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Archive for the ‘Nutrition and Health’ Category

Fresh Food Program Promotes Healthy Eating Habits Among Children

Posted in Food, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , on 06/09/2014|

Screen shot 2014-06-09 at 3.57.13 PMCommunities across the nation are fighting the increased incidence of childhood obesity and Type II diabetes. With funding from USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), a group in Illinois is promoting environmental sustainability and healthy eating habits in the youngest Americans.

Gary Cuneen founded the advocacy group Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) in 2001, located in Oak Park, Ill., to find local solutions to global environmental problems. The group offers a comprehensive “farm-to-school” program called Fresh from the Farm.

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Researchers Find Link Between Insects and Treatments for High Blood Pressure

Posted in Genetics, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , on 06/09/2014|

Screen shot 2014-06-09 at 3.54.41 PMResearch into the hormone that controls the growth of insects has led to a new approach to treating human disorders, including hypertension.

The juvenile hormone in insects controls the different stages of development. Scientists have developed insect growth regulators that mimic juvenile hormone as a form of biologically based insect control. With funding from USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service’s (CSREES) National Research Initiative (NRI) program, a team of scientists in California examined how juvenile hormones affect metamorphosis, which in turn led to the unexpected discovery of a new approach to treat high blood pressure and other disorders in humans.

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From Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals

Posted in Food, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , on 06/09/2014|

Screen shot 2014-06-09 at 3.51.49 PMImproving the nutritional value of school meals is a growing priority among school systems across the United States. In an effort to provide a solution for school administrators, the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) funded a coalition of school districts and farmers from four states to participate in a new program called “From Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals.”

Farm to school programs connect schools with local farms to improve the nutrition of school meals, provide agriculture and health education, and support local farmers. The “Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals” project has been a powerful catalyst to establish farm to school programs as a model to address the diet-related health issues of children while supporting small and medium-scale farmers. The program’s model allows schools to buy and feature farm fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, eggs, honey, meat and beans on their school lunch menus.

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Nanotechnology Improves Food Safety by Detecting Prions

Posted in Genetics, Nutrition and Health, tagged , , on 06/09/2014|

Mad cow disease is a fatal neurodegenerative condition in cattle that is related to the human form of a disease that has caused the deaths of nearly 200 people worldwide. Currently, testing for this disease in cattle is a lengthy process that only occasionally results in a correct diagnosis.

With funding from USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) National Research Initiative (NRI), scientists in New York created a new device that may provide a faster, easier, and more reliable way to test for mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

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