Category Archives: Science Communication

The Two “E”s to Avoid Cancer: Exercise and Eat Well

Posted on April 3, 2013 by alicel23 | Leave a comment

Cancer is a mysterious silent killer whose cure, even to this day, cannot be found. Many studies have found a link between weight gain and obesity to increased risk of cancer. Could the solution to cancer prevention be something as simple as getting enough exercise and having a proper diet? As many of you know, the idea of following a healthy diet and exercising regularly is beneficial and we are constantly reminded by our friends, family and even the media. However, unknown to many of us, what we think is a common idea may be very effective in preventing obesity-related cancers.

Healthy Salad by Emilian Robert Vicol via Flickr creative commons

How exactly does being overweight relate to increased cancer risks you ask? Simply put, it has been hypothesized that many hormones or proteins involved in the development and progression of diseases such as cancer, are secreted by adipose tissue. Therefore, the more fat accumulated in the body, the more hormones secreted or “genes” expressed that can take part in the pathways leading to cancer. To examine the effects of weight loss on fat tissue gene expression and subsequently, the amount of hormones secreted, Dr. Kristin Campbell, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, and associates studied the effects of exercise and diet on body fat tissue.

Dr. Kristin Campbell working with Scenery Slater, a cancer patient by Martin Dee via http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/06/06/blame-it-on-chemo-brain/

Forty-five postmenopausal women participated and were divided into 4 treatment groups: a control group (no treatment), a calorie-restricted diet group, an exercise group and a diet+exercise group. Blood and adipose tissue samples were taken from every participant before and after following the treatments for 6 months. The samples were then analyzed for changes in hormone levels or fat tissue expression in the body. It was found that women who followed only a calorie-restrictive diet lost the most weight and greater weight loss was correlated with greater changes in fat tissue gene expression. In other words, reducing the amount of body fat ultimately reduces the chances of developing diseases such as cancer.

How women were divided into different groups in the experiment

For further details on the motivation of Dr. Campbell as well as the findings of the research, take a look at the video below:

Youtube via whywontmynamefit

Although the subjects were all postmenopausal women, Dr. Kristin Campbell notes that weight loss can also reduce the risk of colon cancers and other obesity related diseases that affect men and women equally. From the research findings, we can see how important being healthy is for not only older generations, but for the younger generations as well. We hope our blog motivates others to live a healthier lifestyle.

With that being said, listen to the podcast below for Dr. Campbell’s suggestions for exercise and diet regimes:

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– Grace Lam, Alice Lin, Ashkan Nasr, Derek Rejto

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Outreach Project, Science Communication

Tagged adipose tissue, Cancer, diet, disease, Exercise, genes, healthier lifestyle, healthy, hormones, obesity, postmenopausal, Weight loss

Robot Invasion?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by alvinesh | Leave a comment

With the drastic increase of technology in robotics in the past decade, should we be fearful robots will take our jobs in the future?

Robot apocalypse anyone?
(via Flickr: A.G Photography)

Posdoctoral research fellow Brian Gleeson in the University of British Columbia computer science department doesn’t believe so – his paper “Gestures for Industry” seeks to push the boundaries of human interactions with robots in a society where mass production is essential for satisfying the demand for goods by consumers.

Significant technological advancements in relatively short periods of time have not only resulted in better household goods, but have also extended to the production process itself. The use of robots in every nook and cranny of industrial assembly lines has allowed for faster, more efficient production of goods. However, over the years, the transition to more mechanized labour has come under fire from the human workforce – many fear for the security of their jobs.

This video below shows the progress of technology and robotics, and what this implies for job security:

(Youtube via CurtMattack)

Technological advancements are showing no signs of slowing down, so are robots destined to take over the production process entirely?

Fortunately not, and many will take comfort in learning that the “Gestures for Industry” paper explores the integration of robotic assistants to increase efficiency, safety and to reduce stress on workers.

Dr. Gleeson has extensively studied human-human interactions, as well as human-robot interactions using only hand gestures to accomplish various tasks. Through this, they discovered that participants, human or robot, must know what the task is ahead of time. For example, knowing whether the task is placing a part in a specific location or manipulating multiple parts is imperative to fully understanding their partner’s hand gestures. Just like the human-human teams, the human-robot teams were able to perform these tasks that communicated specific details without any vocal, touch or eye communication. Dr. Gleeson’s research is one of the first stepping-stones towards human-robot interactions and the future implications of these findings are endless.

These are the types of one-armed robots Brian Gleeson and his team work on.
(via Wikimedia: Lionel Allorge)

The podcast below provides insight on Brian Gleeson’s study and delves into the future of robotics.

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While the field of robotics is undoubtedly advancing at a significant rate, human workers need not be concerned with being out of a job. Dr. Gleeson states that robots have already replaced humans in the workforce wherever possible, and that the next step to a safer, more efficient production process requires humans and robots to coexist and cooperate with each other, ultimately resulting in a higher standard of living.

On a side-note, a recent article from Forbes reports robots will actually create more jobs.

– Nicole Gehring, Harleen Kalra, Curtis Ma, Alvinesh Singh

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Posted in Outreach Project, Science Communication

Tagged Communication, computers, Non-verbal Communication, Robots, Science, Technology, UBC

Paint-On Plastic Electronics: The Next Generation of Polymers for Robust Performance

Posted on March 25, 2013 by UBCFIZZisPhun | Leave a comment

Imagine what life was like if all digital devices are comprised of plastic semiconductor? This kind of lifestyle is just around the corner as researchers and engineers at University of Michigan have developed a new method for currents to flow in semiconducting polymers.

Historically, semiconducting polymers like poly(alkylthiophenes), and some PPVs are unruly bunch. Each years millions of organics chemicals are synthesized and each day new materials appear on the market for sales. With a vast amount of new organic chemicals and polymers generated, the overal chemical industry is approximately worth billions of dollars. What make semiconductors so unique is that it is the key ingredient for computer processor, solar cells, LED displays and much much more.

http://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/1932346/LED_Display_Screen_LED_video_wall_For_Outdoor_USE.html#normal_img

Current issues about these semiconductors are that they cost consumers’ wallets. Alternatives such as inorganic semiconductors like silicon require high temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and these vacuum systems for electronics processing are certainly not cheaper and greener than the former semiconductors.

The search for a cheaper and greener “paint-on” plastic electronic that could pave the way for economical, environmental, polymer material is on! Researchers led by Professor Dr. Jinsang Kim of Univerisity of Michigan has synthesized for the first time a thin-layer, conducting, highly aligned film for superior performance that can be paint or write on plastic electronics.

Kim’s group approached the idea by first designed a slippery polymer which are ordinary polymers that glom togehter like flat spaghettis. The next process involving researchers selecting polymers with a natural twist and prevent them from sticking to one another in the applied solutions. In order to achieve the effect of alignment during the brushstroke, Kim’s group carefully designed their polymer to untwist as the solvent dried up. They then stopped the unaligned polymers from conglomerate through addition of flexible arms that extended off to the sides of the wire-like thin polymer.

The result? A big breakthrough! The first complete molecular semiconducting polymer is born! After several testings, the results are that it works!

(Credit: Joseph Xu, CoE Communications & Marketing)

Kyeongwoon Chung, Macromolecular Science & Engineering PhD Student, sets up the contact coater to align the surfaces properly for the application of high performance plastic semiconductors.

“By combining the established molecular design principle with a polymer that has a very good intrinsic charge carrier mobility, we believe it will make a huge difference in organic electronics,” Kim said.

True to his words, the university is seeking commercialization partenrs to help bring the technology to the market.

This is the initial stage of a new type of polymer that eventually become a polymer that defines the next generation of high technology materials. More to come as new materials are constantly rolled out of the billion dollar chemical industries.

http://www.materialsviews.com/polymer-physics-polymer-electronics/

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Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Tagged greener "paint-on" plastic electronic, inorganic materials, intrinsic charge carrier mobility, key ingredient for computer processor, organics chemicals, polymers next generation materials, semiconductors

Motion sickness: A quarrel between the eyes and ears

Posted on March 18, 2013 by clarissangui | 1 comment

Have you ever started reading your notes or textbook on the bus ride to school, only to find yourself feeling dizzy and nauseous moments after? Or perhaps you’ve experienced the same set of unsettling symptoms on a plane ride, or on a lovely – or in this case, not-so-lovely – Caribbean cruise. Regardless of where you were, it sounds like you were hit by a bad case of motion sickness, a condition that arises due to changes in our sense of balance and equilibrium. As a result, such a phenomenon can develop from the movements of a car or boat, the turbulence of an airplane, or even from the twirls and loops of a ride at an amusement park.

If you’re prone to motion sickness, this ride probably isn’t for you.
By jpesci via Flickr Creative Commons

So what causes motion sickness and why do we experience such discomfort as a result? First of all, motion is detected by the brain via signals sent from the inner ear, the eyes, and various sensory receptors throughout the body, and are therefore coordinated together when we walk or move ourselves consciously.

On the other hand, motion sickness occurs when the eyes and ears send different signals to the brain. In this scenario, the movement that is visually perceived “disagrees” with the movement sensed by a specialized system associated with our inner ear. This system, more so known as the vestibular system, contains the organs responsible for the maintenance of proper balance and orientation. Thus, a disturbance to the inner ear caused by any form of repeated motion can cause a person to experience dizziness, fatigue, and nausea, which is explained in this video by YouTube user Alex Dainis.

This explains why motion sickness can be experienced while reading in a moving vehicle. While your eyes are fixed on an object that is stationary, your body and inner ear sense movement from the speeding or turning vehicle, causing some sort of disagreement between the two.

The vestibular system constitutes the inner ear.
By Rage via Wikimedia Commons

In many cases, motion sickness will ultimately lead to vomiting. This is because the mismatch of signals sent to the brain by the eyes and inner ear suggests that a neurotoxin was ingested, causing the body to induce vomiting in order to get rid of it.

While around 33% of people are prone to motion sickness under mild conditions, 66% experience it under more extreme conditions. Although it is hard to prevent most cases of motion sickness, this video by YouTube user mayoclinic presents some remedies that can be followed to avoid or lessen its effects. If you are one of the 33% that is easily susceptible to this unnerving condition, perhaps these will help make your next vacation or road trip a little more enjoyable.

– Clarissa Ngui

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged inner ear, motion sickness, vestibular system

The Truth about the 5-Second Rule

Posted on March 16, 2013 by christinewong | 5 comments

I’m sure everyone has used this rule to eat that chocolate bar that you have been saving all day that has just fallen to the ground. The rule states that if you picked up the dropped piece of food quick enough, it will be safe to eat. But how quickly do you have to pick it up for it to still be safe? Or is it something we say that allows us to save that chocolate bar that has just landed on the floor?

5-Second Rule! Image via Wikimedia Commons Greg William’s WikiWorld.

The first person to study this rule was a high-school intern at the University of Illinois Jillian Clarke in 2003. She surprising found that approximately 50% of men and 70% of women followed the 5-second rule. She conducted an experiment by dropping gummy bears and cookies on tiles contaminated with E.coli. Sure enough after 5 seconds, all the food was contaminated with bacteria.

This raises the question: Is that enough bacteria to make us sick? This leads us to a study done by Dawson and his colleagues, in the Journal of Microbiology at Clemson University. They chose the bacteria salmonella. Bread and bologna were dropped onto salmonella-soaked tiles for 5 seconds and for 1 minute. Bacteria adhered to the food immediately. After 5 seconds, the bread and bologna collected 150 to 8,000 bacteria! After 1 minute, the number of bacteria was 10 times greater. When you take into consideration that only 10 strains of salmonella are needed to make you sick, you may want to reconsider putting that food back into your mouth.

Salmonella. Image via Wikimedia Commons, Rocky Mountain Laboratories.

Believers of the 5-second rule say, “The acid in my stomach and saliva is strong enough to kill bacteria!” This is false. Many viruses and bacteria actually thrive and survive in low pH environments. Many harmful bacteria can survive long enough in the human body to get into the intestine to infect it. If dropping a piece a bread can lead to 150 to 8,000 bacteria clinging to it, why don’t we get sick more often? The answer is our immune system. Our immune system is constantly working to fight these bacteria and viruses, preventing us from getting sick all the time.

Bacteria are found everywhere, even on that freshly cleaned sparkling kitchen tile. A study from the Hygiene Council shockingly found the kitchen floor near the sink has more bacteria than the trash can. One of the most shocking items that carry lots of bacteria that we use everyday is our cell-phone. Cell phones carries about 25,000 germs per square inch while toilet seats carry 344 germs per square inch. If you compare the two, the number of germs found on just one cellphone is the same number of germs that are found on 73 toilet seats!

Toilet. Image via Wikimedia Commons rfc1394.

A more in detail discussion about the truth of the 5-second rule:

YouTube Video “Is The 5-Second Rule True?” via Vsauce.

I hope this makes you rethink the 5-second rule. Maybe it is not the best idea to put that chocolate bar back into our mouths after it has touched the floor.

Hilarious Comic by Matt Melvin of Cyanide and Happiness. All rights to Cyanide and Happiness.

– Christine Wong

5 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged 5 second rule, bacteria, Cell phones, chocolate bar, E.coli, ground, salmonella, sink, toilets

Chemophobia: A Natural or Synthesized Fear?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by nicoledgehring | 2 comments

When did ‘chemical’ come to mean the opposite of ‘natural’? Consider for example, caffeine isolated from cocoa beans or tea leaves versus caffeine synthesized in a laboratory. Is one better for you than the other?

In the view of the general public, substances that are ‘natural’ and those that are ‘chemical’ are seen as two different things. Natural seems to stand for something positive and pure: Things that are healthy, mild or ‘good for the environment’ whereas chemicals are often viewed as toxic, dangerous and unhealthy.

This misconception is called chemophobia: An irrational fear of chemicals and we are a chemophobic culture.

Chemophobia and Our Culture
Credit: CHEMJOBBER via Flickr Creative Commons

Have you ever had a sales assistant tell you that a product was made entirely from natural ingredients, and contained no chemicals? Most people would think this was a selling feature, but what are those natural ingredients? Is it possible they might also be chemical compounds? Surely they must be. Those ingredients had to of come from somewhere.

Our negative view of chemicals is influenced by the fact that some chemicals are used in dangerous man-made materials such as Agent Orange, DDT and napalm. Other chemicals are responsible for environmental problems like smog, air pollution and the formation of the ozone hole. That being said, chemophobics can be blind to the vast majority of chemicals they encounter everyday. Everything around us is composed of life’s building blocks: Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, all of which are chemicals. Daily essentials that we require to live are chemicals. Water and the air we breathe are composed of oxygen and hydrogen. Arsenic is a naturally occurring element, but would we label is as “100% natural” and willingly consume it? I cannot stress enough that all matter is made of chemicals.

Natural vs. Synthetic Vitamin D
Credit: Jarek Esarco, from http://ohiospecific.blogspot.ca/

It’s important to understand the misleading notion of natural versus synthetic chemicals. It may shock some of you to know that sometimes synthetic is actually safer for your health, such as synthetic melatonin supplements since those naturally derived may contain viral material. In addition, some sources of synthetic chemicals are actually good for the environment. For example, natural sources of vanilla (the vanilla bean) are quickly being depleted and synthetic versions are our first alternative. In fact synthetic chemicals are indistinguishable from the natural source. They are molecularly identical with the exact same properties, appearance, smell and taste.

This widespread misconception colors public perceptions of chemistry and its role in the modern world. Chemophobia may not be as direct a threat to our future as say, climate change, but it clouds public understanding of real and very important issues we face.

-Nicole Gehring

2 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged "all natural", Caffeine, chemical, chemophobia, health, misconceptions, natural, synthetic

Impending Doom: A World Without Antibiotics

Posted on March 11, 2013 by curtisjm | 4 comments

Imagine a world where the common cold or a cut on your finger could be potentially life threatening. Operations, transplants and even child birth could once again be deadly. This nightmarish situation might not be as far fetched as some might think. The World Health Organization warns us of such a future – one without antibiotics.

Sir Alexander Fleming‘s discovery of antibiotics was one of the single greatest contributions to medicine. He’d made the discovery of penicillin in 1945, but even then the awareness of bacterial resistance to the drug was present. Sir Alexander Fleming stated:

“It is not difficult to make microbes resistant to penicillin in the laboratory by exposing them to concentrations not sufficient to kill them, and the same thing has occasionally happened in the body.

Then there is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to non-lethal quantities of the drug make them resistant.”

Sir Alexander Fleming.
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Calibuon

The resistance that Sir Alexander Fleming mentioned is materializing into a harsh reality of today. As bacteria become exposed to different drugs, they eventually adapt and find ways to survive, rendering the drug ineffective. The US Centers of Disease Control point out the emergence of “nightmare bacteria,” those that are capable of resisting multiple drugs, as well as a select few that are immune to all antibiotics. For the most part, as long as new and improved drugs are developed, resistance to the majority of bacteria will not be a problem. However, there has not been a discovery of a new class of antibiotics since 1980.

Scanning electron micrograph of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (gold) outside a white blood cell (blue).
Source: Wikimedia commons via NIAID/NIH

Although antibiotics are the main cause of the adaptation and development of more resistant strains of bacteria, a world without antibiotics would be far more dangerous. Antibiotics are extremely important in compensating for a suppressed immune system resulting from major surgeries or long term treatments such as chemotherapy. A future without antibiotics is surely a grim one.

Some initiatives have already been taken in order to decrease the amount of unnecessary use of antibiotics. Europe, for example, has banned the use of antibiotics to increase the growth of livestock, as it can promote resistance in bacteria. It has also been argued that antibiotics should be far more expensive, forcing people to reassess how badly they need them.

Professor Laura Piddock, from the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham, talks about the importance of using antibiotics carefully:

Source: YouTube via pharmamixvideo

The speculation of a future without antibiotics forces us to rethink our casual use of the drug. Although the description of such a situation may seem a little over exaggerated, the message should be taken seriously or dire consequences may ensue. While bacterial resistance to antibiotics is increasing, careful regulation of its use could prevent this “bacterial apocalypse” that is so vividly described.

– Curtis Ma

4 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Uncategorized

Tagged adaptation, antibiotics, apocalypse, bacteria, doom, immunity, mutation, nightmare bacteria, penicillin, resistance, sir alexander fleming

How the term ‘endorphin’ derived and works for our body?

Posted on March 4, 2013 by jpark | Leave a comment

Picture showing how endorphin works
from altered-states.net

Endorphin is closely related to morphine, and morphine is a drug that effectively removes pain after getting hurt or surgery, and also gives thrill to people as if they fly in the sky. Because of this, morphine freed countless people who have suffered from pain, but also played a huge role in destroying people by making them addicted.

So, in 1970s, many researchers studied about this. And later, they discovered that there is a substance that performs a similar role like morphine in our brains. And it is about 100 times stronger than morphine. Thus, by definition, the substance is endogenous morphine, which means that it exists inside a brain. To call it short, it is called as endorphin.

This substance is secreted when people get stress to counteract it. Endorphin is a very thankful substance that relieves anxiety and pain to make people happy. When people get stress from climbing high mountains and skydiving, the brains secret endorphin to make them feel less pain and thus feel as if they fly the sky.

Also, an interesting fact is that the secretion of endorphin increases when people feel stress, but is restrained when they are happy. For example, when women are about to give birth, the level of endorphin reaches the maximum point in both mothers’ and babies’ brains to deal with the situation. After giving birth, the level of it decreases rapidly.

A woman giving a birth to a baby with help of endorphin
Credit to gettyimages’Korea

Therefore, it seems that babies are exposed to drugs from the moment when they are born. And there is always possibility that anyone can get addicted. So we need to be very careful not to become addicted to drugs.

This shows how endorphin works for people’s body by William Bloom. (This video is from the youtube username William Bloom.)

-Jong Jin Park

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication

Tagged drug, endogenous, endorphin, morphine

Technological Advance: Resistance May Be Futile

Posted on March 4, 2013 by briankahnamelli | 3 comments

Are you one of those smart phone users who simply can’t be parted from your phone, or one of those wifi junkies who travel from hotspot to hotspot simply looking for your next fix? Well there may be good news for you, as scientists from Duke University School of Medicine have been working on a way to mind meld humans with technology. That’s right, just like the Borg, you too could become one with machine and share a single consciousness with all of your friends! Okay, well maybe not just yet, but they’re certainly making advances in that direction.

We are the Borg. Resistance is Futile. You will be assimilated.

Courtesy of ragokin via Youtube

That’s right all you Trekkies, resistance may soon enough be futile, as researchers from Duke have successfully linked a pair of rat brains. Using arrays of microelectrodes, researchers attached the motor cortexes of the two rat brains. This allowed the two rats to transmit and receive tactile and motor information to and from each other at will.

In their experiment, both rats were trained to perform certain tasks based on certain stimulus. The rats were then put into separate testing areas and connected via this brain linkage – one was only given the stimulus and the other was put in the response area. The experimenters ran a number of different tests; from making one rat push certain levers based on what light another was shown, to making one rat believe that it had detected infrared light, when there was no light source present. The results were astounding to researchers, as in their first test, the rats achieved a 70% success rate, which was only just slightly less than the maximum 78% success rate that the researchers had deemed possible. Although the experiments were all different, the results were all significant, showing that the rats were consciously communicating. Furthermore, it appeared that the communication was not a one-way street, but instead that the rats were responding to one another. This was indicated by slight changes in the rats’ brain function and behavior – a behavior believed to be as a result of a mutual and concerted effort.

To put all doubt to rest as well as to test the bounds of the connection, the researchers separated the two rats completely – not just in different testing rooms or different buildings, but on two completely different continents. The rat receiving the stimulus was put in Natal, Brazil and the rat performing the actions was put in Durham, N.C., USA. The connection was established using an Internet connection. Miguel Pais-Vera, PhD, was amazed that even despite the distance and the lag associated with Internet connections, the rats were still able to complete the tasks while maintaining a significant level of success. He continued by saying that this research was promising and that in time “it could be possible the create a workable, network of animal brains distributed in many different locations.”

If not the Borg, it may be a bit closer to this.

Courtesy of Its me simon, via Flickr Creative Commons

– Brian Kahnamelli

3 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged Brain science, Cognitive, Communal Thought, Non-verbal Communication, psychology

Pregnancy: Eat for yourself.

Posted on March 4, 2013 by vivian09 | 4 comments

Pregnancy Weight.
From Desidieter

When a woman becomes pregnant, we often observe a drastic change in her diet and, without a doubt, in her body shape. While women restrain themselves from overeating and keeping a nice curve, many women view pregnancy as an exit route to eat without worries. When women become pregnant, families and friends begin to shove platters of food towards them, thinking that this is the only way that the fetus will be able to get its nutrition. However, evidence show that this is the wrong approach for the health of the mother and the fetus.

Pregnant lady measuring her weight
Credit to iStockphoto

There have been many misconceptions on the idea that pregnant women should eat for two. However, this has been proven to place extra unhealthy weights to a third of women on average. This extra weight is hard to lose even following birth and may cause medical complications on both pregnant women and on the fetus. For example, an increase in blood pressure can be observed in women who over consume during pregnancy, and there is an increase chance of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. In addition, there is an increase rate of stillbirth and an increase rate of interventions cascade, leading to unnatural birth, caesarian sections.

There are two main problems associated with the misconception of dieting during pregnancy. Firstly, at Surrey University, a psychologist named Jane Odgen investigated in the impact of pregnancy on eating behaviour and aspects of weight concern. She found that during pregnancy, women enable themselves to eat any amount of food they want. She hypothesizes that due to this reason, pregnant women are more susceptible to gaining weight even following giving birth because they have been accustomed to eating for two. Secondly, many health agencies have not successfully promoted the idea of eating normally during pregnancy. Therefore, it has become difficult for pregnant women to become aware of the risks associated with eating for two. Furthermore, pregnant women experience mood swings easily due to hormonal activities; under this circumstance, they allow themselves to feed on food containing high cholesterol content to relieve the stress of pregnancy.

Healthy During Pregnancy
From Yeatips.com

According to a study presented in the American Dietetic Association, women who ate a healthy diet including vegetables, fresh fruit, and the sufficient amount of protein resulted in an easy pregnancy without gaining extra weight. In addition to a healthy diet, light exercise can also reduce the chance of overweighting during pregnancy. To put into perspective, the Institute of Medicine in the United States recommends that women eat three normal meals per day with two snacks.

The following is a youtube video on pregnant women who have been pregnant. They describe the type of diet they consumed during their pregnancy to maintain a healthy body.

-Vivian Wu

4 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged diet, Fetus, Pregnancy, Public health, Weight

Category Archives: Science Communication

The Two “E”s to Avoid Cancer: Exercise and Eat Well

Robot Invasion?

Paint-On Plastic Electronics: The Next Generation of Polymers for Robust Performance

Motion sickness: A quarrel between the eyes and ears

The Truth about the 5-Second Rule

Chemophobia: A Natural or Synthesized Fear?

Impending Doom: A World Without Antibiotics

How the term ‘endorphin’ derived and works for our body?

Technological Advance: Resistance May Be Futile

Pregnancy: Eat for yourself.

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