/oss/taxonomy/term/307/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/food-glorious-food <hr /> <p style="text-align:center"><em>Food, glorious food<br /> We're anxious to try it<br /> Three banquets a day<br /> Our favourite diet</em></p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>Just picture a great big steak<br /> Fried, roasted or stewed<br /> But food<br /> Wonderful food<br /> Marvellous food<br /> Glorious food!</em></p> Fri, 18 Feb 2022 22:29:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9031 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/how-do-you-your-salmon <p>If you’re not particularly salmon savvy you may be under the impression that “salmon” is an individual species of fish, like how a black bear is an individual species of bear. That, however, is not true of our fishy friends. In fact, there are two main divisions of salmon: Atlantic and Pacific.</p> Tue, 03 Dec 2019 19:04:38 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 8025 at /oss /oss/article/health/how-did-salmonella-bacteria-get-their-name <p>It was from these animals that back in the late 1800s American veterinarian Daniel Salmon isolated the bacteria that were eventually named after him. “Salmonella” actually refers to a species of bacteria that inhabit the intestines of people and animals, along with a large variety of other bacteria. Since all these bacteria compete for the same food supply, they keep each other’s growth in check. Only when the number of Salmonella bacteria increases dramatically do they cause an infection, then referred to as salmonellosis.</p> Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7564 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/do-fish-drink <p>Our bodies and fishes’ (yes, fishes is a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fishes">grammatically correct</a> plural form of fish) bodies as well need water. Without it, the chemical reactions that take place constantly in our bodies would have no solvent and we would die.</p> <p>Nonetheless, it seems silly that an underwater creature should have to drink. Can’t they just, I don’t know, absorb it or something?</p> <p>Kind of.</p> Thu, 04 Oct 2018 18:19:07 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7383 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/mood-ring-technology-powers-your-lcd-tv <p>A substance is said to exhibit thermochromism if it changes colour according to temperature. The most popular example of this is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_ring">mood rings</a>, the hot fashion item of the 70s. These pieces of jewelry contain <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal">liquid crystals</a> (the same liquid crystals responsible for your LCD TVs) sealed underneath a (usually fake) gemstone.</p> Wed, 05 Sep 2018 17:45:18 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7331 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/what-sea-foam-and-why-was-it-all-over-beaches-dunkirk <p>If you watched the summer blockbuster<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7O7BtBnsG4"> Dunkirk</a>, you may have been left with the same question as one of our readers: what is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_foam">sea foam</a> and why was there so much of it at Dunkirk?</p> Wed, 17 Jan 2018 21:25:58 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6894 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-quackery/tilapia-and-poop-connection <p>Fishermen tend to embellish the size of their catch, hence the expression “fish tale” for exaggerated stories like the ones making the rounds about tilapia, a fish that is increasingly showing up on dinner plates. Indeed, it is now the most widely consumed fish after salmon and tuna. Typically, headlines scream about tilapia being “Poop Fish,” “Worse Than Bacon,” “No Better for You Than A Doughnut” and that it is “ Like eating a rat!!” Relax. Tilapia will not poison you. You are better off eating it than bacon or doughnuts.</p> Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:34:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2572 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-diets-food-health-supplements-you-asked/you-asked-fish-really-brain-food <p>Is fish really brain food? P.G. Wodehouse certainly thought so. In his wonderful “Jeeves” stories, Bertie Wooster encourages his brainy butler to eat more fish whenever a particularly challenging problem arises. But to what extent does fiction mirror real life? One can make a theoretical case for fish consumption based on the fact that docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, the famous omega-3 fat in fish, is the main component of brain cell membranes, and that communication between brain cells is a function of the integrity of these membranes.</p> Sun, 31 Aug 2014 05:07:15 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2188 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-food-health-news/there-are-no-fish-genes-tomatoes <p>During a public lecture on genetic modification I described an experiment that involved enriching soybeans with the amino acid methionine. Soybeans are widely used to raise animals but are low in this essential amino acid often necessitating the use of methionine supplements. Brazil nuts produce a protein that is particularly rich in methionine so the idea was to isolate and clone the gene that codes for the production of the methionine-rich protein and insert it into the genome of the soybean.</p> Tue, 26 May 2015 10:44:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2262 at /oss /oss/article/food-health/perils-inflammation <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=5374"><img alt="floss2" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/05/floss2-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>A couple of years ago the Montreal Gazette had a stunning headline: “Floss or Die!” it screamed on the front page. Another sensationalized piece of journalism, I thought. Not flossing may make you lose your teeth alright, but your life? Then as I started to read the story, I realized that while the headline may have been a little over the top, there was an issue here. An issue of inflammation. If the gums are not in good shape they become swollen and red and bleed easily. This means that there is now an entry for bacteria that live in the mouth into the bloodstream which means that they can spread around the body. If they lodge in a coronary artery, they trigger immune activity and inflammation there, which in turn can cause cholesterol filled plaque to rupture. A blood clot then forms, the flow of blood is choked off and a heart attack ensues.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">That “Floss or Die” article was a harbinger of things to come. Inflammation research is now all over the news. You can rest assured that if Time magazine does a cover story on it, it’s big stuff. We may now be able to explain why it is that half of all people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol levels. Severe inflammation may make even normal cholesterol dangerous. And this story is going to get bigger. Because it now seems that many other diseases, maybe even Alzheimer’s are related to chronic inflammation. How do we know whether we are suffering from low level chronic inflammation? <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/05/29/the-perils-of-inflammation">Read more</a></p> Thu, 30 May 2013 01:00:17 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1950 at /oss /oss/article/drugs-environment-food-health-you-asked/you-asked-what-histaminosis <p>Mention “histamine” and the word “allergy” pops to mind. Rightly so, because during an allergic reaction certain white blood cells known as mast cells and basophils release an inordinate amount of histamine, a chemical that then travels through the bloodstream and fits into “receptors” in cells that make up our tissues much like a key fits into a lock. And when the “key” fits, it unlocks the typical symptoms such as the watery eyes, runny nose, hives, itching and breathing problems we associate with allergies.</p> Sun, 30 Mar 2014 12:59:05 +0000 Alexandra Pires-Ménard, OSS Intern 2121 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/how-safe-imported-fish-china <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=5268"><img alt="fish" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/05/fish-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Your question is way to inclusive to accurately answer ---the answer is "it depends"----some fish can  be perfectly safe to eat and other imports can be quite problematic. Here is a <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=4507743&page=1#.UZONgJW6Xww">recent short article</a> produced by ABC news in the U.S. I believe that this piece provides one with the appropriate caution.  If you are absolutely sure of the store's policies where you shop, go ahead and consume but with the warnings out there--be careful.  Here is a statement that can give one pause: "Also this week, (March, 2013) regulators in China closed 180 food plants after uncovering more than 23,000 food safety violations. Despite the crackdown, China denies that its food exports are dangerous." This is a classic case of "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) but China is a major exporter of fish so checking the internet for warnings would be wise. It is simply impossible to make a blanket statement about the safety of all fish from China.   <strong>David Harpp</strong></p> Fri, 17 May 2013 13:15:12 +0000 David Harp PhD 1938 at /oss /oss/article/health-you-asked/what-makes-fish-organic <p style="text-align:justify">The use of the label "organic" is regulated by a strict set of guidelines. As it applies to farmed fish, it implies following a number of rules with respect to water recycling, disposal of waste and feed. All food the fish are fed must come from certified organic sources. This is not a problem when it comes to species such as the tilapia which is vegetarian since certified vegetarian food is available. However with carnivorous fish, salmon for instance, it is another matter.</p> Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:26:44 +0000 OSS 1755 at /oss /oss/article/health-you-asked/what-about-mercury-fish <p>Nutritionists recommend eating fish regularly, twice a week, because it is an excellent source of proteins, vitamins, and omega-3 fats. These omega-3 fats are nicknamed the ‘healing fats’ because they are pivotal in preventing heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and other illnesses. But for the last decade, people have been worrying about eating too much fish because of possible contamination by methylmercury.</p> Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:16:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1765 at /oss /oss/article/health/omega-3-benefits <p style="text-align:justify">Just slap “contains omega-3 fats” on a food label and sales boom. That’s because, thanks to the popular press, people have heard all about the benefits of these “nutritional superstars,” found in fish and in certain plants. And this time, at least some of the hype is supported by science. But not all omega-3s are created equal, not all human studies show a benefit, and some of the benefits have only been clearly seen in animal studies.</p> Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:35:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1560 at /oss