Climate change a challenge for our global food systems: WHO

New Delhi, (IANS) Climate change is a challenge for the global food system, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, at the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday.In a video message to the second Global Food Regulators Summit in Delhi, the WHO chief highlighted the important role of national food regulators in harmonising regulatory policies for the world.In addition to climate change, “population growth, new technologies, globalisation, and industrialisation" are other increasing challenges to the global food systems, Ghebreyesus said.Further, he said food regulators also play a critical role in combating unsafe food, which causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 4,20,000 deaths annually.He also lamented that 70 per cent of fatalities from unsafe food occur among children under five."The food regulator community has a critical role to play in addressing these global challenges," Ghebreyesus said.Meanwhile, stressing the need for innovative regulatory solutions, Dr Samuel Godefroy, President, the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) stated that food science is vital for human survival.He also applauded FSSAI for its contribution to strengthening the global food regulatory network.Steve Wearne, Chairperson, Codex appreciated India’s significant investment in Codex and food safety...

Read More........→September 24, 2024

Scientists studied twins’ diets. Those who ate vegan saw fast results.

A member of staff works inside ‘Rudy’s Vegan Butcher’ shop, amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, October 30, 2020. Picture taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Henry NichollsAleksandra Shai Chai needed a moment to process the idea that she would be stuck eating a vegan diet for eight weeks.Shai Chai, who typically eats meat, was participating in a study to examine the effects of different diets on twins’ health. When Stanford University researchers randomly distributed slips of papers to the twins last year to indicate which diet they would follow, Shai Chai hoped hers would say “omnivore.”Instead, it said “vegan.” Her twin sister, Mariya Foster, would eat a diet of meat and vegetables.Shai Chai replaced her favorite foods – bacon, sushi and steak – with tofu, beans and vegetables. She didn’t love the diet, but when Shai Chai recently learned the study’s results, she felt thankful that she had briefly changed her eating habits.After examining 22 pairs of identical twins, researchers found that vegan eaters had lower cholesterol, insulin and body weight than participants who followed a meat diet, according to the results published last week in the JAMA Network Open journal.Vegan eaters’ low-density lipoprotein – bad cholesterol – dropped on average by 15.2 milligrams over eight weeks; omnivore dieters’ fell by...

Read More........→March 01, 2024

Scientists studied twins’ diets. Those who ate vegan saw fast results.

A member of staff works inside ‘Rudy’s Vegan Butcher’ shop, amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, October 30, 2020. Picture taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Henry NichollsAleksandra Shai Chai needed a moment to process the idea that she would be stuck eating a vegan diet for eight weeks.Shai Chai, who typically eats meat, was participating in a study to examine the effects of different diets on twins’ health. When Stanford University researchers randomly distributed slips of papers to the twins last year to indicate which diet they would follow, Shai Chai hoped hers would say “omnivore.”Instead, it said “vegan.” Her twin sister, Mariya Foster, would eat a diet of meat and vegetables.Shai Chai replaced her favorite foods – bacon, sushi and steak – with tofu, beans and vegetables. She didn’t love the diet, but when Shai Chai recently learned the study’s results, she felt thankful that she had briefly changed her eating habits.After examining 22 pairs of identical twins, researchers found that vegan eaters had lower cholesterol, insulin and body weight than participants who followed a meat diet, according to the results published last week in the JAMA Network Open journal.Vegan eaters’ low-density lipoprotein – bad cholesterol – dropped on average by 15.2 milligrams over eight weeks; omnivore dieters’ fell by...

Read More........→December 13, 2023

Got milk? If you’re Black, Asian or Hispanic, make it lactose-free

Glass of milk. Photo: wikimedia.orgThe Agriculture Department has proposed changes in its nutritional programs that could have a huge positive effect on the health of Black and Hispanic children from low-income households. For starters, the nation’s food stamp program would allow for more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.Another game-changing proposal calls for providing lactose-free alternatives to cow’s milk – such as soy milk and soy-based yogurts and cheeses.The USDA’s proposals follow a letter sent in October to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack from 31 members of Congress – mostly members of the Black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific American caucuses.Their concern was the adverse impact that consuming cow’s milk has on schoolchildren, especially children of color.“The rates of lactose intolerance in (people of color) are startlingly high, with 65 percent of Latino students, 75 percent of Black students, and 90 percent of Asian students unable to digest dairy milk without detrimental effects,” said the letter, whose signatories included Reps. Troy A. Carter (D-La.), who is leading the effort, and Hakeem Jefferies (D-N.Y.), who was recently elected leader of the House Democratic Caucus.Boston Children’s Hospital notes that in young children, lactose intolerance is usually caused by digestive diseases or injuries to the small...

Read More........→October 14, 2023

Facts about Apple Seed Cyanide

How would you react when you get to know that your favorite fruit is also a house to several diseases?Apples are supposed to be one of the healthiest and delicious fruits that we are munching on since ages. Many health benefits are attached to eating one apple everyday. But do you know the other part of the story? Are you aware of what is Apple Seed Cyanide? Have you ever come across those black seeds hidden deep inside the apples? These black seeds have an unhealthy story to tell. Where apples are recommended healthy and a must addition to your daily diet, the apple seeds are dangerous to health causing various disorders and death. The apple seeds consist of a small proportion of chemical composite known as Amygdalin. It is not harmful as far as it is unscathed or swollen accidently. Nevertheless, it takes a heinous turn on being chewed or crushed. It releases a harmful gas popularly known as Apple Seed cyanide that may lead to death if taken in high amounts.The high amounts consumed will certainly get you in a big trouble. You may be victimized to several disorders and get a paralysis attack, memory loss or even heart failure. A person is said to have taken a high dose of Apple Seed Cyanide if he has munched roughly 200 black seeds of apples. The small proportion on the other hand will not have such big consequences, but...

Read More........→September 15, 2022

Junk Food Linked to Sleep Problems in Teens

Credit: University of QueenslandEating too much junk food has been linked with poor sleep quality in teens, a University of Queensland-led study has found.UQ School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences researcher Associate Professor Asad Khan said frequent consumption of soft drinks and fast food was strongly associated with sleep disturbance in adolescents around the world.“This is the first study to examine unhealthy diets and stress-related sleep disturbance on a global scale in high school students from 64 countries,” Dr Khan said.“Overall, 7.5 per cent of adolescents reported stress-related sleep disturbance, which was more common among females than males.“Sleep disturbance increased with more frequent consumption of carbonated soft drinks, that often contain caffeine, and/or fast foods, that are traditionally energy-dense and nutrient-poor.“Teens who drank more than three soft drinks per day had 55 per cent higher odds of reporting sleep disturbance than those who only drank one soft drink a day.“Males who ate fast foods on more than four days per week had 55 per cent higher odds of reporting sleep disturbance than those who only ate fast food once a week, while the odds were 49 per cent higher in females.“Frequent consumption of soft drinks more than three times a day, and fast foods more than four days...

Read More........→December 24, 2020

Giant underwater isopod fasts for 4 years, feels great

A creature known as “the scavenger of the deep” has surprised its keepers at an aquarium by “fasting” for more than four years. The giant male isopod, called No. 1 to distinguish it from the two other giant isopods kept at Toba Aquarium in Mie Prefecture, last ate in January 2009, when it was fed a whole horse mackerel. The isopod devoured the fish, bones and all, in just five minutes. But it has not eaten anything since, with Feb. 10 marking 1,500 days without food. The crustacean was brought to the aquarium from the Gulf of Mexico in September 2007, measuring 29 cm and weighing 1 kg, and despite its lack of food still looks perfectly healthy, the keepers say. “We have done all we possibly can,” said Takeya Moritaki, who is responsible for the creature. Moritaki said he has tried an assortment of food items, including squid tentacles and saury, but the isopod has ignored them all. Little is known about the biology of the creatures, which live in deep water in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean and which live off dead creatures and fish. It remains a mystery why the isopod suddenly stopped eating and why it has remained healthy. “Giant isopods are always in a state of semihibernation because they don’t know when they can eat, so they limit their energy on breathing and other activities,” said Taeko Kimura, a...

Read More........→February 27, 2013

Fueling the High Flyers

. Learn how America's high-flying U-2 pilots stay fueled in flight with the use of tube foods. Produced by Airman 1st Class Drew Buchanan ...

Read More........→February 10, 2013

Low-cal diet benefits fly brain and mouthpart

A new technique for measuring tiny, rapid-fire secretions in the brains and mouthparts of fruit flies (drosophila) is providing insights into the beneficial effects of eating less information that ultimately could help people suffering from neuromuscular disorders. Using the method, researchers were able to uncover never-before-seen brain chemistry that helped explain why fruit flies genetically manipulated to mimic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and myasthenia gravis are more vigorous and live longer when fed a restricted diet. The research was conducted by a team from the School of Medicine and the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Senior author Benjamin Eaton, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology, says the results demonstrate how limiting calories may be therapeutic for people with various syndromes. Lead author Joel Rawson, Ph.D., and the Eaton team developed a novel system to analyze the impact of diet on life span and motor behaviour as well as on neurotransmission, which is believed to underlie most neurological disorders in humans. Flies on the low-calorie diet showed a 100 percent increase in the release of brain chemicals, which are called neurotransmitters, from their neurons. These chemicals carry...

Read More........→December 23, 2012

Diet quality key to survival of whales, dolphins: study

The survival of whales and dolphins depends on the quality of their diet and this plays an important role in conservation, according to a new study. The study, published in the online journal PLOS ONE, was conducted by researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada and University of La Rochelle (ULR) in France. "The conventional wisdom is that marine mammals can eat anything," said co-author Andrew Trites, a marine mammal expert at UBC. "However, we found that some species of whales and dolphins require calorie rich diet to survive while others are built to live off low quality prey." The researchers compared the diet of 11 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and found differences in the qualities of prey consumed that could not be explained by the different body sizes of the predators. The key to understanding the differences in their diet was to look at their muscle performance, as high energy prey tend to be more mobile, and require their predators to spend more energy to catch them, according to the researchers. The researchers believe the findings will help better assess the impact of resource changes to marine mammals. "Species with high energy needs are more sensitive to depletion of their primary prey," said Jerome Spitz, first...

Read More........→December 08, 2012

Shark's Sense of Smell: scientist sniffs out the subtleties of acute sense

We have long heard about a shark's acute sense of smell. It's ability to detect the odors or scents given off by an injured fish was long considered one of a shark's primary tools in its predator tool kit. But just how sensitive is it? With currents or water motion moving odors around, just how does a shark sense a smell and then begin tracking it to its source? Dr. Jelle Atema has been studying sharks for some 20 years, working with the Boston University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He has spent considerable time investigating just how sharks utilize their sense of smell to their best advantage. Reporting in BU Today, Susan Seligson writes of Dr. Atema's work with smooth dogfish, a small shark that is often found in the U.S. northeast (BTW: And one that has been severely hit by commercial shark fishing operations). Using controlled plumes of odors like squid scent in a long observation tank, he is unlocking many of the secret subtleties as to how a shark senses odor and tracks it to its source. Often we think of sharks as sensing the smell given off by an injured animal. That may be true but, when hunting, sharks are attracted to the odors of familiar prey, injured or otherwise. “All animals give off some kind of body odor,” says Atema.“The science here is to understand how odor is...

Read More........→September 24, 2012

Tomato resistant to salt and drought

The tomato belongs to the plant family which also includes the potato, pepper, red pepper and eggplant. The world's largest genome family both in economic terms and in overall food production! The Tomato Genome Consortium (a collaboration between more than 300 researchers from 14 different countries) unravelled the genome of tomato and its wild ancestor Solanum pimpinellifolium. The tomato is the model system for studying fruit development and the genome structure to gain a greater understanding of the genes controlling fruit characteristics and processes, such as those involved in fruit colour, flavour and texture. These new studies lay the groundwork for the development of new strains of tomatoes with more desired traits, such as higher yields, increased disease resistance, more climate tolerance, new colourings and more alluring aromas. Tomatoes could be engineered to get tastier and survive droughts, extreme storage and pests. Growers will benefit from lower costs and an improved crop; consumers will benefit from a more desirable fruit. Still, it requires a lot of. additional research! Source: Fresh Plaza, Image: flickr.co...

Read More........→September 13, 2012

Geo-Engineering Soaring To New Heights

I come from a pasty Norwegian breed. In my younger, devil-may-care years, I used to scoff at wearing sunscreen with the belief that the quickest way to a bronzed bod was roasting myself at the beach without a drop of SPF in sight Not any more. I've read the reports and even witnessed my dad, who has a similar complexion, receive skin test results that came back malignant. Now I'm a liberal sunscreen applier when I go out. Plus, sunscreen makes you smell like you just came from the beach, and I like that. It's my new cologne.In some ways, our planet is of a pasty breed and needs adequate protection from the sun, too. Many scientists sayour planet is getting hotter, compliments of us industrious folks who call Earth home. Here in Missouri, the grass is brown and the leaves on the trees are wilted. The USDA has declared every county in the state as disaster area because of the drought. Just a random old hot-and-dry summer or the consequences of human-induced climate change? Well, a couple of Harvard engineers aren't waiting around for your opinion. David Keith and James Anderson are preparing to spray thousands of tons of sun-reflecting sulphate aerosols into the sky over Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Why? They believe the particles will reflect the sun's rays back into space and help lower the Earth's temperature. They...

Read More........→August 22, 2012

Fruit flies offer DNA clue to why women live longer

Scientists believe they have discovered a clue to why women tend to live longer than men - by studying fruit flies. Writing in Current Biology, they focus on mutations in mitochondrial DNA - the power source of cells. Mitochondria are inherited only from mothers, never from fathers, so there is no way to weed out mutations that damage a male's prospects. But one ageing expert said there were many factors that explained the gender difference in life expectancy. By the age of 85, there are approximately six women for every four men in the UK, and by 100 the ratio is more than two to one. And females outlive males in many other species. 'No effect' on females In the research, experts from Australia's Monash University and the UK's Lancaster University analysed the mitochondria of 13 different groups of male and female fruit flies. Mitochondria, which exist in almost all animal cells, convert food into the energy that powers the body. Dr Damian Dowling, of Monash University who was one of the researchers, said the results point to numerous mutations within mitochondrial DNA that affect how long males live, and the speed at which they age. "Intriguingly, these same mutations have no effects on patterns of ageing in females," he said. "All animals possess mitochondria, and the tendency...

Read More........→August 04, 2012

Feeding time! Sea lion gets to grips with keeper as he jumps for fish at Vienna Zoo

At first glance it looks as though this zoo keeper may have found himself in a rather dangerous situation, as he stands with his entire head inside a sea lion’s head. However the scenario is a fundamental part of his job at Vienna Zoo in Austria, for he is actually checking the teeth of the huge animal. The daily ritual also sees the South American sea lions leaping in the air for food and hugging the keeper doling out fish from his bucket. Source: The Coming Crisi...

Read More........→July 27, 2012

People pass a test in regenerating liver that works in animals

By Cena:People pass a test in regenerating liver that works in animals The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products has authorized the biotechnology company Digna Biotech start the first clinical trial with people, Phase I, cardiotrophin-I (CT-I), a molecule that stimulates liver regeneration in animal models. The Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarre has patented the molecule "for its ability to stimulate liver regeneration after partial removal in animal models, as well as protect the liver against ischemia-reperfusion injury."  It also "prevents cell death during acute liver failure," as reported in a statement CIMA, which has indicated that the first trial was held in the University Hospital of Navarra and the Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro in Madrid and will include 33 healthy volunteers.  CIMA has the rights to intellectual property for the use of CT-I in the treatment of certain liver diseases. Its preclinical development "has been made possible by financial support from ClaveSuan biomedical development of the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) and the Government of Navarra," added these sources. People pass a test in regenerating liver that works in animals The European Medicines Agency and the Food and Drug Administration...

Read More........→July 24, 2012

Engineering Technology Reveals Eating Habits of Giant Dinosaurs

A team of international researchers, led by the University of Bristol and the Natural History Museum, used CT scans and biomechanical modelling to show that Diplodocus -- on The research is published today (July 16, 2012) in the natural sciences journal Naturwissenschaften. The Diplodocus is a sauropod from the Jurassic Period and one of the longest animals to have lived on Earth, measuring over 30 metres in length and weighing around 15 tonnes. While known to be massive herbivores, there has been great debate about exactly how they ate such large quantities of plants. The aberrant Diplodocus, with its long snout and protruding peg-like teeth restricted to the very front of its mouth, has been the centre of such controversy. To  solve the mystery, a 3D model of a complete Diplodocusskull was created using data from a CT scan. This model was then biomechanically analysed to test three feeding behaviours using finite element analysis (FEA). FEA is widely used, from designing aeroplanes to orthopaedic implants. It revealed the various stresses and strains acting on the Diplodocus' skull during feeding to determine whether the skull or teeth would break under certain conditions. The team that made this discovery was led by Dr Emily Rayfield of Bristol University's School of Earth Sciences and Dr Paul...

Read More........→July 16, 2012

Japanese macaque Japanese Monkeys in Yakushima Island

The Japanese macaque Macaca fuscata is known for its diverse range of habitats and highly seasonally variable diet. But we do not know how seasonal plant food diversity affects monkeys in captive forested enclosures. It is important to know how enrichment with natural vegetation affects the foraging behavior of captive groups. Iwamoto found that nutrient intake of an adult female Japanese macaque on Koshima islet varied across seasons, with protein intake being greater in October and November than other seasons and lipid intake was lower in winter than other seasons. This might be due to the seasonal variation of nutrients of plant items. Nakagawa found that interregional (cool temperate vs warm temperate) differences in the intake of gross energy and protein; with higher in autumn than in winter were responsible for those in nutritional content and feeding rate of food items. Hanya et al. reported that leaves high in protein, ash and protein to neutral detergent fiber (NDF) ratio were selected on Yakushima Island, Japan. They only investigated leaf food selection, based on the nutritional properties of ingested leaf food items, but did not analyze them seasonally. Japanese monkeys in the wild consume both leaves and fruits equally and their dietary diversity varies across seasons. To build on our knowledge of primate...

Read More........→July 14, 2012

Genetic difference between tomato and potato only 8%

Fresh Plaza : Recent research has demonstrated that tomatoes and potatoes are 92% similar to each other in terms of genetics. The scientists behind the studies also discovered that tomato is closely related, in genetic terms, to strawberries, apples, melons and other fleshy fruits. The decoded genome of the tomato is an important step towards improving yield, nutrition, disease resistance, taste and colour of tomato and other crops, scientis-ts said. "The genetic divergence between tomato and potato is only 8 percent. There are only about 500 genes specific to tomato," explained Dr Akhilesh Kumar Tyagi, Director, National Institute of Plant Genome Research, one of the three Indian members of the international tomato consortium. Though potato is a tuber and tomato a fruit, they belong to the same family - Solanaceae. "The similarities between the two relate to genes that control important traits like disease resistance and metabolism," explained Dr Tyagi. Comparisons between genomes of wild and cultivated varieties showed the difference was less than one per cent, though many changes have occurred since domestication of the wild tomato and the intensive breeding that followed. In fact, wild tomato is very small, almost the size of a pea. Consortium researchers report that tomatoes possess close to 35,000 genes arranged on 12 chromosomes....

Read More........→July 13, 2012

Japanese scientists electrify food

Japanese scientists have made an interesting experiment in which they used electricity to change the taste of food. Volunteers were offered to drink lemonade from a cup with an electric wire going through the straw. The participants of the experiment say that the lemonade taste turned from sweet to salty. Tags: News, World, food, Japan, scientific researches, Sci-Tech, Читать далее, Source: Voice of Russia...

Read More........→June 01, 2012