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UMass Amherst food scientists aim to make plant-based protein tastier and healthier

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As meat-eating continues to increase around the world, food scientists are focusing on ways to create healthier, better-tasting and more sustainable plant-based protein products that mimic meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs.

It’s no simple task, says renowned food scientist David Julian McClements, University of Massachusetts Amherst Distinguished Professor and lead author of a paper in the new Nature journal, Science of Food, that explores the topic.

“With Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods and other products coming on the market, there’s a huge interest in plant-based foods for improved sustainability, health and ethical reasons,” says McClements, a leading expert in food design and nanotechnology, and author of Future Foods: How Modern Science Is Transforming the Way We Eat. [Read more…] about UMass Amherst food scientists aim to make plant-based protein tastier and healthier

Obesity and cancer: Studies highlight different aspects of the connection

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Multi-factorial metabolic and inflammatory abnormalities in obesity, independently or in combination, seems to be the critical biological link of obesity, cancer and racial/gender health disparities.

However, the specific cross-talk between these factors remain elusive. Because of the extraordinary relevance in understanding the relationship between obesity-associated inflammation and comorbidities with cancer development, progression and intervention, three new papers emphasizing different aspects of the obesity and cancer connection can be found in the latest online issue of Obesity, The Obesity Society’s flagship journal.

“We highlighted in the review the contribution of alteration of metabolic factors such as lipids, insulin and leptin in obesity on the modulation of immunosuppressive and pro-oncogenic capabilities of myeloid cells, as key players in the chronic inflammation, which is a feature in obesity and cancer. Also, although the maintenance of a healthy weight is an essential principle to prevent cancer, obesity – within the context of a certain metabolic and inflammatory phenotype that remains to be defined – seems to be advantageous for the anti-cancer immunotherapy, a clinically and scientifically fascinating observation recently published,” said Maria D. Sanchez-Pino, MSc., PhD, assistant professor of research at the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, member of the Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology and Department of Genetics at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, and corresponding author of the paper titled “Obesity-associated Myeloid Immunosuppressive Cells, Key Players in Cancer Risk and Response to Immunotherapy“. [Read more…] about Obesity and cancer: Studies highlight different aspects of the connection

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  • Sugar tax in Spain has led to only tiny reduction in calories in shopping basket
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    Sugar tax in Spain has led to only tiny reduction in calories in shopping basketThe introduction of a sugar tax, increasing the price of fizzy drinks and other products high in sugar content, has had only a limited, moderate effect in shifting people's dietary habits and behaviours, according to a new study. Fresh research from an international team of economists published in the journal Social Science…
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  • Coffee lovers, rejoice! Drinking more coffee associated with decreased heart failure risk
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    Coffee lovers, rejoice! Drinking more coffee associated with decreased heart failure riskDietary information from three large, well-known heart disease studies suggests drinking one or more cups of caffeinated coffee may reduce heart failure risk, according to research published today in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal. Coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke are among the top causes of…
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  • Amazon indigenous group's lifestyle may hold a key to slowing down aging
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    Amazon indigenous group's lifestyle may hold a key to slowing down agingA team of international researchers has found that the Tsimane indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon experience less brain atrophy than their American and European peers. The decrease in their brain volumes with age is 70% slower than in Western populations. Accelerated brain volume loss can be a sign of…
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Study: Culture influences mask wearing

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Around the world and within the U.S., the percentage of people wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic has varied enormously. What explains this? A new study co-authored by an MIT faculty member finds that a public sense of “collectivism” clearly predicts mask usage, adding a cultural and psychological perspective to the issue.

The study uses a series of datasets about mask usage and public attitudes, along with well-established empirical indices of collectivism, to evaluate the impact of those cultural differences on this element of the pandemic response.

“Our data both within the United States and across the world shows that collectivism is a strong and important predictor of whether people in a region wear masks or not,” says Jackson G. Lu, an assistant professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-author of a new paper detailing the results. [Read more…] about Study: Culture influences mask wearing

Slow yoga prevents fainting

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Guided yoga is more effective than conventional treatment for preventing fainting in repeat sufferers, according to research published today in EP Europace, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Guided yoga therapy was also more beneficial in terms of quality of life than the standard treatment.

“Repeated fainting gives rise to mental stress, anxiety, depression, and a constant dread of the next episode,” said study author Professor Jayaprakash Shenthar of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bangalore, India. “Quality of life is negatively affected due to the unpredictability. Besides, some countries do not allow patients to drive.”

Fainting or “vasovagal syncope” is a brief loss of consciousness caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. It can be triggered by prolonged standing, fear, pain, seeing blood, and hot, humid environments. It is estimated that approximately half of the general population will have one syncopal event during their lifetime. [Read more…] about Slow yoga prevents fainting

Humungous flare from sun’s nearest neighbor breaks records

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Scientists have spotted the largest flare ever recorded from the sun’s nearest neighbor, the star Proxima Centauri.

The research, which appeared in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, was led by the University of Colorado Boulder and could help to shape the hunt for life beyond Earth’s solar system.

CU Boulder astrophysicist Meredith MacGregor explained that Proxima Centauri is a small but mighty star. It sits just four light-years or more than 20 trillion miles from our own sun and hosts at least two planets, one of which may look something like Earth. It’s also a “red dwarf,” the name for a class of stars that are unusually petite and dim. [Read more…] about Humungous flare from sun’s nearest neighbor breaks records

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Life on Venus? First we need to know more about molecules in the atmosphere

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The search for life on other planets has received a major boost after scientists revealed the spectral signatures of almost 1000 atmospheric molecules that may be involved in the production or consumption of phosphine, a study led by UNSW Sydney revealed.

Scientists have long conjectured that phosphine – a chemical compound made of one phosphorous atom surrounded by three hydrogen atoms (PH3) – may indicate evidence of life if found in the atmospheres of small rocky planets like our own, where it is produced by the biological activity of bacteria.

So when an international team of scientists last year claimed to have detected phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus, it raised the tantalising prospect of the first evidence of life on another planet – albeit the primitive, single-celled variety. [Read more…] about Life on Venus? First we need to know more about molecules in the atmosphere

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  • First transiting exoplanet's 'chemical fingerprint' reveals its distant birthplace
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Study warns of ‘oxygen false positives’ in search for signs of life on other planets

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In the search for life on other planets, the presence of oxygen in a planet’s atmosphere is one potential sign of biological activity that might be detected by future telescopes.

A new study, however, describes several scenarios in which a lifeless rocky planet around a sun-like star could evolve to have oxygen in its atmosphere.

The new findings, published April 13 in AGU Advances, highlight the need for next-generation telescopes that are capable of characterizing planetary environments and searching for multiple lines of evidence for life in addition to detecting oxygen. [Read more…] about Study warns of ‘oxygen false positives’ in search for signs of life on other planets

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Serving size, satisfaction influence food waste on campus

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Understanding what drives food choices can help high-volume food service operations like universities reduce waste, according to a new study.

Researchers have concluded that food waste in places like university cafeterias is driven by how much people put on their plates, how familiar they are with what’s on the menu and how much they like – or don’t like – what they’re served.

Food waste has been studied often in households, but not so often in institutional settings like university dining commons. What drives food choices in these “all-you-care-to-eat” facilities is different because diners don’t perceive personal financial penalty if they leave food on their plates. [Read more…] about Serving size, satisfaction influence food waste on campus

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New AI-based versatile software for tracking many cells in 3D microscope videos

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Automatic tracking of cells in microscope videos will contribute to basic life science research and drug discovery by easily analyzing critical cellular activities

In modern basic life science research as well as in drug discovery, recording and analyzing the images of cells over time using 3D microscopy has become extremely important.

Once the images have been recorded, the same cell in different images at different time points has to be accurately identified (“cell tracking”) because the living cells captured in the images are in motion.

However, tracking many cells automatically in 3D microscope videos has been considerably difficult. [Read more…] about New AI-based versatile software for tracking many cells in 3D microscope videos

Experimental treatment offers hope of fertility for early menopausal women

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Menopause typically signals the end of a woman’s ability to become pregnant. However, in a small new study, a novel approach of administering platelet-rich plasma and gonadotropins near the ovarian follicles is showing promise in restoring ovarian function.

Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

As more women look to build their careers before pursuing motherhood, the average age of conceiving a child continues to be pushed back. [Read more…] about Experimental treatment offers hope of fertility for early menopausal women