Analysis of Massachusetts Medicaid data finds that people with diabetes, heart disease, depression, and other conditions who received medically tailored meals for at least six months experienced significantly fewer health emergencies and lower costs of care than those who did not. 

Prolonged nutrient deprivation drives motif-specific DNA methylation changes in Flavobacterium columnare, a major fish pathogen. Using advanced Nanopore sequencing, researchers found that specific methylation patterns—especially demethylation of a 6mA-modified motif—serve as epigenetic signatures of starvation adaptation. Temperature also influences these changes. The findings reveal a novel survival mechanism in bacteria and provide a valuable methodological reference for bacterial epigenetics.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient that supports antioxidant and immune functions, yet how its metabolism is regulated by interactions between host and gut microbiota remains unclear. In a recent study, researchers from Japan used rats to investigate how gut microbiota and the host jointly manage selenium metabolism. Their findings reveal that gut microbiota actively transform selenium into various metabolites that influence selenium utilization, detoxification, and excretion, and that the host’s selenium intake affects bacterial diversity

New research by scientists at the University of Calgary has found that plants, ranging from canola to rice to tomatoes, actively shut down their own ability to take up iron when they experience drought.

It’s a finding that could have implications for the nutritional value of agricultural crops.

The study, published in the journal Cell, questions whether plants send out a "cry for help" when they are stressed by drought to recruit beneficial soil microbes (e.g., bacteria and fungi) in their roots.

Greenhouse cherry tomatoes are valued for their flavor, nutrition, and high market demand, but producing more fruit sustainably remains a challenge. One major obstacle is phosphorus, an essential nutrient that plants need for root development, flowering, and fruit production. Although greenhouse soils often contain large amounts of phosphorus from repeated fertilizer use, much of it becomes locked in forms that plants cannot easily absorb.

The majority of young children showed good vitamin D status, no child had indications of deficiency, but among some intake was too low. This is the result of a study encompassing over 1,800 infants in Sweden. Foods providing children with vitamin D also contributed to greenhouse gas emissions.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team found that deficiencies in vitamin B₁₂ and folate lead to elevated homocysteine levels, which may be linked to fatigue and decreased motivation.