Beat chocolate cravings

Fri. Nov 14, 2008

Researchers at the University of Exeter took 25 chocolate eaters and had them abstain from eating chocolate for three days.  Then they randomly had participants rest or take a brisk 15 minute walk before engaging in a follow up activity that would normally induce a chocolate craving.

Participants reported lower cravings after walking than after resting.  They also reported lower cravings when engaged in the follow up activities.

Commenting on his research, Professor Adrian Taylor said: "While enjoying the occasional chocolate bar is fine, in time, regular eating may lead to stronger cravings during stress and when it is readily available. Recognizing what causes us to eat high energy snacks, even if we have plans to not do so, can be helpful."

"Short bouts of physical activity can help to regulate how energized and pleasant we feel, and with a sedentary lifestyle we may naturally turn to mood regulating behaviors such as eating chocolate. Accumulating 30 minutes of daily physical activity, with two 15 minute brisk walks, for example, not only provides general physical and mental health benefits but also may help to regulate our energy intake. This research furthers our understanding of the complex physical, psychological and emotional relationship we have with food."

SOURCE: Appetite

Pity the Poor Potato

Mon. Nov 10, 2008

Pity the poor potato. In recent years, the lowly spud's reputation has been mashed -- undeservedly so, according to the November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

Criticisms have ranged from high carbohydrate count to its role as a magnet for high-fat toppings that add calories. The truth is, if you skip the sour cream, cheese and butter and don't fry your spuds, the potato need not be avoided in a healthy diet.

Here are some common misconceptions about potatoes:

• Potatoes are high in calories. In fact, a medium-sized russet potato baked in its skin has just 160 calories. None of those calories are from fat, cholesterol or refined sugar.
• Potatoes are nothing but carbohydrates. The average potato has 37 grams (g) of carbohydrates. But, potatoes also are a great source of vitamin C with 22 milligrams (mg) in a medium potato. They are a superb source of potassium, providing 952 mg of this important nutrient, which is considerably more than is in a banana or a serving of broccoli or spinach. Potatoes are a good source of protein, too, providing 4 g, which is comparable to a half a cup of milk. In addition, that medium-sized potato provides 1.9 mg of iron.
• Most of the nutrients are found in the potato skin. The truth is that most of the nutrients are found right below the skin's surface. To maintain all the nutrients, it is best to avoid peeling. The peels also have a healthy dose of fiber -- 4 g.
• When it's time to cook, think baked, boiled, roasted or microwaved to get the most from a potato without adding calories.
  

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic

Prudent diet reduces heart attack risk by one-third

Tue. Oct 21, 2008

People who are concerned about heart attack should look closely at their dietary patterns say Canadian researchers. The typical Western diet of fried food, salty snacks, eggs, and meat is associated by a 30 percent higher risk of heart attack when compared to what researchers call a Prudent diet high in fruits and vegetables.

After examining typical diets from 52 countries around the world, Salim Yusuf, D.Phil., a professor of medicine at McMaster University, identified three dietary patterns that were common globally.

Along with the Western diet, Yusuf identified the Oriental diet which is higher in tofu, soy, and other sauces, and the Prudent diet which is higher in fruits and vegetables.

"The objective of this study was to understand the modifiable risk factors of heart attacks at a global level," said Yusuf. "This study indicates that the same relationships that are observed in Western countries exist in different regions of the world,"

Yusuf and his colleagues examined data collected from 5,761 heart attack cases and 10,646 people without known heart disease.

"A simple dietary score, which included both good and bad foods with the higher score indicating a worse diet, showed that 30 percent of the risk of heart disease in a population could be related to poor diet," said Romania Iqbal, Ph.D., lead author of the study.

People who consumed the Prudent diet of more fruits and vegetables had a 30 percent lower risk of heart attack compared to people who ate little or no fruits and vegetables.

People who consumed the Western diet had a 35 percent greater risk of having a heart attack compared to people who consumed little or no fried foods and meat.

The Oriental pattern showed no relationship with heart attack risk. The researchers concluded that the high salt content of oriental sauces may neutralize the effects of an otherwise healthy diet.

SOURCE: Circulation

Fructose interferes with weight control hormone

Thu. Oct 16, 2008

A diet rich in fructose, a common sweetener in processed food, may induce resistance to the hormone leptin that helps regulate the balance between food intake and energy expenditure.  Researchers now believe this can lead to rapid weight gain with the high fat, high calorie diet typical for many Americans.

Fructose is the sugar found in fruit, but normal consumption of fruit does not create a problem. Instead, it is table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup which are about 50% fructose and have become increasingly common in many foods and beverages. Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are added to many foods and people now eat much more fructose than ever before.

A new study from the University Of Florida College Of Medicine, suggests that the interaction between consumption of large amounts of fructose-containing foods and eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet that produces the weight gain. According to Alexandra Shapiro, one of the researchers, "This study may explain how the global increase in fructose consumption is related to the current obesity epidemic."

Leptin resistance appears to prevent leptin from reaching the brain. When this occurs, the brain will not send out the normal signal to stop eating and, over time, the person gains weight.

While the relationship between leptin resistance and weight gain is well established, it was not previously known that a high fructose diet could be responsible for developing the resistance. More disturbing is the discovery that that leptin resistance can develop silently, that is, with little indication that it is happening.

"The presence of high fructose alters the way leptin works, fooling the brain so that it ignores leptin," says researcher Philip J. Scarpace.  "Consumers should be cautious about what they eat, checking labels to see how much sugar the items contain."

It is not yet known if leptin resistance can be reversed by removing or reducing the fructose content of the diet.

SOURCE: American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology

Protection from pectin

Mon. Oct 13, 2008

Pectin, a soluble dietary fiber found in most plants, may offer an explanation into why people who eat more fruit and vegetables appear to have higher protection from the spread of cancers.

A fragment released by pectin during digestion, binds to proteins that play pivotal roles in cancer development. The galectin 3 protein plays a role in all stages of cancer progression but its action is inhibited when bound with the pectin fragment.

According to Professor Vic Morris from the Institute of Food Research, reports on the anti cancer effect of foods are generally based on population studies that show what happens when people eat more fruit and vegetables but do not explain why protection occurs. Morris's research looks at these effects from a molecular perspective that may shed new light on the interaction between dietary carbohydrates and mammalian proteins.

Discovery of the subtle role of pectin is leading researchers to identify how pectin can be taken up by the body and released so it can exert its effect on cancer cells. The research could result in functional foods with added bioactive pectin as well as providing more conclusive evidence for the importance of eating at least your '5-a-day'.

"For a whole combination of different effects it is best to consistently eat a range of fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods," says Professor Morris. "You don't necessarily have to eat a superfood."

SOURCE: FASEB Journal

Supersized portions lead to unhealthy food relationships in children

Fri. Oct 10, 2008

Insisting that children clean their plate at meal time may lead to overeating and other unhealthy relationships with food say researchers from the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University.

Children assume that the quantity of food provided at meal time is the amount they should eat. When larger portions are provided, children eat more and use portion size and other environmental cues to help them decide when they have had enough.

Jennifer Fisher, Ph.D., theorizes that having large amounts of food available conveys a social expectation about portion size that condones larger self-served portions. Fisher and other researchers are exploring different avenues to determine the association between the amount of food children are served and the amount they actually eating.

"Our goal is to try to identify ways to promote healthful choices from an early age," says Fisher. "We want children to grow up with good eating habits, and without having to struggle with food issues into adulthood."

Observing children's eating behavior when confronted with differing portion sizes and even different sized eating utensils, may lead researchers to pinpoint some of the factors determining how eating patterns develop, which could help stave off unhealthy relationships with food later on in life.

SOURCE: Obesity

Preventing bone weakening during rapid weight loss

Fri. Sep 26, 2008

Bone demineralization and weakening seen during significant weight loss may be avoided by better nutrition say Louisiana researchers.  

Scientists at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, suggest that calorie restriction alone does not cause bone loss and that careful assessment of skeletal health combined with appropriate nutrition allows for significant weight loss without bone weakening.

Leanne M. Redman, Ph.D., one of the researchers writes, "Our data do not support the notion that extreme weight loss (more than 10 percent) over short periods (three months) has a worse prognosis on bone health than gradual weight loss achieved over six months by moderate calorie restriction with or without aerobic exercise."

Researchers are focusing attention on determining if reports of bone loss and fracture during substantial weight loss are the result of calorie restriction or a reduction in vitamins that might accompany them.

Weight loss would naturally result in changes in skeletal structures as the body adjusts to lower weight and less demands for load bearing.  The researchers believe that ensuring nutritional quality is not sacrificed during weight loss is the key factor in preventing changes in skeletal strength. They suggest that long term studies are needed to look at the effect of weight loss on bone quality and architecture.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine

New tricks to shift soda demand

Tue. Aug 26, 2008

As portion sizes have increased, Americans' waistlines have expanded. And as a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research demonstrates, consumers are tricked into drinking more soft drinks when retailers eliminate small drink sizes.

No matter what the volume of the soft drink, customers tend to avoid the largest and smallest options, according to authors Kathryn M. Sharpe, Richard Staelin, and Joel Huber (all Duke University). "Our basic premise is that consumer purchases are altered by the portfolio of drink sizes made available," the authors explain.

Fast-food restaurants, in an attempt to boost profit margins, have eliminated smaller drink sizes and added even larger sizes. The authors believe these policies have led to a 15 percent increase in the consumption of these high-calorie drinks. "Consumers who purchased a 16-ounce drink when a 12-ounce drink was available later chose a 21-ounce drink when the 12-ounce drink option was removed, since now the 16-ounce soda is the smallest option," they write. "This effect also occurred at the large end of the spectrum; people who purchased a 21-ounce drink when the 32-ounce drink was the largest size available moved up to the 32-ounce drink when a 44-ounce drink was added to the range of drink sizes available."

By adding the 44-ounce option, the restaurant is able to shift the demand curve upward, even though the authors believe customers still want 12-ounce drinks.

The researchers go on to simulate policy directions for slimming America's waistlines. Their models show that for flat taxation of soft drinks to reduce consumption by 10 percent, it would need to be 28 cents per drink and would reduce corporate profits by at least 7 percent.

But by simply reversing the trend they started in the first place, retailers could do their part to improve public health. If they eliminated the largest drink size and brought back the smallest, retailers could help curb soft drink consumption with only a slight reduction in profit (less than 2 percent).

SOURCE: Journal of Consumer Research

Reduce cancer risk with more fruit and vegetables

Fri. Aug 22, 2008

Nutritionists at the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) advocate eating plenty of fruit and vegetables to reduce cancer risk and control weight. With only 12% of the US population eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, WCRF nutritionist Silvia Pastorino offers the following advice:

• Add fruit to your breakfast cereal to make it tastier. You could use dried fruit or frozen berries, or slice a banana or an apple. Try to buy seasonal fruits when you can as they are tastier and cheaper.
• Opt for a fruit salad as a snack or dessert. As well as tasting great, it is an easy way to add to your daily fruit consumption. 
• Have baked beans on whole meal toast for lunch. Many people do not know that baked beans count towards your five portions a day but they can. But bear in mind that baked beans can only count as one of your five a day, no matter how much you eat. 
• Pack your pasta sauce, bake, stir fry and sandwiches with a variety of colorful vegetables. They contain lots of water and fiber, so you will feel full for longer without the added calories. Frozen vegetables, like peas and broad beans, count too and they are always there when you need them. 
• Instead of having crisps, try chopping raw vegetables dipped in low fat humus or salsa as this makes a tasty snack that can count towards your 5 A DAY.  

World Cancer Research Fund is a global network of national charities commited to raising awareness that cancer is largely preventable and helps people make choices to reduce their chances of developing the disease.

SOURCE: American Institute for Cancer Research

Dietary adjustments reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

Mon. Aug 18, 2008

People who drink more sugar-sweetened beverages or eat fewer fruits and vegetables have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

By 2030, health experts expect type 2 diabetes to affect more than 11% of the US population and suggest that dietary changes are an effective way to reduce the risk of the disease in vulnerable populations.

Recent studies indicate that two areas of diet that significantly effect type 2 diabetes are increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and decreasing sugary drinks.

Research from Boston University showed that drinking two or more soft drinks each day was associated with a 24% increase in diabetes risk and drinking two or more fruit drinks each day was associated with a 31% increase in diabetes risk compared to women who had less than one soft drink or fruit drink per month, respectively. The study confirmed that fruit drinks are not a healthy alternative to soft drinks with regard to obesity and the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Diet soft drinks, grapefruit juice, or orange juice did not appear to increase diabetes risk.

The researchers noted the increase in diabetes risk associated with soft drink consumption was mostly due to increased weight. The authors said, "Reducing consumption of soft drinks or switching from sugar-sweetened soft drinks to diet soft drinks is a concrete step that women may find easier to achieve than other approaches to weight loss."

Using blood levels of vitamin C as an indicator of fruit and vegetable consumption, researchers from Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, England found that higher blood levels of vitamin C were associated with a substantially lower risk of developing diabetes.  They suggest that eating even a small quantity of fruits and vegetables may be beneficial and that the protection against diabetes increases progressively with the quantity of fruit and vegetables consumed.

In combination, increasing fruit and vegetable intake while reducing sugary drinks, may operate as a powerful defense against developing type 2 diabetes and slow the alarming trends in this disease and obesity in the US population.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine