Researchers discover birds protect trees in neotropics by eating insects
...ound that birds were indirectly defending trees by consuming their herbivore pests," said Van Bael, who studied bird activity on 44 canopy branches of three tree species on 18 individual trees and 38 saplings (younger ones under the canopy). During the rainy season (May to December), the number of chewing arth...Age, race and gender influence kids and teens beverage choices
...al consumption pattern. Moreover, the reasons for consuming larger than average amounts of these beverages should be explored, especially among children and adolescents who are engaged in strenuous physical activity. "Careful monitoring of children's beverage intake is nevertheless warranted because caloric...Insulin study sheds light on physics of crystal growth
...proteins, such as insulin, is a difficult and time consuming process, and is the first step in determining the structure of important biological molecules, says Dr. Kurt Krause, a medical doctor and UH professor of biochemistry who studies infectious diseases. "We're looking for some of the same things in our...African Americans concern about the environment equal to or greater that of whites
...of African Americans versus 29 percent of whites), consuming less meat (15 percent of African Americans versus 8 percent of whites), and driving less (16 percent of African Americans versus 10 percent of whites). However, African Americans are less likely than whites to recycle (44 percent of African American...Kefir may bolster lactose tolerance in intolerant people
...ydrogen levels were also significantly lower after consuming the plain and flavored kefir than after drinking milk. Flatulence is the biggest complaint among lactose-intolerant people, Hertzler said, and breath hydrogen is indicative of excessive gas in the digestive tract. While it's known that lactose intole...Bacteria convert food processing waste to hydrogen
...nt any methane-producing bacteria from growing and consuming hydrogen. After only a day of fermentation in oxygen-free or anaerobic conditions, the hydrogen-producing bacteria fill the headspace in the fermentation flasks with biogas containing 60 percent hydrogen and 40 percent carbon dioxide. In the second...No detectable risk from mercury in seafood, study shows
... are no detectable adverse effects in a population consuming large quantities of a wide variety of ocean fish," says Myers, the senior author of the Seychelles study and an internationally recognized authority on mercury. "These are the same fish that end up on the dinner table in the United States and around ...Chemical in broccoli blocks growth of prostate cancer cells
.... "There are already plenty of health reasons for consuming more vegetables such as broccoli," said Le. "This study suggests that there are even more benefits to a diet rich in these phytochemicals when it comes to preventing prostate cancer." The study was also co-authored by Charlene Schaldach, a former PhD...Diet study focus of TAES research in effort to help save giant panda
...as rely on a steady diet of bamboo and lots of it, consuming about 100 pounds per day. The research focuses on captive and field research in an attempt to understand the nutritional ecology and foraging strategy of the species. Researchers will analyze a diet of bamboo as well as a supplemental diet. Tolleson...Green tea linked to skin cell rejuvenation
... process, the cells are very active, expending and consuming vast amounts of energy. Once they reach the surface of the skin, their metabolic activity slows dramatically and they prepare to die, while forming a water-proof, sheet-like structure. As they die off about a month into their life cycle, they are rep...Executive functioning in children prenatally exposed to alcohol
...A key finding of this study is the suggestion that consuming less than one alcoholic beverage per day during pregnancy has fairly specific effects on cognitive functioning in the offspring," said Canfield. "Alcohol-exposed children had more difficulty learning and performing a TI task that required them to fo...As Vitamin B-6 levels go down, numbers of DNA strand breaks go up
...ptable Vitamin B-6 status. After three months of consuming increasingly high levels of dietary and/or supplemental Vitamin B-6, the smokers eventually reached acceptable levels. But they never caught up with their non-smoking counterparts. Considering Vitamin B-6's role in DNA synthesis and repair, these r...Drinking concord grape juice may reduce blood pressure in hypertensive men
...oint to two previous clinical studies showing that consuming Concord grape juice improved arterial wall flexibility (demonstrated by increased flow-mediated vasodilation) as suggesting a possible mechanism of action for the reduced blood pressure. Recent research has also shown the ability of purple grape juic...A derivative of the green tea leaf may help with Metabolic Syndrome X, a potentially deadly disorder
...wed significant decreases of 11.9 percent in those consuming 25 mg/kg and 21.6 percent in those consuming 75 mg/kg, indicating decreased visceral depot fat. Changes in fasting plasma glucagon (Glca): Fasti...Study says: 'whey' to greater muscle strength is through training and protein supplements
...ey isolate and creatine compared to a group of men consuming an equivalent calorie-containing supplement. The fast-twitch muscle fibers are responsible for maximal force production and the hypertrophy (growth) response to resistance training. The most interesting finding from this research was that a highly s......who hadn't undergone the intervention program were consuming 35.7 percent of their calories in fat after one year. After two years, the figures were 25.4 percent and 36 percent, respectively. "One of the reasons the women in the intervention group were so successful at maintaining their low-fat eating habits...Gene variant discovery could save blood in surgery
...after cardiac surgery is a major clinical problem, consuming up to 20 percent of the nations blood supply. Despite some understanding of the risk factors that contribute to increased blood loss, there is still considerable patient-to-patient variability, said Dr. Brian S. Donahue, assistant professor of Anest...Alcohol researchers identify a genetic basis of pain response
...iduals and groups may be especially susceptible to consuming alcohol and to increasing their consumption in response to stress." Earlier reports by first author Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Research Institute and Department of Radiology, University of Michigan (Scie...Why we are what we eat: New links between our biology and food choices
... longevity increased--meant that early humans were consuming more fatty acids and cholesterol. The body's method for turning these substances into energy produces harmful free radical molecules, which can, over time, damage tissue through a process known as "oxidative' stress." Many plants provide antioxidant...Research sheds light on why protein-rich diets aid weight loss
...roup ate according to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, consuming approximately 0.36 grams of protein and 1.3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per day. Study group participants increased the amount of protein they ate daily to about 0.73 grams per pound of body weight and reduced their intake of carb...