Nutrition News | Sci.News

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...

The space salad. Image credit: University of Adelaide.

Researchers Create Space Salad for Astronauts

Mar 3, 2023 by News Staff

The space salad contains ingredients — including soybean, poppy, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potato and sunflower seeds — that could be grown...

In a controlled laboratory protocol, Isherwood et al. investigated if the human circadian system anticipates large meals. Image credit: Rita E.

Human Body Can Predict Timing of Regular Meals: Study

Feb 23, 2023 by News Staff

In new research, scientists at the University of Surrey tested the hypothesis that the human circadian system anticipates large meals. In a controlled...

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...

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...

Drinking a beetroot juice before exercise makes the aging brain perform more efficiently. Image credit: Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University.

Study: Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Increases Muscle Force during Exercise

Jan 25, 2023 by News Staff

Supplementation of dietary nitrate — commonly found in beetroot juice — increases nitric oxide bioavailability and can enhance exercise performance....

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...

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...

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...

Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day is linked with a longer lifespan and lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with avoiding coffee. Image credit: Sci.News.

Habitual Coffee Consumption May Prolong Life

Sep 28, 2022 by News Staff

In a large prospective cohort study, decaffeinated, ground, and instant coffee — particularly at 2-3 cups a day — were associated with significant...

Li et al. found that moderate consumption of black, green or oolong tea is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Image credit: Sci.News.

Moderate Tea Consumption Lowers Type 2 Diabetes Risk, New Review Suggests

Sep 19, 2022 by News Staff

A review of previous cohort studies suggests that drinking at least four cups of black, green or oolong tea a day is associated with a 17% lower risk of...

McGreen et al. found the number of cravings a person experiences can indicate how many soft drinks they would eventually drink, with cravings triggered by a number of factors beyond thirst. Image credit: Ernesto Rodriguez.

Study: Stronger Cravings for Soft Drinks, Coffee Associated with Drinking More of Craved Beverage

Sep 14, 2022 by News Staff

Cravings for a range of substances including drugs, alcohol, and food have been shown to predict subsequent consumption or use. However, this link has...

Kawano et al. show that intestinal microbiota protects against development of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and pre-diabetic phenotypes by inducing commensal-specific Th17 cells. Image credit: Kawano et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.08.005.

Dietary Sugar Disrupts Gut Microbiome, Says New Study

Aug 31, 2022 by News Staff

Dietary sugar alters the gut microbiome, setting off a chain of events that leads to metabolic disease, pre-diabetes, and weight gain, according to a new...

Drinking tea may be associated with a moderately lower mortality risk. Image credit: Sci.News.

Tea, Even at Higher Levels of Intake, Can Be Part of Healthy Diet, New Study Suggests

Aug 30, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

In a new prospective cohort study, higher tea intake was associated with lower mortality risk among those drinking two or more cups per day, regardless...