Sugar in Biological News

Race/ethnicity, family income and education associated with sugar consumption

St. Louis, MO, August 1, 2009 The intake of added sugars in the United States is excessive, estimated by the US Department of Agriculture in 1999-2002 as 17% of calories a day. Consuming foods with added sugars displaces nutrient-dense foods in the diet. Reducing or limiting intake of added sugar...

Genes determine whether sugar pills work

It is a well-known fact in drug trials that individuals can respond just as well to placebos, sugar pills, as to the active drug. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain why only certain people get better from placebos. A team of researchers from Uppsala University and Gothenburg Universit...

Master gene plays key role in blood sugar levels

When mice that lack steroid receptor-2 (SRC-2) a master regulator gene called a coactivator fast for a day, their blood sugar levels plummet. If they go another day without food, they will die. The severity of the hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) was unexpected, said Dr. Bert W. O'Malley, chai...

TB bacterium uses its sugar coat to sweeten its chances of living in lungs

COLUMBUS, Ohio Common strains of tuberculosis-causing bacteria have hijacked the human body's immune response to play tricks on cells in the lungs, scientists say. The results of this takeover are mixed. The cells essentially welcome the bacteria into the lungs and invite them to stay a while,...

JDRF-funded clinical trial demonstrates continuous glucose monitoring improves blood sugar control

NEW YORK, September 8, 2008 Patients with type 1 diabetes who used continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices to help manage their disease experienced significant improvements in blood sugar control, according to initial results of a major multicenter clinical trial funded by the Juvenile Diabet...

Too much fructose could leave dieters sugar shocked

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Heres one tip for how to eat at the holidays: Dont take your cues from Santa. The sugary cookies and fat-laden fruitcakes the mythical North Pole resident eats are a no-no. But you dont have to go no-carb to stay fit at the holidays, either, University of Florida researchers ...

Too much sugar turns off gene that controls the effects of sex steroids

(Vancouver November 8, 2007) Eating too much fructose and glucose can turn off the gene that regulates the levels of active testosterone and estrogen in the body, shows a new study in mice and human cell cultures thats published this month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. This discover...

The accumulation of sugar in neurons may explain the origin of several neurodegenerative diseases

A phenomenon considered healthy for cells, such as the accumulation of long chains of glucose (glycogen), which tissues store for energy purposes, is harmful for neurons. Published in the latest issue of Nature Neuroscience, this finding has been made by a team of Spanish researchers led by Joan J...

Right breakfast bread keeps blood sugar in check all day

If you eat the right grains for breakfast, such as whole-grain barley or rye, the regulation of your blood sugar is facilitated after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was previously not known that certain whole-grain products have this effect all day. This is due to a combination of low GI (glycem...

Engineering algae to make fuel instead of sugar

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 - In pursuing cleaner energy there is such a thing as being too green. Unicellular microalgae, for instance, can be considered too green. In a paper in a special energy issue of Optics Express , the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal, scientists at the University of ...

Acrylic glass made of sugar

This press release is available in German Duisburg/Leipzig. In future, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA for short) - better known as acrylic glass - could be made from natural raw materials such as sugars, alcohols or fatty acids. PMMA is manufactured by polymerising methyl methacrylate (...

Apelin hormone injections powerfully lower blood sugar

By injecting a hormone produced by fat and other tissues into mice, researchers report in the November Cell Metabolism that they significantly lowered blood sugar levels in normal and obese mice. The findings suggest that the hormone known as apelin might be a promising target for managing insul...

ESF's workshop restores good name of sugar

Sugars were once credited with magical healing powers but are now seen like salt as an evil necessary in small doses but the cause of numerous diseases such as diabetes if taken in excess. Yet latest research suggests this view ignores the vital role played by more complex sugars in many biologica...

Nicotine rush hinges on sugar in neurons

When nicotine binds to a neuron, how does the cell know to send the signal that announces a smoker’s high" As with other questions involving good sensations, the answer appears to be sugar. A University of Southern California study appearing with a commentary in Nature Neuroscience online p...

Targeting sugar on blood vessels may inhibit cancer growth

In a study that could point to novel therapies to prevent cancer spread, or metastasis, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have targeted a sugar that supports blood vessel growth in the tumor. Their findings will be published in the May 7 on-line issue...

'Juiced-up' battery fueled by sugar could power small portable electronics

Dutch researcher Harm Veling has demonstrated that our brains fend off distractions. If we are busy with something we suppress disrupting external influences. If we are tired, we can no longer do this. Social-psychologist Veling proved that the brain selects incoming information to remember usef...

From managing sugar to managing healing

Insulin is a hormone known primarily for regulating sugar levels in the blood, yet researchers at the University of California, Riverside, recently found that applying insulin directly to skin wounds significantly enhanced the healing process. Skin wounds in rats treated topically with insulin he...

Acid rain causing decline in sugar maples, say researchers

Acid rain, the environmental consequence of burning fossil fuels, running factories and driving cars, has altered soils and reduced the number of sugar maple trees growing in the Northeast, according to a new study led by Cornell University researchers. The sugar maple is the most economically v...

Researchers attack tumor cells by exploiting dependency on sugar metabolism

Although scientists have known for nearly 90 years that cancer cells commonly display altered sugar metabolism, the molecular significance of this phenomenon is not completely understood. Now, a new study published in the June issue of Cancer Cell reveals a functional connection between carbohydrat...

A single sugar found responsible for an antibody's ability to treat inflammation

For years, researchers have struggled to understand how IVIG worked. It's ability to treat autoimmune diseases seemed to bean apparent contradiction. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a complex mixture of IgG antibodies made from human plasma that contains the pooled antibodies from thousand...

Scientists seek to unwrap the sweet mystery of the sugar coat on bacteria

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a quick and simple way to investigate the sugar coating that surrounds bacteria and plays a role in infection and immunity. The sugars coating bacteria can change very quickly during the course of an infection, cloaking the bacteria f...

Darkness unveils vital metabolic fuel switch between sugar and fat

Constant darkness throws a molecular switch in mammals that shifts the body's fuel consumption from glucose to fat and induces a state of torpor in mice, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston reports in the Jan. 19 edition of Nature. While their ...

Too much sugar not good for coral reefs

The race is on to buy up inexpensive land along coastlines for vacation homes and tourist hotels. But increased development can mean more nutrient rich runoff that threatens the very coral reefs attracting tourists in the first place. David Kline at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute an...

Life-extending protein keeps blood sugar in check

A protein that extends lifespan in yeast, worms, and flies keeps blood sugar under control in mice, reports a new study in the August Cell Metabolism. The findings suggest therapeutic interventions for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, which frequently ar...

Cats' indifference towards sugar explained

Unlike most mammals, cats--both domestic and wild--are indifferent to sweets. A new study in PLoS Genetics explains the molecular mechanism behind their strictly carnivorous behavior. "We took a behavioral question and answered it molecularly," says Joseph Brand, senior author of the study and Asso...

Thai spice helps cut blood sugar swings

In this obesity-obsessed world, the dream ingredient must be something that tastes good enough to be a condiment or flavoring and yet somehow helps us keep our weight down. Consider hydroxycitric acid (HCA), known variously as Brindle berry or Malabar tamarind, which is used in Indian and Thai food...

'Green' energy from algae

...r, Dr. Georg Mller, head of this institute's Pulsed Power Technology Division, has studied the decomposition of plant cells of olives, grapes, apples, sugar beets, and terrestrial energy plants in cooperation with partners from research and industry. Partly, large-scale facilities were constructed. "It is ...

Common allergy drug reduces obesity and diabetes in mice

...ngs, Shi and colleagues then took a group of mice whose ability to produce mast cells was genetically impaired. Despite three months of a diet rich in sugar and fat, these mice neither became obese nor developed diabetes. "The best thing about these drugs is that we know it's safe for people," says Shi...

DOE-funded research projects win 46 R&D 100 Awards for 2009

...he National Ignition Facility. The machine can manipulate millimeter-scale components with 100-nanometer precision in an operating arena the size of a sugar cube, and has a work volume the size of a shoe box. Laser Beam Centering and Pointing System This system does the work of two sensors by using ...

Sticky protein helps reinforce fragile muscle membranes

...ystrophy, Walker-Warburg Syndrome and Muscle-Eye-Brain disease and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2I. In these so-called dystroglycanopathies, too few sugar groups are added to alpha dystroglycan, leading to a version of the protein that does not attach properly to the basal lamina. Detachment of the basal...

New technique can fast-track better ionic liquids for biomass pre-treatments

...o untreated biomass, ionic liquid pretreated biomass produces cellulose that is efficiently hydrolyzed with commercial cellulase cocktail and provides sugar yields over a relatively short time interval," Simmons says. "We are now in the process of evaluating other ionic liquids to discover the optimal comb...

Two dietary oils, two sets of benefits for older women with diabetes

...r oil reduced fat in the trunk area, lowered blood sugar and increased muscle tissue in the women participa...er medications, such as those used to manage blood sugar levels, cholesterol or blood pressure. The wome...unds. Safflower oil also lowered fasting blood sugar levels by between 11 and 19 points on average. Blo...

Recent news reports of sweetener reformulations raise questions about motivations

... criticism stating, "The irony is that white table sugar formerly a leading target of 'eat less' messages ...ssociation. "Whether from cane, beets, or corn, a sugar is a sugar. They all contain four calories per gram. Switching out a kind of corn sugar for table...

American Chemical Society's Weekly Presspac -- June 17, 2009

...ed it for a range of ills. Modern scientific research suggests that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, may help control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and fat accumulation. Their new study showed that laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly les...

Drinking milk in the morning may help stave off lunchtime hunger

...ate fewer calories at lunch. The researchers suspect that milk's protein content (providing 16% of the daily value per cup), the lactose (the natural sugar in milk) or simply the thickness of the beverage may play a role in the satiety benefits. And, research suggests choosing foods that can help enhance ...

The battle for CRTC2: How obesity increases the risk for diabetes

...e potential to identify new classes of drugs that might help to lower blood sugar by disrupting this alternative pathway," says Montminy. It had been well...et stuck in the "on" position and the cells start churning out glucose like sugar factories in overdrive. Surprisingly, when postdoctoral researcher and f...

GEN reports on alternative feedstocks for ethanol production

...valuating the effects on growth, yield, and cellulose hydrolysis, would be applicable to a variety of energy crops including switchgrass, sorghum, and sugar cane. Officials at Coskata say the company relies on a hybrid approach based on its Flex Ethanol technology, which combines gasification and fermen...

Omega-3 fatty acids appear to impact AMD progression

...ecause they trigger a sharp rise and fall of blood sugar. Low-GI foods, such as whole grain versions of pasta and bread, have a milder effect on blood sugar response. Earlier data published by Taylor and Chiu suggests that daily substitution of five slices of whole grain bread for white bread out of a tot...

UBC researchers develop new method to study gambling addictions

...sociated with the delivery of different numbers of sugar pellets. If the animals won the gamble, they rece...arned. High-risk options offered more potential sugar pellets but also the possibility of more frequent ...optimum level of risk and reward to maximize their sugar pellet profits. The study found that rodents tr...

CSIRO deal to commercialize 'artificial gut'

... GI involved feeding the test food to a number of human volunteers and taking regular blood samples over the following hours to monitor changing blood sugar levels. This new machine can replace this expensive and time consuming process in the development phase of products, leaving the standard in vivo (hum...