USDA
Any diet will do? Not if you want to lose fat instead of muscle. Not if you want to lower your triglyceride levels so you'll be less likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Not if you want to avoid cravings that tempt you to cheat on your diet. And not if you want to keep the weight off long-term.
BOSTON - (March 3, 2009) In an epidemiological study of men and post-menopausal women primarily over 60 years of age, regular moderate alcohol intake was associated with greater bone mineral density (BMD).
Adolescents who read the nutrition facts labels on food packages aren't necessarily eating healthier diets than those who don't. That's according to a recent Agricultural Research Service-funded study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study was conducted by Terry T.K. Huang, an epidemiologist specializing in preventive medicine, and colleagues. Huang led the study while serving as a research associate at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. He now is an assistant professor at Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition in Boston.
Inmates at the Seminole County Correctional Facility, who have been growing their own vegetables for more than 10 years, are now raising thousands of beneficial bugs that attack insect pests and feed on troublesome weeds in Florida. The insect ''farming'' program -- the first of its kind in the nation -- will generate about $2,000 a year for the inmate welfare fund at the facility and help inmates develop marketable skills for future employment.
Getting enough vitamin D, either through the diet or from sunlight, could be important for oral health, based on findings of a recent study funded in part by the Agricultural Research Service. The analytical study looked at a possible connection between vitamin D levels in the blood and periodontal disease, a widespread chronic inflammatory condition marked by a loss of attachment of the thin ligaments that connect teeth with their surrounding bone sockets. Periodontal disease is a primary cause of tooth loss, particularly among the elderly.
Rice plants could soon be getting their own version of ''caller ID.'' Agricultural Research Service scientists are providing plants of this important world crop with the genetic tools needed to recognize and identify incoming attacks from the damaging pathogen known as rice blast. The fungus, Magnaporthe grisea, causes rice yield losses of up 30 percent each year worldwide.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced three actions being taken to further strengthen existing safeguards that protect consumers against the agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as ''mad cow disease'').
Artichokes and beans may not be at the top of your list of favorite foods, but when it comes to antioxidants, these veggies earn a coveted place. They are among a growing variety of foods found to contain surprisingly high levels of these disease-fighting compounds, according to a new USDA study, which researchers say is the largest, most comprehensive analysis to date of the antioxidant content of commonly consumed foods.
Researchers are using biotechnology to develop genetically modified (GM) insects for a wide variety of purposes, including fighting insect-borne diseases like malaria and controlling destructive insect agricultural pests, but the federal government lacks a clear regulatory framework for reviewing environmental safety and other issues associated with GM insects, according to a new study from the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.
Consuming Concord grape juice significantly improved laboratory animals' short-term memory in a water maze test as well as their neuro-motor skills in certain of the coordination, balance and strength tests, according to preliminary research presented at the 1st International Conference on Polyphenols and Health recently held in Vichy, France.
When you turn on the television news for the latest weather report, usually a week-long forecast is given. But what if you could learn what to expect in the coming decades? Scientists have now developed computer models that are producing the first simulations of how ecosystems and fire regimes could change in the 21st century. Some of these simulations are showing that the Western United States may get wetter during the winter and experience warmer summers throughout the 21st century. These results have been used in national and global assessments of global climate change.
The world's biggest fungus, discovered in Oregon's Blue Mountains in 2001, is challenging traditional notions of what constitutes an individual. The underground fungus--estimated to be between 2000 and 8500 years old--is also deepening our understanding of the ecosystem, with possible implications for the management of Canadian forests, according to a paper by the discoverers. The clone of Armillaria ostoyae--the tree-killing fungus that causes Armillaria root disease--covers an area of 9.65 square kilometres, about the size of 6000 hockey rinks or 1600 football fields.
Research by USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) scientists and collaborators suggests that erosion in small freshwater streams could be a contributing factor in the decline in American eel populations recorded over the last two decades.
It probably won't get you off the hook with mom, but researchers say that the nutritional content of broccoli tends to fluctuate wildly. While a single serving from one head could pack enough antioxidants and cancer fighters to keep you going for a few days, eating an entire other head could do bupkus.
