Cuisine and health: a new initiative for science and technology 'The Zhejiang Report' from Hangzhou.

There has been a rapid and remarkable recovery in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, during the 1990s, of a distinctive cuisine whose origins can be traced back to, at least, the building of the Grand Canal between Beijing and Hangzhou in the 600s AD and the stimulus to trade and migration, that was provided. This, along with exceptional health indices in the region, provides a basis for a new integrative study of the food chain, food culture and food science in regard to the human condition, which would be manifest by the degree of environmental sustainability, economic progress, social cohesion, health status, well-being and happiness that these dimensions of "food for humans " should support. Collectively, these have rarely been subject to systematic scholarly pursuit.

Dietary carotenoid intake as a predictor of bone mineral density.

Our understanding of the influence of nutrition on bone health is limited because most studies concentrate on the role of calcium and protein, while other nutrients receive less attention. Recent evidence shows a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone health. In the present study, the relationships of dietary intakes of preformed retinol and carotenoids, one group of phytonutrients abundant in fruit and vegetables, were examined in an Anglo-Celtic Australian population of 68 men and 137 women.

Phytonutrient deficiency: the place of palm fruit.

The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is native to many West African countries, where local populations have used its oil for culinary and other purposes. Large-scale plantations, established principally in tropical regions (Asia, Africa and Latin America), are mostly aimed at the production of oil, which is extracted from the fleshy mesocarp of the palm fruit, and endosperm or kernel oil. Palm oil is different from other plant and animal oils in that it contains 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% unsaturated fatty acids, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Regional food diversity and human health.

Regions are significant for the way we understand and strategize food for health and economic development. They generally represent various food cultures and opportunities for food exchange based on proximity, historical linkages and complementarities. The example of North and West Africa represents an intersection of some of the most original of human eating experiences out of Africa and the enrichment of these by Arab traders, through the exchange of products, ideas, observations, beliefs and technologies.

Morbidity mortality paradox of 1st generation Greek Australians.

There is evidence in Australia that 1st generation Greek Australians (GA), despite their high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (e.g. obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, smoking, hypertension, sedentary lifestyles) continue to display more than 35% lower mortality from CVD and overall mortality compared with the Australian-born after at least 30 years in Australia.

Cardiovascular risk in the Asia-Pacific region from a nutrition and metabolic point of view: vitamin deficiencies.

In the past, recommended vitamin or micronutrient intakes have often been based on levels that were adequate to prevent clinical deficiencies from developing. Once these levels were reached, clinicians and nutrition scientists generally attributed little value to higher vitamin intake from supplements or food sources. Evidence has continued to mount showing that the intake and serum concentration of certain vitamins above those necessary to prevent clinical deficiencies, might importantly influence health status.

Can skin wrinkling in a site that has received limited sun exposure be used as a marker of health status and biological age?

Objectives: to determine if skin wrinkling in a site that had received limited sun exposure may be a marker of health status and biological age.

Design: population-based, cross-sectional study.

Participants: we evaluated the health status of representative samples of elderly Greek-born people living in Melbourne, Greeks living in rural Greece, Anglo-Celtic Australians living in Melbourne and Swedes living in Sweden.

Skin wrinkling: can food make a difference?

Objectives: This study addressed whether food and nutrient intakes were correlated with skin wrinkling in a sun-exposed site.

Methods: 177 Greek-born subjects living in Melbourne (GRM), 69 Greek subjects living in rural Greece (GRG), 48 Anglo-Celtic Australian (ACA) elderly living in Melbourne and 159 Swedish subjects living in Sweden (SWE) participating in the International Union of Nutritional Sciences IUNS "Food Habits in Later Life" study had their dietary intakes measured and their skin assessed. Food and nutrient intakes were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).

Interventions aimed at dietary and lifestyle changes to promote healthy aging.

Desirable dietary habits and other lifestyle practices reduce premature mortality and compress the period of morbidity experienced towards the end of life. Aging adults are at risk of nutritionally inadequate diets especially in relation to protein, vitamins D, B1, B6, B12, fluid and other food components. Interventions aimed at ensuring dietary adequacy also need to consider the social and cultural aspects of eating as food is fundamental to a person's well-being and quality of life.