices from exposure to personal listening devices and loud entertainment venues in individuals aged 12-34 years, and to estimate the number of young people who could be at risk of hearing loss from unsafe listening worldwide. Image credit: Gigxels.

Study: Unsafe Listening Practices Place Over One Billion Young People at Risk of Hearing Loss

Nov 17, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Unsafe listening practices from use of personal listening devices and attendance at loud entertainment venues are common — prevalence estimates 23.81%...

Ahmed et al. showed that oral honey intake reduced fasting glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C, fasting triglycerides, and ALT and increased HDL-C, IL-6, and TNF-α. Image credit: Fancycrave1.

Honey Consumption Improves Blood Sugar and Cholesterol Levels, Study Suggests

Nov 17, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Honey, especially robinia (also known as acacia honey, a honey from false acacia or black locust trees), clover, and unprocessed raw honey, may improve...

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell infected with the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (yellow and green), isolated from a patient sample. Image credit: NIAID.

Coffee Compound Reduces Binding of SARS-CoV-2 Virus to Its Human Target, Study Shows

Nov 15, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

The global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has called for an urgent need for the identification of compounds...

The study increases the total number of POAG-related genes to 15. Image credit: National Eye Institute.

Low-Quality Sleep Increases Glaucoma Risk, New Study Suggests

Nov 3, 2022 by News Staff

Researchers have performed a prospective cohort study to understand the association between different sleep behaviors and glaucoma. Insomnia, snoring,...

Possible sites of HML-2 expression. Image credit: Burn et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001826.

Ancient Retroviruses Make Up 8% of Human Genome, Researchers Say

Oct 26, 2022 by The Conversation

Like modern HIV, ancient human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) had to insert their genetic material into their host’s genome to replicate. Possible sites...