In safe environments the bumblebees subsequently chose to feed from flowers at random but in dangerous environments the bees specifically flew to flowers that were occupied by other bees.
Bumblebees face similar danger when foraging for food. Avoiding being eaten can be tricky as predators are disguised often or undetectable.
According to a recent study by Kansas State university published in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal insects carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria from one point to another including from food animal farms and wastewater treatment
Zurek and his colleagues collected house flies and cockroaches from food animal production locations including swine
Then we started sampling insects found in surrounding urban areas including fast food restaurants and again we found house flies with multi-drug resistant bacteria.
They are attracted to our food and drinks. They have great potential to move multi-drug resistant bacteria to urban areas.
and can be left behind on food by fly regurgitation or spitting and defecation. Background on antibiotic resistanceantibiotics since their discovery 70 years ago have saved millions of lives Zurek said.
and food animal production facilities Zurek said. Antibiotics in food animal production are used not only to treat infections in animals
but also in helping animals grow. Antibiotics in low doses are added as feed additives primarily in poultry
and swine diets he said. The outcome is that the animals grow faster. At the same time if you use low doses of antibiotics extensively that poses selective pressure on bacteria in the digestive tract of these animals and results in antibiotic resistance.
Humans experiencing more problems with antibiotic resistance could be due to many potential reasons Zurek said including overuse of antibiotics in human medicine and human connection to antibiotic use in food animals.
Making strides on the issueto help eliminate the potential connection to food animal production the U s. Food
The plan is to phase out antibiotics as a feed additive for growth promotion in United states in the next three years.
All EU countries banned antibiotic use as growth promoters in food animals. Lowering the use of antibiotics in animal industry will be another step to lower prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment
#How Brazilian cattle ranching policies can reduce deforestationthere is a higher cost to steaks and hamburgers than
what is reflected on the price tags at grocery stores and restaurants. Producing food--and beef in particular--is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions
which are projected to grow as rising incomes in emerging economies lead to greater demands for meat.
But an encouraging new study by researchers at the University of California Berkeley and international collaborators finds that policies to support sustainable cattle ranching practices in Brazil could put a big dent in the beef and food industry's greenhouse
gas impact. The new study to be published Monday April 28 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that by subsidizing more productive use of pastureland
and amending the soil to unlock more nutrients. The authors noted that better land management could double productivity of pasturelands compared to conventional practices thereby reducing the pressure to cut down more trees.
Local changes global impactover the past several decades Brazil has risen to become the largest beef exporter in the world.
when it comes to the production of beef. While the growth of cattle ranching has been blamed for 75 to 80 percent of Brazil's deforested areas particularly in the Amazon rainforest the study authors emphasize that many factors beyond beef production cause deforestation.
These include mining logging and the production of other agricultural crops. The researchers point out that roughly 200 million acres of cattle pastureland could be used more efficiently either for higher yield cattle ranching
whether policies affecting beef production will impact deforestation. We're the first to look at Brazil's national policies in an international context by asking what would happen
Exploring options and tradeoffsbecause beef is such a greenhouse-gas intensive food the researchers looked for unintended impacts such as lowering beef prices to the point where people want to consume more
or raising beef prices to the point where beef production is increased elsewhere. We did find that there was some increase in beef consumption with the policies
but one of the big takeaways from this study is that the effect is overshadowed by other gains in reducing deforestation
The researchers analyzed DNA samples detailed nutrition information body mass index and other health indicators in 142 African american children age 5-9. None of the study participants were diabetic
The USDA recommends children age 4-8 get 1000 milligrams of calcium per day the equivalent of about 3. 5 8-ounce glasses of milk or 4. 5 ounces of cheese.
In addition to dairy products other calcium-rich foods include tofu sardines salmon and some green vegetables. The study underscores the work of previous researchers who have shown that many African american children do not get the recommended levels of calcium in their diet.
Twenty percent of participating children consumed no milk in their diet whatsoever and 55 percent consumed less than one serving of milk per day.
Only one-quarter of the children met the USDA standard said Tosi. Co-investigator Joseph Devaney Ph d. said the study could help lead to a more personalized approach to diabetes prevention.
What got us interested in this is the whole question of how the environment--including a person's diet--influences gene expression said Tosi.
As consumer interest in the health benefits of colorful foods increases small growers are capitalizing on novelty fruit and vegetable crops such as different-colored raspberries.
color firmness decay and juice leakage rates ethylene evolution and respiration. In comparing the four commonly grown colors of raspberry we drew several important conclusions they said.
The mechanisms controlling decay and juice leakage are mediated distinct and by both biotic and abiotic factors.
Similar to black raspberries their ability to resist juice leakage was poor and cool weather tended to exacerbate this the authors said.
#Increasing sugar concentration in tomato juice found by researchersto increase the sugar concentration and resulting marketability of tomato juice growers have used traditionally techniques such as subjecting plants to salt and water stresses.
In a new study published in Horttechnology Ken Takahata and Hiroyuki Miura from Tokyo University of Agriculture reported on a prototypic method known as basal wire coiling that shows potential as a simple and effective method for increasing the sugar concentration in tomato fruit juice.
We investigated whether coiling wire around the lower part of the plant stems to reduce the capacity of xylem to transport water to the shoot would result in low shoot moisture conditions
and increase the sugar concentration of fruit like salt and water stresses the authors said They noted that basal wire coiling is less complex than other treatments such as subjecting tomato plants to salt or water stress
which can require special equipment and techniques. Takahata and Miura's study involved coiling bonsai wire around the stems of tomato seedlings between the cotyledon node and the first leaf node.
The juice of fruit from the first to third trusses in the treated plants had soluble solids concentrations of 116%to 120%sucrose concentrations of 263%to 483
%and fructose and glucose concentrations of 135%to 155%compared with juice from corresponding control fruit.
The results suggested that the decrease in moisture content minor decrease in photosynthate production activated sugar translocation
and reduced competition for photosynthates resulting from the basal wire coiling technique could increase sugar concentrations in tomato fruit juice.
and time for coiling plants with wire the optimum width of the wire coil optimal methods for nutrient
and animals and is found in many foods--on weed control efficacy crop injury and squash yields of yellow squash.
Long-held beliefs that physical forces rather than disrupted food webs are killing the marshes just aren't true Bertness said.
which have been shown to improve nutrient and water acquisition. The authors of a new study say that until now little research has been conducted on water requirements for sweet cherry.
Neilsen and colleagues Denise Neilsen Frank Kappel and T. Forge from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre conducted research to determine the response
of two sweet cherry cultivars to a variety of nutrient and water management strategies (Hortscience February 2014.
'and'Skeena'cultivars on the dwarfing rootstock Gisela 6 at the Pacific Agri-Food Research center in Summerland.
and hinders their ability to feed new research has shown. Biologists at Newcastle University UK have been exploring the potential of harmless plant volatiles as an alternative to pesticides in greenhouses.
Like other insect pests whitefly feed by pushing their long mouthpiece--or stylets--into the leaf until it reaches the plant's main source of nutrients travelling through the phloem.
Water protection efforts will have to adapt to increased run off erosion and nutrition loads. This will result in new challenges particularly in agricultural water protection.
Food shortages expectedthe estimated future crop yields will not be feed enough to the world in 2015. The climate has changed already and affected crop yields.
Crop yields and food production per capita have improved generally over the last 40 years due to the development of farming culture and technology
and earnings from it will decrease due to the insufficient availability of drinking and irrigation water and the decreasing productivity of farming.
#School nutrition, wellness program improves eating habits, lowers BMICAN we fight childhood obesity by telling kids to eat more not less?
Researchers behind a new comprehensive school nutrition and wellness program say you get further by offering kids a carrot--literally in this case--by giving them reasons to be excited about fruits
what they should avoid such as sugar-sweetened beverages. In a randomized control study the researchers found 4th-graders who participated in the nutrition program ate substantially more fruits
and vegetables and lowered their body mass index (BMI) during the school year that the program was implemented.
The percentage of 4th-graders who were overweight or obese dropped from 56 percent to 38 percent over the course of the year.
At its core is a curriculum that integrates classroom nutrition activities with physical activity and gardening.
It also includes cooking demonstrations and recipes health-related activities for school events family newsletters and guidance for school lunchrooms to encourage healthy eating for example by creating a salad bar.
Four elementary schools in two California school districts participated in the study. In each district one school received the Shaping Healthy Choices Program over the course of the 2012-2013 school year
while the other school did not. The researchers assessed several outcomes including students'BMI reported dietary intake and knowledge about nutrition at the start and end of the school year.
Although the analyses are still underway preliminary results from one district show participating children dropped their BMI percentile by nearly 9 points from an average of the 77th percentile to an average of the 68th percentile.
Students at the school that did not receive the Shaping Healthy Choices Program showed no change in BMI vegetable intake or nutrition knowledge.
When we designed the study we anticipated short-term outcomes like kids having more knowledge of nutrition
or creating a salad bar require a small amount of start-up funding. There's room for a program like this at all schools said Scherr.
Most children do not meet current dietary guidelines for eating fruits and vegetables. Rachel Scherr will present the findings during the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting on Sunday April 27.
Although cirrhosis of the liver is associated most commonly with alcohol or drug abuse the condition--marked by scar tissue replacing healthy liver tissue--also can result from viral hepatitis obesity and diabetes as well as certain inherited diseases.
According to the National institutes of health cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death by disease in the U s as with many other human pathologic conditions end-stage liver disease goes hand in hand with oxidative stress
Then under stress from reactive oxygen molecules or when you eat antioxidants from certain plants like broccoli sprouts it prevents Keap1 from eating up Nrf2 allowing it to accumulate in the cell explained Zhang who is also a member of the UA BIO5 Institute.
During liver cirrhosis Nrf2 should be induced by oxidative stress but for reasons unclear until this study this does not happen.
Somehow the protective mechanism mediated by Nrf2 is compromised by another factor other than Keap1 in liver cirrhosis. Adding to the mystery is the fact that drugs aimed at inhibiting Keap1 from chewing up Nrf2 have proven ineffective in a cirrhotic liver.
When Zhang and her colleagues studied tissue samples from a human cirrhotic liver they discovered the reason behind the inexplicably low Nrf2 levels in the face of rampant oxidative stress.
As liver cirrhosis progresses excessive inflammation triggers the garbage-mediated stress response and Hrd1 becomes very abundant
The study Hrd1 suppresses Nrf2-mediated cellular protection during liver cirrhosis is published in the April 1 issue of the journal Genes and Development.
Why what we eat mattersa new report quantifies for the first time how much our food choices affect pollutant nitrogen emissions climate change and land-use across Europe.
The executive summary of the European Nitrogen Assessment Special report on Nitrogen and Food'Nitrogen on the Table'was released today (Friday 25 april 2014.
if Europe were to decrease its consumption of meat and dairy products. It shows how much cutting down on meat
and dairy in our diets would reduce nitrogen air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while freeing up large areas of farmland for other purposes such as food export or bioenergy.
It also considers the health benefits of reduced meat consumption. The full report is published next month.
Report lead author Henk Westhoek program manager for Agriculture and Food at PBL (The netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency) said The report shows that the nitrogen footprint of meat
and dairy is considerably higher than that from plant-based products. If all people within the EU would halve their meat
and dairy consumption this would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 25 to 40%and nitrogen emissions by 40%.
%The EU could become a major exporter of food products instead of a major importer of for example soy beans.
The work has been conducted by the'Task force on Reactive Nitrogen'of the United nations Economic commission for europe (UNECE. In 2011 the Task force produced the first'European Nitrogen Assessment'(ENA)
and soil pollution greenhouse gas emissions simultaneously reducing threats to human health biodiversity and food security.
and Hydrology said Human's use of nitrogen is a major societal challenge that links environment food security and human health.
One of the major barriers to action is the international trade in food commodities. The result is that countries fear that tackling nitrogen pollution will reduce their international competitiveness.
The present study shows that there is huge power for pollution control in simply reducing our meat and dairy consumption.
and researcher at the Air pollution Unit of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies Energy and Sustainable Economic Development has been involved in a number of food pilot projects in Italian schools.
She said The school food pilot projects in Italy have shown added value environmental benefits and health benefits associated with'smart food'.
'This is a new concept in Italian schools where children are informed about health principle of nutrition
but it still misses the connection with environmental co-benefits of the healthy choice. Increasing the awareness of dietary choice in children is the starting point for cleaning the environment.
#Soy-dairy protein blend increases muscle mass, study showsa new study published online in the Journal of Applied Physiology shows additional benefits of consuming a blend of soy
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch found that using a protein blend of soy casein
The study was conducted by researchers from UTMB in collaboration with Dupont Nutrition and Health. This study sheds new light on how unique combinations of proteins as opposed to single protein sources are important for muscle recovery following exercise
and help extend amino acid availability further promoting muscle growth said Blake B. Rasmussen chairman of UTMB's Department of Nutrition and Metabolism and lead researcher of the study.
This new research using state-of-the-art methodology builds on an earlier publication reporting that a soy-dairy blend extends muscle protein synthesis
Together these studies indicate that the use of soy-dairy blends can be an effective strategy for active individuals seeking products to support muscle health.
Because of the increased demand for high-quality protein this study provides critical insight for the food industry as a whole
and the sports nutrition market in particular said Greg Paul global marketing director for Dupont Nutrition and Health.
The protein beverages provided to study subjects consisted of a soy-dairy blend 25 percent isolated Dupont Danisco SUPRO soy protein 50 percent caseinate 25 percent whey protein isolate)
The study demonstrates that consuming a soy-dairy blend leads to a steady rise in amino acids the building blocks of muscle.
The data showed that the soy-dairy blend yields an increase in select amino acid delivery for about an hour longer than the use of whey protein alone.
#Small-scale, urban allotments yield food, healthy soil, study findssoils under Britain's allotments are significantly healthier than intensively farmed soils researchers have found.
This is the first study to show that by growing at small-scale in urban areas it is possible to produce food sustainably without damaging the soil.
One of the greatest challenges facing the growing human population is meeting rising demand for food without undermining the soils on
which food production--and other services such as carbon storage flood mitigation and locking up pollutants--depends.
Intensive farming often results in significant declines in soil organic carbon stocks as well as reducing the ability of soils to store water and nutrients and damaging soil structure which can lead to soil erosion.
Allotment holders are able to produce good food yields without sacrificing soil quality because they use sustainable management techniques.
For example 95%of allotment holders compost their allotment waste so they recycle nutrients and carbon back to their soil more effectively.
An estimated 800 million city dwellers across the world participate in urban food production which makes a vital contribution to food security.
Our results suggest that in order to protect our soils planning and policy making should promote urban own-growing rather than further intensification of conventional agriculture as a more sustainable way of meeting increasing food demand she says.
There are around 330000 allotment plots in the UK covering more than 8000 hectares and demand is growing with more than 90000 people currently on allotment waiting lists in the UK.
when 10%of the UK's food came from less than 1%of its cultivated land thanks to the expansion of own growing under the Dig for Victory campaign.
As well as protecting soils and boosting food security own growing offers other health benefits says Edmondson: Using urban land including domestic gardens allotments
and often overlooked way of increasing productivity whilst also reconnecting urban dwellers with food production.
As well as improving food security studies show that own-growing has direct physical and mental health benefits and can provide access to sustainably produced fruit and vegetable crops without the associated food miles.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by British Ecological Society (BES. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
As global demand for beef and animal feed increased in the early 2000s annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged to more than 20000 km2 per year--prompting global outrage
leave the candy: The food environment of youth baseballâ#Take me out to the ballgameâ##doesnâ##t exactly conjure up images of apple slices and kale chips.
The more likely culprits include French fries soda and the occasional box of Crackerjacks. Unfortunately for children who play youth baseball eating unhealthy food during practices and games may be contributing to weight problems according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical center.
The study published in the current online edition of Childhood Obesity found that high-calorie snacks
and sugar-sweetened drinks dominate the youth baseball scene. â#oethough youth sports are an excellent way to promote physical activity social interaction
and positive health behaviors the food environments are characterized often by less healthy food options with high calorie contents
and lower nutrient densityâ#said Joseph Skelton M d. associate professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest Baptist and senior author of the study.
In this observational study the research team conducted an environmental scan of foods consumed by players and family members during 12 games at a youth baseball field in northwest North carolina.
The researchers found that most snacks were high-calorie food items including French fries candy and cookies and most beverages were sugar-sweetened.
Nearly 90 percent of food and beverage items purchased were from the concession stand. â#oeteam sports like baseball are still very important for childrenâ##s activity
and developmentâ#said Megan Irby M. S co-author and research program manager of Brenner FIT a multidisciplinary pediatric obesity program at Wake Forest Baptist. â#oebut as seen in this study games
or obese as a result of chronic unhealthy food behaviors associated with sports participation Skelton said. Contrary to the intent of youth sports these findings indicate that children may be leaving the ball field having consumed more calories than they expended. â#oedespite the benefits of participating in sports the increased exposure to unhealthy foods
and disruption of meal times may increase childrenâ##s risk for poor nutritional habits that can contribute to weight management issuesâ#Skelton said.
A limitation of the study was the ability to accurately document all foods consumed at the ballpark without being intrusive.
The worldwide need for anti-counterfeiting labels for food is substantial. In a joint operation in December 2013 and January 2014 Interpol and Europol confiscated more than 1200 tonnes of counterfeit or substandard food and almost 430000 litres of counterfeit beverages.
The illegal trade is run by organised criminal groups that generate millions in profits say the authorities.
The confiscated goods also included more than 131000 litres of oil and vinegar. A forgery-proof label should
Nevertheless Grass sees the greatest potential for the use of invisible labels in the food industry.
Silica particles are present in ketchup and orange juice among other products and iron oxide is permitted as a food additive E172.
To promote acceptance natural genetic material could be used in place of synthetic DNA; for instance from exotic tomatoes or pineapples of which there are a great variety--but also from any other fruit or vegetable that is a part of our diet.
Of course the new technology must yield benefits that far outweigh any risks says Grass. He concedes that as the inventor of the method he might not be entirely impartial.
But I need to know where food comes from and how pure it is. In the case of adulterated goods there is no way of knowing
#Late freeze kills fruit buds, study showsthe recent late cold snap could mean less fruit this year.
or even some sort of small fruit bush that was in flower it very likely could have killed the fruit buds said Ward Upham Kansas State university extension agent in horticulture.
Upham says the recent freezes may have killed fruit buds that already sprouted. Apricots and peaches are most likely to be affected since they bloom earlier than other fruits.
To check if your fruit buds survived pick a bud from the tree and cut it open from the base to the top.
If the inside is green the bud is still healthy. However if the inside is brown
Upham suggests pulling 10 to 20 buds off each tree to get a percentage of the amount of fruit damaged.
Fruit buds are damaged usually when it is 28 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Apricots and peaches aren't the only fruits to be affected by this year's unruly weather.
which gives off a rotten egg smell. Even a 1 percent trace of sulfur turns oil into what's known as sour crude
#Combination of alcohol, tobacco increases risk of esophageal cancerthe rate of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) nearly doubles in those who both smoke
and drink compared to those who only smoke or drink according to new research published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Although multiple studies have identified risk factors for the development of ESCC notably exposure to alcohol
and tobacco this research is the first meta-analysis to look at the interaction between alcohol
Our study suggests that not only do alcohol and tobacco play an important role in the development of esophageal cancer the combination of their use markedly increases their potency as carcinogens.
or cohort studies of ESCC that assessed the effects of tobaccos and/or alcohol. A synergy factor was calculated from each study to estimate the interaction on a multiplicative scale between tobacco
and alcohol on the outcome of ESCC Our systematic review confirmed the expected exposure-dependent relationship of both alcohol
and tobacco with the risk of ESCC as alcohol use and tobacco use were both independent risk factors for the development of ESCC stated Dr. Prabhu.
where food is grown. Thousands of antibiotic resistance (AR) genes have already been identified but the vast majority of them don't pose a problem
when these genes appear in the types of pathogenic bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses
and food on the table and then ending up in the clinic--to find out
Alternatively benign bacteria in manure might transfer resistance genes to pathogens at any point along the path--in manure soil food or humans.
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