Flickr/USDAgov

Tomato-basil soup

With tomato season just around the corner, a new study gives you permission to pig out on the ruby-colored fruit. Scientists have discovered that eating foods that contain traces of nicotine, such as tomatoes and peppers, helps lower the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, Science World News reports. (Previous studies have shown that smoking cigarettes and using tobacco in other forms lowers the risk of Parkinson's disease, but failed to discern whether it was nicotine or other components in tobacco that offer a protective effect.)

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Washington, was published in the Annals of Neurology.

More »

Flickr/qmnoic

Grocery shopping

Our nation's greatest scientific minds have recently determined that going grocery shopping on an empty stomach is a bad idea if you are on a diet. The findings, by two researchers at Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, have been published online in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Internal Medicine.

Sixty-eight study subjects (19-62 years old, 71% female) fasted for five hours before doing their grocery shopping in a simulated online store. The e-market displayed everything from low-calorie items such as fruits, vegetables and chicken breasts to high-calorie products such as candy, salty snacks and red meat. Junk food items were displayed alongside better-for-you alternatives.

More »

Kraft

Capri Sun comes in 14 flavors, not including Moldy

What's grosser than gross? When you open your Capri Sun and find five types of fungus in it!

A recent examination of the unexpected contents of the popular kids drink was spawned by reports of consumers finding mold -- we're talking mats of fungus consisting of millions of cells -- in the beverage, Yahoo News reports.

While absolutely disgusting, the fungi probably aren't harmful to most people, said study researcher Kathleen Dannelly, associate professor of microbiology at Indiana State University.

"Probably, those of us with healthy immune systems, we could even eat that, and that wouldn't be a problem," Dannelly said, referring to the fungal mats.

More »

Flickr/Lablascovegmenu

A hearts of palm salad

Do termites know something we don't? Bioengineers suggest that wood could be the answer to the world's hunger problems, ScienceNOW reports.

Cellulose, the main ingredient in wood, is one of the most abundant organic compounds on Earth. Scientists in Virginia have discovered a way to turn cellulose into starch, the most common carbohydrate in the human diet. Their findings are documented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and were published online Tuesday. As a bonus, the leftover from the process is ethanol, which can be used to power vehicles.

More »

Malcolm Bedell/From Away

Barbecue bacon burger, hold the superbugs

Nearly half of U.S. meat is contaminated with "superbugs"--antibiotic-resistant bacteria--according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of recently released government tests. Medical News Today reported the findings.

The "dirtiest" meat is ground turkey, 81 percent of which contained the dangerous microbes. In addition, 55 percent of ground beef and 39 percent of chicken parts were contaminated.

These germs are responsible for infections and food poisoning. Once the bacteria become antibiotic-resistant -- such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA -- infections are difficult to treat and potentially fatal.

More »

Flickr/nebulux76

An egg atop black rice in a Parmesan cup

Researchers have found unacceptably high levels of lead in rice imported into the U.S., particularly from China and Taiwan, BBC News reports.

Some samples exceeded the "provisional total tolerable intake" (PTTI) set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by a factor of 120.

More »

Flickr/khawkins04

burger patties

On Meatless Monday, here's another reason to make yourself a nice soyrizo burrito: A new study shows that red meat makes bacteria that can lead to heart disease proliferate in your gut.

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on April 7, showed that a substance in red meat called carnitine is broken down by certain bacteria in the stomach into a gas, which is converted in the liver to a chemical called TMAO. The scientists found that TMAO was strongly linked with the buildup of fatty deposits in blood vessels, which can lead to heart disease and death.

More »

Malcolm Bedell/From Away

A fried haddock sandwich

Eating fish could reduce your risk of dying by more than 25%, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington.

Scientists found that older adults with the highest levels of fatty acids found in fish lived 2.2 years longer on average than those with lower levels.

"Although eating fish has long been considered part of a healthy diet, few studies have assessed blood omega-3 levels and total deaths in older adults," lead author Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard, said in a press release. "Our findings support the importance of adequate blood omega-3 levels for cardiovascular health, and suggest that later in life these benefits could actually extend the years of remaining life."

More »

Flickr/Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar

Horsemeat was recently found in IKEA meatballs in Europe

Wondering what's really in those meatballs? German scientists have come up with a way to determine the precise quantities of plant, animal and microbial substances in foods using DNA analysis. The technique could prove beneficial for people with food allergies, to test for pathogens in foodborne-illness outbreaks, and to discover stuff that shouldn't be in there, such as horsemeat or melamine.

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz have adapted the latest techniques of DNA sequencing, which are otherwise employed in human genetics, and applied them to food products, according to a press release from the university.

More »

Taco Bell

The new Cool Rancho Doritos Locos Taco contains 370 milligrams of sodium

It's the ultimate salt vs. sugar smackdown! On Monday we reported that sugary drinks have been linked to 180,000 deaths worldwide annually. Now a new report presented at a conference yesterday says that eating too much salt kills 2.3 million people every year, CBS News reports.

Researchers looked at 247 surveys on salt intake that were part of the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases Study, which included data from 50 countries. To figure out the number of deaths tied to salt consumption, they analyzed that data along with findings from more than 100 medical trials that measured the role of sodium in increasing blood pressure and the risk for stroke and heart disease.

More »