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September 2012
Confirming earlier findings that organic foods, whatever their other positives, offer no nutritional edge, a Stanford meta-analysis of 237 studies conducted over four decades concludes that most nutrient levels aren’t any higher in organic produce or meats. Although organic fruits and vegetables had lower pesticide levels, they weren’t pesticide-free: 7% had detectable pesticide residue, likely from drift, compared to 38% for conventional produce, whose levels were almost always under official safety limits. Organic produce was no less likely to be contaminated by dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli. Although organic meat had much lower levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, scientists noted that these wouldn’t survive proper cooking. Organic produce did have higher levels of phosphorus and antioxidant phenols, while organic milk was higher in omega-3s. Reviewers acknowledged that people go organic for reasons other than nutrition, adding, “Those are perfectly valid.” — Annals of Internal Medicine…
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September 2012
A new study again casts the spotlight on magnesium, an often-overlooked mineral that’s now getting noticed for health benefits ranging from diabetes to stroke prevention. In the latest research, British and Dutch scientists compared dietary magnesium intake among 768 patients with colorectal adenomas (polyps) and 709 healthy control subjects. For every 100 mg increase in magnesium from foods (about the amount in a cup of beans or 2 potatoes), the risk of cancer dropped 19%. That association was limited, however, to people with a BMI of 25 or over, those who were at least 55 years old, and advanced adenomas. The scientists also analyzed data from 9 previous studies. In that review, every additional 100 mg of magnesium from the diet per day was linked to a 12% lower risk of colorectal cancer and a 13% decrease in the risk of colon polyps. — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition…
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September 2012
A little extra olive oil might be good for your blood vessels. In a new US-Italian study, people with atherosclerosis showed significant improvement in endothelial function (the lining of the blood vessels) when given about 2 tablespoons daily of olive oil. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche in Florence said this was the first such finding of its kind, concluding, “The current study demonstrates that longer-term supplementation of olive oil improves endothelial function in individuals with low to intermediate cardiovascular risk, an effect likely attributed to reduction in vascular inflammation.” The 4-month study was completed by 52 participants. Those with the poorest endothelial function at the start of the study showed the greatest apparent benefit from the olive oil. A group that received EGCG, an antioxidant found in tea, along with the olive oil fared no better than those on olive oil alone, however. — European Journal of Nutrition…
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August 2012
New York City’s ban on trans fats in restaurant chains, enacted in 2006 and put into place in 2007, appears to be working. An analysis of lunchtime receipts from 168 Manhattan fast-food eateries finds a sharp drop in trans-fat consumption, from 2.91 g before the ban to 0.51 g in 2009. That 2.4 g average decrease represents about 22 fewer calories from trans fat per meal. Researchers point out that studies have linked 40 daily calories from trans fat to a 23% greater risk of heart disease. Although saturated-fat intake rose after the ban, up 0.55 g, that increase was substantially less than the drop in trans fats. Hamburger chains, Mexican eateries and fried-chicken restaurants showed the greatest post-ban decline in trans fat consumption. The study compared nutritional data and food purchases on 6,969 lunch purchases in 2007 with 7,885 lunches in 2009. — Annals of Internal Medicine…
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August 2012
If you’re consuming too much sodium and too little potassium, you’re not alone. A new study says more than 99.99% of Americans fail to meet recommended guidelines for both minerals. Using national nutrition survey data from 2003-2008 on 12,038 adults, University of Washington researchers concluded that only 0.015% of the study population got the recommended amounts of potassium while staying below sodium maximums. The latest dietary guidelines advise getting 4,700 mg of potassium daily and restricting sodium to 2,300 mg daily (1,500 mg for high-risk individuals, African-Americans and those over age 50). Researchers concluded, “Dealing with 99.985% noncompliance will be a challenge for public health practitioners. Reducing the sodium content of the US diet may be a challenge for the food industry…. Future dietary guidelines might also note whether the proposed goals are intended as realistic or aspirational.” — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition…
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August 2012
Even before the expected food-price hikes from this summer’s drought, consumers are looking to get more bang from their grocery buck, according to a new survey. The Food Marketing Institute’s annual “Shopping for Health” survey of 1,471 representative adults reports that health concerns and the economy are causing Americans to cook at home more often. Consumers are also buying more “plus” foods that promise nutritional benefits, with 32% picking foods with claims such as added whole grains, fiber or protein. The number targeting more protein specifically was up 10 points, and more than half said they’d switched to whole-grain bread. More of those surveyed also said they were shopping for “minus” claims, with 32% buying more low-sodium foods than a year ago. “More and more shoppers are making the shift to foods with benefits,” said an FMI spokesperson. “They are steering away from empty calories and asking, ‘What’s in my food and how is it good for me?’”…
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July 2012
New Tufts research has linked low blood levels of vitamin B6 to markers of inflammation that contribute to heart disease and other chronic conditions. Lydia Sakakeeny, PhD, and colleagues analyzed data on 2,229 men and women from the Framingham Offspring study. The researchers found that levels of PLP, an indicator of vitamin B6 levels in the blood, correlated with 13 different markers of inflammation. The same associations weren’t seen with other B vitamins, suggesting a specific link, although the observational study couldn’t prove cause and effect. “Low vitamin B-6 status, based on plasma concentrations of PLP, has been identified in inflammatory diseases, including cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes,” Sakakeeny and colleagues noted. “This study, in combination with past findings, further supports our hypothesis that inflammation is associated with a functional deficiency of vitamin B6.” — Journal of Nutrition
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July 2012
Another new Swedish study suggests that Popeye may have been onto something with his gobbling of spinach: In tests with mice, nitrates like those found naturally in spinach, beetroot, chard and lettuce had a “powerful effect” on boosting muscle strength. Researchers fed one group of mice water enriched with nitrate for a week, then compared the animals’ muscles to those of a control group. The mice given nitrate had much stronger muscles, particularly in the legs and feet. They also had higher concentrations of two proteins involved in the body’s calcium balance, an important factor in muscle contraction. The mice were given an amount of nitrate equivalent to what a human would obtain from 7 to 10 ounces of fresh spinach. It was noteworthy, researchers said, that the development of stronger muscles was linked to doses obtainable from a normal diet, especially one tilted more toward vegetables. — Journal of Nutrition
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June 2012
The type of oil you use in your salad dressing might make a big difference in how well your body utilizes the nutrients in those leafy greens and other salad fixings. Monounsaturated fats, like those found in higher amounts in olive and canola oil, are most effective at liberating the fat-soluble nutrients in salad veggies, according to new Purdue University research. The study compared dressings made with higher percentages of saturated fat (butter), polyunsaturated fat (corn oil) and monounsaturated fat (canola) at three different levels of fats. Salads were fed to 29 volunteers, whose blood was subsequently tested for carotenoids such as vitamin A. Salads dressed with 3g of monounsaturated fat promoted as much carotenoid absorption as those with 20g of the other types of fat. The findings also raise a caution about low-fat salad dressings, scientists noted, suggesting that you may be losing out on nutrients as well as cutting fat. — Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
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May 2012
Fiber, already known for a variety of other health benefits, may help protect against heart disease, particularly for women. Swedish researchers who compared the dietary habits and prevalence of cardiovascular disease among more than 20,000 adults report that women who consumed the most fiber were at almost 25% lower risk than those eating a low-fiber diet. The association was less pronounced among men, although high fiber intake was linked to lower incidence of stroke in men. Researchers analyzed heart disease and 13 nutritional variables, based on food questionnaires, over 13.5 years of follow-up. The study included 8,139 men and 12,535 women in the Swedish city of Malmo, ages 44-73; participants had no history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Researchers couldn’t say why fiber might be protective, but noted that the gender difference in their results merited further investigation. — PLOS One
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April 2012
Most Americans are getting enough of the nutrients important for health, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But a few “concerning” deficiencies do stand out in the findings, which analyzed 58 biomarkers in blood and urine samples collected in national health and nutrition surveys from 1999-2006. Non-Hispanic blacks were prone to vitamin D deficiency, with 31% at low levels. Iron deficiency was seen among young Mexican-American children (11%), non-Hispanic blacks (16%), and Mexican-American women of childbearing age (13%). Low levels of iodine, just above insufficiency, were seen in young women ages 20-39; this is of particular concern because iodine is important for fetal brain development. On the other hand, the study found that folate deficiency is now nearly non-existent, below 1%; before folate fortification of grain products to combat birth defects, about 12% of women of childbearing age were deficient. — Second National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition
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April 2012
Gobbling fast food and bakery treats isn’t just bad for your body — new research suggests it could also be bad for your mood. Spanish scientists report that people consuming the most fast food and commercial baked goods were 37% more likely to develop depression over 6 years than those consuming the least. The study followed 8,964 people who had never previously been diagnosed with depression or taken antidepressants. Both fast food, such as hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza, and bakery items such as cakes and croissants were positively associated with a greater likelihood of developing depression. Moreover, the study found what’s called a dose-response relationship: As fast food and baked goods intake increased, so did the risk of depression. The study wasn’t designed to prove cause and effect, however; as one expert put it, “It’s too early to rebrand the burger and fries as an ‘unhappy meal.’” — Public Health Nutrition
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April 2012
Go ahead and satisfy your java jones — coffee won’t hurt your heart or give you cancer, and it might even reduce your risk of diabetes. That’s the takeaway from an analysis of 9 years of data on 42,659 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. German researchers found no connection between coffee consumption and increased risk of heart disease or cancer. But participants who drank 4 or more cups of coffee daily were 23%-30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those drinking less than a cup per day. Overall, the study documented 1,432 new cases of diabetes. The apparent protective benefit of coffee — which echoes that seen in a 2009 meta-analysis — could be due to the presence of magnesium, antioxidant lignans or chlorogenic acids, scientists speculated. It’s not caffeine, however, as decaf drinkers actually saw an even lower risk of diabetes. The bottom line, as an accompanying editorial put it, is that “current information suggests that coffee is not as bad as we were told.” — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
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March 2012
People who met more of 7 recommended cardiovascular health factors were less likely to die of all causes and especially of heart disease, according to a new study presented at a specialty meeting of the American Heart Association. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data on 44,959 US adults from national health and nutrition surveys. Those who met at least 6 of the heart-health lifestyle factors were 51% less likely to die of all causes over an average 14.5 years of followup, and 76% less likely to die of cardiovascular causes. The 7 factors, targeted by the heart association as part of a public-education campaign, are: not smoking, being physically active; having normal blood pressure, blood glucose and total cholesterol levels and weight; and eating a healthy diet. Only 2% of those surveyed in 1988-1994 met all 7 factors, and only 1.2% in 2005-2010 surveys. — JAMA
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March 2012
In more bad news for lovers of bacon and hot dogs, Spanish researchers report that consuming cured meats may worsen symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Eating the equivalent of about one slice of ham per day was associated with double the risk of admission to the hospital for COPD problems. The study followed 274 mostly male COPD patients, average age 68, for 2.6 years, during which 35% suffered at least one COPD readmission. The association with cured meats appeared weaker in those with only moderate COPD and those using inhaled corticosteroids. While smoking remains the top risk factor for COPD, recent evidence has suggested diet could also play a role; now this finding points to diet also affecting the progress of the condition. Scientists noted that nitrites used in curing meat could form compounds in the body that are known to cause lung damage. — European Respiratory Journal of Nutrition
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