EAT WAlNUTS TO CONTROl HUNGER PANGS
A new study conducted by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston showed that eating walnuts can help curb hunger. The study was published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism. “We don’t often think about how what we eat impacts the activity in our brain,” Olivia M Farr, PhD, instructor in medicine at BIDMC, and a co-researcher of the study said. “We know people report feeling fuller after eating walnuts, but it was pretty surprising to see evidence of activity changing in the brain related to food cues, and by extension what people were eating and how hungry they feel,” she added. Participants were under scrutiny for two five-day sessions during the study. The nutritional intake of the volunteers was monitored during the course of the study. They consumed 48 grams of walnut every day — the amount prescribed by American Diabetes Association in their smoothies. They were then given a placebo drink that tasted the same but had not walnuts in them.
MUSSEl GlUE FOR SAFE FOETAl SURGERY
Scientists have successfully created a strong mussel based adhesive glue which can actually make the highly risky foetal surgery safer and more reliable in future. It is a very daring decision to do surgery on a foetus. The surgery involves infusion or entry into the completely soft and delicate amniotic sac resulting in increased health risks of the foetus. But recently, some researchers have developed a glue taking inspiration from the superior group of mussels on the slippery rocks, which could surely save the life of a foetus one day. The biggest risk is not mainly about the procedure but about the infusion of the foetal scope into the amniotic sac which is very delicate and fragile.
WHY BREAST MIlK IS CAllED lIQUID GOlD
Researchers from Vanderbilt University have found a new class of antibiotic hiding in plain sight: Human breast milk. It’s long been known that breastfeeding is a vital part of healthy development, with the milk providing a nutritious mix of proteins, fats and sugars. But it’s not just about sustenance; since their immature immune systems leave infants vulnerable to infection, breast milk also serves to share the mother’s immune function with her child. These antibacterial properties were mostly thought to come from the milk’s proteins, but the Vanderbilt team set out to investigate if sugars also played a part. “For most of the last century, biochemists have argued that proteins are most important and sugars are an afterthought,” says Steven Townsend, director of the new study. “Far less is known about the function of sugars and, I wanted to explore their role.”