Preserving Microbial Diversity Biologist have many ways of comparing species within an ecosystem, such as diversity of foods they eat and geographical ranges they inhabit. We can also consider them based on the diversity of microbes they possess, something biologists call their microbial repertoire. For humans, we tend to differentiate on things like blood type . . . read more »
Last night I was perusing Loss-Adjusted Food Availability spreadsheets available on the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) website (I know, get a life). Despite the boring title, the data is quite interesting as it provides per capita food availability in the U.S., adjusted for food spoilage, plate waste, “other” losses, and what we export and . . . read more »
According to the World Health Organization, key causes of hunger are natural disasters, conflict, poverty, poor agricultural infrastructure and over-exploitation of the environment. I would add to that list spending a week in the high desert of Arizona with Discovery Channel’s Dual Survivor star Cody “Barefoot” Lundin. Billed as no ordinary weeklong survival course, Cody’s . . . read more »
The salad bar at your local grocery store is the closest most of us will ever come to eating like an ancestor. Sorry, Outback Steakhouse. Our not-so-distant ancestors consumed an extraordinary diversity of plants throughout their rounds on the landscape. While meat played a significant role in our evolutionary success, the vast majority of the . . . read more »
In a recent column in the New York Times, food journalist Mark Bittman nicely summarized the insanely out-of-control costs associated with treating the insidious diseases that plague America today. According to Bittman, the costs associated with treating pre-diabetes and full-blown diabetes alone by 2020 are predicated to top $500 billion a year. With a “disease . . . read more »
Abstract Archaeological research in the northern Tucson Basin over the last two decades has confirmed that species of the genus Agave were cultivated in extensive agricultural fields marked by the presence of rock piles, terraces, and check dams. Researchers estimate that ~ 10,000 agaves were harvested annually from a standing population of greater than 100,000 cultivated . . . read more »
Jeff D. Leach1, Glenn R Gibson2, and Jan Van Loo3 1 Paleobiotics Lab, USA, 2The University of Reading, UK, 3Orafti, Belgium Abstract Modern studies of prebiotic non digestible carbohydrates continue to expand and demonstrate their colonic and systemic benefits. However, virtually nothing is known of their use among ancient populations. In this paper we discuss evidence for prebiotic use . . . read more »
Can jargon of the “go green” movement reboot human health? Being sustainable and going green are all the rage these days – and for good reason. The ground swell around these often-overused words has been gaining for decades, due in large part to the hard work of many, the public outcry to outrageous denials and . . . read more »
Abstract Archaeological evidence from dry cave deposits in the northern Chihuahuan Desert reveal intensive utilization of desert plants that store prebiotic inulin-type fructans as the primary carbohydrate. In this semi-arid region limited rainfall and poor soil conditions prevented the adoption of agriculture and thus provides a unique glimpse into a pure hunter-forager economy spanning over . . . read more »
On October 30, the thirteen newly appointed experts to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will have their first meeting in Washington, D.C. to begin the important job of culling the latest scientific and medical research on human health and nutrition to update the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and accompanying food pyramid for 2010. Unfortunately, given the . . . read more »
Why the FDA’s plan to allow irradiation of lettuce and spinach ‘may’ cause more harm than good – but not for reasons you may think As of August 22, 2008, the Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) will allow food processors to irradiate iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach for the purpose of zapping E. coli and . . . read more »
The ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul has drawn outcry from media, predictable knee-jerk proposals from lawmakers, and understandable fear and confusion among consumers. As with outbreaks in the past, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and processing plants and farmers continue to take the blame for tainted food . . . read more »
Modern humans are the latest in a diverse line of species within the genus Homo that evolved on a nutritional landscape very different from the one we find ourselves on today. During the ~ 2.5 million years since the first member of our genus made an appearance in the fossil record, humans subsisted on an . . . read more »
In 2006, Americans learned that a salad could be hazardous to your health. The media flurry and the elected official posturing that followed the September 14 outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 associated with spinach, is still fresh on American minds and making daily headlines thanks in no small part to the brisk recalls associated with . . . read more »
Letter to the Editor, Public Health Nutrition Sir, Geoffrey Cannon1 repeats a widespread affirmation that “paleolithic people usually did not survive into what we call later middle age.” His underlying point, which is widely shared among researchers and the public at-large, is that our ancestors did not live long enough to develop cancer, heart disease and . . . read more »
Abstract While modern studies continue to expand our knowledge of the health benefits of prebiotics, virtually nothing is known of their use among ancient populations. Drawing on select ethnographic and archaeological data, examples of prebiotic use in ancient diet is presented. By utilizing well-documented cooking facilities found throughout the archaeological record of North America used . . . read more »
In the wake of E. coli 0157:H7 outbreaks associated with spinach and other produce in 2006, the new 110th Congress will be dusting off and reintroducing the Food Safety Act (S. 729), initially proposed in 2005 by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), to assure the American public that the government is working hard to substantially reduce . . . read more »
If you did not read the most recent column – So go the Pima, so go the rest of us – please do so before reading the current column. As you read this, there are millions of tiny microbes swimming around in the fluid surrounding your eyeballs. But you can’t see them. There are millions more . . . read more »
