Nutrition.gov News Feeds

Nutrition_gov: And the winner is…Cloves -the spice w/ the most natural antioxidant capacity. Can spices slow food deterioration? http://bit.ly/9Jj55J

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:49 GMT

Nutrition_gov: And the winner is…Cloves -the spice w/ the most natural antioxidant capacity. Can spices slow food deterioration? http://bit.ly/9Jj55J

With Faulty Food Labeling, Who's Minding the Store?

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00 GMT

Recent charges of misleading ingredient, calorie count info have FDA scrambling to fix system

More Patients Die in Crowded Hospitals

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00 GMT

But occupancy levels change daily, so don't base choice solely on numbers, experts say

The Food Assistance Landscape, FY 2009 Annual Report

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:00 GMT

This report examines trends in USDAs food and nutrition assistance programs through fiscal 2009. It also discusses a recent ERS report that examines the prevalence, severity, and characteristics of food insecurity in households with children.

More Kids Now Extremely Obese

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:00 GMT

Report authors warn of shorter life spans, impending health problems for these children

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Page: Obesity in Children

Nutrition_gov: RT @healthfinder: [Opportunity] Comment on the draft of the first-ever National Physical Activity Plan: http://bit.ly/bDoWqb (please RT)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:49 GMT

Nutrition_gov: RT @healthfinder: [Opportunity] Comment on the draft of the first-ever National Physical Activity Plan: http://bit.ly/bDoWqb (please RT)

Omega-3 May Safely Treat Precancerous Bowel Polyps

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00 GMT

The nutrient could help those at genetic risk for the growths, study finds

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Colorectal Cancer, Dietary Fats, Heart Diseases--Prevention

Selenium Could Shield Against Diabetes

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:00 GMT

High levels in men appear to be beneficial, study finds

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Diabetes, Men's Health, Minerals

Low-Fat Diet Does Little to Alter Cholesterol Levels

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:00 GMT

But researcher adds it's still a good choice for losing weight

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Cholesterol, Diets, Weight Control

New Attack on Cancer Forces Cells to Grow Old and Die

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:56 GMT

Instead of killing off cancer cells with toxic drugs, scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that forces them to grow old and die, they said on Wednesday.
Source: Reuters Health
Related MedlinePlus Page: Cancer

Nutrition_gov: Have an idea for solving the challenge of childhood obesity? Send it to the Childhood Obesity Task Force by Mar 26- http://bit.ly/8YiLQF

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:33 GMT

Nutrition_gov: Have an idea for solving the challenge of childhood obesity? Send it to the Childhood Obesity Task Force by Mar 26- http://bit.ly/8YiLQF

Online, Phone Tests Assess Diabetes Risk

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:00 GMT

Nearly 6 million Americans don't know they have type 2, experts say
Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Page: Diabetes

Evidence That Soy Eases Hot Flashes Inconclusive

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:14 GMT

Despite supplement makers' claims and popular perceptions, the benefits of soy in fighting hot flashes in women going through menopause remain unproven, according to a new analysis of 19 studies.
Source: Reuters Health
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Dietary Proteins, Dietary Supplements, Menopause

Nutrition_gov: No need to buy green food coloring for a festive St Patrick’s day dinner. These mashed potatoes are naturally green-- http://bit.ly/ag7Ias

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:41 GMT

Nutrition_gov: No need to buy green food coloring for a festive St Patrick’s day dinner. These mashed potatoes are naturally green-- http://bit.ly/ag7Ias

Survey Shows Gains in Food-Label Use, Health/Diet Awareness

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:26 GMT

FDA has released findings from its latest Health & Diet Survey, which offers a snapshot of the nation's dietary habits.

Prior Herbicide UseNot Irrigationis Critical to Herbicide Efficacy

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:24 GMT

ARS plant physiologist Dale Shaner has found that, while the herbicide atrazine breaks down more quickly in fields that have been previously treated with the herbicide, the amount of irrigation does not affect the degradation rate at all. Click the image for more information about it.

Prior Herbicide Use—Not Irrigation—is Critical to Herbicide Efficacy

By Don Comis
March 17, 2010

Crop and herbicide use history are more critical to herbicide efficacy and environmental safety than the timing and amount of irrigation water used, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.

ARS plant physiologists Dale Shaner and Lori Wiles made this discovery from ongoing experiments on two irrigated fields at Colorado State University (CSU) at Fort Collins, Colo. Shaner and Wiles work in the ARS Water Management Research Unit at Fort Collins.

In collaboration with CSU colleague Neil Hansen, Shaner and Wiles compared the behavior of the herbicide atrazine in conventionally tilled corn grown continuously year after year versus corn grown in three different crop rotations. They tested various levels of tillage and irrigation, including no irrigation.

The amount of irrigation used—including a total absence of irrigation—had no impact on the rate of degradation of atrazine by soil microbes in the top foot of soil. The only factors that made a difference were prior herbicide use and the choice of crop sequences, with prior herbicide use the most important factor by far.

Earlier studies, including one by Shaner, have shown that previous applications of atrazine can predispose soil to more quickly degrade later applications of the herbicide. But until now, it was not clear if other factors such as cropping history and quantity of irrigation played a role.

There are two consequences of the more rapid dissipation of atrazine in the plots with a history of use. The first consequence is a loss in weed control. In the plots with the most rapid dissipation, weeds began to re-infest the plots within four weeks after treatment, while the plots with the slowest rate of dissipation remained weed-free through the growing season.

The second consequence is that atrazine leached more deeply in the soil in the plots where it did not dissipate rapidly, but the herbicide did not move below the top three inches of the soil in the plots where it was degraded rapidly.

This research was published in the Journal of Environmental Quality.

ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.

FDA Eyes Improvements for Diabetics' Glucose Devices

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:16 GMT

U.S. health regulators are taking a closer look at how well devices used by diabetics to monitor their blood sugars work, seeking possible changes for device makers to help make them more reliable.

Source: Reuters Health
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Diabetes, Diabetes Type 1, Medical Device Safety

Newer Blood Thinner Beats Plavix for Bypass Patients

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:00 GMT

More people taking Plavix before surgery died soon after than those using Brilinta, study finds

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Blood Thinners, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Diet May Alter Fibroid Risk in Black Women

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:27 GMT

Black women who tend to eat foods more likely to lead to higher blood sugar may have slightly greater risk for uterine fibroids, suggest study findings.
Source: Reuters Health
Related MedlinePlus Pages: African-American Health, Diets, Uterine Fibroids

Women More Likely to Die After Heart Attack

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:44 GMT

When it comes to matters of the heart, women should be treated more like men.

Source: Reuters Health
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Heart Attack, Heart Disease in Women

New Lentil Being Readied for Market

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:11 GMT

ARS has recently released a new high-yielding variety of lentil called Essex. Photo courtesy of George Vandemark, ARS.

New Lentil Being Readied for Market

By Jan Suszkiw
March 16, 2010

"Essex," a new lentil variety developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, has a lot to offer: high seed yields for growers, nitrogen-fixing bacteria for wheat crops, and a tasty source of protein for consumers to add to soups, salads and other fare.

George Vandemark, a plant geneticist who leads the ARS Grain Legume Genetics and Physiology Research Unit in Pullman, Wash., developed Essex in collaboration with Fred Muehlbauer, now retired from ARS, and Kevin McPhee, a pulse crop breeder at North Dakota State University's Department of Plant Sciences in Fargo.

Essex was chosen for public release based on its outstanding performance in advanced yield trials conducted over the past couple of years in Washington State, Idaho, North Dakota and Montana. In 2008, the four states combined produced an estimated $87 million worth of lentils, about 78 percent of which was exported.

During trials, Essex averaged 1,220 pounds of seed per acre, which is 21 percent more than Eston and 22 percent more than Athena, two leading commercial varieties that the researchers used for comparison. Plants of Essex matured at about the same time as Eston and produced small seeds with yellow interiors and green coats. Besides protein levels of 20 to 30 percent by dry weight, the seeds are high in fiber, minerals and vitamins.

Essex also enjoys a symbiotic relationship with beneficial soil microbes-specifically, root-colonizing Rhizobium bacteria, whose ability to take nitrogen from the atmosphere and turn it into a form plants can use for growth helps naturally replenish the soil's fertility for subsequent crops of wheat and other grains. Other benefits of using lentils as a rotation crop in small-grain cultivation systems include reduced soil erosion, improved weed control and reduced disease severity and incidence.

Derived from conventional breeding, Essex is intended for production in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains, with primary markets in Mexico and other Latin American nations anticipated.

Essex may be ready for sale to growers in 2011. Further details will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Plant Registrations.

ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.

Health Tip: Start Your Day With a Good Breakfast

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:00 GMT

Suggestions to make sure it's healthy
Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Page: Nutrition

Risk of Death Persists After a Hip Fracture

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:00 GMT

Older people who suffer a break up to eight times more likely to die, study finds

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Fractures, Hip Injuries and Disorders, Seniors' Health

Boosting Vitamin D Can Do a Heart Good

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:00 GMT

In those with low levels to start, odds eased for diabetes, cardio woes, study found

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Heart Diseases--Prevention, Vitamin D

Landmark ACCORD Trial Finds Intensive Blood Pressure and Combination Lipid Therapies do not Reduce Combined Cardiovascular Events in Adults with Diabetes

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:07 GMT

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute -
Related MedlinePlus Page: Diabetes Complications