Nutrition

Nutrition

Worst diet for the body and the environment

Consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods has fallen over the last 30 years

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Cover

Geography of flavors

In the last two decades, Brazil has created 88 geographical indications for products such as coffee, cheese, and wine

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Public policy

A paradox on the table

Food insecurity challenges faced by Brazil, one of the largest agricultural producers in the world

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Nutrition

Digit data

Isotopes in the fingernails reveal information about a person’s diet and can be used to infer their socioeconomic status

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Health

Low vitamin D levels

In Brazil, about 875,000 people aged over 50 are deficient in vitamin D

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Entomophagy

Edible insects

High in protein, crickets, mealworms, and ants are growing in popularity as an alternative food source, with Brazil taking its first steps into the market

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Zoology

What’s for dinner?

The cuttlefish eats less at lunch when its favorite dish is served for dinner

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Public health

Keep an eye on your waist

Waist circumference indicates risk of heart and metabolic diseases

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History

A feast for historians

New studies help to explain how changing eating habits shaped culture and the economy in São Paulo and Recife

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Physiology

The orphans of the Romanian dictatorship

Adults who were deprived of food and social contact in their early years have smaller brains, according to a study

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Food Engineering

Lab-grown beef

Research into meat made from plants or animal cells with the same taste, smell, and texture as traditional beef is advancing quickly

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Epidemiology

Fattening foods

New evidence links ultra-processed foods to weight gain

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Corporate research

Natural flavor

Duas Rodas, in southern Brazil, is investing to develop food ingredients that are responsive to emerging consumer demands

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Animal nutrition

A diet of chicken and corn

Studies find that the majority of dog food in Brazil is based on a less-than-ideal formula of these two ingredients

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Physiology

An enemy unknown

Brazilian researchers find that fasting causes growth hormone to activate neurons that induce hunger and undermine weight loss

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Nanotechnology

Sensor detects bacteria in food

Brazilian researchers have developed a biosensor capable of quickly identifying bacteria in food and drink

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Archaeogenetics

Tracking the ancestry of corn

DNA reveals a complex domestication history largely set in Mexico and the Amazon

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SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD 

From cassava to corn, from indigenous to caipira

Studies revisit the history of one of Brazil’s most important culinary traditions

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COVER

Options on the table

Agriculture 4.0 can help to reduce pesticide use on farms in Brazil

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COVER

Pesticides in the balance

Debate stirs over proposed regulations on pesticides—the mainstay of large-scale farming but a hazard to the environment and the health of rural communities

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Nutrition

Rice loses nutrients as CO2 increases

Rice could become less nutritious over the coming decades if the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to rise

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ARCHAEOLOGY

The age of milk

Hunter-fisher-gatherers who lived in the coastal regions of Santa Catarina State 3,000 years ago breastfed children until 2 years of age

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Public Health

New test for brucellosis

Cheese and milk produced without sanitary inspection can cause brucellosis

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Development

Mapping hunger and education in Africa

The researchers created detailed maps that also revealed large educational disparities between genders and locations in Africa

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ENVIRONMENT

Contamination beyond the mine

Areas of the Amazon flooded by dams can raise mercury levels in fish consumed by local residents

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COVER

Some effects of manufactured foods

Recent studies stir controversy over the risks of eating processed foods that are high in preservatives, salt, sugar, and fats

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Biology

Seabird feces plays a major role in global nutrient cycle

An international group of researchers analyzed the impact that seabird guano has on the nutrient cycle

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Physiology

Weight across generations

Among rats, the effects of excessive or insufficient feeding can be transmitted to children and grandchildren

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PHARMACY

An eclectic plant

Jambu is used not only in the kitchen but also in cosmetics, and could be used in dentistry and to kill ticks

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Nutrition

New Brazilian Food Composition Database

The online tool provides data on the chemical composition and energy value of 1,900 foods consumed by the Brazilian population

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