Latest ARS Food & NutritionBriefs Posted

TheAgricultural Research Service has postedthe October 2000 issue of the Food & Nutrition Research Briefs to its website at:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb/fnrb1000.htm

The Research Briefs is a quarterly newsletter containing the latest ARSfindings in human nutrition, food freshness and safety, and new foods andvarieties.

Included in this issue:

• A low-calorie fat substitute commonly used in food products may boost theamount of calcium that teenage girls absorb from their diets, and it could helpbuild stronger bones.

• Nearly two-fifths of the U.S. population may be flirting with marginalvitamin B12 status.

• U.S. kids today are eating more calories than kids did 20 years ago, andsnacks contribute a significant percent of daily calories—averaging around20 percent.

• ARS scientists believe they know how some flavonoids in orange and othercitrus juices kill cancer cells growing in culture.

ARS is the chief scientific agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Contact:Judy McBride, ARS Information Staff, Beltsville, Md., phone(301) 504-1628, fax (301) 504-1641, jmcbride@ars.usda.gov.