Food Research: Dried plums can reduce risk of colon cancer ♦ Breakthrough in understanding sugar uptake ♦ Arsenic found in many American red wines

Dried plums can reduce risk of colon cancer,A diet containing dried plums can positively affect microbiota, also referred to as gut bacteria, throughout the colon, helping reduce the risk of colon cancer.

New research exposes health risks of fructose, sugary drinks There is compelling evidence that drinking too many sugar-sweetened beverages, which contain added sugars in the form of high fructose corn syrup or table sugar (sucrose), can lead to excess weight gain and a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Arsenic found in many American red wines, but health risks depend on total diet A new study that tested 65 wines from America's top four wine-producing states -- California, Washington, New York and Oregon -- found all but one have arsenic levels that exceed US drinking water standards. But health risks from that naturally-occurring toxic element depend on how many other high-arsenic foods and beverages, such as apple juice, rice, or cereal bars, an individual person eats.

New dietary guidelines must be sustainable, regardless of politics The new iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans must incorporate sustainability considerations -- both for the health and wellbeing of Americans and the world in which we live.

Breakthrough in understanding sugar uptake Researchers have reached a breakthrough in understanding how fructose is transported into our cells. This could be a potential benefit for the development of novel treatments against some forms of cancer, obesity and diabetes

Weight Loss Research: Low chance of obese people recovering normal body weight ♦ Eating habits most important in weight gain in children ♦ Exercising 300 minutes a week better for reducing total fat in postmenopausal women

Low chance of obese people recovering normal body weight The chance of an obese person attaining normal body weight is 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, increasing to 1 in 1,290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with severe obesity, according to a new study. The findings suggest that current weight management programs focused on dieting and exercise are not effective in tackling obesity at population level.

Exercising 300 minutes per week better for reducing total fat in postmenopausal women Postmenopausal women who exercised 300 minutes per week were better at reducing total fat and other adiposity measures, especially obese women, during a one-year clinical trial, a noteworthy finding because body fat has been associated with increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

Taxing the dose of calories in sugary drinks could help reduce obesity A tax on sugary drinks that depends on the number of calories or amount of sugar per liter could help fight obesity, suggests new research. While a few countries are already trialing a tax on sugary drinks, taxing the dose would encourage drinks companies to offer low-calorie alternatives Worldwide, an estimated 1.9 billion adults are overweight, and of these 600 million are obese. Obesity increases the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes; in the US alone, obesity-related healthcare costs around $200 billion a year.

Eating habits most important in weight gain in children Some children gain weight faster than others. What make some children gain weight faster than others? Eating habits seem to have far more to say than physical activity.

Health News: Sugary drinks linked to 180000 deaths a year ♦ Human milk-sharing networks reflect a growing movement ♦ How small genetic changes changed human histor

Human milk-sharing networks reflect a growing movement There’s nothing new about the sharing of human breast milk. In earlier days, moms in tribal groups nursed babies other than their own when the baby’s mother died or wasn’t close by.

Sugary drinks linked to 180000 deaths a year Scientists are asking people across the globe to lay off sugary drinks, linking the consumption to an estimated 184,000 adult deaths each year, including more than 25,000 Americans. Overall, that means one in every 100 deaths from obesity-related diseases is caused by sugary beverages, according to a study published Monday in the journal Circulation.

Hantaviruses are highly dependent on cell membrane cholesterol to infect humans Hantaviruses use cholesterol in cell walls to gain access into cells and infect humans, according to laboratory research. Multiple genes involved in cholesterol sensing, regulation and production, including key components to a chemical pathway called SREBP (sterol response element binding protein), are critical to hantaviruses gaining entry.

Human urine helps prevent bacteria from sticking to bladder cells Human urine contains factors that prevent a common culprit in urinary tract infections (UTIs), uropathogenic Escherichia coli bacteria, from properly attaching to bladder cells, a necessary step for infection. The research reveals a weakness that could be exploited to develop more effective, non-antibiotic treatments for UTIs

How small genetic change in Yersinia pestis changed human history While studying Yersinia pestis, the bacteria responsible for epidemics of plague such as the Black Death, scientists found a single small genetic change that fundamentally influenced the evolution of the deadly pathogen, and thus the course of human history. They demonstrated how the acquisition of a single gene caused the shift of Y. pestis from causing a primarily gastrointestinal infection to a more serious and often fatal respiratory disease and how later modifications lead to infections associated with the bubonic plague.

Food Research: Muscadine grape seed oil may help reduce obesit ♦ Sugary drinks linked to high death tolls ♦ 'Fitness' foods may cause consumers to eat more, exercise less

Dietary guidelines for Americans shouldn't place limits on total fat intake Researchers call on the American federal government to drop restrictions on total fat consumption in the forthcoming 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

'Fitness' foods may cause consumers to eat more, exercise less Weight-conscious consumers are often drawn to foods such as Clif Bars and Wheaties, whose packaging suggests that they promote fitness. But according to a new study, such "fitness branding" encourages consumers to eat more of those foods and to exercise less, potentially undermining their efforts to lose or control their weight.

Getting children to embrace healthy food If the packaging has an appealing design, primary school children also reach for healthy foods, a study shows. The method developed in the study can be used, the researchers say, to investigate how the appeal of school milk or whole-grain sandwiches can be increased.

Muscadine grape seed oil may help reduce obesity Most of the seeds and skin from grapes used for wine production winds up in waste streams. But scientists have found that the oil extracted from Muscadine grape seeds produces a form of Vitamin E, which can help reduce fat.

Sugary drinks linked to high death tolls worldwide Consumption of sugary drinks may lead to an estimated 184,000 adult deaths each year worldwide, according to research. In the first detailed global report on the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages, researchers estimated deaths and disabilities from diabetes, heart disease, and cancers in 2010. In this analysis, sugar sweetened beverages were defined as any sugar-sweetened sodas, fruit drinks, sports/energy drinks, sweetened iced teas, or homemade sugary drinks such as frescas, that contained at least 50 kcal per 8oz serving. 100 percent fruit juice was excluded.