Researchers wanted to understand why body weight goes down when the consumption of soy foods goes up. The researchers from the University of Illinois researched the effects of soy peptides with the leptin hormone, which is the brain messenger to tell your body that it is full.

“We wanted to compare the effects of soy protein hydrolysates and soy peptides with those of leptin because we hypothesized that soy might behave in the body in a similar way. Leptin is a hormone produced in our adipose tissue that interacts with receptors in the brain and signals us that we’re full so we stop eating,” said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I assistant professor of food science and human nutrition.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that the soy caused the body fat reduction by boosting metabolism, and not by causing less of an appetite.

The contaminant found in pet food has now contaminated the human food supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both chicken and pigs have been identified in this latest exposure.

A chicken farm in Indiana received animal feed containing gluten contaminated with the plastic product melamine which was imported from China. Melamine combined with formaldehyde is used to produce melamine resin, which is a component in the manufacture of plastic. But contaminated animal feed could be a widespread problem in China.

Researchers warn the elderly to watch their consumption of vitamin D and calcium. High levels of both calcium and vitamin D can significantly increase the number of brain lesions, which have been linked to cognitive impairment, dementia, depression and stroke.

“At this point, we do not know if high calcium and vitamin D intake are involved with the causation of brain lesions, but the study provides support to the growing number of researchers who are concerned about the effects of too much calcium, particularly among older adults, given the current emphasis on promoting high intakes of calcium and vitamin D,” says Dr. Martha Payne.

Payne and her fellow investigators at Duke University evaluated the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 232 men and women (79 men, 153 women) between the ages of 60 and 86 (average age 71). They accounted for other reasons for lesions, including age, hypertension, and other medical conditions.