In the NewsClaims that dairy aids weight loss may be misleadingMon. May 05, 2008 
Consuming dairy as a way to aid weight loss may have the opposite effect according to Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. "A thorough analysis of the scientific literature shows that dairy industry claims about weight loss have no factual basis," says Dr Lanou. Reviewing 49 clinical trials from 1966 to 2007 assessing the effect of milk, dairy products, or calcium intake on body weight and BMI, with or without the use of dieting, Dr Lanou and Neal Barnard with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC, concluded that weight loss claims were unsubstantiated. Evidence from the trials showed that neither dairy products nor calcium supplements helped people lose weight. Of the 49 clinical trials reviewed, 41 showed no effect, two demonstrated weight gain, one showed a lower rate of weight gain, and only five showed weight loss. According to the researchers, The only studies showing weight loss were led by industry-funded researchers. "Consumers who see ads featuring slim celebrities and add dairy to their diets in hopes of losing weight are likely to gain weight instead. Even children who consume low-fat milk are at risk for unhealthy weight gain," says Dr Lanou "Our findings demonstrate that increasing dairy product intake does not consistently result in weight or fat loss and may actually have the opposite effect," the authors conclude. SOURCE: Nutrition Reviews Americans prefer foods high in fats and added sugarsFri. May 02, 2008 
If you prefer foods that are high in fats and added sugars, you are not alone. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute used data from the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) and found the country's population is not following dietary advice. In particular, the findings showed Americans need to eat more fruits, vegetables and fat-free milk and much less solid fats and added sugars. Even those among us eating vegetables and grains may need to adjust the types of these foods that are being eaten. According to the researchers, more dark-green and orange vegetables, beans and whole grains should be added to our diets. Whole grains make up just 10 percent of total grains in most of our diets, which is far below the 50 percent or more recommendation. Sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, grain-based desserts such as cakes, cookies, donuts and pies, non-skim dairy products and fatty meats were identified as contributing the most to high-energy-dense foods. SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association Lower cholesterol with a chocolate barTue. Apr 22, 2008 
It's almost too good to be true, but researchers at the University of Illinois have found a chocolate bar that lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. Attributing the favorable affects of the chocolate bar to the plant sterols added to the bar, researchers report a reduction in total cholesterol by 2 percent and LDL or "bad" cholesterol by 5.3 percent in participants who ate two CocoaVia chocolate bars daily during the eight week study. The researchers believe reduced blood pressure was a result of the flavanols found in dark chocolate. Although the study was funded by the makers of the chocolate bar, researchers point out that the design did not skew results toward a particular result and that the study was peer reviewed for validity before publication in a respected journal. Many previous studies support the positive cardiovascular effect of plant sterols and flavanols which occur naturally in a variety of foods. However, post-harvesting and processing procedures typically reduce the quantities of these substances below levels needed to have a positive health effect SOURCE: Journal of Nutrition Antioxidant supplements may be harmfulWed. Apr 16, 2008 
Healthy people who take antioxidant supplements such as Vitamin A and E to ward off diseases like cancer could be disrupting their body's natural defences and, instead of prolonging their life, may be shortening it by as much as 16 percent. This conclusion was reached by Dr Christian Gluud, director of medical science, associate professor and department head of the Copenhagen Trial Unit at the Centre for Clinical Intervention Research and Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark after reviewing 67 studies with 232,550 participants on the effects of vitamin or antioxidant supplements. Most adults do not eat enough fruit and vegetables to meet the recommended daily requirement for antioxidants but the practice of using supplements to boost antioxidant levels does not appear to confer any benefit. Restricting the analysis to beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium, researchers found that while Vitamin C showed no evidence of causing harm and selenium showed a reduction in death rate in some studies, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E showed an increased mortality among study participants. The studies under review did not include those where supplements were prescribed to address known nutritional defficiencies or to treat specific medical conditions. The review authors conclude that Antioxidant supplements need to be considered medicinal products and should undergo sufficient evaluation before marketing. SOURCE: Cochrane Library Children’s Cereals Less Healthy than Adult CerealsThu. Apr 03, 2008 
Despite numerous nutrient claims on the box, children's breakfast cereals are still higher in calories, sugar, and salt than in an equal amount of adult cereals, according to a study by Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Researchers examined 161 breakfast cereals from four leading manufacturers and compared nutritional values of children's and nonchildren's cereals to national guidelines. They found that when comparing nutrients per gram, children's cereals were higher in calories, sodium, carbohydrate, and sugar, but significantly lower in fiber and protein. They also found that the majority of children's cereals, 66 percent, failed to meet national recommended nutritional standards for foods sold in schools. The research team also examined nutrient claims such as "low fat" or "reduced sugar" found on the boxes of children's cereals. When cereals with and without these claims were compared, there was no difference in overall calories. "People may assume that a low fat or reduced sugar cereal will help children limit the calories they are taking in, but this is not the case," said Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the center, senior research scientist, and lead author of the study. "We found that cereals with nutrient claims have just as many calories as those without such claims." She added that products that display nutrient content or health claims have the potential to create a "halo effect" where consumers perceive the product as more healthful than warranted, and subsequently ignore other relevant nutrition information, such as calories or appropriate serving size. SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association Brain may sense calories not just tasteThu. Mar 27, 2008 
The brain can sense the calories in sweet food, independent of the taste mechanism, researchers have found in studies with mice. According to researchers from Duke University Medical Center, the brain's reward system is switched on by caloric content and not necessarily the taste of sweet food. These findings could have implications for understanding the causes of obesity. For example, high-fructose corn syrup is a commonly used sweetener in American society, and evidence suggests that fructose is not as effective as sucrose in terminating a meal. It may be that fructose produces stronger activation of the reward system and removing high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener will curb some desire for these products. Researchers believe that a better understanding of this mechanism will help them learn how higher cognitive centers in the brain control food intake and body weight regulation SOURCE: Neuron Healthy Diet Helps School PerformanceTue. Mar 25, 2008 
Feeding your children healthier food may improve their school performance according to researchers from the University of Alberta. Children with a diet higher in fruit and vegetables and lower in fat were found to be less likely to fail a standardized literacy assessment test in a study involving, 4,600 Nova Scotia children. Researchers led by Paul Veugelers, PhD., showed that diet was more significant to academic performance than family income, parents' education levels and marital status, the child's gender or whether the children lived in rural or urban areas. While Veugelers and his colleagues don't claim that good nutrition is all that is involved in children achieving better grades, they do say that eating healthier clearly helps. SOURCE: Journal of School Health Calcium Weighs In for New York CommunityThu. Mar 20, 2008 
In a 16 week study on community intervention conducted by researchers from the University of Colorado at Denver, participants who increased their dairy intake to meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended goal and increased their activity to ten thousand steps a day lost an average of 13.2 pounds over the course of the study.Focusing on the rural community of Calcium, New York, researchers provided one-on-one nutrition counseling along with group sessions to promote healthy lifestyle choices such as consuming low fat dairy and increasing activity. The study started with 199 men and woman of whom 116 completed the sixteen weeks. The results prompted the director of the Center for Human Nutrition in Denver, James O. Hill, PhD, to suggest "The best way to tackle the obesity problem in this country is by changing one community at a time and we made a huge impact in Calcium, NY." Hill suggests that simply getting adults to increase activity and adjust their diet to include more low fat and fat free milk products is an applicable strategy for helping many Americans slim down. Source: Journal of Physical Activity and Health SOURCE: Journal of Physical Activity and Health Source of Trans Fat MattersTue. Mar 11, 2008 
Trans fatty acids, usually called trans fats, are associated with heart disease because they raise bad LDL cholesterol and lower good HDL cholesterol. Trans Fats in our diets are found naturally in meat and dairy products or from artificial sources such as partially hydrogenated oils. Partial hydrogenation is the process food manufacturers use to extend shelf life and make oils more attractive for baking. Researchers investigating trans fats confirm that artificial trans fats contribute more to heart disease than naturally occurring ones. The results of two research studies showed natural sources of trans fat appeared to raise LDL cholesterol less than natural trans fat. Artificially produced trans fats tended to lower HDL and raise LDL especially in women. While the suggestion is that natural may be less harmful than artificial trans fats, both contribute to heart disease. SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition A Protein Rich Diet Helps Middle-Aged and Older Men Build MuscleTue. Feb 19, 2008 
As men age, their testosterone levels wane and muscle mass decreases. Research suggests that a moderate amount of healthy fats and a higher than usual amount of lean protein in the diet boosts testosterone production and, when combined with weight training, increases muscle mass in aging men. Researchers recommend men consume three servings a day of low fat or nonfat dairy products, and two, 3-ounce servings of lean animal protein along with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Adopting this diet will provide a variety of health benefits and stimulate testosterone production. SOURCE: International Journal of Sports Medicine |
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