Carrot intake is consistently negatively associated with cancer incidence: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies.

Carrots are main dietary sources of several potential anti-cancer compounds, including polyacetylenes, while β-carotene has shown no benefits in controlled cancer trials. Accordingly, associations between carrot intake and cancer incidence were quantified, where necessary using α-carotene as a non-causal biomarker of carrot consumption, by searching for studies published before June 2022 reporting risk estimates for relationships of cancer incidence with carrot intake or α-carotene intake or α-carotene plasma concentration, supplemented with hand searches of included studies and reviews. Meta-analyses comparing highest and lowest reported intakes in prospective studies using a random-effects model estimated summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), separately for carrot intake or α-carotene plasma concentration, and the corresponding dose-responses.

Moderate doses of dietary nitrate elicit greater effects on blood pressure and endothelial function than a high dose: A 13-week pilot study.

Background & Aims: Few studies have explored the prolonged effects of dietary nitrate on vascular health. This pilot study tested the effects of prolonged consumption (13 weeks) of a range of doses of dietary nitrate (NO), provided as beetroot juice (BJ), on blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function in overweight and obese older participants.

Methods And Results: Sixty-two overweight or obese older participants (60-75 years) were randomized to the following interventions: (1) high NO (2) medium NO, (3) low NO, or (4) placebo.

Incremental Doses of Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Do Not Modify Cognitive Function and Cerebral Blood Flow in Overweight and Obese Older Adults: A 13-Week Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial.

Nitrate-rich food increases nitric oxide (NO) production and may have beneficial effects on vascular, metabolic, and brain function. This pilot study tested the effects of prolonged consumption of a range of doses of dietary nitrate (NO), provided as beetroot juice, on cognitive function and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in overweight and obese older participants. The study had a 13-week single-blind, randomised, parallel design, and 62 overweight and obese older participants (aged 60 to 75 years) received the following interventions: (1) high NO (2 × 70 mL beetroot juice/day) (2) medium NO (70 mL beetroot juice/day), (3) low NO (70 mL beetroot juice on alternate days), or (4) placebo (70 mL of NO-depleted beetroot juice on alternate days).

Acceptability and Feasibility of a 13-Week Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Testing the Effects of Incremental Doses of Beetroot Juice in Overweight and Obese Older Adults.

Nitrate-rich food can increase nitric oxide production and improve vascular and brain functions. This study examines the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) testing the effects of prolonged consumption of different doses of dietary nitrate (NO) in the form of beetroot juice (BJ) in overweight and obese older participants. A single-blind, four-arm parallel pilot RCT was conducted in 62 overweight and obese (30.

Cassava consumption and the occurrence of cyanide in cassava in Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines.

Objective: To make a tentative assessment of the consumption of cassava in three countries in South-east Asia and the cyanogenic potential (CNp) of the crop as a possible food safety issue.

Design: We used data from the Ministry of Health in Vietnam and Statistics Authorities in Indonesia and Philippines (mean household consumption per province) to assess cassava consumption. Conversions of units were needed to facilitate the comparison of cassava consumption between countries.

Early-stage primary school children attending a school in the Malawian School Feeding Program (SFP) have better reversal learning and lean muscle mass growth than those attending a non-SFP school.

In developing countries, schoolchildren encounter a number of challenges, including failure to complete school, poor health and nutrition, and poor academic performance. Implementation of school feeding programs (SFPs) in less developed countries is increasing and yet there is mixed evidence regarding their positive effects on nutrition, education, and cognition at the population level. This study evaluated cognitive and anthropometric outcomes in entry-level primary school children in Malawi with the aim of generating evidence for the ongoing debate about SFPs in Malawi and other developing countries.

Nutritional and cognitive status of entry-level primary school children in Zomba, rural Malawi.

Entry-level Malawian children (n = 226) aged 6-8 years from two public primary schools, one a participant in a national school feeding programme (FP), the other not, were investigated for differences in nutritional and cognitive status. Stunted growth (42%) and underweight (25%) were prevalent, with no significant differences between the schools, although the school attended was a significant predictor of mid-upper arm circumference. Previous attendance at a community-based childcare centre was significantly associated with lower body weight and height.

Cyanogenic potential in cassava and its influence on a generalist insect herbivore Cyrtomenus bergi (Hemiptera: Cydnidae).

The hypothesis that cyanogenic potential in cassava is a defense mechanism against arthropod pests is one of the crucial questions relevant to current efforts to reduce or eliminate cyanogenic potential (CNP) in cassava. The generalist arthropod Cyrtomenus bergi, which attacks cassava roots, was used in a bioassay relating oviposition and survival to CNP, concentration of nonglycosidic cyanogens, and linamarase (beta-glycosidase) activity in twelve selfed cassava siblings and their parental clone, which has segregated for different levels of cyanogenesis. Electron microscopic evaluation revealed an intracellular pathway of the stylet of C.