Nutrient

A study from the University of Chicago reveals that trans-vaccenic acid (TVA) in meat and dairy products boosts the effectiveness of CD8+ T cells in combating cancer. Higher TVA levels correlate with better immunotherapy responses, highlighting its potential as a supplemental cancer treatment.Scientists at the University of Chicago discovered that trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), a fatty acid found in beef, lamb, and dairy products, improves the ability of immune cells to fight tumors.Trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), a long-chain…

New research has discovered that a fundamental nutrient found in cells is key to maintaining the body’s cancer-destroying immune response. The discovery may lead to more effective ways of treating the disease.The adaptive immune system, also called acquired immunity, uses specific antigens to mount a strategic immune response. Unlike the innate immune system, which attacks based on identifying general threats, adaptive immunity is activated by exposure to invaders such as cancer, and uses immunological memory to learn…

Obesity impairs the human brain's ability to detect fullness and feel satisfied after sugar and fat consumption. What's more, the changes may be permanent, explaining why dieting can be a vicious cycle of weight loss and gain.Researchers in the Netherlands and the US found that adults with medical obesity had different neurological responses to stomach infusions of dietary fat or sugar than lean adults.Scans revealed a reduced release in dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in creating feelings of 'reward' from food…

30cm long Paradoxides from St Davids in Wales. Held in the collections of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge. Credit: Sedgwick Museum Around 500 million years ago life in the oceans rapidly diversified. In the blink of an eye—at least in geological terms—life transformed from simple, soft-bodied creatures to complex multicellular organisms with shells and skeletons. …

Conceptual framework structuring the vulnerability assessment of estuarine systems to water quality change as a function of climate and land-use and land cover (LULC) projections. The overall estuarine system vulnerability is composed of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Indicators included in the framework focus on physical and non-physical factors. Credit: Earth's Future (2023). DOI: 10.1029/2022EF002884 A new…

Cancer-causing bacteria are types of microorganisms that can contribute to the development of cancer in humans. These bacteria can infect various parts of the body and produce toxins or other substances that can damage DNA or disrupt normal cellular processes, leading to the development of cancer.According to a new study from Yale University, a nutrient found in many common foods like mushrooms, beans, and grains may help a cancer-causing bacterium survive.The nutrient, called ergothioneine or EGT, is an antioxidant that…

Although plain unbuttered popcorn is a relatively healthy snack, it's still not one that most people would think of as being particularly nutritious. That could change, however, as a new variety reportedly offers nearly twice the normal levels of an important nutrient.Back in the 1990s, scientists introduced a gene variant called opaque-2 into a variety of non-popping corn known as dent corn. Doing so almost doubled the plant's production of lysine, which is an amino acid that's essential to human health. Levels of…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Oxygen-starved ocean "dead zones," where fish and animals cannot survive, have been expanding in the open ocean and coastal waters for several decades as a result of human agricultural and industrial activity. Trying to predict the scale and location of future dead zones, scientists have looked to the past for historical clues. …

According to a clinical trial involving 55 to 70-year-old women, adding this nutrient to the diet can strengthen the body’s antioxidant defenses and possibly lower the chance of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. However, more research is needed to confirm its effect. According to the study, the amino acid taurine could be employed in anti-aging therapies.Our cells produce potentially toxic by-products known as “free radicals” when they break down the oxygen we breathe and the food we…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Virtually all marine life—fish, turtles, sharks, whales and more—depend on the marine food web for survival. The foundation of this immense flow of energy, however, rests on the shoulders of the microscopic but mighty phytoplankton. …