The Science of Food

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food

The growing attention Americans are paying to what they put into their mouths has touched off a new scramble by the processed-food companies to address health concerns. Pressed by the Obama administration and consumers, Kraft, Nestlé, Pepsi, Campbell and General Mills, among others, have begun to trim the loads of salt, sugar and fat in many products. And with consumer advocates pushing for more government intervention, Coca-Cola made headlines in January by releasing ads that promoted its bottled water and low-calorie drinks as a way to counter obesity.[MORE]

It's Time to End the War on Salt

The zealous drive by politicians to limit our salt intake has little basis in science

By Melinda Wenner Moyer  | July 8, 2011 |Scientific American

For decades, policy makers have tried and failed to get Americans to eat less salt. In April 2010 the Institute of Medicine urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt that food manufacturers put into products; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already convinced 16 companies to do so voluntarily. But if the U.S. does conquer salt, what will we gain? Bland french fries, for sure. But a healthy nation? Not necessarily. [MORE]

The Salt Wars Rage On: A Chat with Nutrition Professor Marion Nestle. A researcher explains why there may never be a good study on whether excess dietary salt causes hypertension and heart disease

 

Iodized Table Salt May Be Low In Iodine, Raising Health Concerns

ScienceDaily (Feb. 8, 2008) — Amid concern that people in the United States are consuming inadequate amounts of iodine, scientists in Texas have found that 53 percent of iodized salt samples contained less than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended level of this key nutrient. Iodized table salt is the main source of iodine for most individuals, they note in a new study. [MORE]

Also read: Experts Urge Complete Global Access To Iodized Salt; Prevents IQ Loss And Brain Damage In Babies: HERE

Research shows some people don't taste salt like others

University Park, Pa. -- Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others, according to a newly published study by a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The research indicates that genetics influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat.

Those conclusions are important because recent, well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food have left many people struggling to accept fare that simply doesn't taste as good to them as it does to others, pointed out John Hayes, assistant professor of food science, who was lead investigator of the study.

Published in the latest edition of Physiology & Behavior, "Explaining variability in sodium intake through oral sensory phenotype, salt sensation and liking" was a collaboration between Hayes and University of Connecticut professor Valerie Duffy. The research involved 87 carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods such as broth, chips and pretzels, on multiple occasions, spread out over weeks. [MORE]

Listen to the NPR interview here.

Journal Reference:Hayes et al. Explaining variability in sodium intake through oral sensory phenotype, salt sensation and liking. Physiology & Behavior, 2010; 100 (4): 369 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.03.017

Mushrooms - A Good Source of Vitamin D

The Problem... Vitamin D Levels Are Too Low In Millions Of US Children, Latest Analysis Confirms.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2009) — Millions of children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 11 may suffer from suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a large nationally representative study published in the November issue of Pediatrics, accompanied by an editorial.[MORE]

A Solution... Light-zapped mushrooms filled with vitamin D - Bringing 'shrooms out of the dark packs them with sunshine nutrient 

Mushrooms may soon emerge from the dark as an unlikely but significant source of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin that helps keep bones strong and fights disease. Researchers found that a single serving of white button mushrooms will contain 869 percent the daily value of vitamin D once exposed to just five minutes of UV light after being harvested.[MORE]

Similar to the way that humans absorb sunlight and convert it to vitamin D, mushrooms contain a plant sterol–ergosterol–that converts to vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Check out the resources below for more information on vitamin D.

The American Mushroom Institute (AMI) has information on Vitamin D and the latest research on increasing the amount in mushrooms here. 

And here's the data from Penn State University...Post-harvest Vitamin D Enrichment of Fresh Mushroom.

Better BBQ through chemistry

WASHINGTON — As summer winds to a close, backyard grillers may be looking back on their last barbecue and asking some rather pointed questions: Why was the grilled chicken so dry? Does eating charred meat really cause cancer? Why did Uncle Fred pucker and cringe after each sip of beer? [MORE]

Organic Nutrient Quality

May 14, 2009

Current data from on and between farm comparisons conducted over several growing seasons suggest that there is no simple answer to the organic vs. conventional comparison. The effects of the cultivation system are often obscured by other environmental and genetic factors. However in all the research reported, the organic cultivation system performed as well as the conventional system. Thus, organic produce is not likely to be inferior to that produced by conventional methods [MORE].

J. Lynne Brown, Professor of Food Science, Penn State University 

More on nutritional aspects of organic food from the Institute of Food Technologists: Scientific Status Summary - Organic Food

Organic Food Not Nutritionally Better Than Conventionally-produced Food, Review Of Literature Shows. ScienceDaily (July 30, 2009) — There is no evidence that organically produced foods are nutritionally superior to conventionally produced foodstuffs, according to a study published July 29 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Trans Fat: When Zero Isn't Really Zero

NPR Morning Edition, March 26, 2009

Here's a question to challenge your nutrition literacy: How much trans fat is likely in a package of cookies that are labeled as having zero grams per serving?

"I would say zero!" said Joanna Robinson, of Washington, D.C., who was grocery shopping this week during her lunch break. "I'd trust the label."

But other shoppers were more skeptical. "More than zero," said Guy Powell.

How To Spot Trans Fat

The way to know if a packaged food contains trans fat is to scan the ingredient label for oils labeled as "partially hydrogenated."

Food manufacturers have relied on hydrogenated oils to add shelf life to products and also to make ingredients stick together better. The process of adding hydrogen molecules to vegetable oils makes them thicker [MORE]

Audio version [Listen Now]

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils and Trans Fatty Acids
Prepared by J. Lynne Brown, Penn State professor of food science.

Other Penn State Food Science Department health and wellness fact sheets.

Fish Health Claims May Cause More Environmental Harm Than Good, Researchers Say

ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2009) — The health benefits of fish consumption have been over-dramatized and have put increased pressure on wild fish, according to a new research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). In an innovative collaboration, medical scientists from St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto have teamed up with researchers from the University of British Columbia’s Fisheries Centre and author Farley Mowat to closely examine the effects of health claims with regard to seafood [MORE].

Eating Red Meat Sets Up Target For Disease-causing Bacteria, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 30, 2008) — Offering another reason why eating red meat could be bad for you, an international research team, including University of California, San Diego School of Medicine professor Ajit Varki, M.D., has uncovered the first example of a bacterium that causes food poisoning in humans when it targets a non-human molecule absorbed into the body through red meats such as lamb, pork and beef.[MORE]