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“From Thanksgiving on, you see a lot of cold symptoms,” Ford said. “We want to see if

Giving a probiotic will reduce the number of cold and flu days.”

There are four groups with separate start dates. The first group starts today.

Each participant will be randomly assigned to one of the four groups, three with different types of probiotics and one with placebo capsules, Ford said.

Participants complete questionnaires for the first week of the study and, upon starting to take the capsules, will provide further information each day. They will take the capsules for six weeks, she said.

The probiotics involved in this study are Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis R0033 and Bifidobacterium bifidum R0071. The placebo capsules contain no medicine.

Nutrition sophomore Jane Eur, 19, is volunteering to help the study run smoothly. Her tasks include handing out fliers and scheduling appointments.

Eur said she hopes to gain research experience through her involvement.

Source: The Independent Florida Alligator

by Academic

Wade Yang, an assistant professor in UF’s food science and human nutrition department, used pulsed ultraviolet light, or PUV, to reduce the allergenic potential of peanuts by up to 90 percent. The study was published this week by the journal Food and Bioprocess Technology.

By releasing pulsed, or concentrated, bursts of light containing multiple wavelengths, PUV changes peanut allergens so that human antibodies can’t recognize them and cause the release of histamines, which are responsible for allergy symptoms such as itching, rashes and wheezing.

“We believe the allergen can be controlled at the processing stage, before the product even goes to the shelf,” Yang said.

More than 3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, and reactions can range from skin rashes to death. Peanuts have been found to cause the majority of deaths in the U.S. from anaphylaxis, or severe allergic reaction. Allergic reactions can occur from eating peanuts or from even the slightest exposure in some individuals. Currently, the best way for those with the allergy to be safe is to completely avoid peanuts....

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by rhwells

“The method could be used in developing countries, and here in the U.S., to re-examine populations for adequate zinc status,” said Bob Cousins, an eminent scholar in nutritional biochemistry with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Cousins and a team of researchers made the discovery, and their research was published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Zinc deficiency is a worldwide problem, especially in developing countries where many have limited access to good sources of zinc, such as red meat, Cousins said. Signs of zinc deficiency are often skin rashes and infections.

“When children are supplemented with zinc, their quality of life dramatically increases,” he said. “Their stature increases, their ability to learn increases and they can better fight off infections that lead to things like diarrhea.”

Roger Sunde, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a longtime researcher of biomarkers for selenium, another important element for human health. He called the new study “exciting” and “cutting edge.”

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