October 2003 issue

Latest ARS Food & Nutrition Research Briefs Posted

The Agricultural Research Service has posted the October 2003 issue of Food & Nutrition Research Briefs on its web site at:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb

The Research Briefs present concise updates about ARS research in human nutrition, food freshness and safety, and related topics.

Some highlights of the October 2003 issue:

• Drinking black tea and eating meals low in fat and cholesterol may help lower the “bad” LDL cholesterol in blood. Go.
• The 1.5 million Americans who are allergic to peanuts may someday have an allergen-free peanut they can enjoy. Go.
• A form of vitamin D, discovered in laboratory studies by an ARS researcher, may help fight cancer. Go.
• Eating fruits, vegetables and certain grains that are rich in antioxidant compounds could be the most practical and least expensive way to delay formation of cataracts. Go.
• Small, hard-to-find particles on poultry carcasses may now be easier to detect at the processing plant, using a newly patented, high-tech imaging system from ARS. Go.

ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Contact: Marcia Wood, USDA-ARS Information Staff, Beltsville, MD 20705; phone (301) 504-1662, fax (301) 504-1641.