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SCIENCE NEWS OF THE YEAR | Nutrition
Crash course The Genesis
probe (above, after crashing
in Utah) finds that, compared
with the sun, the Earth is
enriched in two types of
oxygen and one of nitrogen
(SN: 7/16/11, p. 5).
Superdupernova A new class
of supernovas emit much of
their light at ultraviolet
wavelengths and show no
traces of hydrogen
(SN: 7/2/11, p. 10).
The value of vitamin D The simmering debate over vitamin D came to a boil as the scienti;c organization representing hormone experts embraced daily recommendations for the vitamin that far exceed those put forward in late 2010 by a U.S. Institute of Medicine panel. The Endocrine Society asserted in July that people need two to three times as much vitamin D as the IOM had recommended (SN: 7/16/11, p. 22). The IOM daily levels top out at 600 to 800 international units for most people, the amount found in many multivitamins. In calling for substantially more D, the endocrinologists cited widespread de;ciency in all age groups and pointed out that very few foods naturally contain the vitamin. A torrent of recent studies have linked vitamin D de;ciency— particularly at northern latitudes — with heart disease, cancer, infections, asthma, preterm births, high blood pressure and, among the elderly, dif;culty with mental tasks. Two trials now in progress in the United States and New Zealand may clarify the vitamin’s health-giving potential. But results are still several years off. — Nathan Seppa
NUTRITION, FROM TOP: HOWARD OATES/ISTOCKPHOTO; NITO/SHUT TERSTOCK
Probe payoff Gravity
Probe B confirms that the
Earth drags spacetime as
it rotates, an effect known
as “frame dragging” that
is predicted by Einstein’s
general theory of relativity
(SN: 5/21/11, p. 5).
Hints of the Higgs
Two experiments at the
Large Hadron Collider find
hints of the elusive Higgs
boson, the last missing piece
in particle physics’ standard
model (SN: 12/31/11, p. 10).
Scant B12 Studies in the
elderly link impairments of
memory and reasoning with
vitamin B12 deficiency. And
brain scans show that people
lacking B12 are more likely to
have shrinkage of brain
tissue and vascular damage
(SN Online: 9/27/11).
Dietary details An analysis
assigning pounds of weight
gain to foods finds that fries,
sodas and several other
guilty pleasures are among
the worst waist expanders
(SN: 7/30/11, p. 10).
Yogurt letdown Eating
yogurt doesn’t lead to long-lasting changes in a person’s
mix of intestinal microbes
(SN: 11/19/11, p. 18).
On the;mind Obesity
subtly diminishes memory
and other features of think-
ing and reasoning even
among seemingly healthy
people, possibly by dam-
aging the wiring that links
the brain’s info-processing
regions (SN: 4/23/11, p. 8).
Brainy sabotage Obese
people’s brains respond to
food as if the body were hungry even when it isn’t, suggesting dieters may be on the
losing side of a battle with
neural centers that promote
eating (SN: 10/22/11, p. 16).
Chocolate diet Compounds
in chocolate can ratchet down
digestive enzymes that the
body relies on to absorb and
use fats and carbohydrates
(SN Online: 5/9/11).
Saffron surprise Tests show
that saffron (flower at right)
can stifle liver cancer in rats
(SN: 10/8/11, p. 14).
t
a
Blueberry boon
Heart-healthy compounds
found in blueberries limit
the buildup of fat in mouse
cells (SN Online: 4/20/11).
Dioxin flare-up Frying at high
temperatures can trigger the
development of potentially
toxic dioxins and furans in
food (SN Online: 5/9/11).
Cough for;quality
Sensor molecules found in
the human throat latch onto
a chemical in superior olive
oils, providing a scientific
basis for the age-old custom
of rating superlative oils on
a scale of one, two or three
coughs (SN Online: 1/18/11).
