Taste signals help pace food consumption
New research shows that the perception of taste, in addition to signals from the stomach, may influence how much and how fast we eat.
Nutrition
Understanding Our Evolution through our Mouth Microbes
An international team of researchers sequenced the microbes from dental scrapings of Neanderthals to understand more about their diet.
Turkish Environmental Researcher Imprisoned for Publicizing Cancer Study
Turkish engineer and activist Bülent Şık was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail for publishing confidential results of a government study. His team discovered poisonous chemicals in food and water samples, linked to the high cancer incidence in…
Malnourished children don’t just need more food—they also need more microbes
Helping malnourished kids recover means we can’t just feed only them - we also have to feed their bacteria. And the bacteria are picky eaters.
You Asked: What’s the deal with gluten?
by Katherine J. Wu
As an aging and increasingly cynical graduate student, I’ve found that my ability to keep up with the hip lingo has been waning in recent years. But even I know that “gluten” has become the dirty culinary word of the decade. One in…
Parental weight and its impact on early childhood development
According to the CDC, 70.7% of the US population is overweight or obese (BMI>30), with 37.9% being obese. Obesity related health expenses accounted for an estimated $147 billion in healthcare spending in 2008 alone. The dire health consequences for…
Natural and Added Sugars: Two Sides of the Same Coin
by Mary E. Gearing
figures by Shanon McArdel
It’s hard to find a more controversial topic than sugar, which is never far from the media’s attention. From the recent hype surrounding That Sugar Film to the continued demonizing of high fructose corn syrup,…
Good as Gold: Can Golden Rice and Other Biofortified Crops Prevent Malnutrition?
by Mary E. Gearing
figures by Kristen Seim
Summary: In addition to providing energy in the form of calories, our food also supplies us with essential vitamins and other nutrients to keep us healthy. Vitamin, or “micronutrient”, malnutrition is a…
Feeding the World One Genetically Modified Tomato at a Time: A Scientific Perspective
by Christopher Gerry
figures by Kristen Seim
Summary: The human population has grown at a breakneck pace and threatens to further exacerbate a problem that has worsened in recent years: chronic hunger. Genetically modified crops could help to relieve…
The “skinny” on Celastrol, a potential future anti-obesity drug
by Mary E. Gearing
figures by Shannon McArdel
35% of the adult population is obese, a condition which puts one at a high risk for many diseases, namely heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Unfortunately, the treatments available for obesity…