Eating Meat: Does It Make You Meatier?

Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 6:20 pm

Comments Off

I’ve toyed with the idea of becoming a vegetarian, but haven’t quite been able to make the leap.

Call me a chicken, but I’m just afraid I’d miss the occasional summertime burger on the grill, and my yummy white chicken chili in winter.

New research shows that eating more meat can lead to gaining pounds, though. Not totally surprising, but it’s just one more reason to wave bye bye to burgers.

<a href="http://www.diet-blog.com/10/eating_meat_-_does_it_make_you_meatier.php” title=”Continue Reading: Eating Meat: Does It Make You Meatier?”>Continue reading…

Study: Chicken collagen can help arthritis

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 am

Comments Off

HEFEI, China, Dec. 2 (UPI) —

researchers in China said chicken collagen leads to improvement in rheumatoid arthritis with no significant side effects.

Study leader Wei Wei of The Anhui Medical University in Hefei, China, conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled phase III clinical trial of chicken type ll collagen — a protein extracted from chicken breast cartilage.

The study involved 503 rheumatoid arthritis patients given either the collagen or an established antirheumatic drug — methotrextate — for 12-weeks. The researchers found the collagen capsules showed significantly improved joint function, with fewer and milder adverse effects than those taking methotrexate.

We’ve shown that chicken type ll collagen is a promising alternative therapeutic strategy that may be used as a nutritional supplement against rheumatoid arthritis, Wei said in a statement.

The researchers suggest chicken collagen taken orally over time may build up a tolerance that helps reduce autoimmunne activity. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease caused by the body mounting a response against its own cartilage — the rubbery tissue, composed mainly of collagen, which cushions and lubricates joints.

The findings were published in Arthritis research and Therapy.

U.S. teens don’t wash hands after chicken

Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 12:20 pm

Comments Off

MANHATTAN, Kan., Nov. 16 (UPI) —

U.S. researchers found teens did not wash their hands after handling raw chicken, making them more likely to contaminate food.

While half of the adults we observed washed their hands after touching raw chicken, none of the adolescents did, Casey Jacob, a food safety research assistant at Kansas State University, said in a statement. The non-existent hand-washing rate, combined with certain age-specific behaviors like hair flipping and scratching in a variety of areas, could lead directly to instances of cross-contamination compared to the adults.

Study leader Doug Powell, an associate professor of food safety, and colleagues said instructions for safe handling of frozen chicken entrees or strips are rarely followed by consumers despite their best intentions.

The researchers developed a novel video capture system to observe the food preparation practices of 41 consumers — 21 primary meal preparers and 20 adolescents — in a mock domestic kitchen using frozen, uncooked, commercially available breaded chicken products.

The study, published in the British Food Journal, also found that even when provided with instructions, food preparers don’t follow them. They may not have seen them or they assume they know what to do, the researchers said.

The results suggest while labels might contain correct risk-reduction steps, food manufacturers have to make that information as compelling as possible or it will be ignored, the researchers said.