Latest Nutrient Stories

While proving a long-held theory that suberin blocks water and nutrient absorption in plants, a Purdue University scientist learned more about manipulating the substance to better feed plants.It has long been believed that suberin, a waxy substance between some plant cells, acts as a barrier for the movement of water in a plant's roots. David E. Salt, a professor of plant molecular physiology, discovered a mutant form of the plant Arabidopsis - enhanced suberin 1 or ESB1 - with twice as much...

Manipulating a natural waxy substance found in plants allows for easier absorption of beneficial nutrients, a Purdue University scientist in Indiana said. Botanists have long believed the substance suberin acted as a barrier for the movement of water in plants. David Salt, a plant molecular physiologist, confirmed the theory by testing a mutant form of the plant Arabidopis, which has twice as much suberin as other varieties of that plant, Purdue said in a release Friday. It's been known for...

A U.S. scientist urges that equal attention be given to phosphorus and nitrogen produced by human activity that are degrading water quality and aquatic life. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Professor Hans Paerl notes the priority has historically been given to controlling phosphorus. But Paerl argues nitrogen imbalance is equally damaging and a dual nutrient strategy is necessary to manage the problem effectively. The combination of human population growth, urbanization and...

New study argues need for dual nutrient strategy to improve aquatic ecosystemsExcess phosphorus and nitrogen produced by human activities on neighboring land is making its way into our coastal waters and degrading both water quality and aquatic life. Although historically the priority has been to control phosphorus, Professor Hans Paerl, from the University of North Carolina in the US, argues that nitrogen imbalance is equally damaging. He adds that a dual nutrient strategy "“ tackling both...

New research from Boston University School of Medicine found that teens who consumed closer to three daily servings of dairy foods had less body fat and lower body mass indexes (BMI) than those who consumed less dairy."Our research found that adolescents who consumed less dairy had consistently higher levels of body fat," said Dr. Lynn Moore of Boston University School of Medicine, the study's lead author."The results further support existing evidence that consuming low-fat and fat-free dairy...

Agricultural crop production relies on composted waste materials and byproducts, such as animal manure, municipal solid waste composts, and sewage sludge, as a necessary nutrient source. Studies have shown that human hair, a readily available waste generated from barbershops and hair salons, combined with additional compost, is an additional nutrient source for crops. Although human hair has become commercially available to crop producers in the past couple years, it has not been proven to be...

A team of researchers led by Princeton University scientists has found for the first time that tropical rainforests, a vital part of the Earth's ecosystem, rely on the rare trace element molybdenum to capture the nitrogen fertilizer needed to support their wildly productive growth.  Most of the nitrogen that supports the rapid, lush growth of rainforests comes from tiny bacteria that can turn nitrogen in the air into fertilizer in the soil.Until now, scientists had thought that phosphorus...

CHICAGO, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. is at a crossroads when it comes to nutrition advice. For decades, Americans have heard a lot about what not to eat, and much less about nutrient-rich foods to enjoy when building a healthy diet. Various stamps, stars and seals on food packaging labels also tend to focus on what foods don't contain -- like fat, sugar and salt -- rather than the valuable nutrients consumers should look for. Now, a new survey sponsored by the Nutrient Rich Foods...

Week 20 -- Make sense of nutrition. I have so many people ask me questions about nutrition, that I asked Karen Hanson, director of nutrition for the Kansas Beef Council, to provide us with more specific details about the nutrition component of healthy living. For so many of us, the diet part of our fitness is the biggest struggle. I read somewhere that how our bodies look on the outside is about 70 percent diet, 20 percent exercise and 10 percent genetic. So, this is important enough to...

Most British children have a diet with enough essential vitamins and minerals, even though they consume more sugar than recommended, researchers said. The study, published online in the British Journal of Nutrition, looked at a nationally representative sample of children ages 4 to 18, who took part in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Lead author Sigrid Gibson found that the average child consumed levels of vitamins and most minerals that met recommendations, and in many cases,...