Health News

Global innovation studies from India and Brazil in the July issue of Health Affairs

Date: Jul-19-2013
Two new studies, in Health Affairs July 2013 issue, describe health success stories outside the US. One, by Sema Sgaier of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and colleagues, is titled "How The Avahan HIV Prevention Program Transitioned From The Gates Foundation To The Government Of India." It explains how the Gates Foundation worked with the Government of India to ensure a smooth transition of Avahan - an HIV prevention program funded and initiated by the Gates Foundation - to be run and managed by that government...

Outgoing youngsters are happier later in life

Date: Jul-19-2013
A rare piece of research published recently in an online issue of the Journal of Research in Personality, finds that individuals who are even-tempered and outgoing in young adulthood turn into happier, more satisfied seniors than their moodier and more introverted peers.  Led by the University of Southampton in the UK, the study examines the link between personality measured in youth and wellbeing assessed four decades later, and also how psychological and physical health relates to the link. Lead author Dr...

Modified forms of bisphenol A found to alter hormone signaling in new, disturbing ways

Date: Jul-19-2013
For years, scientists have been worried about bisphenol A. The chemical is known as an "endocrine disruptor," a substance that interferes with the body's hormone signaling system, and it's found in everything from plastic drink bottles to the linings of food and drink cans to the thermal paper used for cash register receipts - not to mention the urine of 92.6 percent of Americans over the age of six. BPA has been associated with the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and ovarian dysfunction...

New report warns of conflict threatening global nutrition progress

Date: Jul-19-2013
Major progress in tackling child undernutrition in some of the world's toughest countries is under threat as military and security funding takes precedence, a new report from aid agency World Vision warns. The number of children under five who die every year has decreased by half since 1990. Yet, World Vision's Fragile but not Helpless report (PDF) finds that this progress is under threat. Countries marred by conflict or fragility have some of the highest rates of acute and chronic undernutrition in the world...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons influenced by Arg-Phe-amide-related peptides

Date: Jul-19-2013
During the last decade, our understanding of this hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis has quickly expanded. Two novel hypothalamic Arg-Phe-amide- related peptides, kisspeptin and gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone, may be important regulators of the reproductive axis. Kisspeptins are currently recognized as the most potent activators of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. Kisspeptin and its receptor, G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54), are expressed on gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons, thus regulating the reproductive axis...

In animal studies antibodies prevented from neutralizing gene therapy in cell

Date: Jul-19-2013
Gene therapy researchers have produced a bioengineered decoy that fools the immune system and prevents it from mistakenly defeating the benefits delivered by a corrective gene. The decoy was effective in animal studies, and if the approach succeeds in humans, it offers a potential new treatment for genetic diseases such as hemophilia, while advancing the broader field of gene therapy. "This decoy strategy could be individualized to patients and could greatly expand the population of patients who may benefit from gene therapy," said study leader Katherine A. High, M.D...

Most Children And Adults Have A "Nutrition Gap" In Omega-3 Fatty Acids Despite Documented Health Benefits

Date: Jul-19-2013
Because of a diet low in fish and seafood, children and adults in North America and other parts of the world, have a "nutrition gap" of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA),according to a presentation at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Expo in Chicago®. Numerous studies have found that DHA and EPA can prevent or minimize the effects of inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, promote cardiovascular health and limit the effects of heart disease, said Bruce J. Holub, Ph.D...

Taking Vitamins And Minerals Boosts Energy And Enhances Mood

Date: Jul-19-2013
Vitamin and mineral supplements can enhance mental energy and well-being not only for healthy adults but for those prone to anxiety and depression, according to a panel discussion at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo® held at McCormick Place. Bonnie Kaplan, Ph.D., professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, said vitamins and mineral supplements can be the alternative to increasing psychiatric medicines for symptom relief of anxiety and depression...

Impaired Glucose Tolerance Can Lead To Cognitive Dysfunction

Date: Jul-19-2013
People with impaired glucose tolerance - the precursor to Type 2 diabetes - often show impaired cognitive function that may be alleviated through a diet designed specifically for their condition, according to a panel discussion at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Expo®. Impaired glucose tolerance is a pre-diabetic state of hyperglycemia that is associated with insulin resistance and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease...

Feeling Full During Weight Loss With The Right Snack

Date: Jul-19-2013
Healthy snacks that promote a feeling of fullness (satiety) may reduce the amount of food intake at subsequent meals and limit overall food consumption, according to a presentation at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago®. "Appetite control is an area of weight management that is receiving increased attention as the food industry aims to provide consumers with foods that will keep them fuller for longer, reducing inter-meal hunger and overall energy intake," said Roberta Re, Ph.D...