Vitamin D May Protect Against Respiratory Infections

“Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of participants experiencing at least one acute respiratory tract infection.” This was the conclusion of a meta-analysis conducted by Adrian R. Martineau, MD, PhD, from the Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, and colleagues. According to the authors, acute respiratory infections are a substantial … Read more

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Time to Test a Sweetened Beverage Restriction

In testimony on February 16, 2017, before the House Committee on Agriculture, Angela Rachidi with the American Enterprise Institute made four main points before the House Committee on Agriculture. Here is her opening statement: Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and other Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning on restrictions … Read more

Nutrition and COPD

A recent study found COPD patients who ate more of four foods – fish, grapefruits, bananas and cheese – seemed to have better lung function. Antioxidants might be the reason, although that’s far from proven. COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is an umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis – two progressive lung conditions … Read more

Closing the Nutrient Gap

While the dollar skew in science is seemingly all pervasive, the recent declarations concerning the efficacy, or lack thereof, in vitamin and mineral supplements would appear to betray the corporate line. On the one hand, big-agri would like you to believe that nutrient rich foods can be produced from nutrient depleted soils. On the other hand, big-pharma … Read more

Nutrition Trends: 2014-2020

A team of scientists has forecast the direction of nutrition research. The panel identified the following ten areas of research which they believe will be the focus of nutritional scientists in the next six years: (1) Global Food Security: The scientists predict that global food security, food safety, and sustainability will occupy the spotlight by … Read more

Cultured Dairy Can Be Moo Free

“Petri dish milk will mirror the formula of the real thing — the yeast cultures will be churning out real milk proteins — it will retain the taste and nutritional benefits of cow milk,” says Perumal Gandhi, a co-founder of the synthetic dairy start-up Muufri (pronounced Moo-free) in San Francisco, California. “That will distinguish it … Read more

Retrain the Brain

A small study using brain scans suggests the addictive power of unhealthy, high-calorie food can be reduced and the brain retrained to prefer healthy, lower calorie foods. Participants who followed a 6-month behavioral weight-loss program showed significant changes in the way the reward centers in their brains responded to the two types of food. The … Read more

Mashup in Potato Park

Parque de la Papa farmers began to stir in their seats, waiting for an opportunity to share their stories. Others came from as far as Bhutan and China. They discovered that their cultures were more similar than they had expected, and that one concern had been troubling all of them: Climate change was making it … Read more

Two U.S. Counties Make Planting GMOs Illegal

“Citizens not only reject unregulated and hazardous GMOs, but are willing to defy the indentured politicians who pass laws that take away county rights to ban GMOs and obliterate a 100-year tradition of home rule and balance of powers between counties and the state.” So said Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association … Read more