Eating berries, grapes and other fruits daily can convert excess white fat into calorie-burning "beige" fat to prevent weight gain, scientists have found.

In the study, Washington State University scientists fed mice a high fat diet. Those receiving resveratrol in amounts equivalent to 12 ounces of fruit per day for humans - about two or three servings daily - gained 40 per cent less weight than control mice.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol, a type of antioxidant found in most fruits.

Previous studies have suggested that resveratrol can help prevent obesity but how it did that was unclear. Most of the research, including highly publicised studies on wine, also used very large concentrations of resveratrol, much more than a human could consume in a normal diet.

Professor of animal sciences Min Du and visiting scientist Songbo Wang demonstrated that mice fed a diet containing 0.1 per cent resveratrol were able to change their excess white fat into the active, energy-burning beige fat.

"Polyphenols in fruit, including resveratrol, increase gene expression that enhances the oxidation of dietary fats so the body won't be overloaded," said Du.

"They convert white fat into beige fat which burns lipids off as heat - helping to keep the body in balance and prevent obesity and metabolic dysfunction," Du said.

The researchers also showed that an enzyme called AMPK, which regulates the body's energy metabolism, stimulates this transition of white fat into beige fat.

Du said resveratrol is only one of the polyphenolic compounds found in fruit that provides beneficial health effects.

Du said those compounds are high in all fruits but especially rich in blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and apples.

Wines like merlot or cabernet sauvignon, in contrast, contain only a fraction of resveratrol and other phenolic compounds found in grapes, he said.

"Many of the beneficial polyphenols are insoluble and get filtered out during the wine production process," he said.

The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Children born to teenage mothers and whose parents have a large gap between their ages are at an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), says a large study involving 5.7 million children in five countries.

The study also confirmed that older parents are at higher risk of having children with ASD which is characterised by social avoidance, repetitive behaviours and difficulty communicating.

"When we first reported that the older age of fathers increases risk for autism, we suggested that mutations might be the cause. Genetic research later showed that this hypothesis was correct," said study co-author Abraham Reichenberg, neuropsychologist and epidemiologist with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City.

"In this study, we show for the first time that autism risk is associated with disparately-aged parents.

Future research should look into this to understand the mechanisms," Reichenberg noted.

The study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, looked at autism rates among 5,766,794 children -- including more than 30,000 with autism -- in Denmark, Israel, Norway, Sweden and Western Australia.

The children were born between 1985 and 2004, and the researchers followed up on their development until 2009, checking national health records for autism diagnoses.

Autism rates were 66 percent higher among children born to fathers over 50 years of age than among those born to fathers in their 20s. Autism rates were 28 percent higher when fathers were in their 40s versus 20s.

Autism rates were 15 percent higher in children born to mothers in their 40s, compared to those born to mothers in their 20s.

Autism rates were 18 percent higher among children born to teenage mothers than among those born to mothers in their 20s.

Autism rates rose still higher when both parents were older, in line with what one would expect if each parent's age contributed to risk.

Autism rates also rose with widening gaps between two parents' ages. These rates were highest when fathers were between 35 and 44 and their partners were 10 or more years younger.

"These results suggest that multiple mechanisms are contributing to the association between parental age and ASD risk," the authors concluded.

Cinnamon may do more than add flavour to your food, as a new study has claimed the a component found in the spice is a potent inhibitor of colorectal cancer.

Associate Professor Georg Wondrak, Ph.D. and Professor Donna Zhang, Ph.D. at the University of Arizona recently completed a study in which they proved that adding cinnamaldehyde, the compound that gives cinnamon its distinctive flavor and smell, to the diet of mice protected the mice against colorectal cancer. In response to cinnamaldehyde, the animals' cells had acquired the ability to protect themselves against exposure to a carcinogen through detoxification and repair.

Zhang deemed the finding "significant," as colorectal cancer is aggressive and associated with poor prognoses, and there was an urgent need to develop more effective strategies against this disease.

The next step in the research is to test whether cinnamon, as opposed to cinnamaldehyde, prevents cancer using this same cancer model. Because cinnamon is a common food additive already considered safe - it's not a synthetic, novel drug-a study in humans may not be too far off.

The study is published online and will appear in a print issue of Cancer Prevention Research later this spring.

If you are following a diet to lower blood pressure, you may expand your protein options to include lean, unprocessed pork, new research suggests.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is recommended to reduce blood pressure and is focused on the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, low-fat dairy products, nuts, poultry and fish, while reducing fats, red meats, including pork, and added sugars.

"If people have to rely only on fish and chicken their diet choices can be limited and our results support that lean pork may be a viable option for people who are consuming a DASH diet without compromising the effectiveness of the diet plan," said co-author Drew Sayer, doctoral student in nutrition science at Purdue University in the US.

The study that appeared in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared lean, unprocessed pork with chicken and fish as the predominant protein source in a DASH-style diet.

The consumption of these DASH-style diets for six weeks reduced all measures of blood pressure with no differences in responses between DASH with chicken and fish and DASH with pork, the study found.

"This study supports that the DASH diet can include lean and unprocessed red meats in the appropriate serving sizes," Wayne Campbell, professor of nutrition science at Purdue University, said.

New York: The popular weight-loss surgery not only makes you look fit and healthy but can also bring spark back in your bedroom life, reveals a study.

Bariatric surgery leads to greater intimacy between life partners as going through the period becomes a "joint journey" for the couples.

"In the study, the couples felt their post-operative success was due to a joint effort on the part of both partners," said Mary Lisa Pories from East Carolina University in the US.

The research team interviewed 10 couples about the effects of the weight-loss surgery that one of the partners had undergone.

All the patients and their significant others viewed the surgery and subsequent adjustments that needed to be made as part of a team effort.

Couples highlighted the adjustment that was needed to adapt to their partners` significant weight loss.

The couples also had more energy needed to adjust to new eating habits.

On an emotional level, the couples reported more positive moods and better self-esteem.

"They also reported sharing greater intimacy and affection, and being better able to resolve conflict. Their sexual relationships also improved and, in many cases, became more enjoyable," Pories said.

A better understanding of how bariatric surgery impacts the dynamics of a couple`s relationship could help physicians, nurses and social workers to support patients and their partners more effectively, the authors said.

Bariatric surgery is the most effective way to counter morbid obesity.

It results in substantial weight loss and reduces other health-related conditions.

The findings were published in Springer`s journal Obesity Surgery.