Eating one avocado a day for six months was found to have no effect on belly fat, liver fat or waist circumference in people with overweight or obesity, according to a new study. However, it did lead to a slight decrease in unhealthy cholesterol levels. In the randomized trial, the team — which included researchers at Penn State — also found that participants who ate avocados had better-quality diets during the study period. While prior, smaller studies have found a link between eating avocados and lower body weight, BMI, and waist circumferences, this was the largest, most extensive study to date on the health effects of avocados, including the large number of participants and length of the study period...

Photosynthesis has evolved in plants for millions of years to turn water, carbon dioxide, and the energy from sunlight into plant biomass and the foods we eat. This process, however, is very inefficient, with only about 1% of the energy found in sunlight ending up in the plant. Scientists at UC Riverside and the University of Delaware have found a way to bypass the need for biological photosynthesis altogether and create food independent of sunlight by using artificial photosynthesis. The research, published in Nature Food, uses a two-step electrocatalytic process to convert carbon...

Soy sauce deepens the flavor of soup stocks, gives stir-fried rice its sweet-salty glaze and makes a plate of dumplings absolutely enjoyable. But what exactly makes this complex, salty, umami sauce so tasty? Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have discovered the proteins and other compounds that give soy sauce its distinctive flavors and they say that proteins and peptides help make it salty. Understanding...

Many people have now embraced the plant-based meat movement. Plants high in protein, such as soybeans, are common ingredients, but it’s been unclear how much of the nutrient makes it into human cells. In ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers report that proteins in a model plant-based substitute were not as accessible to cells as those from meat. The team says this...

Like wine, beer can have health benefits when consumed in moderation. Non-alcoholic beers have become wildly popular recently, but are these drinks also healthful? In a pilot study, researchers in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry report that compared to their pre-trial microbiome, men who drank either one alcoholic or non-alcoholic lager daily had a more diverse set of gut microbes, which can reduce the risk for some diseases. Trillions of microorganisms line human gastrointestinal tracts, directly impacting their host’s well-being. Studies have shown that when more types of bacteria are present, people tend...

Since 2009, the rate of new colorectal cancer diagnoses in patients under age 50 has increased by 2% each year. “When I started practice and residency around 2010, I’d uncommonly see patients who were less than 50 years old,” said Jordan Kharofa, MD, associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology in the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine, a University of Cincinnati Cancer Center member and a UC Health physician. “But more and more we’re seeing these patients in our clinics now to...

Tomatoes gene-edited to produce vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, could be a simple and sustainable innovation to address a global health problem. Researchers used gene editing to turn off a specific molecule in the plant’s genome which increased provitamin D3 in both the fruit and leaves of tomato plants. It was then converted to vitamin D3 through exposure to UVB light. Vitamin D is created in our bodies after skin’s exposure to UVB light, but the major...

A new study published 19th May 2022 highlights the neuroprotective potential of cranberries. The research team studied the benefits of consuming the equivalent of a cup of cranberries a day among 50 to 80-year-olds. They hope that their findings could have implications for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. Lead researcher Dr David Vauzour, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Dementia is expected to affect around 152 million people by 2050. There is no known cure, so it is crucial that we seek modifiable lifestyle interventions, such as diet, that could help lessen disease risk and burden. “Past studies have...

In the period of life prior to and after menopause, women tend to accumulate more fat in their bodies; the distribution of fat in the different regions of the body changes as well. Before menopause, women typically have more fat in their thigh and gluteal areas compared to men, but in midlife many women notice the increase of fat especially in their waist area. In addition to the total amount, the location of this adipose tissue also is meaningful to one’s overall health, especially because mid-region fat has been shown to increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. “Aging increases total body adipose tissue accumulation in both...

Omega-3s are fatty acids that play an essential role in diet and nutrition. They are popular with consumers for their purported health benefits, ranging from heart and cardiovascular health to improving symptoms relating to depression, eye health and infant development. There are three main types of omega-3s: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA are commonly found in fish and other types of seafood. However, as consumers increasingly focus on their health and the environment, formulators are tapping into plant and microalgae ingredients to meet consumer demands for nutritional value from vegan alternatives. “We can say with relative certainty that interest in plant-based and...