A sunny outlook for vitamin D detection

15 September 2010

"US researchers have developed a nanotechnology-based test to detect the important vitamin D metabolite calcitriol, the deficiency of which is an indicator of kidney failure.

We all get vitamin D from our diet and from our exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D and its metabolites have an important role in our body's health as they regulate calcium and phosphate levels. Excesses and deficiencies have recently been linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer and kidney disease."

For "the rest of the story:"

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/cb/Volume/2010/10/VitaminD.asp

SEP 2010 reminder: Dr. Ray Kurzweil's prediction concerning food science and human nutrition

" ------ nanotechnology-based manufacturing devices in the 2020s will be capable of creating almost any physical product from inexpensive raw materials and information. ------ We have the ability to redesign the world in our minds and to put these ideas into action. ---- The Singularity will unfold through these three overlapping revolutions: G, N, AND R. ---- Many approaches are being developed for micro- and nanoscale machines to go into the body and bloodstream. Ultimately we will be able to determine the precise nutrients (including all the hundreds of phytochemicals) necessary for the optimal health of each individual. These will be freely and inexpensively available, so we won't need to bother with extracting nutrients from food at all. Nutrients will be introduced directly into the bloodstream by special metabolic nanobots, while sensors in our bloodstream and body, using wireless communication, will provide dynamic information on the nutrients needed at each point in time. This technology should be reasonably mature by the late 2020s."

Link to Singularity and Nutrition website

https://sites.google.com/site/singularityandnutrition/

Chocolate Farmers Could Benefit from Newly Sequenced Cacao Genome

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2010) — "A first draft of the cacao genome is complete, a consortium of academic, governmental, and industry scientists announced. ------ Despite being led and funded by a private company, Mars Inc., Cacao Genome Database scientists say one of their chief concerns has been making sure the Theobroma cacao genome data was published for all to see -- especially cacao farmers and breeders in West Africa, Asia and South America, who can use genetic information to improve their planting stocks and protect their often-fragile incomes."

Here is a link so you may read this very informative article. Another step forward in genome sequencing of agricultural crops and genome sequencing in general. The more they do, the more they learn how to do it.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100915113512.htm

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

This should have been posted earlier this month, but, to tell the truth, I didn't know about it until today. Here's what the American College of Sports Medicine has to say about the subject of childhood obesity.

"In the past four decades, obesity rates in the United States have soared among all age groups. This rise in obesity rates has affected our youth in alarming fashion. Childhood obesity has increased more than fourfold among those ages 6 to 11. Over 23 million children and teenagers in the United States ages 2 to 19 are obese or overweight, a statistic that health and medical experts consider an epidemic. On March 26, 2010, a resolution was unanimously passed in the Senate to designate September 2010 as 'National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month,' bringing national attention to a growing epidemic among youth in the United States."

"The primary contact for the National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month website is the American College of Sports Medicine.

The American College of Sports Medicine is just one of a growing community of organizations and supporters working together to help realize the goals of American Childhood Obesity Awareness Month."

Here is a link for the website that was created for the American College of Sports Medicine that gives a link to the presidential proclamation making September the special month and other information if you would like to take a look. What do you believe is the key to winning the battle against childhood obesity?

http://www.healthierkidsbrighterfutures.org/

Scientists see risks and benefits in nano foods

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent
LONDON | Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:02am EDT
(Reuters) - "In a taste of things to come, food scientists say they have cooked up a way of using nanotechnology to make low-fat or fat-free foods just as appetizing and satisfying as their full-fat fellows.

The implications could be significant in combating the spread of health problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease."

While this really good article is mostly positive concerning nanotechnology and food, it does present some concerns. I don't mind presenting both sides of the debate. I believe it is good for us to consider both sides. At the same time, I believe any and all problems will be worked out and "nanofood" will happen. There's just too much technology and too much determination and investment. Here's the link to the article.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68E24W20100915

Africa: Orange' maize could save eyesight of millions of African children

... recent study headed by Dr. Wendy White of the Iowa State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition discovered the new vitamin A source. ...

Monday, 13 September 2010

"Washington (USA) — 'Orange' maize, a variety of the common cereal crop, could improve the lives of millions of malnourished people by providing increased vitamin A in their diet, according to a new study released here this week."

A very important announcement!

http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/19864.html

Go Vegetarian with Grains!

"Are we eating our grains? According to some studies reported by the American Dietetic Association, we're not! One report from The Journal of ADA reports that Americans are consuming far fewer than the recommended 3 servings of a grain food per day. In fact, most of us are barely consuming 1 serving a day (But we're gaining weight anyway!)."

That's not the first paragraph from the article this time. It's the second paragraph. Here's a link so you may read the first paragraph and all the other paragraphs in this good article on what we need to do about eating the proper amount of grains (whole grains).

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Lifestyle_580/Go_Vegetarian_with_Grains.shtml

Nutrition discovery: black rice rivals blueberries as source of healthful ...

Natural News.com
... Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ...

Nutrition discovery: black rice rivals blueberries as source of healthful antioxidants

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

"In ancient China, nobles commandeered every grain of a variety of black rice known as 'Forbidden Rice' for themselves and forbade the common people from eating it. Now 21st century scientists have discovered that black rice truly is a treasure -- at least when it comes to nutrition. In fact, a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, plus the rice bran has less sugar, more fiber and an abundance of vitamin E."

Just the beginning, folks, of a wonderful article about black rice. I've eaten quite a bit of wild rice from Minnesota down through the years, and it's great. Now I can't wait to try some black rice. Here's a link for you.

http://www.naturalnews.com/029735_black_rice_antioxidants.html

A look at the fundamental concepts behind nanotechnology

by B. Leslie Baird

"What is nanotechnology? Nanotechnology is something very small and yet very large. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter, 10 to the minus 9. By size, a nano is difficult to even imagine but the technology that nanotechnology offers is huge."

This is the first paragraph. In this article Leslie goes to briefly explain the beginning of nanotechnology and things like quantum effects and nanoionics. It's a good, quick read. Here's the link.

http://www.helium.com/items/1939800-a-look-at-the-fundamental-concepts-behind-nanotechnology

Top 10 Genetically Engineered Crops

Use the forward and back buttons to view each "crop" individually.

http://news.discovery.com/tech/ten-genetically-modified-crops.html

2010 Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference

Back on 30 AUG 2010 I gave you the following information in a post on this blog.

From the newsroom at Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics at University of California, Davis:

"Dr. Raymond Rodriguez is an invited speaker at the 2010 Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (AIBC) in Saskatchewan, Canada on September 13, 2010. Dr. Rodriguez will speak in the Health Session and the title of his presentation is Diet-Gene Interaction as a Nutridynamical System: Nutritional Genomics at the Edge of Chaos."

The conference is scheduled for 12-15 SEP 2010 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and the link below will take you to the home page (ABOUT ABIC) of the conference website. From there you may visit other pages such as the PROGRAM/SPEAKERS page where you will find Dr. Rodriguez' name among the many other speakers. You are supposed to be able to click on any name and read an abstract and a biography for that speaker. Perhaps you know someone else who will speak at this conference. I will try to post information about the conference and some of the new research that will be reported there.

http://www.abic.ca/abic2010/

Apple Genome Finally Decoded

"A team of investigators led by Italian scientists recently managed to reach an impressive milestone in genetic sciences, when they created the first complete genome of the apple species Golden Delicious."

Wow! All these breakthroughs are coming fast and furious it seems. We are truly into the technological revolution. Here is a link for this article.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Genome-Finally-Decoded-154162.shtml

Scientists decode wheat genome

"Crop traits vital for future food production could soon be within the grasp of plant breeders after scientists unravelled the genetic sequence of the wheat plant."

Other grains were decoded before wheat. Find out why and more by using the link and reading this article. Decoding the wheat genome is a major accomplishment, and should lead to badly-needed advances in wheat breeding.

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2010/08/27/123037/Feeding-world-closer-as-boffins-crack-wheat-gene-code.htm

Microbial Breakthrough Impacts Health, Agriculture, Biofuels

Here are a couple of short paragraphs from Jennifer Shike's article (from the Univ. of Illinois) about the groundbreaking research at the Univ. of Illinois that led to an understanding of how microbes break down hemicellulose which has far-reaching implications. I was not able to get a link to work this time to go directly to the article, but if you use the link for Cattle Network below, you can find the article by clicking on the word, MORE, next to POPULAR NEWS, and then scrolling down to the article. I believe it is well worth a little extra effort.

"U of I researchers utilized DNA sequencing and transcriptomics (RNAseq approach) to determine all of the enzymes the organism, Prevotella bryantii, uses to deconstruct hemicellulose into simple sugars."

"Even though researchers used a bacterium from the cow stomach, their results apply to microbes in the human large intestine, too. Human health and nutrition researchers are interested in the similar strategies certain rumen bacteria and human intestinal bacteria use to capture energy from dietary fiber."

http://www.cattlenetwork.com

DuPont Gains on Monsanto as Farmers Question High-Tech Seeds

"Iowa farmer Tom Oswald says he used to prefer Monsanto Co.’s premium corn seeds because they 'yield like crazy.' That was before they became too expensive."

That is the opening paragraph in a great article about the competition between Monsanto and DuPont who supply most of the corn and soybean seeds to U.S. farmers. In the previous post Professor Datta speaks about the need for even more advancements in the genetic engineering of plants if there is to be a chance of feeding the world in 2050 when he believes there will be 10 billion people looking for food. This article gives some good insight into where these companies stand on engineering corn and soybeans, and their near-term strategies. Here is a link if you would like to read it.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-24/dupont-gains-on-too-big-for-britches-monsanto-as-farmers-switch-seeds.html

Scientist appeals for better food, nutrition

“World peace will not be built on empty stomachs. Given the fact that world population will increase to 10 billion in 2050 and increase of food will be only 1.7 times, the key to food and nutritional security is genetic engineering of plants which will enable them to produce more as well as raise the nutritional level,” Datta said.

This comment can be found in the middle of an article I received a couple of days ago. "Datta" is Padma Bhushan Asis Datta, Professor of Eminence, National Institute of Plant Genome Research, JNU in India. Here is a link so you may read the rest of the article.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100903/jsp/northeast/story_12887753.jsp

A guide to some basic terms used in genetics:

"Genetics is that branch of biology which deals with the study of inheritance of characters from parents to offspring. The patterns of this inheritance and the vast genetic variations that occur because of some steps involved in the inheritance are all dealt with in the science of genetics. There are some basic terms that need to be defined and understood before one can gain the knowledge of genetics efficiently. These basic terms include the following:

=> Genotype
=> Phenotype
=> Homozygous
=> Heterozygous
=> Alleles
=> Sex chromosomes and autosomes"

Here is a link for you to use to read their definitions of these terms.

http://www.helium.com/items/1928995-a-guide-to-the-basic-terms-used-in-genetics

Edible Nanostructures

September 2, 2010 | Research

EVANSTON, Ill. --- "Sugar, salt, alcohol and a little serendipity led a Northwestern University research team to discover a new class of nanostructures that could be used for gas storage and food and medical technologies. And the compounds are edible.

The porous crystals are the first known all-natural metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are simple to make. Most other MOFs are made from petroleum-based ingredients, but the Northwestern MOFs you can pop into your mouth and eat, and the researchers have.

'They taste kind of bitter, like a Saltine cracker, starchy and bland,' said Ronald A. Smaldone, a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern"

This is a very interesting article. Here is a link for you to use if you would like to read it. There's even a recipe so you can make your own edible MOF at home.

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2010/09/edible-nanostructures-stoddart.html

Nutritional Genomics: Manipulating Plant Micronutrients to Improve Human Health

Dean DellaPenna

"The nutritional health and well-being of humans are entirely dependent on plant foods either directly or indirectly when plants are consumed by animals. Plant foods provide almost all essential vitamins and minerals and a number of other health-promoting phytochemicals. Because micronutrient concentrations are often low in staple crops, research is under way to understand and manipulate synthesis of micronutrients in order to improve crop nutritional quality. Genome sequencing projects are providing novel approaches for identifying plant biosynthetic genes of nutritional importance. The term 'nutritional genomics' is used to describe work at the interface of plant biochemistry, genomics, and human nutrition."

Department of Biochemistry/MS200, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA