News by Subject Agriculture

New UC Riverside research shows soybean oil not only leads to obesity and diabetes, but could also affect neurological conditions like autism, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and depression.

While studies of the microbiomes (which comprises all the microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi) of the phyllosphere and the rhizosphere of plants are important, scientists at INRA believe more attention should be given to the microbiomes of crop residues.

A new paper in Nutrition Reviews finds that intake of the flavonoid quercetin can greatly reduce high blood pressure in patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.

Some plastic food and beverage containers still contain bisphenol A (BPA), which can mimic the hormone estrogen. Although experts say that small amounts of BPA detected in foods are unlikely to cause problems, some people worry that constant low-level exposures could have health effects, especially for developing fetuses, infants and children. Now, researchers report in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research that in mice, BPA activates an immune response that persists for at least three generations.

Parasitic weeds are among the world's most economically damaging agricultural pests. They use an organ called the haustorium to build connections with host plants and draw nutrients from them. While the majority of research on parasitic plant biology and control of root parasitic weeds has been heavily focused on seed germination, scientists at UC Davis focused on the development of haustorium and published their findings in Phytopathology.

This randomized clinical trial among more than 400 men with early-stage prostate cancer looked at whether a telephone-based program encouraging increased vegetable consumption would decrease cancer progression over two years. The authors report no significant decrease in the risk of prostate cancer progression among men in the intervention program compared with those who received only written information about diet and prostate cancer. The study may have been underpowered to identify a clinically important difference.

Eating out, ordering in or carrying out? Most Americans indulge in some form of restaurant eating. Consumers believe that cleanliness at these establishments is a key factor in determining where they satisfy their cravings.

Research carried out by the University of Kent has shown that diets are changing in complex ways worldwide. International food supply patterns are supporting healthier diets in parts of the world, but causing underweight and obesity elsewhere. They are also having important effects on environmental sustainability, with potentially worrying consequences.