Omega-3 fatty acids, from fish like salmon and other sources, have for years been shown to help lower levels of heart disease and cardiac death.
New research suggests the fatty acids may possess an even more fundamental benefit: Heart patients with high omega-3 intake had relatively longer “telomeres,” which are stretches of DNA whose length correlates with longevity.
Cardiologists from the University of California, San Francisco, and other hospitals measured telomere length over five years in 608 patients who had coronary-artery blockage and previous heart attacks. Researchers found that people with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their white blood cells experienced significantly less shortening of telomeres over five years, as compared with patients with lower omega-3 levels.
“What we’re demonstrating is a potentially new link between omega-3 fatty acids and the aging process,” said Ramin Farzaneh-Far, a clinical cardiologist and assistant medical professor at UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital who is the lead author of the research.
Published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, the study focused only on “marine” omega-3 found in fish, not the type found in vegetable sources like flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil or soybean oil.
The study didn’t distinguish between meals of fatty fish and fish-oil supplements—leaving open the question of whether it’s better for people to eat more fish, to eat plants such as flaxseed or just to take omega-3 supplements.
The American Heart Association, in a 2002 scientific statement in the journal Circulation, concluded that consuming omega-3 fatty acids in fish or supplements “significantly reduces subsequent cardiac and all-cause mortality.” The fish most often cited are salmon, herring and sardines.
John LaPuma, a Santa Barbara, Calif., physician and nutrition expert, says, “The best data are in fish rather than supplements, but the data for supplements are better than they were five years ago.”
There is “very little good evidence for the omega-3s from flax and walnuts,” said Dr. LaPuma, author of “ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine.” But these foods have other benefits, he said. For instance, “flax meal, by itself, is an important part of lowering LDL,” or bad cholesterol, Dr. LaPuma said.
Researchers in the new study said they observed “baseline levels of marine omega-3 fatty acids were associated with decelerated telomere attrition over 5 years.”
Additionally, Dr. Farzaneh-Far said, “in multiple studies, short telomere length [in white blood cells] has been shown to predict death and cardiovascular events and heart failure.” He cautioned that “it’s an open question as to whether telomere length is causal or just a marker” of cell death. But he referred to telomere shortening as “a key part of cellular aging.”
“To definitively address the question of whether omega-3 fatty acids inhibit cellular aging, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial would be necessary,” the authors wrote. Dr. Farzaneh-Far suggested that such research should be done in healthy adults because the evidence already is powerful on behalf of advantages of these fatty acids in heart patients.
High school students analyzing food products found in their own kitchens discovered that one-sixth had been mislabeled, according to a DNA study released Monday.
Out of 66 foods tested by Trinity School seniors Brenda Tan and Matthew Cost, 11 had labels listing ingredients that had been replaced, usually with cheaper or less desirable options.
The pair found that a specialty “sheep’s milk” cheese was actually made with cow’s milk, and caviar labeled as “sturgeon” was actually Mississippi paddlefish. Similarly, “venison” dog treats turned out to be made from beef, and a delicacy labeled “dried shark” was actually an inexpensive freshwater fish from Africa, Nile perch.
The results suggest the foods may be deliberately mislabeled for financial gain, the students said, although they did not release the exact products or retailers involved.
The “DNAHouse” study comes a year after another pair of Trinity students found that one-fourth of fish samples they collected around New York were incorrectly labeled as higher-priced fish.
In this year’s study, the students — aided by experts at the Rockefeller University and the American Museum of Natural History — tracked the genetic material from 151 DNA samples taken from their everyday surroundings. The samples were from 95 species, including a Jumbo flying squid and an Oriental latrine fly.
After gathering the samples, the students sent them off to the museum for DNA barcoding analysis. The museum reported back with a sequence taken from a standard “barcode” region of the DNA. The students pasted the sequence into an online search engine to find out what species the DNA came from.
Consumption of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate may protect DNA from oxidative damage, preventing artery hardening and heart disease, says a new study.
Writing in the British Journal of Nutrition, Italian researcher report that consumption of dark chocolate containing 860 milligrams of polyphenols, and 58 milligrams of epicatechin, led to a 20 per cent reduction in DNA damage two hours after consumption.
The study adds to an ever growing body of science supporting the cardiovascular benefits of polyphenol-rich chocolate.
Led by Angela Spadafranca from the University of Milan and using chocolate supplied by Ferraro, the researchers assigned 20 healthy subjects with an average age of 24.2 to consume a balanced diet for four weeks. After two weeks the group was split in two, with one group receiving additional dark chocolate, while the other receiving white chocolate.
Measurements taken at regular intervals after consumption showed that the benefits were observed relatively quickly, with increases in blood levels of catechin observed two hours after consumption of the dark chocolate, with coincidental decreases in DNA damage in mononuclear blood cells.
However, the effects were not observed 22 hours after consumption, leading the researchers to speculate that this was related to the kinetics of the flavonoids.
“Similar epicatechin plasma levels at two hours following consumption of cark chocolate on the first and last occasions are not associated with a long-term increase in epicatechin plasma concentrations, and suggest that flavonoid plasma levels are dependent upon intake from recent food sources,” wrote the researchers.
“The present results are clinically encouraging especially in the field of the diet therapy of obesity, pathology related to greater incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer,” they wrote.
“In fact, dark chocolate, habitually excluded by hypoenergetic diets for its high-fat and energy content, is a sweet food that should be reconsidered: if included in controlled amounts, in a weight loss programme it could have healthy effects, and could improve the compliance of patients to diet therapy,” added Spadafranca and her co-workers.
A tasty market
Chocolate is big business. Market researcher, Euromonitor, puts the market at $100bn and notes the rise of dark and premium chocolate that is boosting the category but remains at little more than a few per cent with the bulk of the growth coming from North America and Asia.
Euromonitor estimates the global market for functional chocolate at $371.9m in 2009, growing to $460.3m in 2012. In 2002 it was worth only $141.5m.
In 2009 the bulk of sales are coming from the Asia Pacific at $175m, followed by North America at $93.8m and western Europe at $95.9m.
But North America is expected to overtake next year and will be worth $128.2m in 2012, compared to near-stagnant western Europe at $103.2m. The Asia Pacific will be worth $221.2m by then.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, First View article, doi: 10.1017/S0007114509992698 “Effect of dark chocolate on plasma epicatechin levels DNA resistance to oxidative stress and total antioxidant activity in healthy subjects”
Authors: A. Spadafranca, C. Martinez Conesa, S. Sirini and G. Testolin
Results from a recent study suggest interactions among zinc deficiency, DNA integrity, oxidative stress and DNA repair and suggested a role for zinc in maintaining DNA integrity (J Nutr. 2009;139(9):1626-31). Sprague-Dawley rats were fed zinc-adequate (ZA; 30 mg Zn/kg) or severely zinc-deficient (ZD; less than 1 mg Zn/kg) diets or were pair-fed zinc-adequate diet to match the mean feed intake of ZD rats for three weeks. After zinc depletion, rats were repleted with a ZA diet for 10 days. In addition, zinc-adequate (MZA 30 mg Zn/kg) or marginally zinc-deficient (MZD; 6 mg Zn/kg) diets were given to different groups of rats for six weeks. Severe zinc depletion caused more DNA damage in peripheral blood cells than in the ZA group and this was normalized by zinc repletion. Researchers also detected impairments in DNA repair, such as compromised p53 DNA binding and differential activation of the base excision repair proteins 8-oxoguanine glycosylase and poly ADP ribose polymerase. MZD rats also had more DNA damage and higher plasma F(2)-isoprostane concentrations than MZA rats and had impairments in DNA repair functions. However, plasma antioxidant concentrations and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were not affected by zinc depletion.
Study: Genes may detemine if you’re a fitness fanatic or a couch potato.
Christie AschwandenSpecial to Tribune Newspapers
September 29, 2009
For decades, fitness gurus have admonished sofa spuds to adopt a can-do attitude toward exercise, as if the only thing keeping them from the gym or walking path was the right attitude.
Yet a growing body of evidence suggests that it’s not merely motivation but also genetics that separate slouches from fitness fanatics, and at least some of these genes appear to act on the brain’s pleasure and reward center.
Though the science doesn’t imply that people disinclined to exercise can’t get moving, it helps explain why some people find it more difficult than others to “just do it.”
“We all know people who can’t sit still and we all know people who can’t get off the couch,” says J. Timothy Lightfoot, an exercise physiologist at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
Studies of twins suggest that some of the differences between these types of people come down to genetics. A 2006 Swedish investigation looked at leisure-time physical activity in 5,334 identical and 8,028 fraternal twins. The findings revealed that the exercise habits of identical twins were twice as closely matched as those of fraternal twins.
Fraternal twins share half their genes on average, whereas identical twins are genetic duplicates, so the finding implies that genes account for much of the variability in physical activity levels between people.
Likewise, a 2006 study that pooled data on exercise participation in more than 37,000 twin pairs from seven European countries calculated the genetic influence on physical activity at somewhere between 48% and 71%.
And these are not isolated findings.
“We now have more than 20 twin studies showing almost unanimously that [identical] twins are more alike in their physical activity than [fraternal] twins,” says geneticist Claude Bouchard, executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. The studies make a compelling case that the inclination to exercise runs in families, he says.
Studying mice
In an effort to find the genes involved, physiologist Theodore Garland at UC Riverside turned to rodents. He placed exercise wheels in the cages of ordinary mice and measured how often they scurried around in the wheels.
“This was voluntary exercise,” Garland says. “It’s sort of like how some people jog and others don’t.”
Researchers then selected the mice who ran the most and bred them with other so-called “high-runners” and repeated the experiment for more than 50 generations.
The result was a strain of high-runner mice that run as many as eight hours per night.
Garland’s next step was to find out what caused the mice to want to run. He found clues in the brain.
In a study published in 2003, his group showed that high-runner mice and regular mice respond differently to stimulants such as cocaine and Ritalin. Regular mice would run more when plied with the stimulants. “But we’ve never found a drug that will increase running in high-running mice,” he says. Whatever those drugs do in the brain seemed to be already turned on in the high-runner mice.
Because cocaine and Ritalin alter levels of the brain chemical dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in pleasure and reward, the drugs’ different effects on the two breeds suggest high-runner and regular mice may process dopamine differently in the brain — and that may dictate how much pleasure they get out of running.
Other studies have also linked physical activity to dopamine.
For instance, a 1998 study showed that mice deficient in a receptor involved in processing dopamine, the D2 receptor, are less active than those with normal D2 receptor levels.
More recently, Lightfoot and his colleague Amy Knab found that two other dopamine-related genes were less active in their high-runner mice.
Says Knab, who is an exercise physiologist at Appalachian State University, “There’s something inherently different in the dopamine systems of the high-runners versus low-runners.”
Human studies have also linked exercise frequency to dopamine. Bouchard’s research team studied physical activity levels in a sample of 721 volunteers from 161 families in Quebec, Canada. They found that variations in the dopamine D2 receptor gene correlated to physical activity levels in women, but not men.
It’s a start
Bouchard says the study is an intriguing start — but he speculates that there are many more genes that influence exercise inclination.
Environment still plays a major role in how much someone exercises, though. “You can’t blame being lazy on your genes,” Knab says.
In fact, a twins study published last year suggests that environment trumps genetics when it comes to the kind of exercise needed for good health.
When University of Washington exercise physiologist Glen Duncan and his colleagues examined data from the university’s twin registry they found that genetics did predict the propensity to exercise up to 60 minutes per week.
But at 150 minutes or more — the amount of exercise that public health officials recommend — “the genetic component went away and the environment was the bigger factor,” Duncan says. For example, if people walk into a building and see a set of stairs first thing, they will probably take them. But if there’s an escalator front and center, they’ll take that instead, he says.
Researchers are now trying to tease out the ways that genes and the environment combine to turn one person into a marathon runner and another into a couch potato. By doing so, they may discover more effective ways to encourage exercise among those not naturally inclined.
“It’s really hard to change people’s physical activity levels,” physiologist Joey Eisenmann at Michigan State University says.
“There are a lot of people working on interventions to increase physical activity, and for the most part they haven’t been shown to be highly effective. As we learn more about genetic factors, that may shed light on why these programs don’t work as well as we’d like.”
Some of this research may eventually lead to more individualized approaches to fitness.
Or — failing that — researchers may even learn to enhance exercise’s gratifying effects with drugs.
“Some day,” Garland says, “we could be giving people pills to make it more pleasurable to run.”
Some DNA testing companies that are online test for reactions to medicines or foods, such as the speed at which your body metabolizes anesthetic. Can you trust what you read online when so many unscreened and diverse opinions are there? How do you find an expert willing to answer specific questions?
Click on my Examiner.com nutrigenomics article, “How do your genes respond to food and medicine?”. You need to know that it’s better to test your entire genome, when testing becomes affordable. With the big picture in front of you, it’s easier to tailor your foods, medicines and lifestyles to your individual genetic expression and signature. Numerous companies test snippets of genes.
Find out how reliable tests are compared to testing the entire genome where you see how your body actually works–if the test is interpreted to you in plain language with suggestions on how to override any gene variants you want to override with diet and lifestyle.
No science background? Don’t worry. There’s a DNA summer camp near you, or an educational experience in learning about DNA now available to the average consumer. Educators, scientists, and multimedia producers have teamed up to teach you the wonders of DNA, your genes and your lifestyle.
How do you know the person responding is giving you a responsible answer?Should you attend scientific conventions or DNA camps as a way of getting your questions answered? How would you like to start a science camp for families?
Who has the time and willingness to answer your questions? And is the person really an expert in the branch of science you need? You can turn to medical journals, science news, or, if you’re a student meeting qualifications, summer DNA camps.
How about an entire family participating in activities to learn about what testing your entire genome, when it becomes affordable, can do to help you tailor your food, medicines, and lifestyle to your genetic expression/genetic signature?
Here are some activities to consider:
• Discoveries are published monthly in recognized scientific journals found in local medical school libraries open to the public. Only a few consumers ever look at them, and still fewer physicians. Doctors are busy with so many patients and paperwork or bureaucracy. Consumers may not know information is accessible to them. And few can keep up with the proliferation of material in science publications.
• For information, resources, the research network, and references on pharmacogenetics (education) see the Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base. As far as education, the Web site features links and articles on the following subjects: What is Pharmacogenetics? Asthma Case Study, CYP2D6 Case Study, The National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Medicines For You, Minority Pharmacogenomics, The Importance of Genetic Variation in Drug Development, Publications, and News Clippings.
• View the Dolan DNA Learning Center. The Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor is entirely devoted to public genetics education. The gene almanac is an online resource that provides timely information about genes in education. The Dolan DNA Learning Center is the world’s first science museum and educational facility promoting DNA literacy.
• Dolan’s Saturday DNA program is designed to offer children, teens and adults the opportunity to perform hands-on DNA experiments and learn about the latest developments in the biological sciences.
• See how to participate in student “DNA Camps.” Student summer day camps have fun with DNA and enzymes and study DNA science or genetic biology. Students and high-school teachers can participate.
Become involved in learning more on these topics. There also is a need to start life-long learning intergenerational DNA day camps that would include senior citizens or any-age retirees with time free to work or volunteer, participate, or enjoy life-long learning.
Summer camps for studying these subjects could also incluce familes, facilitators, and teachers. People could participate in groups to learn together how our genes respond to food and how to tailor food and medicines to our genomes. All this will become possible when entire genome testing becomes affordable.
The student summer day camp workshops feature such wonderful learning experiences as the genomic biology and PCR workshop. This new workshop is based on lab and computer technology developed at the DNA Learning Center.
The workshop focuses on the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to analyze the genetic complement (genome) of humans and plants. DNA educational centers bridge gaps between scientists and communicators. Such educational centers also are of interest to nutritionists and medical journalists studying or observing how people respond to food and medicines on the molecular level.
Everyone else will go online to find numerous companies marketing various DNA tests or kits. Some of these genetic tests are to find out how your body reacts to various dosages of drugs or even foods and skin products. How do you tailor your medicines, foods, exercise, activities, cosmetics, anesthetics, dosages, or lifestyles to your genetic signature?
You really need to test a person’s entire genome to find out how many inherited risks some may have. It’s a matter of time before the entire genome tests become affordable. But how much time?
Meanwhile, can you find out by genetic tests which type of dental anesthesia you can tolerate and which you’re type makes you feel jittery or convulsive? What about tests to find out how your hair tint affects your heart beat? What kinds of tests are out there? You’ll need a consumer’s guide to genetic testing kits.
Research the various companies online and the studies that include side effects of whatever product or medicine you think you might have to use. Your goal is to safely tailor your environment and lifestyle to your genetic expression or signature. Ask questions of experts on the specific issue you want to understand.
Consumer’s Guide to Genetic Testing for Food or Medicines
Your DNA, including your ancient ancestry and ethnicity has a lot to do with how your body responds to food, medicine, illness, exercise, and lifestyle, but just how much? And how do you know which DNA kits and gene testing are reliable and recognized?
Learning about DNA to understand and improve your health is now interactive. It’s available to the average consumer. You really need to have your entire genome tested to find out what diseases you might be at risk for, and then again, lifestyle and diet often can override certain gene variations that predispose you to chronic diseases.
DNA research information is no longer limited to students and teachers, but to anyone else. In the last few years genealogy buffs, parents, and anyone interested in DNA without a science background took an interest in DNA tests rests that reveal deep maternal and paternal ancestry. That field is called DNA-driven genealogy.
Nutrigenomics deals with how the human genome (or any other species) responds to nutrition. Pharmacogenomics studies the way your genes respond to medicines. For example, some people respond in different ways to dental anasthesia.
Currently consumers with little or no science background are interested in learning about drug metabolism which is known as pharmacogenetics. Referring to the whole human genome that science related to linking pharmacy with genetics is called pharmacogenomics.
How your body metabolizes medicine is as important as how your body metabolizes food. Nutrigenomics is about how your genes respond to food and how to tailor what you eat to your DNA. Consumer DNA interest ranges from forensics and anthropology to nutrition, caregiving, family scrapbooking and healthcare knowledge.
Nurses are becoming more interested in DNA.The DNA consumer revolution began when media broadcasts revealed to the public that fast computers had revealed the human gene code. Once more TV opened doors. Suddenly, a gap between science and consumers had to be bridged by available interactive education.
A proliferation of products relating to DNA emerged. The internet shows DNA summer day camps for students and teachers. DNA testing companies and books emerged geared to the average consumer.
Genealogists tried to interpret DNA for ancestry. People left other non-science-related businesses to open up DNA testing companies for ancestry research, contracting out to university research laboratories to do the DNA testing. Again, opportunities opened doors to the public.
Nutrigenomics product marketers sought those who wanted a diet tailored to their genetic signature. Pharmacogenetics reports customized medicines in order to prevent adverse drug reactions.
Pharmacogenomics studies the entire genome in relation to chemicals and drugs, whereas pharmacogenetics researches specific genes and markers to look for adverse drug reactions for individual clients or patients. DNA testing products emerged offering to tailor skin care products such as creams and cosmetics to your individual genetic signature.
If you’ve had an interest in learning about how to interpret your DNA test results for ancestry, you now can see the links to understanding how to tailor your food, lifestyle, exercise, medicines, supplements, and skin care products—in fact numerous environmental chemicals–to your genetic expression.
It’s not only about food anymore or ancestry alone, or medicine. DNA testing also is about kits sent to you directly or to your physician. It’s about tailoring to your DNA skin products, cosmetics and anything you put into or on your body that gets absorbed. It’s about what chemicals are in your water and home-grown vegetables.
What’s left? Physicians and genetic research scientists need to talk more to each other because most family doctors don’t have time to read the proliferation of publications reporting new advances in genetics or other areas of science that directly affect consumers.
It looks like it’s the consumer’s job to bring people together through the media and through consumer’s watchdog organizations, professional associations, and support groups. Key words: action and public education about DNA through multimedia and consumer involvement. Look for activities in which to become involved. And also see the DNA Interactive site.
By Margaret Furtado, M.S., R.D. – Posted Fri, Aug 07, 2009, 4:30 am PDT
Eating a single chocolate bar might cause harmful genetic changes or mutations that could have serious effects on your DNA, changes that could last for up to a couple of weeks.That’s according to a recent Australian study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, which reported that human genes actually remember a “sugar hit” for weeks. Not only that, but according to the researchers, chronically poor eating habits were shown to permanently alter a person’s DNA.
The aim of the study was to examine the impact of diet on human heart tissue and mice. Results: A “one-off sugar hit” affected cells by switching off genetic controls, for up to 2 weeks, that are designed to protect the body against diabetes and disease.
The lead researcher, Sam El-Osta, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, told the Australian Associated Press that these harmful genetic changes or mutations could linger in the cells, perhaps having the capability of altering natural metabolic responses to diet. He also stated that chronic “poor eating would amplify the effect, with genetic damage lasting months or years, potentially passing through bloodlines … to one’s children.”
What are some possible take-aways from this kind of nutritional genomics research?
Nutritional Genomics is an exciting new field that I believe will become a household name over the next few years. It involves genetic mapping to see who might be at risk for certain diseases such as high cholesterol. Perhaps this field could provide a new way to treat weight issues.
Such a test, for example, might tell you that you’re genetically programmed to fail at weight loss, a helpful tool that would let you and you your doctor to perhaps try a different strategy for losing weight.
What do you think dear readers? Would you want to know if you have “unfriendly” weight genes? I’d love to hear from you.
Science is constantly trying to get behind the main factors for the obesity epidemic. From our hurried, fast food lifestyle to our laziness and penchant for T.V. watching rather than exercise, it seems relatively clear that, in most cases, the obesity epidemic is a result of our lifestyle choices. But for some, their genetics play a role that may be hard to fight against.
Family reunions let everyone in the family come together and see the role that genetics has played in their life; maybe you have Aunt Bertha’s red hair or Cousin Vinny’s brown eyes. Unfortunately, you can also inherit Uncle Roger’s pot belly and Grandpa Joe’s wide tush. This is because genetics plays a role in your fat cells and where they are stored.
Because of your DNA, you have a genetic predisposition to carry fat cells in the same areas as your family. Since families blend the DNA of many different people, you may take after one side of your family more than another. This could mean that you and your brother have the genetic predisposition to having love handles while your older sister doesn’t.
In addition to your propensity to carry fat in certain places, you’ll find that your body’s response to exercise mimics others in your family as well. If you have the right genes, you may find that you build muscle very quickly when weight training or, if you’re on the unfortunate end, you don’t.
But, what is the role of genes in weight management? Can you manipulate your genes to work for you rather than against you? For some with genetically linked health issues like thyroid problems, medications can be a solution. Medications can help your body run as it should and can pick up the slack for any glands that are impaired due to genetic lineage.
For most people, medication is not the answer. Instead, learning how your body responds to food and exercise if key to fighting your genes and managing your weight. If your family is filled with overweight people, and you see the signs in your own body that this is probably your destiny too, follow these steps to head genetics off at the pass.
Eat right. Cut out sugars, simple carbohydrates (like white rice and white bread), and stay away from fast food. For some, learned eating habits play a bigger role in weight gain than genetics. Be sure to reevaluate the food lessons you’ve learned from your family and try to make the right decisions regarding what goes in your mouth.
Exercise regularly. Ideally, you should exercise for one hour a day, five to six days per week. Unfortunately, real life often gets in the way of this. If you can exercise four times per week for one half hour per work out, you’ll find you can stave off the effects of genetics.
Stick with it. Fighting your genes is not easy and you may find that you have to work harder than others to receive fewer results. Just remember the alternative facing you and stick with it.
Before embarking on any new physical fitness routine or new and improved eating plan, you should consult a physician. In addition to letting you know if the routine you want to try is healthy for you, they may have some other helpful tips to give you. Speaking with a nutritionist about your eating plan will also help you get ideas for variety and make sure that you haven’t included any foods that will hurt your weight management goals rather than help them.
People smell them, thump them and eyeball their shape. But ultimately, it’s sweetness and a sense of healthy eating that lands a melon in a shopper’s cart.
Plant breeders now have a better chance to pinpoint such traits for new varieties, because the melon genome with hundreds of DNA markers has been mapped by scientists with Texas AgriLife Research. That means tastier and healthier melons are likely for future summer picnics.
Colored melon flesh are full of nutrients. Plant breeders may develop even better varieties now that melon genome with hundreds of DNA markers has been mapped. Credit: Texas AgriLife Photo by Kathleen Phillips.
“This will help us anchor down some of the desirable genes to develop better melon varieties,” said Dr. Kevin Crosby, who completed the study with Drs. Soon O. Park and Hye Hwang. “We can identify specific genes for higher sugar content, disease resistance and even drought tolerance.”
The results are reported in the Journal of the American Society of Horticultural Sciences.
Melons are fleshy, edible cucurbits grown worldwide in a multitude of varieties. Not only are they economically important, the scientists noted, but they are a favorite among consumers internationally.
The average person in the U.S. eats about 25 pounds of melon every year, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center at Iowa State University.
Scientists from France and Spain already had completed partial maps of segments of the melon DNA sequence. The Texas researchers connected those segments with new findings in their study to complete the entire melon genome map.
For the study, the Deltex ananas melon was crossed with a wild melon called TGR 1551. More than 100 of the offspring from that cross were grown in the AgriLife Research greenhouses at Weslaco, Crosby noted.
DNA was extracted from leaf tissue collected 21 days after planting. Results from these tests were integrated into partial maps created by other researchers.
Previous knowledge of melon DNA was like two sets of directions – one from Miami to Houston and the other from El Paso to Los Angeles. That would make one wonder how to get from Houston to El Paso. The study by Crosby’s group, in essence, devised the path from Miami to LA and all points between.
In addition to the complete map, the researchers located genetic markers linked to fruit sugars, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and male sterility, which is useful for developing hybrid varieties.
The trio said the genetic map will be helpful for future studies in identifying fruit sweetness, quality, size, shape and resistance to disease.
Affordably delicious and surprisingly healthful: 10 foods you can add back to your diet without guilt! Amy Albert, senior associate editor of Bon Appetit Magazine, shares her finds.
Every month, Bon Appétit features a column called “Health Wise,” where we offer a guide to eating healthfully while still enjoying your food. It’s designed to help our readers make sense of nutritional information that can sometimes be hard to decipher.
1. BACON
· Jennifer McLagan, author of Fat, tells us that 45% of the fat in bacon is monosaturated – which is a good-for-you-fat that can actually help lower bad cholesterol levels.
· This fat is the same fat found in olive oil (called oleic acid) – so our argument is that bacon is about half as good for you as olive oil and twice as delicious!
· Of course, it’s not a free ride – moderation is key and you should seek out artisanal varieties without preservatives.
· Also remember that when cooking with bacon, a little goes a long way – sometimes you just need one slice to spice up a pot of soup. Or use it as a yummy garnish for fish or sautéed greens.
2. WHOLE MILK
· Whole milk can be good for you – the saturated milk fats you find in whole milk may help us absorb calcium better, and contains big helpings of vitamins A and D. In fact, milk producers are required by the government to fortify low-fat and skim milk with synthetic vitamins that are found naturally in whole milk.
· Other studies have found that low-fat diets can actually be counterproductive to weight loss – so having some fat from whole milk can be good for you. In a Swedish study, researchers found that women who ate one serving of whole milk or cheese a day put on less weight than women who ate these foods less often. · Another study suggested that one or more servings of whole milk a day may even enhance a woman’s fertility
3. PINE NUTS
· You find about 11 grams of protein in about one half cup of pine nuts.
· They are also loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants and pinolenic acid, a natural appetite suppressant – which will help you eat less.
· And if you are worried about fat in nuts, a 2003 study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found little evidence that eating nuts causes weight gain; some evidence actually pointed to weight maintenance.
· Here’s how you can use them in your cooking: Pine nuts are a terrifically easy way to add a little flavor, richness, and texture to everything from last-minute salads to weeknight pastas
4. DUCK BREAST
· Although duck has a decadent reputation, this doesn’t make it a bad thing to cook at home every once and a while.
· It has a thick layer of fat under the skin – but duck fat is considered to be among the healthiest of animal fast. With 63% unsaturated fat, it beats out beef and is right up there with chicken. And it is absolutely delicious! So you shouldn’t be afraid to splurge on duck breast every now and then.
· A great way to cook it: Score the skin and sauté it skin side down to render out much of the fat, and sprinkle with sea salt.
· We also have a great recipe for Seared Duck Breast in the June issue
5. WATERCRESS
· All greens are good for you, but watercress is especially healthful.
· A 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that watercress has a high enough antioxidant count to make a measurable difference in reducing DNA damage to our white blood cells (a precursor to many forms of cancer).
· Eating watercress has also been found to consistently lower elevated blood triglyceride levels, a risk factor for heart disease.
· Watercress tossed with a Dijon vinaigrette is a perfect accompaniment to a grilled grass-fed skirt steak (or even duck breast!).
6. CANNELLINI BEANS
· These are a pantry staple – and are budget-friendly, versatile, and incredible good for you.
· Beans have cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, potassium and magnesium that can help regulate blood pressure.
· Plus, their complex carbs and protein help keep you feeling full (so you aren’t temped to snack 30 mins after dinner).
· All beans are good for you, but cannellinis are especially great – they are building blocks for delicious soups, salads, sides and appetizers.
· The best place to buy beans is somewhere that moves them in large quantities so you know they haven’t been sitting around.
7. LEEKS
· Did you know that one medium-sized leek can contain more fiber than a bran muffin? Leeks are an incredible source of dietary fiber.
· They also have tons of folic acid, iron, potassium, vitamin C, and cancer-fighting antioxidants.
· They are incredible versatile to cook with as well – use them in potato-leek soup, try them in place of celery in stock and stew recipes, or slow-braise them for a great side dish for roasted meats.
8. ANCHOVIES
· Small, oily fish from cold northern seas – like anchovies – contain a high concentration of omega-3s with a minimum of mercury.
· These omega-3 fatty acids have been recommended by doctors for protection against everything from heart disease to depression.
· Anchovies have just as much omega-3 as salmon and nearly twice as much as halibut.
· Although the serving sizes aren’t the same, anchovies can add incredible depth of flavor to a wide variety of dishes – from pastas to salads to homemade mayonnaise.
· So you can easily get some omega-3’s in surprising and delicious ways.
9. FRESH STRAWBERRIES
· When it comes to healthful eating, scientists have discovered that color is key.
· Brightly colored fruits and vegetables (like strawberries) contain the highest levels of phytonutrients – powerful disease-fighting compounds.
· A study conducted at the University of Illinois found that strawberries may fight inflammation, cancer-causing compounds, and may even be capable of suppressing the progression of tumors
10. BUCKWHEAT
· Most people think that buckwheat is a grain, but it is actually an herb that’s related to rhubarb and sorrel.
· It contains all the essential amino acids, B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, iron zinc, copper and manganese, and a fatty acid critical to good health.
· It has 4.5 grams of dietary fiber in every cup – so it’s up there in nutrition with granola.
· You can eat buckwheat in soba noodles, French-style crepes, or use buckwheat flour to make pancakes.
· Because it’s high-protein, you will be getting a low-glycemic index meal that won’t leave you hungry an hour later.
Visit bonappetit.com for tons of recipes that use all of these ingredients.
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