Posts Tagged ‘protein’

Michigan State University researchers are suggesting that improper dieting may result in a weakened immune system that can increase your chances of getting hit hard by the flu. When looking at mice receiving adequate nutrition versus a lower calorie diet, those on the diet were not able to produce the amount of immune cells needed to fight an infection, despite consuming adequate quantities of vitamins and minerals. Although this was a mouse study, we probably didn’t need it to tell us why the results make sense on a human scale. Our bodies need energy in order to fight infections, and although vitamins and minerals are necessary, they do not provide the majority of energy we need to fuel our bodies – that role is reserved for carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This is why I always tell my patients to eat well and sleep well during flu season. Therefore, don’t believe the old saying telling you to “starve a fever.” It simply is not true.

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Milk allergy is the most common food allergy in children. And according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention food allergies in children have risen 18 percent in the last decade, with 3 million children in the United States having at least one food allergy. Having an allergy to milk can be difficult for children since milk products are extremely prevalent in the U.S. But scientists at Johns Hopkins and Duke universities are working on a solution. Their recent research suggest that daily exposure to milk powder can enhance the body’s tolerance to milk proteins. This technique, called oral immunotherapy, “gradually retrains the immune system to completely disregard or to better tolerate the allergens in milk that previously caused allergic reactions,” study senior investigator Dr. Robert Wood, director of Allergy and Immunology at Hopkins Children’s, said in a hospital news release. “Albeit preliminary and requiring further study, these results suggest that oral immunotherapy may be the closest thing yet to a true treatment for food allergy.”

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North Korean scientists announced the development of a new kind of noodle that delays the onset of hunger. Compared with traditional noodles made from wheat, corn or rice, the new ’super’ noodles are made from corn and soybeans and contain twice as much protein and fives times as much fat as ordinary noodles. It will be interesting to see if other countries adopt similar solutions in response to the challenge of food shortages. Just last month the UN warned that North Korea was experiencing their worst food shortages in a decade. Full story.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered a protein that senses energy usage in our cells. This protein, called SRT1, works in concert with a circadian rhythm protein called CLOCK to regulate our cells’ activities. When the balance between these proteins is disrupted, say by poor sleep or diet patterns, normal cell functions can become upset in the process. This discovery of a link between a protein involved in cell metabolism and one involved in circadian rhythms demonstrates how sleep disturbance can lead to metabolic problems such as obesity, diabetes, and even accelerated aging. Full Story.