About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
Nov 02, 2017...
Eran Segal is a computational biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science and co-author of “The Personalized Diet.” He studies nutrition, genetics, the microbiome, and gene regulation, looking specifically at how diet affects people differently. Following is a transcript of the video.
Eran Segal: It’s not just what we eat but also: when should we eat?
My name is Eran Segal. I’m a researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/you-re-probably-not-mostly-microbes/
Jan 08, 2016... We are, supposedly, outnumbered in our own bodies. We play host to an extraordinary menagerie of bacteria and other microbes – the microbiome – and it’s frequently said that these teeming cells outnumber our own by ten to one. This 10:1 ratio crops up everywhere. It appears in scientific papers, blog posts, magazine stories, TED talks, and popular science books – sometimes, even in the very title. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous statistics about the microbiome.
Sep 17, 2014...
Should we drink diet soda or not? The latest study doesn't really clear things up.
The debate over whether diet sodas are good, bad or just OK for us never seems to end.
Some research suggests zero-calorie drinks can help people cut calories and fend off weight gain.
But in recent years, the idea that artificial sweeteners may trick the brain and lead to "metabolic derangements," as one researcher has theorized, has gained traction, too.
Oct 11, 2011...
“What I find most amazing about plants is that they’re a great source for thousands and thousands of chemicals,” says Dr. Asaph Aharoni of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Plant Sciences. “A single plant can produce 10,000 to 20,000 metabolites, or active compounds, which we can use for nutrition and in products like drugs and cosmetics.”
Dr. Aharoni studies how plants regulate the production of metabolites during development and under conditions of stress, such as insect attack or exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. His goal is to identify novel genes that are associated with, for example, better nutritional quality and enhanced resistance to insect pests. In the future, his findings could help scientists develop better crops. “We’re interested in how we can help address a major challenge: improving the nutritional quality of plants and solving problems of malnutrition around the world,” he says.
Jun 08, 2017...
Most people would agree taste-wise, white bread is bae. The thing is, it's had a bad rap for a while health-wise, with many of us believing that wholemeal loaves are simply better for you... But are they?
Well, according to new research, it turns out white might be alright after all.
We hate to break it to you, but if you've been forcing yourself to eat wholemeal then it might have been a total waste of time.
Jun 09, 2017...
Image via Shutterstock
When it comes to bread, we’ve known for a long time now that it’s better to pick the brown, whole-grain-y stuff over ultra-processed white bread. Right?
Well, maybe not, according to a new study published in Cell Metabolism and reported on by Science Daily. Apparently, we should be focusing less on the bread itself and more on who’s eating it.
Here’s how the study went down: Researchers at the Weizmann Institute conducted a randomized trial with 20 healthy subjects in order to figure out how processed white bread and “artisanal whole wheat sourdough” might affect the human body in different ways. Half of the participants were asked to eat more white bread for one week than they normally did, and the other half was assigned to eat more whole wheat sourdough. Then, there was a controlled 2-week period with no bread, after which time the two groups swapped diets. The half that had originally consumed the white bread switched over to whole wheat, and vice versa.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/time-to-eat/
Mar 16, 2016...
The circadian clock regulates the mitochondria’s utilization of nutrients throughout the day
When one eats may be as important as what one eats. New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science and in Germany suggests that the cells’ power plants – the mitochondria – are highly regulated by the body’s biological, or circadian, clocks. This may help explain why people who sleep and eat out of phase with their circadian clocks are at higher risk of developing obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The research recently appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Feb 25, 2018...
Evidence is growing that the 100 trillion organisms in the human gut play a role in individuals’ differing responses to food. PHOTO: WEIZMANN INSTITUTE
For almost a decade, researchers have been sequencing the bacteria that live in the human gut. Now, some startups are claiming they can use that technology to help people diet more effectively—and in at least one case, scientists say the approach is showing some promise.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/looking-back-looking-forward/
Apr 11, 2016... In a place that fosters curiosity and the pursuit of "what if," where scientists come to work every day with the knowledge that anything can happen, astounding discoveries are realized on a regular basis. That place is the Weizmann Institute of Science, where accomplishments are so remarkable and varied that, at times, we need to pause and take it all in. The beginning of a new year is just such a time.
Dec 25, 2016... We’ve known that bacteria live in our intestines as far back as the 1680s, when Leeuwenhoek first looked through his microscope. Yogurt companies use that information in the sales pitch for their product, claiming it can help keep your gut bacteria happy. The bacteria growing on our skin have also been effectively exploited to sell the underarm deodorants without which we can become, ahem, malodorous. Until fairly recently our various microbes were thought of as freeloaders without any meaningful benefit to our functioning as healthy human beings.
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