Many weight loss plans focus on striking a balance between caloric intake and energy output, but the timing of meals could be just as important, according to new research published in the April 2013 edition of the International Journal of Obesity from the US has shown that timing of meals. The study, undertaken by researchers from Boston healthcare centre the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in collaboration with the University of Murcia in Spain and Tufts University in Boston, found that people... ...Read more »

There has been a widespread rollout of products containing Stevia in recent times, with new products containing the natural sweetener increasing by 400 per cent globally between 2008 and 2012, and 158 per cent between 2011 and 2012, according to new research from global market research organisation Mintel. Europe is experience “phenomenal growth” and is now a key market driver for Stevia, according to Mintel. It accounted for a quarter of global new product launches containing Stevia in 2012,... ...Read more »

An Australian study which addresses the benefits of education about nutritional information in fast food is being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Liverpool on Monday 13th May. Professor Ian Caterson, of the Boden Institute of Obesity Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders at the University of Sydney, is presenting the paper to the ECO delegates. The study concludes that information in fast food outlets helps improve awareness of and reduce energy intake amongst consumers. According... ...Read more »

Global soft drink company Coca-Cola has said it will work to make its beverages lower-calorie, and make nutrition information more widely available on its products globally. The US-based Company already has diet drinks available in most markets around the world, but they are not always as readily available in emerging markets such as China. Coca-Cola said the goal is to have diet options available wherever regular versions are sold, and to have cans and bottles of its soft drinks display nutrition... ...Read more »

Drinking one 12 ounce (about 336ml) serving size of sugar-sweetened soft drink a day can be enough to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 22 per cent, a new UK study has found. The risk increases by 22 per cent with each extra soft drink consumed. The research, published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes), found that the increased risk of diabetes among sugar-sweetened soft drink consumers in Europe is similar to that found in a recent... ...Read more »

Eating leafy greens may be even more important than previously thought, with the discovery that an immune cell population essential for intestinal health could be controlled by the presence of leafy greens in the diet. Research undertaken by Australian scientists and published in March 2013 in the Nature Immunology journal found that leafy greens help the body produce digestive immune cells that play an important role in protecting the body from infection. The research team included Dr Gabrielle... ...Read more »

A new filter for the FoodSwitch mobile phone app, called GlutenSwitch, has been launched to help Australians with coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance make more informed choices. The new GlutenSwitch function provides instant information about whether a scanned product contains gluten – it also recommends gluten-free alternatives, listed by order of ‘healthiness’. It also shows consumer-friendly traffic lights for fat, saturated fat, sugars, salt and energy. The FoodSwitch app and the new... ...Read more »

Limiting the sale of soft drinks to small sizes could actually increase consumption, rather than decrease it, says a new US study published on 10 April 2013 open-access academic research site PLOS ONE. The researchers from the University of California found that participants in a behavioural test study consumed significantly more soft drink when they were able to buy it in bundles of two servings. The study’s authors, Brent M. Wilson, Stephanie Stolarz-Fantino and Edmund Fantino, said that the... ...Read more »

The nutrient L-carnitine, which is found in red meat and used as a dietary supplement, is associated with cardiovascular disease in people and causes cardiovascular disease in mice, according to a new study by US researchers. The results of the study, published today in the Advanced Online version of the journal ‘Nature Medicine’, point to L-carnitine, rather than saturated fat and cholesterol, as explaining the link between consumption of red meat and cardiovascular disease. The research suggests... ...Read more »

A scheme that offered a health insurance rebate that lowers the cost for healthier supermarket foods, such as fruit and vegetables and wholegrain foods, has been successful in improving the diets of shoppers. The scheme also appears to have reduced the consumption of nutritionally less-desirable foods. The findings by the global research organisation, RAND Corporation, which are based on a scheme developed in South Africa, demonstrates an alternative to tackling nutritionally-poor dietary patterns.... ...Read more »