Category: Diet and Nutrition

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Metabolic DisordersTags :

Ultra-processed Foods Linked with Greater Risk of Overweight or Obesity in Adolescents

On By ModernMedia

The conclusion comes from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 studies and 155 000 adolescents across multiple countries and regions.

Photo by Erik Mclean

Adolescents who consume more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have significantly higher odds of being overweight or obese, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Mekuriaw Nibret Aweke of the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, and colleagues. In the most recent of the analysed studies, higher UPF consumption was linked with more than twice the odds of overweight or obesity compared to lower UPF consumption.

Being overweight or obese during adolescence raises a person’s likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. The increasing consumption of UPFs – defined as industrial products made largely from extracted, modified, or synthetic ingredients, and typically high in added sugars, salt, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives – represents one of the fastest-growing unhealthy eating patterns among young people worldwide.

In the new study, researchers systematically searched multiple databases for observational studies reporting on UPF consumption and weight outcomes in adolescents aged 10 through 19. They identified 23 eligible studies involving a total of 155 000 adolescents, conducted across 16 countries between 2008 and 2025.

In a meta-analysis of all 23 studies, the researchers found that adolescents with higher UPF consumption had 63% greater odds of overweight or obesity compared with those with lower intake (OR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.36–1.95). The positive association was consistent across all geographic regions studied, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Subgroup analysis by year of publication showed that the most recent studies, published in 2024 and 2025, reported the highest odds ratio (OR = 2.09), suggesting the association may be growing stronger as UPF consumption rises globally.

Among other aspects, the study is limited by its reliance on observational designs, which cannot establish causation, and by variation across studies in how UPF consumption and obesity were measured.

The authors conclude that public health strategies should prioritize reducing UPF consumption among adolescents through education, policy interventions, and promotion of minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods.

The authors add: “Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to a substantially increased risk of overweight and obesity among adolescents, emphasising the need for early dietary interventions.”

“Improving adolescent nutrition today is essential to protecting long-term population health and reducing healthcare costs associated with obesity-related conditions.”

Provided by PLOS

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Lab Tests and ImagingTags :

People Who Consume Ultra-Processed Foods Have Worse Muscle Health

On By ModernMedia

Thigh muscle fat identified as a potential modifiable risk factor for knee osteoarthritis

Representative axial T1-weighted spin-echo thigh MRI scans in (A) a 61-year-old female participant and (B) a 62-year-old female participant. Both participants were of similar age and body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared). Both had Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly scores above the mean score in the study. According to the World Health Organization definition, the participant in B qualified as having abdominal obesity (abdominal circumference ≥ 88 cm). Abdominal circumference is a measure of central obesity that captures fat distribution and serves as an indicator of cardiometabolic health. Compared with the participant in A, the participant in B had a higher proportion of ultra-processed food (UPF) in their diet (87.1% vs 29.5%) and exhibited fattier thigh muscles bilaterally, with Goutallier grade (GG) for all thigh muscles summing to 25 for the participant in A and 38 for the participant in B.

https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.251129 ©RSNA 2026

Researchers found that a diet high in ultra-processed foods is associated with higher amounts of fat stored inside thigh muscles, regardless of calorie or fat intake, physical activity or sociodemographic factors in a population at risk for knee osteoarthritis. Results of the study were published in Radiology.

Ultra-processed foods usually have longer shelf lives and can be highly appealing and convenient. They contain a combination of sugar, fat, salt and carbohydrates which affect the brain’s reward system, making it hard to stop eating.

“Over the past decades, in parallel to the rising prevalences of obesity and knee osteoarthritis, the use of natural ingredients in our diets has steadily diminished and been replaced by industrially-processed, artificially flavored, colored and chemically altered food and beverages, which are classified as ultra-processed foods,” said the study’s lead author, Zehra Akkaya, MD, researcher and consultant for the Clinical & Translational Musculoskeletal Imaging group at University of California, San Francisco, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging.

Dr. Akkaya and the research team set out to assess the relationship of ultra-processed food intake and intramuscular fat in the thigh.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from 615 individuals who participated in the Osteoarthritis Initiative who were not yet affected by osteoarthritis, based on imaging. The Osteoarthritis Initiative is a nationwide research study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, that helps researchers better understand how to prevent and treat knee osteoarthritis.

“Osteoarthritis is an increasingly prevalent and costly global health issue,” Dr. Akkaya said. “It constitutes one of the largest non-cancer-related health care costs in the United States and around the world. It is highly linked to obesity and unhealthy lifestyle choice.”

Of the 615 individuals, (275 men, 340 women) the average age was 60 years. On average, participants were overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 27. Approximately 41% of the foods they consumed over the prior year were ultra-processed.

The researchers found that the more ultra-processed foods people consumed, the more intramuscular fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of caloric intake.

“In addition to investigating the quality of our modern diet in relationship to thigh muscle composition, in this study, we used widely available, non-enhanced MRI, making our approach accessible and practical for routine clinical use and future studies,” Dr. Akkaya said. “These MRIs do not require advanced or costly technology, which means they can be easily incorporated into standard diagnostic practices.”

Source: Radiological Society of North America

Categories : Diet and NutritionTags :

Sugary Drink Taxes May Not Be Effective in Fast-food Settings

On By ModernMedia

Analysis of nearly 7 billion Taco Bell transactions finds sugary drink taxes not linked to lower beverage calorie purchases

Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels

Taxes on sugary drinks had no effect on beverage calorie purchases from fast-food chain restaurants in the U.S., according to a new study by Brian Elbel and Pasquale Rummo from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and colleagues publishing April 2nd in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.

Sugary drink taxes have been adopted in several U.S. jurisdictions as a public health strategy to curb sugar consumption and improve dietary behaviors. Research on the impact of these taxes on grocery stores purchases attribute sugary drink taxes to an estimated 15% decrease in sales. However, whether this translates to an impact in restaurant sales has not been well studied.

Researchers analyzed six years of sales data (2015–2020) from more than 7,300 Taco Bell locations nationwide, focusing on drive‑through purchases. The study compared beverage calories per transaction at 60 restaurants across five jurisdictions with sugary drink taxes—Albany, California; Cook County, Illinois; Oakland, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Seattle, Washington—with a matched group of similar restaurants in areas without such taxes.

Overall, the analysis found no significant association between sugary drink taxes and beverage calories per transaction, suggesting that sugary drink taxes of this size or alone may not substantially reduce beverage calorie consumption in fast food restaurant settings.

The authors note that consumer behaviour in restaurants—such as choosing combo meals or prioritising convenience—may limit the effectiveness of these policies.

Elbel adds, “Using millions of transactions from six years of sales data, we found that sugary beverage taxes did not influence beverage calories when implemented in five cities in the U.S.”

Rummo notes, “These results suggest that sugary drink taxes may not be effective in reducing beverage calorie consumption in fast food restaurants, as compared to supermarkets. This could be because the sizes of sugary drink taxes in the U.S. are too small for consumers or that they just aren’t responsive to price changes in these settings, among other reasons.”

Provided by PLOS

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Obstetrics & GynaecologyTags :

Study: Intermittent Fasting Positively Affects Female Hormones in PCOS 

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, affects as many as 18% of all childbearing-age women. The condition occurs when a woman’s body produces too androgens, chiefly testosterone. Menstrual irregularity, obesity and even infertility can result.

The first line of treatment is typically hormonal birth control, said UIC professor of nutrition Krista Varady. But there can be negative side effects to mood, libido and metabolism, plus an increased stroke risk in some people, Varady said.

“We’re looking for other ways of lowering testosterone levels in these women,” she said. “One way is through weight loss. If someone loses around 5% of their body weight, they can actually help lower testosterone levels and sidestep any kind of drug intervention.”

A new study led by Varady tested how one weight-loss method — intermittent fasting — affects hormones and symptoms in patients with PCOS. Published in Nature Medicine, the research shows that restricting eating to a six-hour daily window decreased testosterone without negatively affecting female hormones. The study also showed that weight loss through calorie counting decreased testosterone. 

However, some critics of intermittent fasting have posited that the diet disrupts female hormones, Varady said.

“There’s a particular sentiment that intermittent fasting is really bad for women.” This is untrue, she said. “This study and several other studies published by our lab and others show that intermittent fasting can actually improve female hormone levels, particularly in women with PCOS.” 

Varady and her colleagues studied a type of intermittent fasting called time-restricted eating. In this method, you eat only during a set six- or eight-hour period each day. During the remaining 18 or 16 hours, you fast with calorie-free beverages and water until the next day. 

Simply put, the strategy helps people eat less, Varady said. So does counting calories, a method Varady and her colleagues tested alongside intermittent fasting in the study. But intermittent fasting had some additional benefits.

“It’s a way of reducing energy intake without having to do really complicated calorie counting,” she said about intermittent fasting. Varady and others have shown in previous work that eating only during an eight-hour window can cut around 300 to 500 calories a day.

In addition to obesity and insulin resistance, which raise risks of diabetes and heart disease, PCOS can cause ovarian cysts, acne and facial hair growth.

In a group of 76 pre-menopausal women with PCOS, the researchers tested how outcomes differed after six months between time-restricted eating between 1 and 7 p.m. daily and calorie counting. Both diet schemes ended up cutting participants’ intake by about 200 calories per day, the team found, leading to average weight loss of about 10 pounds over the six months.

Both groups also experienced a decrease in testosterone concentrations. But only time-restricted eating reduced free androgen index, the ratio between testosterone and the protein that transports it through the blood, which is a marker of how much active testosterone is reaching a body’s tissues. It also improved A1C levels, a risk marker for diabetes, Varady said.

Though intermittent fasting did not lessen other PCOS symptoms, like menstrual period irregularity, Varady suggested those symptoms might improve with longer time on the diet and greater weight loss.

About 80% of the participants in the time-restricted eating group said they were going to continue the diet, Varady said.

Story by Tess Joosse

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Diet and Nutrition GastrointestinalTags :

Trace Levels of Food Pathogen Aren’t Always a Health Risk, Study Finds

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

Ultra-sensitive food safety tests may drive food waste and unavailability with limited public health benefit, according to a Frontiers in Science study.

These food safety measures and ultra-sensitive tests may drive edible food being thrown away, excessive packaging, and extra costs for consumers.

The international team of researchers make it clear that food safety is an important concern, as foodborne pathogens account for approximately 420 000 deaths and 600 million cases of illness each year. However, the authors argue that food systems will be more sustainable, while continuing to protect public health, if “zero-detection” expectations are replaced with evidence-based targets for “sufficiently safe” food.

Their new article sets out how regulators might find trade-offs with other important factors, such as food supply security, sustainability, and nutritional health.

“Although the public expects food to be completely safe, there will always be some risk of foodborne illness. Zero risk doesn’t exist, and we shouldn’t be aiming for that either. Just as we don’t limit highway speeds to 10 miles per hour to minimize road deaths, we need to take a balanced approach that considers possible negative consequences of extreme food safety measures,” said lead author Prof Martin Wiedmann from Cornell University.

Read and download the article

Impact of aiming for zero risk

The study’s authors highlight several situations where excessive caution can cause harm.

Many rules and purchasing standards rely heavily on detecting a pathogen, sometimes treating any detection as unacceptable without fully considering dose, exposure, the food’s ability to support microbial growth, or who is most at risk.

For example, a food product might be considered contaminated if it tests positive for the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, regardless of levels.

These alarms can result from ultra-sensitive tests detecting small amounts of microbes unlikely to cause disease in humans. In some cases, the concerns may come from bacteria that are not harmful themselves, but are an indirect indicator of contamination.

Throwing away such food reduces the available food supply and wastes resources. Similarly, recalling food products from consumers can damage consumer trust, pushing people away from otherwise healthy products.

Other protective measures, such as storage temperatures, packaging, and heat treatment, can waste energy, increase costs, and reduce nutritional content. While these are all important safety measures, they should only be applied if needed and associated trade-offs should be considered.

“A tremendous amount of food is wasted that would have been sufficiently safe to eat. Too often, trade-offs such as environmental or economic costs are only considered after a traditional microbial risk assessment. We cannot afford to carry on like this at a time when we desperately need to reduce our impact on the planet and assure not only food safety but food security,” said co-author Prof Sophia Johler at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany.

Focus on risk rather than hazard

The current situation is driven by an emphasis on hazard-based assessments, according to the authors, where regulations focus on detecting pathogens, regardless of the threat to consumers. The researchers argue that the food system should move towards more flexible risk-based approaches, which assess the probabilities of harms and adjust the safety measures accordingly.

Regulations that overemphasize stringent corrective actions (such as recalls) when swab samples from a food-processing facility test positive for an indicator, for example, could lead to undue corrective actions in areas that are unlikely to contaminate the food. The authors explain that this could be an opportunity cost that diverts resources away from more effective interventions and control strategies in high-risk areas.

“There’s well-established evidence that focusing on end-product testing is generally ineffective to ensure safety. Overemphasis on end-product testing may distract from other food safety measures (e.g., applying validated and verified process controls), which can provide greater public health benefits,” said co-author Dr Sriya Sunil at Cornell University.

Better tools to assess priorities

Computational tools that incorporate vast amounts of information across the food production system could help with establishing acceptable risks.

One challenge is how to prioritize different hazards. For example, in the US, norovirus causes thousands of times more cases than Listeria monocytogenes, yet Listeria monocytogenes causes more deaths per year.

While there are trade advantages to having consistent international food safety standards, the balance between competing interests may vary between regions. This can become even more complex when factoring in the health and environmental implications of greenhouse gas emissions.

“Specialists across social sciences, economics, and life sciences must work together to establish values that align with consumers’ priorities. Together with advanced models that build on geographic information, AI, and genomics, we can assess, manage, and communicate risks far more accurately,” said Wiedmann.

Source: Frontiers

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Neurodegenerative DiseasesTags :

High Meat Intake Linked to Lower Dementia Risk in APOE4

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Jose Ignacio Pompe on Unsplash

Older people with a genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease did not experience the expected increase in cognitive decline and dementia risk if they consumed relatively large amounts of meat. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open. The results may contribute to the development of more individually tailored dietary advice.

APOE is a gene that affects the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In Sweden, approximately 30 per cent of the population are carriers of the gene combinations APOE 3/4 or APOE 4/4. Among people with Alzheimer’s disease, those with these genotypes account for nearly 70 per cent.

When the Swedish Food Agency presented an overview of research on the link between diet and dementia last year, more research was requested to assess a possible link between meat consumption and the development of dementia.

‘This study tested the hypothesis that people with APOE 3/4 and 4/4 would have a reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia with higher meat intake, based on the fact that APOE4 is the evolutionarily oldest variant of the APOE gene and may have arisen during a period when our evolutionary ancestors ate a more animal-based diet,’ says first author Jakob Norgren, researcher at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet.

The study followed more than 2100 participants in the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care, Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) for up to 15 years. All were aged 60 or older and had no diagnosis of dementia at the start of the study. The association between self-reported diet and cognitive health measures was analysed, adjusting for age, sex, education and lifestyle factors.

Twice the risk of dementia

At lower meat intake, the group with APOE 3/4 and 4/4 had more than twice the risk of dementia than people without these gene variants. However, the increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia in the risk groups was not seen in the fifth of participants who consumed the most meat. Their median consumption is estimated at approximately 870 grams of meat per week, standardised to a daily energy intake of 2,000 calories.

‘Those who ate more meat overall had significantly slower cognitive decline and a lower risk of dementia, but only if they had the APOE 3/4 or 4/4 gene variants,’ says Jakob Norgren. He continues: 

‘There is a lack of dietary research into brain health, and our findings suggest that conventional dietary advice may be unfavourable to a genetically defined subgroup of the population. For those who are aware that they belong to this genetic risk group, the findings offer hope; the risk may be modifiable through lifestyle changes. ‘

The study also shows that the type of meat is important.

‘A lower proportion of processed meat in total meat consumption was associated with a lower risk of dementia regardless of APOE genotype,’ says Sara Garcia-Ptacek, assistant professor at the same department, who together with senior lecturer Erika J Laukka is the study’s last author.

The findings also extend beyond brain health. In a follow-up analysis, the researchers observed a significant reduction in all-cause-mortality in carriers of APOE 3/4 and 4/4 with higher consumption of unprocessed meat.

However, the study is observational and needs to be followed up with intervention studies that can better demonstrate causal relationships.

‘Clinical trials are now needed to develop dietary recommendations tailored to APOE genotype,’ says Jakob Norgren. He continues:

‘Since the prevalence of APOE4 is about twice as high in the Nordic countries as in the Mediterranean countries, we are particularly well suited to conduct research on tailored dietary recommendations for this risk group.’

The research was funded by, among others, the Swedish Alzheimer’s Foundation, the Swedish Dementia Foundation, the Emil and Wera Cornell Foundation, the Leif Lundblad family and other philanthropists, the Swedish Research Council and FORTE. The researchers state that they have no related conflicts of interest.

APOE Gene Facts:

Apolipoprotein E plays a central role in the transport of cholesterol and fats in the brain and blood. The protein is encoded by the APOE gene, which exists in three main variants: epsilon 2, 3 and 4. These variants affect the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. Each person inherits two APOE genes, one from each parent, giving six possible combinations (genotypes): 2/2, 2/3, 2/4, 3/3, 3/4 and 4/4.

Compared to the most common genotype 3/3, one 4 variant increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by about three to four times and two 4 variants by about ten to fifteen times, while the 2 variant is associated with a lower risk. However, the increase in risk varies between different ethnic groups.

Source: Belloy et al., JAMA Neurology, 2023

Source: Karolinska Institutet

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease Diet and NutritionTags :

Reducing Sodium in Everyday Foods may Yield Heart-health Benefits Across Populations

On By ModernMedia
Credit: Pixabay CC0

Lowering sodium in packaged and prepared foods could significantly improve cardiovascular health and prevent many cases of heart disease, stroke and deaths in the general population in France and the U.K., according to two new research studies published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

Consuming too much sodium is a major risk factor for hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, which can lead to health complications such as heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease, dementia and other forms of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

To address the global concern about excessive sodium consumption many countries have implemented salt-reduction strategies to improve public health and reduce health costs.

Two studies – one in France involving salt-reduction targets for baguettes and other bread products in 2025, and the other in the United Kingdom focusing on 2024 goals for takeaway and packaged foods – estimated the potential impact on the general population if those salt-reduction targets were met. The projections calculated in these two studies indicate that minor adjustments in sodium content to some of the most common prepared foods in each country would require no effort from people to change their eating habits, yet may produce significant public health benefits.

“This approach is particularly powerful because it does not rely on individual behaviour change, which is often difficult to achieve and sustain. Instead, it creates a healthier food environment by default,” said Clémence Grave, M.D., lead author of the study from France and epidemiologist and public health physician at the French National Public Health Agency, headquartered in Saint-Maurice near Paris.

The World Health Organization recommends adults should consume less than 2,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, however, global intake is much higher. The American Heart Association recommends daily intake of no more than 2300mg of sodium a day – equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt; but also says the ideal limit is no higher than 1500 mg per day for most adults, especially for those with high blood pressure.

Sodium reduction in bread (France)

In 2019, France set a national public health goal to reduce salt consumption by 30%. In 2022, a voluntary agreement was signed between the government and bread producers to lower salt content by 2025. Bread, especially the baguette, is a culturally and nutritionally central food in France, yet it can be high in salt– traditionally contain about 25% of total daily recommended intake of salt. By 2023, most breads made in France already met the new sodium standards.

To understand the potential impact of the agreement on public health, researchers used national data and a mathematical model to estimate how many cases of cardio-cerebrovascular disease (conditions and diseases that affect both the heart and the brain’s blood vessels), kidney disease and dementia could be prevented if the salt-reduction targets met full compliance.

The analysis found that with bread consumption remaining the same and sodium-reduction targets fully met, less salt in baguettes and bread would decrease daily intake by 0.35 g per person, leading to slightly lower blood pressure across the population.

“This salt-reduction measure went completely unnoticed by the French population – no one realised that bread contained less salt,” Grave said. “Our findings show that reformulating food products, even with small, invisible changes, can have a significant impact on public health.”

Sodium reduction in packaged foods and take-out meals (United Kingdom)

For the study in the U.K., researchers used national survey data to estimate the amount of salt people consumed from pre-prepared packaged and take-out meals. They then estimated daily sodium intake if all relevant food categories met the 2024 sodium-reduction targets.

Sales-weighted average and maximum salt content targets were set for 84 grocery food categories – including bread, cheeses, meats, and snacks – and, for the first time, 24 out-of-home categories such as burgers, curries, and pizza. The modelling also covered how these changes could affect heart disease, stroke, quality of life and health care costs.

The research found that fully meeting the sodium reduction goals could have reduced average salt intake from about 6.1 g to 4.9g per day – translating to an estimated average of 17.5% less salt consumed per person per day. Men would experience slightly larger reductions than women because they tend to consume more salt in general.

Even this small, daily reduction in salt would lower blood pressure modestly across the population, and the improvements could add up.

Source: American Heart Association

Categories : Ageing Diet and NutritionTags :

Trial Results Show Daily Multivitamin Use May Slow Biological Ageing

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

An analysis led by Mass General Brigham investigators found slower aging in older adults after two years of a daily multivitamin, with greater benefits for those who began the trial with accelerated biological age.

‘Biological age’, age on a cellular level, can differ from chronological age. Using data from a large randomised clinical trial of older adults, researchers at Mass General Brigham evaluated the effects of taking a daily multivitamin over the course of two years on five measures of biological ageing and found a slowing equivalent to about four months of ageing. The benefits were increased in those who were biologically older than their actual age at the start of the trial. Their results are published in Nature Medicine.

“There is a lot of interest today in identifying ways to not just live longer, but to live better,” said senior author Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, associate director of the Division of Preventive Medicine in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine. “It was exciting to see the benefits of a multivitamin linked with markers of biological ageing. This study opens the door to learning more about accessible, safe interventions that contribute to healthier, higher-quality ageing.”

Epigenetic clocks estimate biological ageing based specific sites in our DNA that regulate gene expression (known as DNA methylation) and change naturally as we get older, helping track mortality and the pace of ageing. This study, which uses data from the well-established COcoa Supplement Multivitamins Outcomes Study (COSMOS), analysed DNA methylation data from blood samples of 958 randomly selected healthy participants with an average chronological age of 70.

The study participants were randomised to take a daily cocoa extract and multivitamin; daily cocoa extract and placebo; placebo and multivitamin; or placebos only. Samples were analysed for changes in five epigenetic clocks from the start of the trial and at the end of the first and second years. Compared to the placebo only group, people in the multivitamin group had slowing in all five epigenetic clocks, including statistically significant slowing seen in the two clocks that are predictive of mortality. The changes equated to about four months less biological ageing over the course of two years. Additionally, people who were biologically older than their actual age at the start of the trial benefited the most.

“We plan to do follow-up research to determine if the slowing of biological ageing – observed through these five epigenetic clocks, and additional or new ones – persists after the trial ends,” said co-author and collaborator Yanbin Dong, MD, PhD, director of Georgia Prention Institute, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta Univeristy.

Further studies are also needed to determine how improvements in biological aging may explain reductions in clinical outcomes. The COSMOS team plans to investigate how the effects of a daily multivitamin on biological aging may extend to different outcomes they have seen evidence of benefits for, such as improvements in cognition and reductions in cancer and cataracts.

“A lot of people take a multivitamin without necessarily knowing any benefits from taking it, so the more we can learn about its potential health benefits, the better,” said Sesso. “Within COSMOS, we are fortunate and excited to build upon a rich resource of biomarker data to test how two interventions may improve biological aging and reduce age-related clinical outcomes.”

Source: Mass General Brigham

Categories : Antibiotics Diet and NutritionTags :

Honey from Australian Wildflowers has Potent Power to Kill Bacteria

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Benyamin Bohlouli on Unsplash

Kenya Fernandes, University of Sydney

Before antibiotics and antiseptics, healers across ancient Egypt, Greece, and China reached for honey to treat wounds. Archaeological evidence shows humans have been harvesting and collecting honey for thousands of years – and for much of that time, we understood it to be more than just food.

Today, honey sits in most kitchen cupboards as a perfectly ordinary pantry staple. But honey has never entirely shed its medicinal reputation. And modern research shows us why: it possesses genuine antimicrobial properties, capable of killing or inhibiting a wide range of bacteria, including drug-resistant strains.

This matters now more than ever. Antimicrobial resistance – where bacteria evolve to survive drugs designed to kill them – is one of the defining public health crises of our time. Infections caused by these resistant microbes are becoming harder and more expensive to treat, creating an urgent need for alternative therapies.

Our new study, published in the journal MicrobiologyOpen, shows honeys from Australia’s native flora might be a big part of the solution.

What did we do?

We analysed 56 honey samples collected from more than 35 apiaries across New South Wales. Many samples came from landscapes recovering from the 2019–2020 bushfires. Most were derived from native Australian plants such as eucalyptus, leptospermum and melaleuca.

We tested the honeys against two common bacterial pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph) and E. coli – both among the six leading causes of deaths associated with antibiotic resistance. For each sample we measured the minimum concentration needed to stop bacterial growth. The lower the concentration, the more potent the honey.

We also carried out comprehensive chemical profiling, measuring sugars, organic acids, amino acids, enzymes and a wide range of plant-derived compounds. Statistical and machine-learning analyses helped us identify which chemical features best explained antibacterial strength.

What did we find?

More than three-quarters of the honey samples stopped bacterial growth even when the honeys were diluted to 10% or less. This places Australian native flora honeys alongside some of the world’s most potent varieties.

The most striking factor was floral diversity.

Honeys from mixed floral sources – where bees foraged across multiple native plant species rather than a single species – were consistently the most antimicrobial.

This potency wasn’t due to any single compound but to a chemically rich combination.

Multiple bioactive factors – substances that have a measurable effect on living cells or tissues – worked together to inhibit bacteria. These included naturally produced hydrogen peroxide, plant-derived phenolic compounds (naturally occurring chemicals that plants produce as part of their own defence systems), and antioxidants.

When bacteria encounter honey, this combination acts on several fronts at once. The low moisture content draws water out of bacterial cells, while the acidity disrupts their metabolism. Hydrogen peroxide damages their cellular structures, and phenolic and antioxidant compounds interfere with their ability to function and reproduce.

The strength of mixed floral honeys may also reflect the health of the bees themselves.

Access to diverse forage keeps colonies well nourished. And healthier bees produce more biologically active honey as their enzymes help integrate and activate the plant compounds into a complex antimicrobial mixture.

What does this mean for antimicrobial resistance?

Honey won’t replace antibiotics for serious or systemic infections.

But for topical applications – chronic wounds, burns, or surgical site infections – it is a genuinely promising option. Because honey attacks bacteria through multiple simultaneous mechanisms, resistance is far less likely to emerge than with single-target drugs. Our team is now exploring these applications in more detail.

Australia is particularly well-placed to lead in bioactive honey production. Around 70% of Australian honey comes from native plants. These plants are found not only in forests but also across farmland, regional landscapes, and urban green spaces.

Our findings show that prioritising floral diversity over monoculture isn’t just good for ecosystems – it produces more potent honey. With the beekeeping industry under serious pressure from bushfires, floods, and now the varroa mite, protecting and restoring florally-rich landscapes is critical: for bee health, for industry resilience, and for expanding our natural antimicrobial toolkit.

In the meantime, the next jar of Australian honey you buy may just be doing more good than you realise.

Kenya Fernandes, Research Fellow, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Categories : Diet and NutritionTags :

Three-quarters not Meeting Recommended Intakes of Omega-3, Study Shows

On By ModernMedia

More than three-quarters of the global population are not getting enough omega-3, according to new research

Photo by Aleksander Saks on Unsplash

A review by the University of Southampton found that 76% of people worldwide are not meeting recommended intakes of the omega-3s EPA and DHA. The peer-reviewed paper, published in Nutrition Research Reviews, was a collaboration with scientists at the University of East Anglia and Holland & Barrett.

It is the first global review of national and international omega-3 intake recommendations across all life stages for generally healthy people.

Professor of Nutritional Immunology Philip Calder from Southampton, who was part of the study, said: “The omega-3s EPA and DHA are essential for health throughout the life course. But to benefit from these nutrients, people first need to understand how much they should be consuming.

“In this review, we brought together all the recommendations for EPA and DHA intake in healthy populations from authorities around the world to help answer the important question: ‘how much do I need?’ What is clear is that most people are not meeting these recommendations.”

Omega-3 consumption supports a healthy lifestyle throughout all stages of life.

The new review found that the most frequently recommended intake for adults is 250mg per day of combined EPA and DHA, with an additional 100–200mg of DHA advised for pregnant women.

Prof Calder said these targets can be achieved by eating more oily fish, such as salmon, sardines or mackerel, or through supplementation where needed.

The paper also identified challenges that different populations have in achieving current omega-3 recommendations.

These include difficulties in meeting oily fish recommendations due to low seafood consumption, or sustainability concerns, as well as some populations having limited access to supplementation advice.

Dr Abbie Cawood , Science Director at Holland & Barrett and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, led the study.

She said: “Omega-3s play such a vital role in health, ensuring people can meet their needs either through diet or with the support of supplementation is essential at every life stage.

In fact, our review highlights that supplementation is often required to meet recommended intakes especially in pregnancy and in those with low fish intakes. We are hopeful that this publication can act as an enabler to inform omega-3 dietary guidelines and shape future nutrition policy and public health strategies.”

The full paper can be viewed at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41277237 .

Source: University of Southampton