Tag Archives: Composition

Daily Mango Consumption May Enhance Blood Glucose Levels and Body Composition in Prediabetic Individuals

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According to new research published in the journal Food, daily consumption of mango (Mangifera indica) over a period of 24 weeks has shown improvements in both short- and long-term glycemic control, reduced insulin resistance, increased insulin sensitivity, and favorable changes in body composition for pre-diabetic patients. These findings indicate that incorporating fresh mangoes into the diet may aid glycemic control for those at high risk for type 2 diabetes, offering a practical food-based strategy to enhance body composition.

Daily consumption of mangoes for 24 weeks significantly enhanced glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and body composition in adults with diabetes, underscoring the potential of mangoes as an effective dietary strategy for metabolic health. Image credit: Mohan Nannapaneni.

Currently, over 130 million adults in the United States are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, as reported by the CDC.

Predictions indicate that by 2030, nearly 40% of U.S. adults will be affected by prediabetes.

Early identification and prevention at the prediabetic stage is crucial, as many individuals remain unaware of their condition until complications arise.

Nutrition plays a vital role in glycemic control, and a balanced diet can promote both enhanced blood glucose regulation and overall long-term health.

In a diabetes prevention program, lifestyle interventions resulted in a 58% reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, compared to a 31% reduction with metformin versus placebo. Thus, identifying accessible natural strategies to mitigate these risk factors is essential for delaying diabetes onset and minimizing associated complications.

Dietary practices enriched with fruits, vegetables, and bioactive compounds have shown beneficial effects on glycemic control and metabolic health.

Mangoes, being tropical fruits, are rich in several bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, ascorbic acid, dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, gallbladder acid, and quercetin.

“It’s not merely about the sugar content; the overall context of the food is crucial,” stated Dr. Raedeh Basiri, a Clinical Nutrition Researcher at George Mason University.

“This study stands as the first long-term clinical trial to showcase the metabolic and body composition benefits of mangoes for individuals with prediabetes.”

“Essentially, it’s about more than just the sugar present in food. The naturally occurring sugars in mangoes and other fruits are balanced by the fiber and other vitamins and nutrients that confer additional health advantages.”

“Foods with added sugars, like breakfast cereals and low-sugar snacks, often lack the same nutritional value and may even elevate the risk of diabetes.”

“The objective is to urge people to include whole fruits like mangoes in their dietary strategies for healthy eating and diabetes prevention.”

“Individuals at high risk for diabetes should emphasize not only the sugar content of their food but also how the sugar is delivered.”

Dr. Basiri and her team divided participants into two groups: one receiving fresh mangoes daily and the other receiving low-sugar granola bars.

Throughout the six-month study, researchers measured participants’ blood glucose levels, their insulin response, and body fat.

The results showed that the high-sugar content in mangoes (32 grams of sugar) was more beneficial than the low-sugar granola bars (11 grams of sugar).

The group consuming mangoes daily exhibited improved glycemic control, heightened insulin sensitivity, and reduced body fat.

“Our findings reinforce and broaden the emerging evidence on the metabolic advantages of consuming fresh mango daily among pre-diabetic individuals,” the researchers noted.

“Participants who ate an average of one mango each day for 24 weeks recorded lower fasting blood glucose levels compared to the control group.”

“Future studies should utilize objective dietary biomarkers (like plasma carotenoids and urinary polyphenols) to enhance accuracy and credibility.”

“Additionally, exploring the mechanisms underlying these observed effects, including the role of bioactive compounds in mango on insulin signaling and inflammation, is essential, especially across diverse populations.”

“Longer follow-up periods and comparisons with other fruits and dietary strategies could provide clarity on the specific benefits of mangoes for metabolic health.”

“Final investigations should delve into broader health advantages of mango consumption beyond glycemic control and body composition, including potential impacts on metabolic pathways and variations in gene expression, as individual responses to the same foods can differ.”

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Raedeh Basiri et al. 2025. Daily mango intake improves blood glucose and body composition outcomes in prediabetic adults: a randomized controlled study. Food 14 (17): 2971; doi: 10.3390/foods14172971

Source: www.sci.news

Study Reveals Asteroid Sample Composition Mirrors Early Solar System Elements

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The initial bodies that formed in the solar system gathered materials from stars, presolar molecular clouds, and protozoan debris. Asteroids that have not experienced planetary differentiation retain evidence of these significant materials. Nevertheless, geological processes such as hydrothermal changes can significantly modify their composition and chemistry. In a recent study, researchers scrutinized the elemental and isotopic composition of samples from the asteroid Bennu, uncovering the origin and nature of the materials associated with its parent body.

This mosaic image of the asteroid Bennu consists of 12 images collected on December 2, 2018 by a 15-mile (24 km) Polycam instrument at Osiris-Rex. Image credit: NASA/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Arizona.

“Our analysis shows that Bennu’s elemental composition closely resembles that of the sun,” stated LLNL scientist Greg Brennecka.

“This indicates that the materials obtained from Bennu provide a valuable reference to the initial arrangement of the entire solar system.”

“Notably, Bennu has remained largely untouched by intense heat, which would alter some of its original ingredients.”

Researchers continue to investigate how planets form, and determining the initial composition of the solar system is akin to gathering a recipe for a cake.

“With that recipe, we gain insight into how all these elements interacted to create the solar system and, ultimately, the Earth and its living beings,” Dr. Brennecca remarked.

“If we aim to understand our origins, the composition of our solar system serves as a fundamental starting point.”

Outer view of the Osiris-Rex sample collector. Sample material for the asteroid can be seen in the center right. Image credits: NASA/Erika Blumenfeld/Joseph Aebersold.

The Osiris-Rex mission by NASA has introduced new possibilities by returning pristine samples to Earth while avoiding contamination from our planet.

LLNL scientist Quinn Shollenberger commented:

“We cannot tackle the significant question of ‘origins’ without a sample on Earth.”

“One of our objectives is to ascertain which elements of the periodic table and their percentages contributed to the solar system’s inception. Bennu can help us uncover this,” noted LLNL scientist Jan Render.

To achieve these findings, researchers ground the asteroid material into fine powders and dissolved them in acid.

This mixture was then analyzed with a series of mass spectrometers to determine the concentrations of most elements within the periodic table.

From these results, scientists have sorted the samples by elements and successfully analyzed the isotopic ratios of several.

“I work at a National Laboratory that boasts remarkable analytical capabilities with state-of-the-art equipment,” shared LLNL scientist Josh Winpenny.

“It is quite rare to have all these functions consolidated in one place, allowing us to make optimal use of these valuable materials.”

“NASA’s Johnson Space Center researcher Dr. Anne Nuguen stated:

“We discovered stardust grains with compositions predating our solar system, organic materials likely formed in interstellar space, and high-temperature minerals that originated close to the sun.”

“All these components were transported over to the region that formed Bennu’s precursor asteroids.”

Survey results published in the journal Natural Astronomy.

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JJ Burns et al. Diversity and origin of materials accumulated by Bennu’s pro-asteroids. Nat Astron Published online on August 22, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41550-025-02631-6

Source: www.sci.news

Impact of Microbiota Composition, pH, and Temperature on Key Flavor Characteristics of Premium Chocolate

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Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) bean fermentation is a natural process characterized by various interactions that influence the flavor profile of high-quality chocolate. By grasping these intricate interactions, one can effectively reproduce the sought-after flavor characteristics in a controlled environment. Research utilizing bean samples fermented at Columbia Farm has demonstrated that pH, temperature, and the composition of microbiota—encompassing both bacteria and fungi—significantly impact the essential flavor qualities of premium chocolate. This discovery lays the groundwork for developing fermentation starters aimed at consistently recreating the attributes of fine chocolate.

Gopaulchan et al. We have confirmed the previously suggested role of pH and temperature variations as reliable indicators of chocolate flavor properties. Image credit: Sci.News.

The creation of fermented products like chocolate relies on the metabolic activities of microbial communities.

These communities transform raw cocoa beans into essential precursors for chocolate production.

Once harvested, cocoa beans undergo several processing stages before becoming chocolate, but fermentation remains a spontaneous process.

“The distinctive flavor of chocolate is shaped by the fermentation of cocoa beans,” stated a representative from University of Nottingham.

“In contrast to the fermentation of wine, cheese, or dough, where specific microorganisms are added to enhance flavor, cocoa bean fermentation occurs naturally, and the microorganisms involved are not well understood.”

“The flavor profile of the beans is closely tied to the geographical location of the farm, resulting in variations in chocolate quality and taste.”

In this research, Dr. Castrillo and co-authors performed DNA sequence-based analyses on fermented cocoa beans from three separate farms in Colombia.

They discovered that a unique microbial community underpins the distinctive fermentation processes at Antioch farms, yielding a superior flavor, as validated by professional tasters.

By analyzing sequencing data, the authors identified the microbial interactions and metabolic pathways involved in fermentation.

This allowed for the design of microbial communities that could mimic the exquisite flavor of chocolate in laboratory settings. This was confirmed through evaluations by the same expert tasters and chocolate metabolite analyses.

Further studies could inform the development of industrial fermentation starters, eliminating the geographical limitations on chocolate flavor.

“The findings from this study enhance our understanding of how the composition of microbial communities during fermentation is a crucial factor in determining chocolate flavor properties,” stated the researchers.

“We have created a reliable methodology to design fermentation starters that facilitate the controlled domestication of the unpredictable microbial fermentations that occur on cocoa farms.”

“This paves the way for the evolution of the modern chocolate industry, akin to the beer and cheese sectors, based on regulated cocoa fermentation utilizing synthetic microbial starters that can consistently replicate the unique flavor characteristics of cocoa beans and chocolate.”

The team’s study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology this week.

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D. Gopaulchan et al. The defined microbial community recreates the attributes of finely flavored chocolate fermentation. Nat Microbiol Published online on August 18th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41564-025-02077-6

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble sheds light on atmospheric composition and dynamics of Uranus

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The 20-year Hubble study of Uranus provides valuable data to help you understand the atmospheric dynamics of this distant ice giant. This serves as a proxy for studying the deformation of similar sizes and compositions.

The image sequence shows changes in Uranus over the past four years when Hubble’s STIS instrument observed Uranus over 20 years. Over that period, astronomers saw Uranus season as the Antarctic region (left) entered winter shadows, and the Arctic region (right) brightened, and began to become more direct view as summer approached the north. The top row of visible light shows how Uranus’ colours look to the human eye, as can be seen by even amateur telescopes. In the second line, false-colored images of the planet are assembled from visible and near-infrared light observations. The color and brightness correspond to the amount of methane and aerosol. Both of these quantities were indistinguishable before STI first targeted Uranus in 2002. Generally, the green area has less methane than the blue area, and the red area does not show methane. The red area is in the limbs, where the stratosphere of Uranus is almost completely free of methane. The two bottom rows show the latitudinal structures of aerosols and methane, inferred from those visible from 1,000 different wavelengths (colors) to near-infrared. In the third row, bright areas show cloudy conditions, while dark areas show clearer conditions. In the fourth row, the bright areas show depleted methane, and the dark areas show the total amount of methane. At mid- and low-latitude latitudes, aerosol and methane depletion has a unique latitude structure that has changed little over 20 years of observation. However, in polar regions, aerosol and methane depletion behave very differently. In the third row, aerosols near the Arctic show a dramatic increase, becoming very dark in the early days of the Northern Spring and very bright in recent years. It appears that aerosols also disappear in their left limbs when solar radiation disappears. This is evidence that solar radiation alters aerosol haze in Uranus’s atmosphere. On the other hand, methane depletion appears to remain very high in both polar regions throughout the observation period. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Erich Karkoschka, LPL.

Uranus is a giant ice planet about four times the diameter of Earth.

It has a hydrogen and helium feel and has a bit of methane that gives it a blue tint.

Uranus lies to its side and rotates, its magnetic field is biased – it tilts at the center 60 degrees from its axis.

When Voyager 2 passed Uranus in 1986, it provided a close-up snapshot of the planet facing sideways. What it saw resembled a bland blue-green billiard ball.

In comparison, Hubble recorded the story of 20 years of seasonal changes from 2002 to 2022.

During that period, it was used by a team of astronomers led by Dr. Erich Karkoschka of the University of Arizona and Dr. Larry Slomovsky and Dr. Pat Free of the University of Wisconsin. Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (stis) Draw an accurate picture of Uranus’ atmosphere structure.

Researchers observed Uranus four times in 20 years: 2002, 2012, 2015, and 2022.

They found that unlike gas giants Saturn and Jupiter, methane was not evenly distributed on Uranus.

Instead, it is heavily depleted near the pole. This depletion remained relatively constant for 20 years.

However, the structure of aerosols and hazes changes dramatically, and brightens significantly in the Arctic region as the planet approaches the northern summer solstice in 2030.

Uranus takes Earth age just over 84 years to complete the single orbit of the Sun.

Therefore, for over 20 years, the team has seen the spring almost north to make the Northern Pole shine directly in 2030, before shining the equator of Uranus.

“Hubble’s observations suggest a complex atmospheric circulation pattern for Uranus during this period,” the scientists said.

“The data most sensitive to methane distribution shows polar inundation and upwelling in other regions.”

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers unveil the atmospheric composition of Topsitterby on a faraway planet

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Three layers of the atmosphere of a giant tyro gas

ESO/m. Cone Messer

The atmosphere of a distant world is mapped in detail for the first time, revealing a strange, dizzy weather system, and the fastest winds ever blew inexplicably around the Earth's stratosphere.

Astronomers have been studying the WASP-121B, also known as Tylos, since 2015. A planet 900 light years away is a vast ball of gas twice the size of Jupiter, and the stars orbit very closely and complete their perfect orbit. Only 30 Earth Time. This close orbit heats the planet's atmosphere to a temperature of 2500°C, and is hot enough to boil iron.

now, Julia Seidel Chile and her colleagues' observatory in southern Europe use a very large telescope at the observatory to see in the burnt, hot atmosphere of Tyros, with at least three different layers of gas in different directions around the planet. I found out there. I've seen it before. “It's absolutely crazy, it's a science fiction-like pattern and behavior,” Seidel says.

The atmosphere of our solar system planets is driven by the internal temperature difference, whereas the winds in the upper layers are more affected by the temperature difference, and the strong wind flows are more affected by the temperature difference. shares a similar structure to Created by the heat of the sun, it warms the daylight side of the planet, while the other warms.

However, in the atmosphere of Tyros, it is driven by heat from the planetary stars, and it is the lower wind that moves away from the warm surface, but the jetstream is primarily in the middle layer of the atmosphere, surrounding the equator of Tyros. It looks like it's moving. In the direction of the planet's rotation. The upper layer also exhibits jetstream-like characteristics, but hydrogen gas floats outward from the planet. This is difficult to explain using current models, Seidel says. “What we're looking at now is actually the opposite of what comes out of theory.”

Furthermore, Tylos' jetstream is the most powerful ever, blasting at about 70,000 km/h on half the planet. This is almost twice as much as the previous record holder. It is unknown what exactly drives this velocity, but researchers believe it is caused by the planet's strong magnetic field or by ultraviolet rays from the stars. “This could change the flow pattern, but this is all very speculative,” Seidel says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists suggest that the composition of the inner core of the Earth is undergoing changes

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Geoscientists at the University of Southern California, the University of Los Angeles, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Cornell University, the Institute of Geology at the University of Utah and the University of Utah have said they have detected structural changes near the center of the Earth.

The inner core of the Earth was previously thought to be solid. Image credit: USC Graphics/Edward Sotero.

Professor John Vidale, a researcher at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, said:

“What we discovered is evidence that the surface near the inner core of the Earth is undergoing structural changes.”

Located 5,000 km (3,000 miles) on the surface of the Earth, the inner core is fixed by gravity within the outer core of the molten liquid. Until now, the inner core was widely considered to be a solid sphere.

“The original purpose was to further diagram the deceleration of the inner core. However, when I was analyzing decades of earthquake records, one dataset of seismic waves remained. It was strangely distinctive from that,” Dr. Vidale said.

“Later I realized I was staring at evidence that my inner core was not solid.”

In this study, the authors recorded seismic waves recorded by Yelson and Yellow Knife Receber Array Stations in North America from repeated seismic pairs in the North-South Sandwich Islands between 1991 and 2023.

One dataset of seismic waves from the latter station contained non-characteristic properties that researchers have never seen before.

“The dataset initially confused me,” Dr. Vidale said.

It was not revealed that seismic waveforms represent additional physical activity in the inner core until the team improved their resolution techniques.

Physical activity is best described as a temporal change in the shape of the inner core.

New research shows that surfaces near the inner core can undergo viscous deformation, altering their shape and shifting at the shallow boundary of the inner core.

The most obvious cause of structural changes is the interaction between the inner and outer cores.

“It is widely known that the melted outer core is a turbulent flow, but that turbulence has not been observed to contiguously contiguously to the inner core of the human timescale,” Dr. Vidale said. Ta.

“The first thing we're looking at in this study is the outer core that probably disrupts the inner core.”

“This discovery could open the door to uncover previously hidden dynamics deep within the Earth's nucleus, and lead to a better understanding of the Earth's thermal and magnetic fields.”

study Published in the journal Natural Earth Science.

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Je Vidale et al. Variations in annual scales at both rotation speed and surfaces near the inner core of the Earth. nut. GeosciPublished online on February 10th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41561-025-01642-2

Source: www.sci.news

New Study Reveals Further Insights Into Tea’s Genetic Composition

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Free amino acids (FAA) specifically determine the quality of tea. Theaninewhich gives the tea its infusion flavor. However, its concentration varies widely depending on the type of tea, influencing both the flavor and nutritional profile of the tea. In a new study led by the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Huazhong Agricultural University, 339 tea lines were collected to study FAA levels to elucidate tea variation and accumulation mechanisms. The results provide insights and benefits for the conservation, evaluation, and utilization of tea germplasm, with the ultimate goal of tea plant genetic improvement and breeding, as well as further deciphering the complex complex traits of tea plants. We provide valuable information and approaches to help you.

By analyzing the variation of FAA of 339 tea accessions over 2 years, the determined components of FAA, including arginine, glutamine, glutamic acid, alanine, and theanine, with the highest diversity index were found in different genetic resources and within species. We found that there were differences between strains. On the other hand, the amount is Camellia sinensis All were significantly higher than their wild relatives. In this study, a significant opposite trend between chlorophyll and FAA profiles was identified. Image credit: Sci.News.

“Tea tree (Camellia sinensis) and its wild relatives, evergreens and woody perennials, belong to this genus. camellia “It is a member of the Camellia family with a long history of cultivation,” said co-senior author Dr. Liang Chen of the Tea Research Institute and colleagues.

“Originally in southwestern China, it is widely consumed around the world and is becoming the most important non-alcoholic beverage.”

“For commercial and quality value, the secondary metabolites of the tea plant are important criteria associated with pleasant flavor, nutritional value, and numerous health benefits, including polyphenols, catechins, caffeine, theanine, and terpenes. .”

“Therefore, the evaluation and utilization of tea lines… findings appear in this diary horticultural research.

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ron fan others. 2024. Comprehensive analysis of free amino acid variation and accumulation in tea lines. horticultural research 11 (1):uhad263;doi: 10.1093/hr/uhad263

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists unravel the composition of the unique toxin found in black widow spider venom

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Black widow spider venom contains a cocktail of seven specific latrotoxins, but only one, alpha-latrotoxin, targets vertebrates, including humans. chemist of University of Munster They have now deciphered the structure of alpha-latrotoxin before and after membrane insertion at near atomic resolution.

Cryo-EM structures of α-latrotoxin in two different tetrameric states. Image credit: Klink others., doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52635-5.

Latrotoxin is the main toxic component of the venom of black widow spiders (genus). latrodectus).

The toxins include five insecticidal toxins known as α-latrotoxin, α-, β-, γ-, δ-, and ε-latroinsect toxins, which are unique to vertebrates, and one toxin that is unique to crustaceans.

“Alpha-latrotoxin interferes with nervous system signal transmission,” said researcher Björn Klinck and colleagues at the University of Münster.

“As soon as alpha-latrotoxin binds to specific receptors at the synapse (contacts between nerve cells or between nerve cells and muscles), calcium ions flow uncontrollably into the presynaptic membrane of the signal-transmitting cell.”

“This triggers the release of neurotransmitters, which causes strong muscle contractions and spasms.”

“Although this process seems simple at first glance, there are very complex mechanisms behind it.”

To better understand the mechanism of calcium influx into the presynaptic membrane, the authors used high-performance cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations.

They showed that alpha-latrotoxin undergoes significant changes when it binds to the receptor.

Some of the toxic molecules form stalks and penetrate the cell membrane like a syringe.

As a special feature, this stalk forms small pores in the membrane, which act as calcium channels.

MD simulations revealed that calcium ions can enter the cells through a selection gate on the side directly above the pore.

“This toxin mimics the function of calcium channels in the presynaptic membrane in a very complex way,” said Christos Gatsogiannis, a researcher at the University of Münster.

“Therefore, it is different in every way from any toxin known to date.”

“The new discovery opens up a wide range of potential applications.”

“Latrotoxin has considerable biotechnological potential, including the development of improved antidotes, treatments for paralysis, and new biopesticides.”

of study Published in a magazine nature communications.

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Clink BU others. 2024. Structural basis of α-latrotoxin transition to cation-selective pores. Nat Commune 15, 8551; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52635-5

Source: www.sci.news