Health & Green Life

TUESDAY, Aug. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Individuals reporting higher intakes of ultra-processed food (UPF) are significantly more likely to report worse mental health symptoms, according to a study published online July 28 in Public Health Nutrition.

Eric M. Hecht, MD, Ph.D., from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, and colleagues assessed whether individuals who consume higher amounts of UPF have more adverse mental health symptoms. The analysis included data from 10,359 adult participants in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007 to 2012).

The researchers found that individuals with the highest level of UPF consumption were significantly more likely to report at least mild depression (odds ratio, 1.81), more mentally unhealthy days per month (risk ratio, 1.22), and more anxious days per month (risk ratio, 1.19). Similarly, those with the highest UPF consumption were significantly less likely to

Researchers at Iowa State University are trying to increase hens’ welfare and health through virtual reality (VR).

In recent years, VR technology has found its way into every part of life. From video games to job training, VR attempts to give users an experience as close to reality as possible. Though to many, this advancement in technology may sound dystopian, researchers across the country are finding ways it can improve our daily lives.

Melha Mellata, associate professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University, and Graham Redweik, a recent doctoral student in the Interdepartmental Microbiology Graduate Program at Iowa State, are seeing if VR can be used in yet another unconventional way, this time for the birds.

The Iowa State researchers recognized that the increasing demand for cage-free eggs arises from the goal to provide hens with better welfare, particularly in terms of natural behavior. But