NUTRITION BITES

CRASH DIETS FAIL

People are less likely to lose weight by skipping meals or taking prescription diet pills than by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly, a study analysing data from more than 20,000 US adults found. Ohio State University researchers found adults who achieved a clinically significant weight loss of 5% adopted a healthier lifestyle than those who fell short of the mark. Strategies reported by the latter camp included following low-carb and liquid diets, taking laxatives or vomiting, and smoking.

GOOD IN A CATASTROPHE

Microgreens biofortified with zinc could boost the odds of people surviving a global catastrophe, Penn State University researchers say. They found soaking pea and sunflower seeds in a zinc solution was an effective way to inject the mineral, essential to human health, into already nutrient-dense microgreens that can be grown at home. “Our work shows microgreens can help people to survive a global catastrophe such as all-out nuclear war, a large asteroid strike or supervolcano eruption in the short term,” says team lead Francesco Di Gioia, “but additional nutritional resources may be needed in the longer term.”

RAPESEED POTENTIAL

Copenhagen researchers have identified a way to remove the bitter compounds that make the protein-rich rapeseed plant p inedible as a direct food source for humans. With the climate crisis demanding d that we reduce meat consumption, rapeseed has great potential as a plant protein source, research lead Barbara Ann Halkier H says. In Denmark alone, more than 200,000ha of rapeseed is cultivated for use as oil and animal feed.

– Listener staff