Task Force: Low-Dose Calcium and Vitamin D Ineffective for Fractures
Supplements of calcium and vitamin D at low doses don’t prevent fractures in otherwise healthy postmenopausal women, according to draft recommendations from an expert task force, and a slight associated increased risk of kidney stones tilts the equation against using the supplements. The recommendations were issued by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services. In making the recommendations, the experts relied heavily on findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Study of more than 36,000 postmenopausal women who were given 400 IU of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium. The panel said there was insufficient evidence one way or the other on higher doses for fracture prevention. But the task-force draft came on the heels of a separate USPSTF finding that vitamin D supplements were effective in reducing the risk of falls for peoples over age 75.

Canola and Olive Oil Dressings Release More Salad Nutrients
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

A Good Night’s Sleep Improves Food Choices
To eat right tomorrow, get a good night’s sleep tonight. Two studies presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies report that sleep-deprived subjects show brain changes that affect their decision-making and predispose them to poor dietary choices. Both were crossover studies, in which 23 and 25 healthy subjects were tested after being shorted on sleep and after sleeping normally; both used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activity. The first study compared sleeping normally with staying up all night, with snacks at 2:30 a.m. and breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Participants were then quizzed about food desires and given fMRI scans. When subjects were well-rested, the scans showed greater frontal-lobe activity in areas indicative of decision making. The second study compared 6 days of sleep deprivation with normal sleep. When sleep deprived, subjects responded to fatty, sugary foods with brain activity much like that in studies of the obese.

Compounds in Stone Fruits May Battle Metabolic Syndrome
Not that most of us need convincing to indulge in stone fruits (“drupes”) such as plums, nectarines and peaches, but new Texas A&M research suggests compounds in these delicious fruits may fight metabolic syndrome. Scientists found four major types of antioxidant phenols in the fruits that attack the syndrome on “different fronts,” including via fat cells, arterial health and inflammation. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms such as obesity and hypertension that predisposes patients to heart disease and diabetes. “Each of these stone fruits contain similar phenolic groups but in differing proportions, so all of them are a good source of health-promoting compounds and may complement each other,” scientists added. The findings will be presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in August.

Excess Salt Damages Blood Vessels
Here’s another reason to watch the salt in the foods you eat: Not only can high sodium intake from dietary salt boost blood pressure, but a new study shows it can also damage blood vessels. That, in turn, in what scientists called a “sodium amplification loop,” could raise blood pressure still more, further increasing the risk of heart disease. US researchers studied 5,556 men and women in the Netherlands and found a link between higher sodium intake and two biomarkers for blood-vessel dysfunction. Study participants were not taking medication for hypertension. Researchers noted that past studies of people without hypertension have found little short-term effect of salt on blood pressure, yet salt “for unclear reasons, is associated with hypertension if consumed chronically.” The long-term effect of high salt intake on blood vessels could help explain this, they suggested. — Circulation