Procter & Gamble Plans U.S. Launch Of Home Pregnancy Test That Measures Length Of Pregnancy

Procter & Gamble said it plans to launch the Clearblue Advanced Pregnancy Test with Weeks Estimator home pregnancy test product in the United States. Unlike conventional pregnancy test kits, which only have one strip, the Clearblue comes with two strips —one measures the human  chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) hormone level and the other determines the length of the pregnancy. Already available for women in Europe, where it was launched in 2008, Clearblue received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval for market in December 2012.

"Finally, The First Home Pregnancy Test That Tells You How Pregnant You Are", Time Magazine, August 28, 2013

American Heart Association's Endorsement Of Campbell Soups Leads To Consumer Lawsuit

Campbell Soup Co. and the American Heart Association were sued by a consumer who alleged the AHA has committed fraud by certifying the company's products as healthy. AHA certifies more than 30 of Campbell's Healthy Request soups as "heart-healthy" although a can of soup contains at least six times more sodium than what the organization recommends, according to the lawsuit filed by New Jersey-based consumer Kerry O'Shea. Excessive sodium intake contributes to higher blood pressure, which can cause heart attacks and strokes.

"Campbell Soup Sued Over Heart Association Endorsements", Bloomberg, August 15, 2013

Gluten-Free Baked Goods Among Best New Products At Fancy Food Show

Food writer Ruth Taber sampled a lot of innovative foods and beverages at last month’s Fancy Food Show in New York City, but was especially fond of some tasty gluten-free baked snacks. Among her  favorite products: Barry Novick’s award winning All Parmesan Gourmet Wafer Crisps made entirely of cheese; Just The Crumbs – created by a woman with celiac disease – combining brown rice, quinoa, flax, and sesame seeds and suitable for any recipe calling for crumbs; and Israeli firm Osem’s Gratify gluten-free pretzels made with rice and soy flour (and wheat, milk, casein and egg free).

"Ruth Taber: Food finds", El Paso Times, August 15, 2013

New Technology Tests Foods For Harmful Silver Nanoparticles

U.S. scientists have discovered a reliable way to test fresh produce and other food products for toxic silver nanoparticles used in water treatment, food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and other industries. When ingested, nanoparticles are abosrbed into the blood and lymph system, then circulate to sensitive sites such as the spleen, brain, liver and heart. For the study, the scientists immersed pears in a silver nanoparticle solution similar to a pesticide application, then washed and rinsed them  repeatedly. Four days later, using their technology, the scientists found silver nanoparticles still attached to the skin. Smaller particles had penetrated the skin and reached the pear pulp.

"Detection of Engineered Silver Nanoparticle Contamination in Pears", Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, August 30, 2013

Europeans Feel Personalized Nutrition Programs Are Better For Health And Fitness

A European focus group study has found that consumers believe personalized nutrition – whereby diets are customized for individuals – is better for their health and fitness. Researchers at the Food4Me project also found that consumers liked the programs because they are convenient and payment-based. But at the same time the 126-person group worried about the security of the health data gathered by regulators and nutrition service providers. Personalized nutrition takes into account genetic differences among individuals, including how certain genes affect the risk of diet-related diseases. The goal  of the Food4Me project, funded by the European Commission, is to find the best ways to deliver information and services.

"Personalized Nutrition Perceived Positively by Consumers", Nutrition Horizon , August 21, 2013

Environmental Contaminants May Be Contributing To Prevalence Of Metabolic Diseases

A study in mice by French scientists sheds new light on the impact of environmental food contaminants on the development of metabolic diseases. Two groups of obese mice were fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet, while one group received a mixture of pollutants in its food at a very low dosage. Researchers detected a deterioration of glucose tolerance in females, suggesting a defect in insulin signaling. Glucose tolerance was not affected in males exposed to the pollutants, but they did show changes in the liver related to cholesterol synthesis and transport. The researchers said their findings support the idea that pollutants may contribute to the prevalence of chronic diseases, including metabolic diseases and diabetes.

"Low-dose food contaminants trigger sex-specific, hepatic metabolic changes in the progeny of obese mice", The FASEB Journal, August 29, 2013

Healthy Diet, Adequate Exercise – Plus Twice The RDA Of Protein – Prevent Muscle Loss

Eating twice the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein while regularly exercising and eating a healthy diet prevents muscle loss and promotes fat loss, according to a U.S. study. The caloric intake and exercise levels of the men and women in the study were tightly controlled. In addition, they were assigned to groups that ate the normal RDA of protein, twice the RDA and three times the RDA. The researchers concluded that eating twice the RDA of protein helps prevent muscle loss when trying to lose fat, along with adequate exercise and a well balanced diet.

"Effects of high-protein diets on fat-free mass and muscle protein synthesis following weight loss: a randomized controlled trial", The FASEB Journal, August 29, 2013

Animal Study Finds That Omega-3 Supplements Reduce ADHD Symptoms

A Norwegian study in young rats with hyperactivity, poor ability to concentrate and impulsiveness – all symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in humans – has found that the intake of omega-3 fatty acids led to a decline in the symptoms. The rats were given omega-3 supplements while in the womb and from the earliest stages of life. Monitoring of the animals found substantial differences in the behavior of those given the omega-3 supplements as fetuses and as baby rats and those that had not. Male rats showed improved ability to concentrate, while all of the omega-3 rats showed reduced hyperactivity. The researchers cautioned that these findings might not translate to human beings for a variety of reasons.

"Marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids induce sex-specific changes in reinforcer-controlled behavior and neurotransmitter metabolism in a spontaneously hypertensive rat model of ADHD", Behavioral and Brain Functions, August 23, 2013

Exercise Can Prevent Some Unhealthy Results Of A Junk Food Diet

A U.S. study  finds a link between the Western junk food diet – high in saturated fat, vegetable oil fats and sugar – and erectile and coronary artery dysfunction , particularly with a sedentary lifestyle. The study was conducted in rats who ate either a healthy diet or a fat-rich diet, and who either exercised or remained sedentary. The findings showed that rats who ate the Western diet but stayed sedentary developed erectile dysfunction and poorly relaxing coronary arteries. But those who ate a junk food diet – and exercised – were able to prevent these problems. Animals who ate a healthy diet avoided both erectile and coronary artery dysfunction.

"Exercise prevents Western diet-associated erectile dysfunction and coronary artery endothelial dysfunction: response to acute apocynin and sepiapterin treatment", AJP: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, August 20, 2013

Chinese Herbal Remedy Improves Locomotion In Rats With Spinal Cord Injuries

A preclinical study in rats has found that a mix of Chinese herbs ingested for three weeks after spinal cord injury had a therapeutic effect on the neural cells. Researchers in Canada demonstrated that the injured rats had improved locomotor function, reduced tissue damage and preserved neural cell structure compared to control rats. The medicine, Ji-Sui-Kang, targets multiple biochemical and cellular pathways that may help protect against the primary traumatic injury as well as subsequent secondary injuries that evolve over time. For proprietary reasons, the authors did not disclose all of the ingredients in JSK, but some are ginseng, glycyrrhizae radix (gan cao), paeoniae alba radix (bai shao) and cinnamomi cortex (rou gui).

"Effects of a novel herbal formulation JSK on acute spinal cord injury in rats", Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, August 19, 2013

Healthy Diet Associated With Lower Risk Of Pancreatic Cancer

U.S. researchers who analyzed questionnaire data from an NIH-sponsored diet and health study involving 537,218 people found a 15 percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer among those who ate a healthier diet. The authors evaluated how closely study participants' diets matched the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2005). The  association between a higher HEI score (indicating a healthier diet) and lower incidence of pancreatic cancer was stronger among overweight or obese men compared to men of normal weight, researchers said. But there was no difference for normal vs. overweight or obese women.

"Potential to Link Dietary Patterns in the Food Supply and Populations to Health", JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, August 15, 2013

Exercise Can Improve Sleep, But It’s A Long-Term Project

Exercise can help insomniacs fall asleep, but it’s not a fast-acting therapeutic, according to new U.S. research, and must be applied over time. The long-term study analyzed data from a 2010 clinical trial that demonstrated the ability of aerobic exercise to improve sleep, mood and vitality of 11 women ages 57 to 70. The data showed that aerobic exercise during the day did not result in improved sleep the same night among people with sleep problems. Exercise and sleep affected each other in both directions: regular long-term exercise was good for sleep but poor sleep also led to less exercise.

"Exercise to Improve Sleep in Insomnia: Exploration of the Bidirectional Effects", Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, August 15, 2013

Mediterranean Diet Coupled With Low GI Carbs Reduces Risk Of Diabetes

Italian researchers who studied more than 22,000 Greek patients for 11 years found that those who followed the Mediterranean diet more closely – and especially ate more low glycemic index foods – were 12 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those who followed the diet less closely. Those whose diet was more rich in high glycemic index carbohydrates were 21 percent more likely to develop diabetes. The researchers said the Mediterranean diet was not associated with weight loss, but with “dietary characteristics”. They suggested that a Mediterranean diet whose foods were low on the glycemic index “may reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes".

"Mediterranean diet and glycaemic load in relation to incidence of type 2 diabetes: results from the Greek cohort of the population-based European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)", Diabetologia, August 15, 2013

Coriander Oil: An Inexpensive Way To Boost Omega 3 Fatty Acids In Farmed Fish

Omega 3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA are already well known as healthy compounds, prevalent in oily fish and other foods. Now Canadian researchers have found a way to make farmed fish like trout even healthier without increasing the cost. Instead of feeding the fish expensive – and increasingly scarce –  fish oils, they found that feeding rainbow trout coriander oil increased the bioconversion of alpha-linoleic acid to EPA and DHA – and increased the concentrations of the fatty acids – without negative effects on the health or growth of the fish.

"Effect of dietary coriander oil and vegetable oil sources on fillet fatty acid composition of rainbow trout", Canadian Journal of Animal Science, August 14, 2013

Mediterranean Diet Affects Gene Associated With Type 2 Diabetes And Stoke Susceptibility

A new study by U.S. and Spanish researchers has found a genetic reason to follow the Mediterranean diet: the food apparently interacts with a gene variant associated with type 2 diabetes and eliminates increased stroke susceptibility. The diet puts people who carry the gene variant on an even playing field with people with one or no copies of the variant. The randomized, controlled trial enrolled more than 7,000 men and women who ate either a Mediterranean or low fat control diet and monitored them for cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack for almost five years. Researchers said the findings boost the science of nutrigenomics, the study of the links between nutrition, gene function and human health.

"Mediterranean Diet Reduces the Adverse Effect of the TCFL2-rs7903146 Polymorphism on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Stroke Incidence", Diabetes Care, August 13, 2013

Middle School Students Need More Physical Activity, Better Nutrition, To Stave Off Obesity

A U.S. study of data from 1,714 sixth grade boys and girls found that girls who drank at least two glasses of milk a day were less likely to be obese, as were boys who played on sports teams. Sixty-one percent of obese boys and 63 percent of obese girls reported watching television for two or more hours a day. Obese girls were more likely than any other group to use a computer, and obese boys reported playing video games more often than normal weight boys. The nutritional quality of school lunches was also cited as an obesity factor that needs further study.

"Gender Differences in Physiologic Markers and Health Behaviors Associated With Childhood Obesity", Pediatrics, August 13, 2013

Gene Expression Testing May Help Identify People Who Would Benefit From Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of certain chronic diseases and a weakening of the immune system. Supplements are usually prescribed to deal with the problem.  But a new Finnish study shows that expression of vitamin D-dependent genes in fat tissue and white blood cells after vitamin D supplementation doesn’t necessarily correlate with the vitamin’s concentrations in the blood. Only half of study participants who took vitamin D daily for five months showed expression of the genes. In other words, supplementation in these people accomplished nothing beneficial. The findings indicate the possibility of using gene expression tests to identify individuals who would benefit from vitamin D supplements.

"Primary Vitamin D Target Genes Allow a Categorization of Possible Benefits of Vitamin D3 Supplementation", PLoS ONE, August 13, 2013

Sugar-Rich Diet Proves Deadly For Mice In Experiments

In a study in mice, U.S. researchers found that a 25 percent increase in sugar – half dextrose and half fructose – in the diet caused serious health problems. That sugar increase, comparable to three cans of sugary soda added to an otherwise healthy human diet, caused a higher rate of mortality and reduced fertility, the researchers said. The same unhealthy results were seen when mice were inbred and when they consumed the added sugar. To conduct the study, researchers used 377-square-foot "mouse barns" enclosed by 3-foot walls to closely approximate the actual living conditions – and breeding, feeding, and competitive behavior – of house and field mice.

"Human-relevant levels of added sugar consumption increase female mortality and lower male fitness in mice", Nature Communications, August 13, 2013

Vitamin D Supplements Do Not Improve Blood Pressure In Hypertensive Older Patients

Older patients with high blood pressure are not helped by vitamin D supplementation, according to a British study of 159 people aged 77 or older. Two groups of patients were given either vitamin D or a placebo daily every three months for 12 months. Researchers monitored blood pressure, arterial stiffness, endothelial function, cholesterol level, insulin resistance and b-type natriuretic peptide level. They found no significant effect on blood pressure or on any other of the secondary outcomes. The researchers said it was still possible that vitamin D supplements could benefit cardiovascular health “via non-blood pressure effects”.

"Cholecalciferol Treatment to Reduce Blood Pressure in Older Patients With Isolated Systolic Hypertension", JAMA Intern Med., August 12, 2013

Healthy Diet, Moderate Alcohol, Reduce Risk Of Chronic Kidney Disease With Type 2 Diabetes

Patients with type 2 diabetes who ate a healthier diet and drank moderate amounts of alcohol reduced their risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a Canadian study. For the study, researchers examined the association of a healthy diet, alcohol, protein and sodium in 6,213 patients. A lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease and mortality was associated with: higher quality diet (including at least three servings of fruit a week), higher intake of animal protein, and moderate intake of alcohol. Sodium intake was not linked to kidney disease.

"Diet and Kidney Disease in High-Risk Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus", JAMA Internal Medicine, August 12, 2013

Tendons Hurt? Moderate Exercise Could Help Relieve The Problem

Health professionals have usually blamed exercise for the onset of tendon disease, but new British research demonstrates that moderate exercise may actually prevent and even treat painful and often debilitating tendon disease, caused by damage to a tendon at the cellular level. The researchers showed that moving around reduces a group of enzymes  known as metalloproteinases that degrade tissue and increase tendon protein, leading to chronic pain, inflammation, stiffness and reduced function.

"Cyclical strain modulates metalloprotease and matrix gene expression in human tenocytes via activation of TGFβ", Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research, August 07, 2013