An international team of scientists has discovered that taking large doses of a red wine ingredient in mid life can ward off symptoms of aging in mice. The effect was to extend quality rather than length of life.

As we head deeper into the summer barbecue season, experts at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) are encouraging healthy eating choices in order to decrease the risk of cancer. CINJ is making its experts available to discuss the role nutrition plays in the prevention of cancer as well as in the treatment of the disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Protection Plan Progress Report, released today in conjunction with the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety Action Plan Update, shows significant areas of activity to further improve the safety of America's food supply since unveiling its Food Protection Plan in November 2007.

Leuna Johnson SNS, Supervisor of School Nutrition Services for Assumption Parish Schools in Baton Rouge, La. became the 1,000th school nutrition professional to earn the School Nutrition Specialist credential offered by the School Nutrition Association (SNA.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) called on G8 leaders who will gather next week in Japan to take bold decisions to adequately finance food aid and nutrition programmes directed at young children. With the crisis of malnutrition contributing to between three and five million child deaths annually, the summit must commit to providing funds to implement new and effective strategies to address malnutrition.

New research findings published online in The FASEB Journal provide more evidence that if we get smart about what we eat, our intelligence can improve. According to MIT scientists, dietary nutrients found in a wide range of foods from infant formula to eggs increase brain synapses and improve cognitive abilities.

ComPsych Corporation has released its 2008 Health & Productivity Index, a workplace wellness study which revealed only 5 percent of employees with unbalanced diets had high levels of energy, while 50 percent of workers with balanced diets had high energy. ComPsych is the world's largest provider of employee assistance programs and worldwide leader in GuidanceResources (EAPs, behavioral health, wellness, work-life and crisis intervention services).

Adopting just two aspects of the Mediterranean diet can cut the risk of developing cancer by 12 per cent - research published in the British Journal of Cancer* reveals.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday, Tuesday, that it was no closer to finding the source of the Salmonella Saintpaul contamination that has now sickened over 850 people and put over 150 in hospital throughout the US since April and that it was enlarging the search to include foods that are served with tomatoes.

More evidence for the beneficial effect of green tea on risk factors for heart disease has emerged in a new study reported in the latest issue of European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.1 The study found that the consumption of green tea rapidly improves the function of (endothelial) cells lining the circulatory system; endothelial dysfunction is a key event in the progression of atherosclerosis.

A comprehensive, population-based strategy is needed to reduce the alarming prevalence of obesity in the United States, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. "Population-Based Prevention of Obesity" recommends an approach that would complement individually-oriented strategies, including clinic-based prevention and treatment programs.

Cigarettes or adequate food is a tough choice for some poor families, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The researchers found that of low-income families, those containing a household head or spouse who smoked cigarettes were at about 6 percent higher risk for being "food insecure" not always able to put enough food on the table. Such families purchase, on average, 10 packs of cigarettes per week, spending around $33.

Recipe to recover more quickly from exercise: Finish workout, eat pasta, and wash down with five or six cups of strong coffee. Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research from the online edition of theJournal of Applied Physiology shows.

Yesterday, 1st July, New York City restaurants entered the final phase of the ban on artificial trans fats introduced a year ago. The City's restaurants must now clear trans fats rom their menus. Trans fats are made by hydrogenating plant oils to make them easier to use, for instance in baking, and to increase shelf life. They raise "bad" LDL and lower "good" HDL cholesterol, thereby increasing the risk for coronary heart disease.

POMPANO BEACH, Fla.—Jack Distribution LLC started a nationwide recall on July 1 for certain lots of its Rize 2 The Occasion and Rose 4 Her dietary supplements, after the company was informed by FDA that product testing found undeclared, potentially harmful ingredients. The affected products contained thiomethisosildenafil, an analog of sildenafil, an active pharmaceutical ingredient for erectile dysfunction (ED). The ... (203 words)

BELLEVUE, Wash.—Crayons® All Natural Beverage Company announced the results of its inaugural “Pink Lemonade Brigade,” a nation-wide lemonade stand fundraiser. The one-day event raised more than $156,000 for charities throughout the world. Thousands of children in 46 U.S. states joined forces to raise money to benefit their favorite charities. The event was held on Saturday, June 21, 2008 and united ... (270 words)

NOVA SCOTIA, Canada—Blueberries may support cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol (Br J Nutr. 2007;100(1):70-80). Two feeding trials were conducted with pigs; in the first trial, where basal diets contained a high level of plant-based components (70 percent soy, oats and barley), supplementation with 1, 2 and 4 percent blueberries resulted in a decrease in total low density lipoprotein (LDL) and ... (192 words)

WASHINGTON—Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt signed a Joint Progress Statement today with the Honorable Li Changjiang, Minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People’s Republic of China. The document outlines steps taken by both nations in implementing the 2007 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on food and feed safety. The parties ... (416 words)

SAN DIEGO—Former Metabolife CEO Michael Ellis has been sentenced to six months in jail for lying about Metabolife's adverse event reports for its Metabolife 365 weight-loss product. Ellis, who pleaded guilty in November to one count of making false statements to the FDA in 1999 about Metabolife 356, was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine. Prosecutors argued Metabolife sent ... (201 words)

In addition to reducing one's risk for many common diseases, new research found that calorie restriction may slow the aging process. Calorie restriction has long been shown to slow the aging process in rats and mice. Calorie restriction - cutting approximately 300 to 500 calories per day - had a similar biological effect in humans, and, therefore, may slow the aging process.

Clinician-scientists are suggesting an immediate and important change to guidelines used in the care of patients with traumatic brain injury. The researchers say that following traumatic brain injury, patients should be given nutritional supplementation through a gastric feeding tube as soon as possible, which they say can improve their chances of survival by as much as four-fold.

Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol, found in red wine and grape skin, slows age-related deterioration and functional decline of mice on a standard diet, but does not increase longevity when started at middle age. This study is a follow-up to 2006 findings that resveratrol improves health and longevity of overweight, aged mice.

What happens when red wine meets red meat? If the rendezvous happens in the stomach, scientists in Israel are reporting, wine's bounty of healthful chemical compounds may thwart formation of harmful substances released during digestion of fat in the meat.

Knowing the preferences of foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 is essential to a successful counterattack on these microbes. That's why microbiologists are scrutinizing the little-understood ability of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica to contaminate romaine lettuce.

More evidence for the beneficial effect of green tea on risk factors for heart disease has emerged in a new study. The study found that the consumption of green tea rapidly improves the function of (endothelial) cells lining the circulatory system; endothelial dysfunction is a key event in the progression of atherosclerosis.

For the first time, a research group has provided an explanation of how eating broccoli might reduce cancer risk based upon studies in men, as opposed to trying to extrapolate from animal models. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer for males in western countries. The research has provided an insight into why eating broccoli can help men stay healthy.

Saturday can be the worst enemy for our waistlines. Researchers found that study subjects on strict diet and exercise programs tend to lose weight more slowly than expected because they eat more on weekends than during the week.

Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66 percent more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study.

Population-wide approaches are key for preventing obesity. Preventing excess weight gain needs to be easier, more socially acceptable and personally rewarding for the average person. A broad range of policy and environmental change strategies must target the spectrum of influences on food access and intake and physical activity.

Researchers have found that an over-the-counter Artichoke Leaf Extract (ALE) from the globe artichoke plant can lower cholesterol in otherwise healthy individuals with moderately raised levels. Cardiovascular diseases are the chief causes of death in the UK, and are associated with raised circulating levels of total cholesterol in the plasma. Once plasma cholesterol reaches a certain level, drugs such as statins are often prescribed to help reduce it. Intervention before concentrations reaches these levels may help reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases without the need for drugs.

A cold slice of watermelon has long been a Fourth of July holiday staple. But according to recent studies, the juicy fruit may be better suited for Valentine?s Day. That?s because scientists say watermelon has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body?s blood vessels and may even increase libido.