Lack of dietary iron may impair immune cells ability to fight influenza
Peer-Reviewed Publication
This month, we’re focusing on nutrition and the powerful role it plays in our lives. Here, we’ll share the latest research on how nutrients affect the body and brain, how scientists investigate diet and health, what these findings may mean for building healthier habits, and more.
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 12-Jan-2026 03:11 ET (12-Jan-2026 08:11 GMT/UTC)
New research in The Journal of Immunology suggests that a lack of dietary iron can negatively affect the ability of immune cells to respond to viral infection in the lungs. In mice with dietary iron deficiency and influenza, immune cells struggled to produce a key signal needed to fight viruses and did not regain this ability even when iron levels returned to normal. Researchers say this could lead to new dietary interventions to support healthy T cell function, strengthen protection against infections, and prevent harmful immune responses by promoting healthy iron levels.
Changing the amount of sweetness in a person’s diet has no impact on their liking for sweet foods or their health, the results of a new trial suggest.
No-tillage with total green manure mulching can optimize maize root structure by improving soil water content and soil temperature environment. NTG increased maize photosynthetic capacity and grain yield. The relationship between SWC, ST, root length, photosynthetic characteristics, and grain yield was expounded.
A new study published in Life Metabolism reports that a single post-meal blood biomarker, 1-hour postprandial SPARC (SPARC-1H), can predict who will benefit most from adopting a Mediterranean diet. The discovery provides one of the clearest examples to date of how precision nutrition can identify individualized dietary responses using a simple blood test rather than complex multi-omics models.
Plants absorb not only nutrients but also toxic metals such as cadmium through their roots. It was previously unclear whether the toxic metals came from the soil or the fertilisers applied. Under the leadership of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, a research team has examined wheat grains to clarify the question. Using a special isotope signature, they found that most of the toxic metals come from the mineral fertiliser. A combination of mineral and organic fertilisation would not only reduce the concentration of toxic metals but also increase the concentration of metals important for human nutrition. The researchers reach this conclusion in their study published in Environment International.
A new study published in Life Metabolism reports that a single post-meal blood biomarker, 1-hour postprandial SPARC (SPARC-1H), can predict who will benefit most from adopting a Mediterranean diet. The discovery provides one of the clearest examples to date of how precision nutrition can identify individualized dietary responses using a simple blood test rather than complex multi-omics models.