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Food allergies have been increasing dramatically across the developed world for more than 30 years. For instance, as many as 8% of children in the U.S. now experience potentially lethal immune system responses to such foods as milk, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. But scientists have struggled to explain why that is. A prevailing theory has been that food allergies arise because of an absence of natural pathogens such as parasites in the modern environment, which in turn makes the part of the immune system that evolved to deal with such natural threats hypersensitive to certain foods.
In a paper published Jan. 14 in the journal
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IMAGE: Two wild arctic ground squirrels touch noses in the northern Brooks Range during summer. view more
Credit: Photo by Rhiannan William
By feeding arctic ground squirrels special diets, researchers have found that omega-3 fatty acids, common in flax seed and fish oil, help keep the animals warmer in deep hibernation.
A University of Alaska Fairbanks-led study fed ground squirrels either a diet high in omega-3s or a normal laboratory diet, and measured how the animals hibernated afterward. Researchers found that the omega-3 diet helped the animals hibernate a little warmer than normal without negatively affecting hibernation. The omega-3 diets also increased the amount of a heat-producing fat, called brown adipose tissue, the animals pack on.
The intestines and their bacteria are sometimes called our second brain , but studying these bacteria in their natural environment is difficult. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a method that uses artificial intelligence to map intestinal bacteria using faeces. The researchers thus hope to gain more knowledge of the role played by these bacteria in various diseases.
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IMAGE: Baylor College of Medicine Neuroscientist and Geneticist Benjamin Arenkiel, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2021 Edith and Peter O Donnell Award in Medicine from TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering. view more
Credit: TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas)
HOUSTON - Baylor College of Medicine Neuroscientist and Geneticist Benjamin Arenkiel, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2021 Edith and Peter O Donnell Award in Medicine from TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas). He was chosen for his breakthrough identification of the brain s neural pathways that are connected to eating disorders, addiction and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
KU Leuven researchers have identified the biological mechanism that explains why some people experience abdominal pain when they eat certain foods. The finding paves the way for more efficient treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other food intolerances. The study, carried out in mice and humans, was published in Nature.