The findings of a new Swedish study, published this week, suggest that a diet high in saturated fatty acids could have a better effect on blood sugar levels and blood lipids than previously thought. Results of the two-year dietary study, led by Hans Guldbrand, general practitioner, and Fredrik Nyström, professor of Internal Medicine at Linköping University are being published in the prestigious journal Diabetologia. In the study, 61 patients with Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes were put into two... ...Read more »

A new US study, published this week, has found that fetal exposure to the plastic additive bisphenol A, or BpA, alters mammary gland development in primates. The research appears in the latest Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. Hunt and Tufts University School of Medicine researchers Ana Soto and Carlos Sonnenschein co-designed the study with Catherine VandeVoort at the University of California. BpA is one of the world’s highest production volume chemicals. The global population... ...Read more »

Despite the confirmation of an isolated case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as ‘Mad Cows Disease’, in a dairy cow in California’s Central Valley last week, US beef producers are standing firm on US beef being amongst the safest in the world. The US Department of Agriculture said the cow was detected at a rendering facility and that it was never presented for slaughter for human consumption so it never presented a risk to human health or food supply. The United... ...Read more »

A new case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE),  commonly known as mad-cow disease, has been found in a dairy cow in California, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA). BSE, commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. In humans, it is known as new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD). By October 2009, it had killed 166 people in the United Kingdom, and 44 elsewhere... ...Read more »

The US Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) has proposed new guidelines for the use of nanotechnology by food manufacturers in the United States. Nanotechnology is an evolving technology that allows scientists to create, explore, and manipulate materials so small that they can not be seen with a regular microscope. The technology has a broad range of potential applications, including the packaging of food. Under the FDA’s new draft guidelines, US food manufacturers are encouraged to consult... ...Read more »

A new study from the University of Illinois, in the US, has found that obesity during pregnancy creates unhealthy conditions in the mother’s body that places the infant at risk for future health problems. The scientists behind the study claim the findings should come as a warning for obese women who are planning pregnancies. In the study, the placentas of obese rats fed a healthy diet throughout their pregnancies were compared with the placentas of obesity-resistant rats fed the same diet. The... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has announced its intention to acquire Australian brewing giant Foster’s Fijian brewing business. Making the announcement through a media statement, Coca-Cola Amatil said it will acquire 89.6 per cent shares in the Fiji brewing company for AU$58 million and also intends to make a proposal for the remaining 10.4 per cent of shares in the company. Foster’s Fijian brewing company owns and operates a brewery and distillery, producing and distributing various brands including... ...Read more »

Scientists from Cardiff in Wales have developed a device which can identify bacteria that causes food poisoning – using the chemical that lights up fireflies. The scientists at Cardiff University, in Wales, have called their invention the ‘Bioluminescent Assay in Real-Time’ (BART) system. According to the scientists, the system allows users to test rapidly and simply for food poisoning bacteria. The BART system detects specific DNA sequences by producing a light signal, using a version of the... ...Read more »

 A team of Australian scientists involving the University of Adelaide have bred salt tolerance into a variety of durum wheat that shows improved grain yield by 25 per cent on salty soils. As the problem of rising soil salinity, caused by overdrawn water tables and excessive development of fresh water resources increases around the world, this Australian breakthrough could prove a life-saver for many people. Using “non-GM” crop breeding techniques, scientists from CSIRO Plant Industry have... ...Read more »

US beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Inc. are adjusting the formula of their caramel colour following health concerns about the use of the additive 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI). Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are changing the way they make the caramel colouring as a result of a new California law that requires drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens to display a cancer warning label. The companies said that the changes have already been made for drinks sold in California but the manufacturing... ...Read more »