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SummaryIndia witnessing huge demand for protein-loaded products Boom driven by high protein deficiency, not gym fad Consumer firms rush in, launch products with extensive marketing India has world's most vegetarians; poorly ranked on meat intake MUMBAI/CHENNAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - At McDonald's outlets in South India, a 30-cent burger topping has been selling out fast. It's not extra cheese or a fancy salsa dip, but a vegetarian protein slice developed with Indian government food scientists -- the brand's first such offering globally. McDonald's has joined India's biggest dairy Amul, a slew of startups and a company backed by Bollywood superstar...

A 60-year-old man was hospitalized with severe psychiatric symptoms — plus some physical ones too, including intense thirst and coordination issues — after asking ChatGPT for tips on how to improve his diet. What he thought was a healthy swap ended in a toxic reaction so severe that doctors put him on an involuntary psychiatric hold. After reading about the adverse health effects of table salt — which has the chemical name sodium chloride — the unidentified man consulted ChatGPT and was told that it could be swapped with sodium bromide. Sodium bromide looks similar to table salt, but it’s...

Diets rich in phosphate additives, commonly found in processed foods, can increase blood pressure by triggering a brain signaling pathway and overactivating the sympathetic nervous system that regulates cardiovascular function, researchers discovered. Their findings could lead to treatment strategies for patients with hypertension caused by overconsumption of foods containing high levels of phosphates. "This research uncovers a previously unrecognized brain-mediated mechanism by which high dietary phosphate intake promotes hypertension and sympathetic overactivation, highlighting central fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling as a novel therapeutic target," said Han Kyul Kim, Ph.D. Inorganic phosphate is often used as a preservative or flavor enhancer...

Despite medical advances, infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses are still among the most common causes of death worldwide. What role could fructose play in such diseases? A research group has now been able to prove for the first time that monocytes, important immune cells in the blood, react more strongly to bacterial toxins after fructose consumption—but not in a positive way. Specifically, the concentration of receptors for certain bacterial toxins increases, making the body more susceptible to inflammation. In two independent randomized studies with healthy adults, the researchers investigated how the consumption of fructose-sweetened beverages affects the immune...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is tapping Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as his nominee for surgeon general after withdrawing his initial pick for the influential health post.Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that Means has “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials” – referring to the “ Make America Healthy Again ” slogan – and that she will work to eradicate chronic disease and improve the health and well-being of Americans.“Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding,” Trump said. “Dr. Casey Means...

Survival benefit was tied to plant-based oils, including affordable alternatives to olive oilA large-scale longevity study suggested that more butter is bad, more plant oils are good -- and substituting plant-based oils for butter translated into better survival over several decades. After 33 years of follow-up, deaths were disproportionately more likely among people in the highest quartile versus the lowest quartile of butter consumption (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.08-1.22). The opposite was true for the relationship between mortality and plant-based oil consumption as the latter appeared more protective (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.79-0.90), even when olive oil was excluded from...

There are few treatment decisions more difficult for families and loved ones to make than those surrounding the use of artificial nutrition and hydration in the seriously or terminally ill person:“Should nutrition be given intravenously if my wife’s gut isn’t working right?”“Should intravenous fluids be given to my father when he stops drinking and becomes dehydrated?”“Should a feeding tube be placed if my mother can’t swallow without choking?”Family members agonize over these questions, especially if they are not given clear explanations about the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of various available treatments, and what kind of burdens, side effects and...

A pioneering study has uncovered the vital role that gut microbiota plays in regulating stress responses by interacting with the body's circadian rhythms. The findings open the door for developing new microbial-based therapies that could help individuals better manage stress related mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression which are often associated with alterations in circadian and sleep cycles. This breakthrough research offers compelling evidence that the trillions of microorganisms in the gut orchestrate the body's hormonal responses to stress in a time-dependent manner, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches targeting the gut-brain axis. This study shines a...

These easy dinners will help keep you full and satisfied throughout the night, thanks to their protein-rich nutritious ingredients. With at least 15 grams of protein per serving, these recipes will help you reap the benefits of the nutrient, including promoting muscle growth and supporting the immune system. Recipes like our High-Protein Taco Skillet Pasta and Chicken-Potpie Twice-Baked Potatoes can be made in three steps or less, so you can make a delicious meal with ease.

A study from Tufts University found that daily consumption of pistachios can enhance eye health by increasing macular pigment optical density (MPOD), which helps protect against blue light and age-related eye damage. This benefit is attributed to pistachios’ unique content of lutein, a plant pigment essential for eye health and potentially useful in preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Daily pistachios boost eye health by raising lutein, protecting against age-related damage, and supporting brain function. A recent study by researchers at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy suggests that eating pistachios daily may greatly benefit eye health. This...

Patients improved their insulin responses after being taken off medications and adjusting lifestyle. Type 2 diabetes patients who went on a low-carbohydrate diet saw their insulin production double, potentially eliminating their need for medication, according to a new study published Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells become less effective. Insulin is needed to regulate blood sugar levels, and when there is not enough being produced, blood sugar levels rise, causing various diseases linked to Type 2 diabetes. No conventional drug for Type 2 diabetes has been shown to...

New research showing the association between greater bean and pulse consumption and improved shortfall nutrient intakes and a higher diet quality in American adults is published. Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. Pulses grow in pods and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and include beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018, the analyses modeled the addition of one and two servings of beans in adults. Results show that greater consumption of beans is associated with significant increases in several shortfall nutrients, including...

I asked ChatGPT: If a person has little money, please list a low-cost meal plan for one day that would maximize nutrition and minimize cost. This is the answer that it gave: Creating a low-cost meal plan that maximizes nutrition involves choosing affordable, nutrient-dense foods. Here’s a sample meal plan that aims to balance cost, nutrition, and simplicity: Breakfast: Oatmeal with Fruit and Seeds Oats: Cooked with water or a small amount of milk (or a plant-based alternative). Oats are inexpensive and provide fiber, protein, and various vitamins and minerals. Flax Seeds: Add a tablespoon of ground flax seeds to...

From the vantage of the American supermarket aisle, the modern food system looks like a kind of miracle. Everything has been carefully cultivated for taste and convenience — even those foods billed as organic or heirloom — and produce regarded as exotic luxuries just a few generations ago now seems more like staples, available on demand: avocados, mangoes, out-of-season blueberries imported from Uruguay.But the supermarket is also increasingly a diorama of the fragility of a system — disrupted in recent years by the pandemic, conflict and, increasingly, climate change. What comes next? Almost certainly, more disruptions and more hazards, enough...

— Reports are promising, but rigorous trials are needed, experts sayThe ketogenic diet has long been known for its use in treatment-resistant epilepsy, but attention is now turning to its potential benefits in mental illness as well. Could something as simple as a diet actually improve notoriously difficult-to-treat conditions including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia? The evidence to date has been less rigorous than gold-standard randomized controlled trials. But new studies are underway, and more clinicians are keen to explore reports of patientsopens in a new tab or window whose psychiatric conditions improved when they adhered to a...

The foods we eat can go a long way in boosting our moods. Here are our favorite snacks for happiness, according to science. Achieving happiness is top of mind for many people, and we'll try just about anything to get it. Whether it's therapy, exercise or meditation, we all want to bring more peace and joy into our lives. When we think about what makes us happy, our diet isn't usually at the top of the list (unless your favorite fast-food joint brings joy to mind). The foods we eat actually play a major role in how we feel. Studies...

Understanding diabetes today requires holding two conflicting realities in your head simultaneously. First, diabetes therapy has been revolutionized by a world of new drugs that have become available since the turn of the century—most notably, drugs of the same class as Wegovy and Ozempic that began their existence as diabetes medications and are now hailed as wonder drugs for treating obesity. These drugs do the best job yet of controlling blood sugar and, of course, body weight, which is critical for those Type 2 diabetes, the common form of the disease that constitutes over 90 percent of cases and is...

New Harvard research has found that not all trendy low-carb diets are equal when it comes to maintaining weight — some may even make you gain a few pounds. People who consume low-carb diets that emphasize plant-based proteins and healthy fats have a better chance of keeping excess weight gain at bay than those who eat low-carb diets comprised mostly of meat and unhealthy fats, according to results of a decades-long study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. “Our study goes beyond the simple question of, ‘To carb or not to carb?’ ” lead study author Binkai Liu, a research...

Are you in the dark about your vitamin D levels? Experts are shedding light on whether or not you might be lacking an important vitamin when the days get shorter. Vitamin D is important for multiple bodily functions and is most responsible for helping the body absorb calcium, essential for strong and healthy bones, according to the National Institutes of Health. It also plays an important role in the immune system and the health of the body’s muscles and nerves. The ways in which people get vitamin is from food, the sun, or supplements, according to Yale Medicine. However, 35%...

The way to fix our diet is simple—but it won’t be easy. Over the course of the 20th century, a great transformation took place in the eating habits of the Western world. The foods mostly eaten by our great-great- and great-grandparents, and all of our ancestors before them back to the first Homo sapiens, were displaced by new foodstuffs produced in factories using new technologies and new ingredients. Although this process began here in the West, in Britain and America particularly, nowhere on the planet, not even the tribal reservations of the darkest Amazon, has escaped these changes. Refined wheat...