The immune system reacts similarly to a high fat and high calorie diet as to a bacterial infection. Unhealthy food seems to make the body’s defenses more aggressive in the long term. Even long after switching to a healthy diet, inflammation towards innate immune stimulation is more pronounced. These changes may be involved in the development of arteriosclerosis and diabetes.

Read More

A flavor compound called phenylethyl acetate imparts a hint of rose or honey to wherever it’s found — a dab of perfume, a sip of wine, a slug of beer. Microbiologists have used genetic mapping to identify, for the first time, specific yeast genes that produce higher levels of this aroma in alcoholic beverages. The new finding joins other recent work connecting genes to flavors in wines and beers, and may be used to grow yeasts that produce new flavors.

Read More

Excavations in the Republic of Georgia by the Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition (GRAPE), a joint undertaking between the University of Toronto (U of T) and the Georgian National Museum, have uncovered evidence of the earliest winemaking anywhere in the world. The discovery dates the origin of the practice to the Neolithic period around 6000 BC, pushing it back 600-1,000 years from the previously accepted date.

Read More