Medicine & Healthcare Nutrition

Diet and homocysteine may influence fatigue and motivation

A large-scale study of more than 31,000 patients found pneumonia occurred more often after breathing tubes were removed than during ventilation. Researchers say the condition, tied to swallowing dysfunction, should be recognized as a distinct clinical entity—one that may be preventable with early intervention.

Matcha surprise, Smart sea urchin spines, Breaking biomass bonds, Hybrid air-conditioning, Alga in gloom & A touch of tech. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Early Bird submissions for Asia Research News 2027

Carbohydrates affect weight gain and metabolic energy

The famed Japanese green tea powder may suppress nerve activity associated with sneezing in hay fever, according to a study in mice.

Glutamine transporter inhibition has been found to suppress cell growth

Stress-responsive gene pushes pancreatic insulin-producing cells toward dysfunction, fueling diabetes

Suppression of de novo fatty acid synthesis with ethyl p-methoxycinnamate found to inhibit tumor cell growth

A set of digital interventions can spur consumers to pick healthier options and reduce their intake of calories and nutrients that should be consumed sparingly when implemented in online grocery stores. Public health bodies and retailers could leverage these tools to improve diet quality and reduce rising rates of non-communicable diseases

Early administration of AHCC at the stage of hepatitis might hold possibility of preventing onset of cirrhosis

Development of a low-cost, easy-to-use tool for assessing the lack of essential nutrients

Sorghum possesses unique lipid profiles and bioactive compounds that support health and meet the demand for health-promoting food products.

Ecklonia cava, a brown algae seaweed, is shown to have the ability to protect against neurodegeneration

A randomised trial conducted by health economists at Duke-NUS Medical School found that a bit of peer influence can nudge us to select healthier groceries.

Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have verified the anticancer effects of Kencur, a tropical plant of the ginger family, mainly grown in Southeast Asia, in cell and animal experiments. They found that Kencur extract and its main active components significantly inhibit cancer cell growth at the cellular and animal levels. Furthermore, the involvement of TFAM in the mechanism of action was confirmed.

Osaka Metropolitan University scientists tested the antiobesity effects of Mallotus furetianus extract native to Hainan Island, China, using obesity model mice. As a result, body weight and adipose tissue weight of obesity model mice were significantly reduced by the intake of Mallotus furetianus extract. Fatty liver was suppressed and adipocyte size reduction in adipose tissue was observed. Further investigation into the mechanism revealed that fat synthesis is inhibited by suppressing the expression of several transcription factors involved in differentiation into adipocytes.

A joint research group at Osaka Metropolitan University conducted a survey on prevalence of obesity and factors associated with low obesity among 423 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19 living in Harare, Zimbabwe. The results revealed that 15.8% were obese or overweight. The study also revealed that 27.1% of the participants had low obesity awareness, which was significantly related to parents/guardians' lack of formal education and insufficient knowledge about eating habits.

Eating fermented foods might be the secret to a healthy and long-lived society

A research group at the Osaka Metropolitan University analyzed the relationship between diet, muscle mass, and liver fibrosis progression in 136 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease attending the Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital. The research group found that the group with the highest Japanese diet score had less advanced liver fibrosis, and that the intake of soy products, seafood, and seaweed was important.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers interviewed active para-athletes with lower-limb disabilities who compete at an international level, about diet and nutrition. The research team found that what para-athletes considered an ideal diet was not necessarily optimized for improving athletic performance, and even when para-athletes understood diets geared towards athletic performance, characteristics of their disabilities impose barriers to implementing dietary changes. Understanding these concerns and struggles is important for nutritionists who support para-athletes in sports nutrition.

It is commonly believed that patients with chronic kidney disease should limit their protein intake given that excessive protein worsens kidney function. However, a new study by Osaka Metropolitan University scientists indicates that changes in skeletal muscle mass are positively correlated with protein intake, suggesting the necessity of adequate protein intake to improve muscle mass after kidney transplantation.

Fresh vegetables in vinegar, similar to pickles, are a perfect side dish, commonly served with Japanese cooking. One traditional side dish called sunomono, a cool cucumber or seaweed salad, provided a unique opportunity as a source of dietary vinegar. This new observational study from Osaka Metropolitan University noted that men over 40 who eat sunomono at least once a month were significantly more likely to be in lower blood pressure categories.

Scientists at Osaka Metropolitan University utilized a Japan-developed, objective, and simple nutritional indicator called the Nutrition Risk Index (NRI) to unveil a long-suspected yet unverified relationship between sarcopenia and malnutrition in end-stage kidney disease patients. Their findings confirmed that malnutrition contributes to sarcopenia, which can be detected through NRI.

In line with globally recommended practices to reduce the dietary risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the Sri Lankan government implemented a traffic-light labelling (TLL) system for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in August 2016. The purpose of the regulations was to educate the public on the sugar content in SSBs to promote healthy diets in Sri Lanka and reduce NCDs associated with a high sugar intake. It is timely to assess the effectiveness of TLL in encouraging healthier food choices. Based on an ongoing IPS study, this blog discusses consumers’ knowledge of TLL and how it impacts their SSB choices.

By searching for the protein transglutaminase 1 (TGM1) among patients with various autoimmune skin diseases, researchers have successfully identified a separate disease that can be linked to autoimmunity against TGM1. This backward method demonstrates a new way of identifying autoantigens as markers for various diseases. By letting autoantigens point to the disease, diagnosis and treatment can be facilitated, according to the study now published in PNAS.

Researchers have revealed in an animal model that ImmuBalance, a fermented soybean product, is effective in suppressing airway inflammation caused by asthma. Results showed a decreased presence of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, a decrease in mucus production in the bronchial epithelium, and a suppression of proteins that induce eosinophilic inflammation.

Researchers conducted an online survey on nutrition, dietary behavior, and body image with 32 national and international level para-athletes with physical disabilities such as spinal cord injury or limb defect/amputation. Results showed that about 40% need assistance in procuring and cooking food and that it is difficult to achieve their ideal diet on their own. Also, although para-athletes with a good body image rated their eating habits as healthy, they had a low percentage of correct answers to questions about nutrition.

Researchers from Osaka City University find that when the larva nematode C. elegans is fed a diet of Bacillus subtilis var. natto, a bacteria used to ferment soy beans into the traditional Japanese food natto, upon reaching adulthood these worms are able to survive infections from the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis longer than when fed a standard diet of non-pathogenic E. coli.

Osaka City University finds that the chemical sesaminol, naturally occurring in sesame seeds, protects against Parkinson’s disease by preventing neuronal damage that decreases the production of dopamine. In vitro experiments show sesaminol handle oxidative stress in cells by regulating the production of reactive oxygen species and the movement of antioxidants. In vivo experiments reveal that a diet of sesaminol increases production of dopamine and significantly improve motor functions in mice.

Researchers at The University of Tokyo develop a method of culturing meat in the laboratory in the form of millimeter-scale contractile beef muscle that closely simulates steak meat