| Modified carrots are good for bones | View Clip 01/15/2008 Bryan-College Station Eagle, The Carrots may not just be good for your eyes anymore. Texas A&M researchers say they now have carrots that are also good for your bones. Scientists at the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center at A&M, in conjunction with the Baylor College of Medicine, said they have developed a genetically modified carrot that packs more calcium per bite than the regular variety. The researchers said they are working toward similar results with other fruits and vegetables, but so far they have only succeeded with carrots. The findings were published Monday in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "It is a type of technology that can be applied to numerous fruits and vegetables that are normally pretty low in calcium," study co-author Jay Morris said in an interview with The Eagle. "This is a way to take something that is low and ... have it be more nutritious." Morris said the modified carrots have about 60 mg of calcium, about twice as much as a regular carrot. However, humans only absorb about 41 percent of that calcium, compared to about 50 percent of the calcium in the regular carrots. That still equates to an increase in calcium absorption, Morris pointed out. The amount of absorption is a somewhat minor point at the moment, researchers said, because the daily requirement for calcium is 1000 mg -- well above the amount any enriched carrot could provide. "A person could not eat enough to get the daily requirement [regardless of the absorption rate]," said Morris, who recently completed his doctorate degree at A&M's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. But if the technology the group developed at A&M is available in a wide range of fruits and vegetables, Morris said, it could be useful in fighting diseases such as osteoporosis. Though the technology has been tested for consumption by people, and results have been published, Morris said a timeframe for when the food could be sold in stores is unclear. The carrots used in the trial were made in a greenhouse under controlled conditions. The food's safety was limited to testing with 30 people, and larger studies would be necessary, according to A&M. Still, Morris said, the relative simplicity of the process suggests that the development is important and could be duplicated with other plants in the future. . Matthew Watkins' e-mail address is matthew.watkins@ theeagle.com. | ||||
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Texas Scientists Unveil 'Super Carrot' 01/15/2008 FOXnews.com f you need some extra calcium in your diet, a new genetically-engineered carrot could be exactly what you're looking for. Researchers in Texas say they've developed a so-called 'super' carrot that helps people absorb more calcium. They hope by adding the vegetable to a normal diet, it could help ward off conditions such as brittle bone disease and osteoporosis. Click here to read more about the study. "If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, you'd absorb 41 percent more calcium than from a regular carrot," said Dr. Jay Morris, a post doctorate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and lead writer on the finding, in a news release. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he said. The calcium-rich vegetable still needs to go through several safety trials. The study is published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
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A carrot a day could keep bone loss at bay: study | View Clip 01/15/2008 CBC Toronto (CBLT-TV) We've all heard that carrots are good for our eyesight, but a new, eye-opening study has found that when properly modified, the vegetable can benefit our bones, too. Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife's Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, have developed a carrot that helps people absorb 41 per cent more calcium than from a regular carrot. The carrot is higher in bioavailable calcium, meaning it can be more readily absorbed by the body. When the calcium-laden carrot was eaten by study participants - 15 men and 15 women - urine tests administered 24 hours later revealed that their calcium absorption had increased. Researchers caution that the genetically modified carrots offer only a fraction of the body's daily calcium intake. "The daily requirement for calcium is 1,000 milligrams, and a 100 gram serving of these carrots provides only 60 milligrams, about 42 per cent of which is absorbable," he noted. "A person could not eat enough of them to get the daily requirement." The researchers believe that more fruit and vegetables will be engineered that can optimize a person's calcium intake and stave off bone thinning diseases such as osteoporosis. Continue Article |
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New carrot can absorb calcium | View Clip 01/15/2008 Fort Worth Star-Telegram By Barry Shlachter Star-Telegram Staff Writer Texas researchers said Monday that they've developed a carrot that helps people absorb more calcium. "If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, you'd absorb 41 percent more calcium than from a regular carrot," said Dr. Jay Morris, a postdoctorate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and lead writer on the finding, published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Baylor and Texas A&M University collaborated on the research. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he said. For the study, 15 men and 15 women were given two types of carrots. They were fed either the modified carrots, called sCAX1, or regular carrots in the first week. Two weeks later, the subjects switched carrots. Urine samples collected 24 hours after eating measured the amount of specially marked calcium that was absorbed, Morris said. |
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Modified carrot may help bones 01/15/2008 Bloomberg News A carrot genetically modified to contain more calcium could help prevent bone deterioration caused by osteoporosis, using a method that could be applied to other fruits and vegetables, scientists say. The calcium-fortified carrots contain double the calcium of ordinary carrots, according to a study by Texas A&M University released today by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Extra calcium through genetic tweaking could also "improve plant productivity and extend product shelf life," researchers said. "When applied to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, this strategy could lead to more calcium consumption in the diet," researchers said. "In the U.S., dietary calcium intake has decreased, such that 90 percent of adolescent girls and 50 percent of adolescent boys consume less than the optimal amount of calcium." In the U.S., more than 8 million women and 2 million men have osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disorder that increases the risk of fractures. Scientists blame the disease on inadequate calcium intake that could be improved with fortified food. Still, opponents of genetically modified food argue the health effects and risk to the ecosystem are unknown. Story continues below |
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Modified carrot may help bones 01/15/2008 Deseret Morning News A carrot genetically modified to contain more calcium could help prevent bone deterioration caused by osteoporosis, using a method that could be applied to other fruits and vegetables, scientists say. The calcium-fortified carrots contain double the calcium of ordinary carrots, according to a study by Texas A&M University released today by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Extra calcium through genetic tweaking could also "improve plant productivity and extend product shelf life," researchers said. "When applied to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, this strategy could lead to more calcium consumption in the diet," researchers said. "In the U.S., dietary calcium intake has decreased, such that 90 percent of adolescent girls and 50 percent of adolescent boys consume less than the optimal amount of calcium." In the U.S., more than 8 million women and 2 million men have osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disorder that increases the risk of fractures. Scientists blame the disease on inadequate calcium intake that could be improved with fortified food. Still, opponents of genetically modified food argue the health effects and risk to the ecosystem are unknown. Story continues below |
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GM carrot may help treat osteoporosis | View Clip 01/15/2008 Daily Telegraph - New York Bureau GM carrot may help treat osteoporosis By Roger Highfield, Science Editor Last Updated: 10:01pm GMT 14/01/2008 A GM carrot has been produced to help people absorb more calcium to help treat the brittle bone disease osteoporosis. # Europe 'will be forced to re-think on GM crops' # GM plant grows with 1/3 of usual water # The GM potato war The carrot that has been genetically altered to make higher amounts of a calcium transporting protein was developed by researchers at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Today, they report the results of trials of the carrot on 15 men and 15 women. advertisement Click to learn more... In people who ate the fortified "sCAX1" carrot, urine measurements revealed a net increase in calcium absorption, say the researchers, who did the study in conjunction with Baylor College of Medicine to see if the supercarrot can help prevent such diseases as osteoporosis. "If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, you'd absorb 41 percent more calcium than from a regular carrot," says Dr Jay Morris, lead author of the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past." Both men and women absorbed higher amounts of calcium from the modified carrots on a per serving basis. But the technology needs to be available in a wide range of fruits and vegetables so that people can get the calcium benefit. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he adds. "The daily requirement for calcium is 1,000 milligrams, and a 100 gram serving of these carrots provides only 60 milligrams, about 42 per cent of which is absorbable," he notes. "A person could not eat enough of them to get the daily requirement solely from these carrots." But if vegetables and fruits could be bred to contain more calcium, then a diet that includes a variety of these produce might come closer to providing necessary calcium. As for when the modified carrot could be on the shelves, at least in America, he says: "There are still some safety issues to address. The carrots have been grown in very specific, controlled environments, so how they grow and perform in real world field trials needs to be studied. "We are currently working on answering those safety issues and once answered then a better time line will be known." |
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Scientists create calcium-rich super carrot 01/15/2008 Daily Mail - New York Bureau Scientists have created a genetically modified carrot that provides extra calcium. They believe adding the orange vegetable to a normal diet could help prevent conditions such as brittle bone disease and osteoporosis. Someone eating the modified carrot absorbs 41 per cent more calcium than someone eating a regular carrot, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study. Most plant foods are not particularly good providers of calcium, which is essential for strong bones and teeth. Dairy products are the main dietary source of the mineral but do not suit everyone. Too much milk and cheese may also lead to excessive levels of saturated fat and increase the risk of heart disease. Dr Jay Morris, from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, who led the carrot engineers, said: "The primary goal was to increase the calcium in fruit and vegetables to benefit human health and nutrition. "Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past." The new carrot has a gene altered to improve the transport of calcium across plant cell membranes. The researchers studied the effects of the carrot on a group of 30 men and women. Half were given the modified carrot, called sCAX1, and half normal carrots. For the second week of the study, the groups swapped carrots, so that both tried the modified version at different times. Calcium absorption was measured by testing urine samples. Both the men and women absorbed significantly higher amounts of calcium from the modified carrots. Since the daily requirement of calcium is 1,000 milligrams, the new carrot would not provide an adequate source on its own. A 100 gram serving of the GM carrots provides about 60 milligrams of calcium, 42 per cent of which is absorbable. But a diet containing many vegetables and fruits engineered the same way could become closer to meeting the daily calcium requirement, said Dr Morris. "Increased fruits and vegetables in the diet are better for a myriad of reasons," he said. Professor Kendal Hirschi, another member of the Baylor College team, warned that the science was still at an early stage. "These carrots were grown in carefully monitored and controlled environments," he said. "Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers." |
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Got Carrots? | View Clip 01/15/2008 medicineworld.org A specially developed carrot has been produced to help people absorb more calcium. Scientists at Texas A&M AgriLifes Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center studied the calcium intake of humans who ate the carrot and found a net increase in calcium absorption. The research, which was done in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, means adding this carrot to the diet can help prevent such diseases as osteoporosis. If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, youd absorb 41 percent more calcium than from a regular carrot, said Dr. Jay Morris, lead author on the paper, a post doctorate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. The finding will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online edition Jan. 14. The primary goal was to increase the calcium in fruit and vegetables to benefit human health and nutrition, Morris said. Fruit and vegetables are good for you for a number of reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past. Morris, who worked on the study while earning a doctorate at Texas A&M University, said fruits and vegetables play a role in good bone health for other reasons. We think that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis, he said. For this study, the scientists provided the carrots to a group of 15 men and 15 women. The people were fed either the modified carrots, called sCAX1, or regular carrots in the week one. On a second visit two weeks later, they were fed the other type of carrot. Urine samples were collected 24 hours after each feeding study to determine the amount of specially marked calcium absorbed, Morris explained. The study group also was reviewed for their normal absorption rate to compare with the rate of absorption from the calcium-enhanced carrots, he said. He said both men and women absorbed higher amounts of calcium from the modified carrots. But the technology needs to be available in a wide range of fruits and vegetables so that people can get the calcium benefit. The daily requirement for calcium is 1,000 milligrams, and a 100 gram serving of these carrots provides only 60 milligrams, about 42 percent of which is absorbable, he noted. A person could not eat enough of them to get the daily requirement. But if vegetables and fruits could be bred to contain more calcium, then a diet that includes a variety of these produce might come closer to providing necessary calcium, Morris said. Increased fruits and vegetables (in the diet) are better for a myriad of reasons, he said. |
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Calcium-Packed Carrots in the Works | View Clip 01/15/2008 WebMD Jan. 14, 2008 -- The carrots of tomorrow may pack more calcium, thanks to genetic engineering. Normal carrots don't contain much calcium. By tweaking a carrot gene, scientists at Texas A & M University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed calcium-rich carrots. In an experiment, 30 adults ate the genetically modified carrots one day and normal carrots another day. Both types of carrots contained a tracer chemical that tracked calcium absorption. Participants absorbed 41% more calcium from the genetically modified carrots than from the normal carrots. That calcium may boost calcium consumption, helping to protect bones from osteoporosis, but the calcium-rich carrots aren't ready for prime time. "These carrots were grown in carefully monitored and controlled environments," Baylor's Kendal Hirschi, PhD, states in a news release. "Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers." Meanwhile, you can get calcium from plenty of other foods (including dairy products, leafy green veggies, and fortified foods) and from supplements. And don't forget about weight-bearing exercise if you're trying to prevent or treat osteoporosis. The study appears in this week's online early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
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Vegetables May Be New Calcium Providers 01/15/2008 Medical News Today |
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Scientists Boost Calcium Content in Carrots 01/15/2008 U.S. News & World Report American scientists have genetically engineered carrots that provide about 41 percent more calcium than current carrots. The researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas hope that eating this kind of carrot as part of a normal diet may help prevent osteoporosis and other bone conditions, BBC News reported. An altered gene enables calcium to cross more easily over membranes in the carrots, which still have to undergo numerous safety trials. "These carrots were grown in carefully monitored and controlled environments. Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers," said team member Professor Kendal Hirschi, BBC News reported. The research appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
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Calcium-packed carrots good for bones | View Clip 01/15/2008 Hindustan Times t is a well known fact that carrots are good for our eyesight, but a new study has found that when properly modified, the vegetable can benefit our bones, too. Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife's Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, have developed a carrot that helps people absorb 41 per cent more calcium than consuming a regular carrot. The carrot is higher in bioavailable calcium, indicating that the body can more readily absorb it. "If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, you'd absorb 41 percent more calcium than from a regular carrot," said Dr. Jay Morris, lead author on the paper, a post doctorate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "The primary goal was to increase the calcium in fruit and vegetables to benefit human health and nutrition. Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past," he added. Morris further said that adding the genetically modified carrots to the diet could help prevent such diseases as osteoporosis. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he said. For this study, the researchers provided the carrots to a group of 15 men and 15 women. The people were fed either the modified carrots, called sCAX1, or regular carrots in the week one. On a second visit two weeks later, they were fed the other type of carrot. Urine samples were collected 24 hours after each feeding study to determine the amount of specially marked calcium absorbed, Morris explained. The study group also was evaluated for their normal absorption rate to compare with the rate of absorption from the calciumenhanced carrots, he said. He added both men and women absorbed higher amounts of calcium from the modified carrots. But the technology needs to be available in a wide range of fruits and vegetables so that people can get the calcium benefit. "The daily requirement for calcium is 1,000 milligrams, and a 100 gram serving of these carrots provides only 60 milligrams, about 42 percent of which is absorbable. A person could not eat enough of them to get the daily requirement," he said. But if vegetables and fruits could be bred to contain more calcium, then a diet that includes a variety of these produce might come closer to providing necessary calcium, Morris explained. "Increased fruits and vegetables (in the diet) are better for a myriad of reasons," he said. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
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Scientists unveil 'supercarrot' | View Clip 01/15/2008 BBC America Scientists in the US say they have created a genetically-engineered carrot that provides extra calcium. They hope that adding the vegetable to a normal diet could help ward off conditions such as brittle bone disease and osteoporosis. Someone eating the new carrot absorbs 41% more calcium than if they ate the old, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study suggests. The calcium-charged vegetable still needs to go through many safety trials. "These carrots were grown in carefully monitored and controlled environments," said Professor Kendal Hirschi, part of the team at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers Professor Kendal Hirschi Baylor College of Medicine "Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers." But the scientists nonetheless hope their carrot could ultimately offer a healthier way of consuming sufficient quantities of the mineral. Dairy foods are the primary dietary source of calcium but some are allergic to these while others are told to avoid consuming too much due to their high fat content. A gene has been altered in the carrot which allows the calcium within it to cross more easily over the plant membranes. On its own, the carrot would not meet the daily requirement of 1,000mg of calcium, but if other vegetables were similarly engineered, intake could be increased dramatically. Changing colour It is not the first time the carrot has been tampered with. The orange colour we know is the result of Dutch cultivation in the 17th Century, when patriotic growers turned a vegetable which was then purple into the colour of the national flag. Nor is it the first vegetable to receive a healthy make-over. Genetic engineering is being used to develop potatoes with more starch and less water so that they absorb less oil when fried, producing healthier chips or crisps. Work is also being carried out on broccoli so that it contains more sulforaphane, a chemical which may help people ward off cancer. Professor Susan Fairweather-Tait of the University of East Anglia said genetically engineering foods to increase their nutrient content was becoming an increasingly important avenue. "People are being told to eat more modestly to prevent weight gain, and many diets now no longer contain everything we need. "There has been great resistance to genetic engineering, but gradually we are moving away from the spectre of 'Frankenstein food' and starting to appreciate the health benefits it may bring." |
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Scientists Reveal Carrot Loaded With Calcium | View Clip 01/15/2008 dbtechno Boston (dbTechno) - US scientists have unveiled a genetically-engineered carrot which packs extra calcium to help with bone disease. The hope is that by adding this new super carrot to a normal diet will help people fight bone diseases such as osteoporosis, which can be prevented with extra calcium. The new carrot loaded with calcium, has 41% more calcium compared to an old, ordinary carrot. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences put out the study stating that many safety trials still remain before we see it on our food plates and going into our stomachs. Prof. Kendal Hirschi, part of the research team at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, stated "These carrots were grown in carefully monitored and controlled environments. Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers." The hope is that this wll lead to the carrots and other vegetables being loaded with extra calcium and other nutrients to allow people to get more calcium intake on a daily basis. This could lead to a much healthier way than dairy foods to consume calcium. |
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Carrots Created with More Calcium | View Clip 01/15/2008 Ivanhoe Broadcast News Altering a gene in a carrot makes it healthier, according to a new study. The research finds by genetically modifying carrots to express increased levels of a particular gene, the body absorbs more calcium from the carrot. The research was conducted by investigators from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center at Texas A&M University. Researchers focused on the gene sCAX1. First, the research was done in mice. Investigators say the mice that were fed the carrots with the altered gene got the same amount of calcium as those who ate twice the amount of carrots. Next, researchers tested the carrots in 30 adults. This revealed that those who ate the modified carrots absorbed 41 percent more calcium than those who ate the unmodified carrots. "These carrots were grown in carefully monitored and controlled environments," says Dr. Kendal Hirschi, professor of pediatrics-nutrition and principal investigator of the study. "Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers." While Dr. Hirschi says there will never be a magic food to solve all nutritional problems, he says this idea could help improve overall health by increasing nutrients in fruits and vegetables. Increasing calcium absorption could be especially important in research to prevent osteoporosis. This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/. SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008 |
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Calcium carrots 'may benefit health' | View Clip 01/15/2008 Channel 4 (Belfast) A genetically-modified carrot that provides extra calcium has been developed by scientists. Researchers hope it will be the first in a new generation of calcium-enhanced fruits and vegetables. Adding them to a normal diet could help prevent conditions such as the brittle bone disease osteoporosis, it is claimed. Someone eating the modified carrot absorbs 41% more calcium than can be obtained from a regular carrot. Although healthy in other ways, most plant foods are not particularly good providers of calcium, which is essential for strong bones and teeth. Dairy products are the main dietary source of the mineral but do not suit everyone. Too much milk and cheese may also lead to excessive levels of saturated fat and increase the risk of heart disease. Dr Jay Morris, from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, who led the carrot engineers, said: "The primary goal was to increase the calcium in fruit and vegetables to benefit human health and nutrition." The new carrot has a gene altered to improve the transport of calcium across plant cell membranes. As a result, the calcium in the carrot is made more available. The researchers studied the effects of the carrot on a group of 30 men and women. Half were given the modified carrot, called sCAX1, and half normal carrots. For the second week of the study, the groups swapped carrots, so that both tried the modified version at different times. Calcium absorption was measured by testing urine samples. Both the men and women absorbed significantly higher amounts of calcium from the modified carrots. Since the daily requirement of calcium is 1,000 milligrams, the new carrot would not provide an adequate source on its own. A 100 gram serving of the GM carrots provides about 60 milligrams of calcium, 42% of which is absorbable. But a diet containing many vegetables and fruits engineered the same way could become closer to meeting the daily calcium requirement, said Dr Morris. Professor Kendal Hirschi, another member of the Baylor College team, warned that the science was still at an early stage. "These carrots were grown in carefully monitored and controlled environments," he said. "Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers." These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same. |
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Researchers succeed in giving carrots a boost of calcium | View Clip 01/15/2008 San Antonio Express-News Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M University have figured out how to get more calcium into carrots and then how to get the vital mineral out of the popular vegetable and into the bloodstream of people. The amount of calcium in the genetically modified carrots still pales in comparison to the quantity in milk. But the work demonstrates that laboratory-engineered fruits and vegetables can contribute more of the important nutrient, researchers said. Lots of small increases could add up to a big nutritional punch, said Jay Morris, a scientist at the Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor and a lead author in the study. "Increases across the board in many different fruits and vegetables in a diet could have a significant impact in the amount of calcium in a diet," said Morris, a San Antonio native. Dietary calcium is considered vital for bone health. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends adults consume 1,000 milligrams of it daily. Milk, one of the richest sources of calcium, contains about 300 milligrams per 8-ounce serving. On the Web Children's Nutrition Research Center Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Calcium Inadequate dietary calcium is an issue in many parts of the world, particularly in societies that don't have access to dairy products. "They rely on fruits and vegetables, but fruits and vegetables are overall poor sources of calcium," Morris said. "So this is one possible way to increase the level of calcium in fruits and vegetables across the board." Morris and colleagues earlier showed that they could double the calcium content of carrots by manipulating a plant calcium transporter called sCAX1. The latest study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that laboratory mice and humans who ate the carrots were able to absorb the nutrient. In their experiments, the scientists marked the calcium with a tracer and used urine to calculate how much of the nutrient was absorbed. Thirty adult volunteers - half of them men, half of them women - each came to the laboratory on two days to partake of a breakfast of carrots. One meal was of regular carrots and the other of the genetically modified version with double the calcium. Comparisons showed that a 100-gram serving of the genetically modified carrots provided study volunteers with 25 to 28 milligrams of calcium, 41 percent more than they got from the regular carrots, Morris said. Hector Flores, dean of the College of Sciences at Texas State University, noted that scientists not only increased the vegetable's calcium content, but also improved its availability to humans. He said the work "is another potential and novel alternative" to improve the bioavailability of nutrients in food. Genetically modified foods, though, remain controversial in many corners, as people question whether there will be long-term health effects from such manipulations. Morris admitted that he struggles to understand the fears. "It's something that is just going to take a little bit of time (for scientists) to continue showing that genetically modified organisms are safe for consumption," he said. "Every day, people eat products that have genes in them," Morris said. "Here, we've modified something; this was a plant gene that was put in a plant." |
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Researchers create genetically modified calcium-packed carrots | View Clip 01/15/2008 SeedQuest A specially developed carrot has been produced to help people absorb more calcium. Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife's Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center studied the calcium intake of humans who ate the carrot and found a net increase in calcium absorption. The research, which was done in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, means adding this carrot to the diet can help prevent such diseases as osteoporosis. "If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, you'd absorb 41 percent more calcium than from a regular carrot," said Dr. Jay Morris, lead author on the paper, a post doctorate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. The finding will be reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online edition Jan. 14. "The primary goal was to increase the calcium in fruit and vegetables to benefit human health and nutrition," Morris said. "Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past." Morris, who worked on the study while earning a doctorate at Texas A&M University, said fruits and vegetables play a role in good bone health for other reasons. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he said. For this study, the researchers provided the carrots to a group of 15 men and 15 women. The people were fed either the modified carrots, called sCAX1, or regular carrots in the week one. On a second visit two weeks later, they were fed the other type of carrot. Urine samples were collected 24 hours after each feeding study to determine the amount of specially marked calcium absorbed, Morris explained. The study group also was evaluated for their normal absorption rate to compare with the rate of absorption from the calcium-enhanced carrots, he said. He said both men and women absorbed higher amounts of calcium from the modified carrots. But the technology needs to be available in a wide range of fruits and vegetables so that people can get the calcium benefit. "The daily requirement for calcium is 1,000 milligrams, and a 100 gram serving of these carrots provides only 60 milligrams, about 42 percent of which is absorbable," he noted. "A person could not eat enough of them to get the daily requirement." But if vegetables and fruits could be bred to contain more calcium, then a diet that includes a variety of these produce might come closer to providing necessary calcium, Morris said. "Increased fruits and vegetables (in the diet) are better for a myriad of reasons," he said. |
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GM carrots aid bones 01/15/2008 London Times A genetically modified carrot could help to prevent bone disorders such as osteoporosis, research in the United States suggests. Human volunteers who ate the GM carrots in a trial absorbed 41 per cent more calcium than those eating normal carrots, scientists found. Calcium is vital to bone health. |
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Healthier veg 01/15/2008 Daily Post (Liverpool) A GENETICALLY-modified carrot that provides extra calcium has been developed by scientists. Researchers hope it will be the first in a new generation of calciumenhanced fruits and vegetables. |
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Calcium Rich Carrots Engineered at TAMU; Tested at Baylor 01/15/2008 medgadget.com Jan. 14, 2008 (http://www.medgadget.com/ delivered by Newstex) -- A new type of a carrot, designed to express a plant Casup2+sup/Hsup+sup transporter gene sCAX1, that allows the plant to accumulate up to two-fold higher calcium content than a regular carrot, has been developed by researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife's Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, and was tested at Baylor College of Medicine in a small study. The study's findings are reported in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of "The primary goal was to increase the calcium in fruit and vegetables to benefit human health and nutrition," Morris [Dr. Jay Morris, lead author on the paper, a post doctorate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston --ed.] said. "Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past." Morris, who worked on the study while earning a doctorate at Texas A&M University, said fruits and vegetables play a role in good bone health for other reasons. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he said. For this study, the researchers provided the carrots to a group of 15 men and 15 women. The people were fed either the modified carrots, called sCAX1, or regular carrots in the week one. On a second visit two weeks later, they were fed the other type of carrot. Urine samples were collected 24 hours after each feeding study to determine the amount of specially marked calcium absorbed, Morris explained. The study group also was evaluated for their normal absorption rate to compare with the rate of absorption from the calcium-enhanced carrots, he said. He said both men and women absorbed higher amounts of calcium from the modified carrots. But the technology needs to be available in a wide range of fruits and vegetables so that people can get the calcium benefit. Press Got carrots? Vegetables may have bone to pick as calcium providers; Genetically modified carrots provide more calcium> >Newstex MEDG-0001-22250066 |
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Genetically Modified Carrot Helps Body Absorb More Calcium | View Clip 01/15/2008 AHN News College Station, TX (AHN) - Researchers from two Texas universities have developed a genetically modified carrot that helps the body absorb more calcium to strengthen bones and teeth. Collaborating scientists from the AgriLife's Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center of the Texas A&M University in College Station and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston altered a carrot's gene to improve its transport of calcium across plant cell membranes. They then tested the carrot called sCAX1 on the diet of an experimental group to establish their findings published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Thirty study subjects were fed with regular carrot in the first week and with the sCAX1 in the second week. Their daily calcium absorption rates were then measured using samples of their urine. The subjects absorbed 41 percent more calcium after eating sCAX1 than after they eat a regular carrot. BCM's Dr. Jay Morris led the research primarily aimed at increasing the calcium in fruits and vegetables for health and nutrition. According to the Daily Mail, he said that a diet containing many vegetables and fruits engineered the same way as the sCAX1 could become closer to meeting the daily calcium requirement of a person. The Daily Mail quoted Professor Kendal Hirschi, another member of the BCM team, as saying that more research are needed before the sCAX1 is made available to consumers. |
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Grocers try high-tech marketing | View Clip 01/16/2008 CNNMoney.com Trends & Innovations - Tuesday Jan. 16, 2008 Shopping for groceries is going high tech, thanks to a few recent innovations. A cart-mounted console that's slated to appear in some ShopRite stores this year will help customers find products while peppering them with advertisements and coupons. It also will allow shoppers to scan and pay for items without going through a checkout line. Another innovation is a range of online coupons that shoppers at Kroger (NYSE:KR) stores can load onto their loyalty cards at the chain's Web site. Scientists design superveggie The "supercarrot" contains 41% more calcium than a regular carrot. Scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine altered genes in carrots to allow the calcium in carrots to move more easily between the veggie's cells. The carrot would help people who need a calcium boost but have to avoid dairy products because of allergies. Genetic engineering has also been used to develop potatoes with more starch and less water; such potatoes absorb less oil when fried. Regularly gathering for family meals could reduce teenage girls' risk of developing eating disorders, according to a new Univ. of Minn. study. Researchers found that girls who ate 5 or more sit-down meals each week with their families were about 33% less likely to engage in disordered eating behavior. A record number of foreign tourists visited New York City, likely due to a falling dollar, and spent $28 bil, according to tourism officials. Visitors from other countries jumped 17% to an estimated 8.5 mil last year, the growth returning to the ratio of pre-2001 levels. New York is one of the few U.S. urban cities that did not see a drop in the number of overseas visitors between 2000-06. Lost drivers can now check for directions at gas pumps. Pumps with Internet connections display Google's mapping service on a small screen. Users can scroll through local landmarks, shops and restaurants selected by the gas station's owner. The pump will print out directions. About 3,500 gas pumps across the nation offer the service. Unlike other Google services, this one won't include ads. Newstex ID: IBD-0001-22280168 Originally published in the January 16, 2008 version of Investor's Business Daily. Copyright (c) 2008, Investor's Business Daily, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Investor's Business Daily, Inc. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Top of page More Markets |
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Modified carrot provides more calcium | View Clip 01/17/2008 Calorie Lab Modified carrot provides more calcium Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas have developed a carrot that gives people more calcium than conventional carrots and could help ward off osteoporosis. The carrot allows for absorption of 41 percent more calcium than is retained from traditional carrots, and researchers say it could be helpful for those who don't tolerate milk products to get more calcium. More research into the safety of the veggies is needed before they'll hit the shelves. |
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GM carrot could prevent bone disease | View Clip 01/17/2008 ITWire The GM carrot helps people absorb 41 per cent more calcium than regular carrots, pictured above A GM carrot that helps people absorb more calcium has been produced to prevent brittle bone disease. The carrot, which was developed by researchers at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, has been altered to make higher amounts of a protein that helps transport calcium. The results of trials on 15 men and 15 women, conducted with Baylor College of Medicine to see if the carrot could prevent osteoporosis, were reported this week. Those who ate the fortified sCAX1 carrot showed a net increase in calcium absorbtion. Dr Jay Morris, lead author of the study, said: "If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, you would absorb 41 per cent more calcium than a regular carrot. "Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past." But the technology would need to available in a wider range of fruit and vegetables so that people can get the calcium benefit, he added. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he said. There is no date for when the carrot will hit the shelves in the US. "There are still some safety issues to address," Morris said. "The carrots have been grown in very specific, controlled environments, so how they grow and perform in real world field trials needs to be studied. "We are currently working on answering those safety issues and once answered then a better time line will be known." |
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GM carrot could prevent bone disease | View Clip 01/17/2008 FreshInfo The GM carrot helps people absorb 41 per cent more calcium than regular carrots, pictured above A GM carrot that helps people absorb more calcium has been produced to prevent brittle bone disease. The carrot, which was developed by researchers at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, has been altered to make higher amounts of a protein that helps transport calcium. The results of trials on 15 men and 15 women, conducted with Baylor College of Medicine to see if the carrot could prevent osteoporosis, were reported this week. Those who ate the fortified sCAX1 carrot showed a net increase in calcium absorbtion. Dr Jay Morris, lead author of the study, said: "If you eat a serving of the modified carrot, you would absorb 41 per cent more calcium than a regular carrot. "Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past." But the technology would need to available in a wider range of fruit and vegetables so that people can get the calcium benefit, he added. "We believe that if this technology is applied to a large number of different fruits and vegetables, that would have an even greater impact on preventing osteoporosis," he said. There is no date for when the carrot will hit the shelves in the US. "There are still some safety issues to address," Morris said. "The carrots have been grown in very specific, controlled environments, so how they grow and perform in real world field trials needs to be studied. "We are currently working on answering those safety issues and once answered then a better time line will be known." |
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Genetically Fortified Carrot Could Launch GMO 2.0 01/17/2008 WIRED SCIENCE Genetically Fortified Carrot Could Launch GMO 2.0 By Alexis Madrigal EmailJanuary 16, 2008 | 2:07:39 PMCategories: Food and Drink, Genetics Evilcarrot Researchers have genetically engineered a new carrot species that, at least in 30 adults, increased their calcium absorption by 41 percent over standard carrots. The carrot could be an indication that GMO 2.0, in which agritech companies like Monsanto and Syngenta target consumers with nutritional traits, is about to launch. The GM foods that you eat every day, mostly corn and soy, don't do anything for consumers. They just provide farmers with certain types of pest resistance. But change is coming in the types of GM crops that will be marketed. The biotech industry is looking for a for a "killer app" that will drive consumer adoption of genetic modification: What the biotech industry is waiting for is a breakthrough -- something that would be so great that consumers would flock to it, overlooking (or not even noticing) its breeding technique. What would this product look like? It's hard to say, but I had several sources tell me to look for it in melons some time in the next few years. It turns out that the I could have been looking in the wrong produce bin. A carrot that increases what's known as the bioavailability of calcium could have a major impact in the marketplace. Several drugs for treating osteoporosis have hit the billion dollar level. And just take a look at the headlines running across the globe ("GM carrot may help treat osteoporosis" or "GM 'supercarrot' packs in benefits of milk, cheese") and you can see that this carrot has a powerful marketing hook. The Texas A&M and Baylor College of Medicine researchers, whose work appears today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were quick to caution that the carrot was a beta product, and did not give a timeline for commercialization. Press Release (Note: the journal article is not yet publicly available) |
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All hail the super carrot! - | View Clip 01/17/2008 Nature.com January 16, 2008 carrotsGETTY.JPGA genetically modified carrot delivers 41% more calcium to the body, Texas scientists have shown. Kendal Hirschi and colleagues had previously engineered the carrots to have a two-fold higher calcium content, but it was unclear whether consumption of this marvel of science actually increased the amount of calcium in the body of the eater. Now, in a paper that should shortly appear in PNAS, they report that people who ate 100g of their 'super carrots' absorbed 41% more calcium than those who ate boring old normal carrots. This could help to treat osteoporosis, notes the briefest press release ever. Whether these carrots will overcome consumer scepticism about GM foods remains to be seen. "Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers," admits Hirschi (BBC). "As far as I know, this is the first time any one has taken a GMO and done human feeding studies to shown enhanced health effects. I think consumers will have a better impression of GMO foods if more studies like this are initiated," Hirschi adds in an online Google comment. "Fruit and vegetables are good for you for many reasons, but they have not been a good source of calcium in the past," adds study author Jay Morris (Telegraph). "The daily requirement for calcium is 1,000 milligrams, and a 100 gram serving of these carrots provides only 60 milligrams, about 42 per cent of which is absorbable. A person could not eat enough of them to get the daily requirement solely from these carrots." No word on whether the carrots help people see better in the dark: but that's a bit of a myth anyway. If you want to see in the dark, get yourself a radar. Image: non-super carrots / Getty |
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Grocers try high-tech marketing 01/17/2008 Investor's Business Daily Jan. 16, 2008 (Investor's Business Daily delivered by Newstex) -- Shopping for groceries is going high tech, thanks to a few recent innovations. A cart-mounted console that's slated to appear in some ShopRite stores this year will help customers find products while peppering them with advertisements and coupons. It also will allow shoppers to scan and pay for items without going through a checkout line. Another innovation is a range of online coupons that shoppers at Kroger (NYSE:KR) stores can load onto their loyalty cards at the chain's Web site. Scientists design superveggie The "supercarrot" contains 41% more calcium than a regular carrot. Scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine altered genes in carrots to allow the calcium in carrots to move more easily between the veggie's cells. The carrot would help people who need a calcium boost but have to avoid dairy products because of allergies. Genetic engineering has also been used to develop potatoes with more starch and less water; such potatoes absorb less oil when fried. Regularly gathering for family meals could reduce teenage girls' risk of developing eating disorders, according to a new Univ. of Minn. study. Researchers found that girls who ate 5 or more sit-down meals each week with their families were about 33% less likely to engage in disordered eating behavior. A record number of foreign tourists visited New York City, likely due to a falling dollar, and spent $28 bil, according to tourism officials. Visitors from other countries jumped 17% to an estimated 8.5 mil last year, the growth returning to the ratio of pre-2001 levels. New York is one of the few U.S. urban cities that did not see a drop in the number of overseas visitors between 2000-06. Lost drivers can now check for directions at gas pumps. Pumps with Internet connections display Google's mapping service on a small screen. Users can scroll through local landmarks, shops and restaurants selected by the gas station's owner. The pump will print out directions. About 3,500 gas pumps across the nation offer the service. Unlike other Google services, this one won't include ads. Newstex ID: IBD-0001-22280168 Originally published in the January 16, 2008 version of Investor's Business Daily. Copyright (c) 2008, Investor's Business Daily, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Investor's Business Daily, Inc. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Top of page |
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