New meta-analysis from China “provides substantial evidence” that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation, especially DHA, can play a positive role in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Most Japanese women are not getting enough calcium and vitamin D, increasing the risks of osteoporotic fractures and other diseases, states a new review.
There is insufficient evidence of a link between fruit and vegetable consumption and a reduction in the number of overall cancer cases, according to a pooled analysis of large-scale cohort studies from Japan.
A study found that red seaweed (k.alvarezii) helps in slowing down the growth rate of mammary tumours in rats, which researchers says displays the algae’s potential as a natural aid in cancer treatment.
The traditional use of some mushroom species in Asia to boost cognitive function, along with papers purportedly showing their brain health benefits, mean they are worthy of scientific investigation to see if they can help people with Alzheimer's...
The vitamin D status of more than 2,000 Korean women had no impact on the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, or on the level of pain and quality of life when rheumatoid arthritis occurred.
Elderly people with low vitamin A levels may be more at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and lower brain functioning, says a new study that also finds even marginal vitamin A deficiency at birth can influence long-term risks.
The functional food and nutraceutical opportunities offered by agricultural waste products in developing countries are not being fully exploited, meaning vital nutrients that could be of immense health and economic benefit are going to waste.
Pregnant women should take more micronutrients aside from iron and folic acid to boost the long-term cognitive development of their children, according to a major follow-up study from Indonesia.
A new study reveals vitamin D3 encapsulated in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) could survive in the harsh gastrointestinal environment long enough to deliver this important nutrient to its intended targets.
Omija fruit ethanol extract may be helpful to fight obesity and related metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidaemia, and insulin resistance, according to the results of a new study on mice fed a high-fat diet.
A number of nutraceuticals have clinical merit and the therapeutic potential to help boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), but more stringent and credible research is sorely needed, researchers say.
Rice bran cereals can be fortified with Assam tea extract (ATE) to boost its antioxidant properties without sacrificing taste and texture, states a new study.
In a perfect world you would get all the omega-3s you need by eating fish, but less than 10% of Australian adults consume the required level of fish regularly, writes Gerald Quigley.
Doctors show low willingness to recommend omega-3s to their patients because the training they received lacked any attention to nutrition and lifestyle.
While long treasured for its medicinal properties in Asia, a new Taiwanese review has drawn attention to four species of the fungi Cordyceps, highlighting the mushrooms’ potential as a functional food targeting metabolic, liver, sexual, and bone/joint...
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been found to have a higher deficiency of essential fatty acids despite consuming similar amounts of omega-3 as those without the condition, research from Taiwan suggests.
Ready-to-eat therapeutic foods designed to boost the nutritional status of people with HIV in Thailand should contain clear health claims, be manufactured in a soft, or liquid form, and be easy to carry, a study conducted by the World Food Programme has...
Modulation of gut microbiota through personalised diet or probiotic intervention will increasingly become a key focus for treating brain disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease, Chinese academics have concluded in a new review.
Bitter orange extract (Citrus aurantium) has been found to help protect the liver against injury caused by bile duct obstructions or defects due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities.
Duckweed has long been consumed as an inexpensive protein and source of omega-3 in three South East Asia countries, but now researchers are questioning if it has the potential to be adopted by south Asian and even Western consumers too.
Chicoric acid (CA), a nutraceutical component from the chicory plant, could slow down memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, a study revealed.
Wild banana (M. acuminata), which has long been used in traditional medicine in South East Asia, is worthy of further investigation to assess its functional food and nutraceutical development on a larger scale, a new academic review suggests.
Further evidence has been published showing how fortified fish sauce is being used in Cambodia to help tackle thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency and the associated disease beriberi in babies.
By-products from cauliflower could be recycled and turned into functional foods to help combat diabetes and hypertension, a new study from China suggests.
Adding Tiliacora triandra gum, from the indigenous Thai vegetable ‘Yanang’, to maltodextrin could create an excellent protector of probiotics, researchers have revealed.
Treatment with green tea extract (GTE) has been found to reduce hepatic inflammation in mice with the fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
A 300mg daily coenzyme Q10 supplement significantly increased antioxidant capacity and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation levels post-surgery for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) – the most common type of liver can
Obtaining dried citrus peel (chenpi) from mandarins or tangerines grown in Sichuan or Xinhui in China can provide potentially superior benefits in nutraceuticals and functional foods compared to conventional sources, a new study has found.
Scientists in Japan have identified a sugar molecule that reduced the inflammatory response and progress of emphysema, a common component of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Like its more popular New Zealand version, Australian Manuka honey has also been found to contain powerful antibacterial properties, leading to hopes it could tap into the lucrative medicinal honey market.
An analysis of more than 100 locally-manufactured premixed infant cereals from low and middle income countries, including Indonesia, China and Nepal, has revealed widespread variation in nutritional content, sparking concerns they could contribute to...
Researchers have demonstrated a significant association between a seafood and noodle-based dietary pattern and the reduced likelihood of gestational diabetes.
“We are building it while we’re flying it,” says William Harris, the distinguished American omega-3 researcher, of a mapping project to find out the true level of omega-3s in Australians’ blood, at a time when three-quarters of the population are believed...
Scientists in Japan have decode the genome of Chinese liquorice – a key ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine – raising hopes that it can be grown sustainably in the country for nutraceutical and medicinal use.
Underwater shockwave pre-treatment improves the antioxidant functionality of yuzu fruit juice, confirming its potential for use in a wide-range of food applications and leading to the possible establishment “of a new field of industrial technology,” a...
Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of autism in children by the age of six, Australian researchers have found, who argue low cost supplementation for at-risk mothers is merited.
Probiotics consumption may have advantageous effects on mental health by lessening the psychological symptoms of perceived stress, depression and anxiety, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis.
From the liver benefits of fermented tea, to the anti-fatigue attributes of astaxanthin, these are the top five research stories that have gained the most traction with readers in 2016.
An increased risk of high blood glucose levels and diabetes is not only greater for people who were born at a time of famine, but it is also then passed down to their children, research into China’s 1959-1961 food crisis has discovered.
A recently developed “Singapore equation” is the most accurate basal metabolic rate (BMR) equation to predict energy requirements for Chinese adults, a new study has found.
There is an urgent need for more research on infant nutrition that is centred on South East Asia, with the vast majority of published studies focusing on the western world, a new paper states.
Researchers have identified a new mechanism for how oats reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood stream, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease.
A greater emphasis should be placed on enhancing the bioavailability of key nutrients in foods by focusing on synergies to help fight under nutrition, say researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research.
A combination of low-frequency exercise and high-dose vitamin D supplementation could help reduce risk of falls in the elderly by more than 70%, a new trial suggests.
