Copyright 2010 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/nutrition-agriculture/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xrFhttp://mnt.to/f/3xrFFeeling stressed? Try chamomile! This 'traditional' remedy has been around for years, but how much truth is there behind this old wives' tale? In an evaluation for Faculty of 1000, Michael Van Ameringen and Beth Patterson draw attention to the first randomized controlled trial of chamomile for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)...Anxiety / Stress Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xrGhttp://mnt.to/f/3xrGNew research from the Hood Center for Children and Families at Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) for the first time sheds light on the significant potential negative impact that food product placements in the movies could be having on children...Nutrition / Diet Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xrLhttp://mnt.to/f/3xrLReptiles are bred in captivity primarily for their skins, but some restaurants and population groups also want them for their meat. A study shows that eating these animals can have side effects that call into question the wisdom of eating this 'delicacy...Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xrNhttp://mnt.to/f/3xrNEver get a buzz from eating chocolate? A study published in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience has shown that chocolate-craving mice are ready to tolerate electric shocks to get their fix. Rossella Ventura worked with a team of researchers from the Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy, to study the links between stress and compulsive food-seeking...Eating Disorders Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xrqhttp://mnt.to/f/3xrqEating a balanced diet and preparing your food in the correct way may be your best defense against developing cancer, according to top cancer researchers Professor Attilio Giacosa and Professor Jaak Janssens. In two interviews published on the LWWPartnerships website (http://www.lwwpartnerships...Cancer / Oncology Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xrvhttp://mnt.to/f/3xrvHigh blood fat levels normally raise the cholesterol values in the blood, which in turn elevates the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attack. Now a new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that butter leads to considerably less elevation of blood fats after a meal compared with olive oil and a new type of canola and flaxseed oil...Nutrition / Diet Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xsfhttp://mnt.to/f/3xsf At the White House on Tuesday, US President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing a task force to address the nation's growing childhood obesity epimedic, turned to his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama and said "it's done honey", and she replied "now we work"...Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xqThttp://mnt.to/f/3xqTGovernments and experts are calling for action to combat the medical, economic and social costs of rising rates of preventable conditions like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). To date, governments in Canada have taken little legislative action to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity...Nutrition / Diet Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xrfhttp://mnt.to/f/3xrfDrinking milk during pregnancy may help reduce your baby's chances of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as an adult, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010...Multiple Sclerosis Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xpchttp://mnt.to/f/3xpc Los Angeles Times: "Only months ago, supporters of the soda tax saw it as an idea whose hour was near. The sheer magnitude of the medical cost of obesity added urgency to the issue ... But opponents questioned any link between sugary drinks and obesity, and expressed concern about a slippery slope of taxes on other products...Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xpshttp://mnt.to/f/3xpsDietitians are key members of the Olympic team - advising elite athletes on what to eat and ensuring they get the right foods to fuel them during their competitive events. "In addition to the rigorous coaching, training and commitment, Olympic athletes need the right foods every day for success...Nutrition / Diet Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xnMhttp://mnt.to/f/3xnMA Mediterranean diet may help people avoid the small areas of brain damage that can lead to problems with thinking and memory, according to a study released that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010...Neurology / Neuroscience Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xq5http://mnt.to/f/3xq5A new study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density...Bones / Orthopaedics Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xn8http://mnt.to/f/3xn8 Four leading national health professional associations have collectively recommended the adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Charts for monitoring the growth of Canadian children in all primary health care and clinical settings...Nutrition / Diet Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xnVhttp://mnt.to/f/3xnVIt is already known that blueberries are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. New research from the Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden shows that blueberry fibre are important and can alleviate and protect against intestinal inflammations, such as ulcerative colitis. The protective effect is even better if the blueberries are eaten together with probiotics...Nutrition / Diet Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xkThttp://mnt.to/f/3xkT On Thursday, a food distribution voucher campaign that launched last Sunday, "hit all 16 fixed distribution points around the capital" of Port-au-Prince, CNN reports. "So far, 600,000 people affected by the devastating January 12 earthquake have been able to collect food under this plan, said Marcus Prior, spokesman for the United Nations World Food Programme [WFP]...Aid / Disasters Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xmghttp://mnt.to/f/3xmgA new study found that people who consumed two or more soft drinks (defined as sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages) a week, had a nearly two-fold higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer; the researchers suggested regular consumption of sweetened beverages could raise insulin levels and thereby fuel the growth of pancreatic cancer cells...Pancreatic Cancer Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xdhhttp://mnt.to/f/3xdhPreschool children exposed to three household routines -- regularly eating family meals, getting adequate sleep, and limiting screen-viewing time -- had a roughly 40 percent lower prevalence of obesity than those exposed to none of these routines. The study, "Household Routines and Obesity in U.S. Preschool-Aged Children," published in the March issue of Pediatrics (appearing online Feb...Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xjzhttp://mnt.to/f/3xjzUsing an elaborate sleuthing system they developed to probe how cells manage their own division, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that common but hard-to-see sugar switches are partly in control...Nutrition / Diet Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xhKhttp://mnt.to/f/3xhKOnline programs that provide information and tips about fruits and vegetables may be the key to getting more Americans to eat healthier, say researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. Researchers found that when given access to an online program about fruits and vegetables, participants increased their daily fruit and vegetable intake by more than two servings...Nutrition / Diet Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xhThttp://mnt.to/f/3xhTAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several new initiatives to assure the safety and quality of food purchased by USDA for the National School Lunch Program and other food and nutrition assistance programs. "Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our Nation's school children," said Vilsack...Nutrition / Diet Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xhRhttp://mnt.to/f/3xhRSure, some delicacies might taste just like chicken, but they usually feel and look much different. Soy meat alternatives, such as the soy burger, have become more popular recently, with increased sales of eight percent from 2007 to 2008. Now, scientists at the University of Missouri have created a soy substitute for chicken that is much like the real thing...Nutrition / Diet Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xh8http://mnt.to/f/3xh8 Ethiopia Appeals For More Food Aid "Ethiopia needs emergency aid to feed 5.2 million people this year, the government said, appealing for 642,983 metric tons of food from foreign donors," Bloomberg/Businessweek reports, adding that the number of people in need of assistance is higher than last year (McLure, 2/4). The U.N...Aid / Disasters Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xj2http://mnt.to/f/3xj2On Tuesday, representatives of the Eastern Illinois Foodbank shared results of a national study sponsored by Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. The study is completed every four years by nearly 200 food banks and analyzes the effectiveness of emergency food distribution throughout the United States...Nutrition / Diet Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:00:00 PSThttp://mnt.to/f/3xfHhttp://mnt.to/f/3xfHOne of the worlds leading lactation experts, Professor Peter Hartmann, has been awarded with the Rank Prize Fund for Nutrition, worth £50,000, in recognition of his groundbreaking collaborative work with Prof. Robyn Owens and their invaluable contribution to the current understanding of human lactation...Nutrition / Diet