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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
Soon you may be getting more of your daily vitamin D from bread. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a petition, originally filed in 2009, to allow bakers to use special yeast to boost vitamin D levels in bread as high as 400 IU per 100 grams (3.5 ounces, a little more than 3 slices). Previously, the limit was 90 IU, achieved by adding lanolin or fortified margarine to breads. The yeast, produced by Montreal-based Lallemand, develops natural vitamin D2 after exposure to ultraviolet light. Lallemand says the D2 is stable to heat and oxidation, meaning bread, snacks and mixes leavened with the yeast have higher vitamin D levels. The FDA will allow baked goods with extra vitamin D to boast that they are “High,” “Rich in” or “Excellence Source of” the vitamin in labeling. Welcoming the news, the American Bakers Association said, “Since many Americans are not meeting their needs for vitamin D, this policy change will positively impact intake by making the daily bread in the USA a greater daily source of vitamin D.” The adult RDA for vitamin D ranges from 600-800 IU; ordinary bread has little or no vitamin D.…
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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
Contradicting other research on calorie restriction and longevity, a new National Institutes on Aging study reports that rhesus monkeys fed 30% fewer calories were healthier but didn’t live any longer than a control group. The monkeys — long-lived primates similar to humans — had been followed since 1987. Those on a restricted diet did have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. But that didn’t translate into longer lifespans. Researchers in a similar study at the Wisconsin National Primate Center, who have reported longevity benefits linked to calorie restriction, pointed out potentially key differences between the studies: The control group in the NIA study was given vitamin and mineral supplements and fed a limited, though higher-calorie diet. In the Wisconsin experiment, monkeys in the control group were allowed free access to food, which those researchers argued more closely resembles actual human lifestyles. — Nature…
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August 2012
Even before the anticipated effects of this summer’s drought on food prices, a newly released Gallup survey says 18.2% of Americans have struggled to afford the food they need. The poll of 177,662 US adults over the first half of 2012 asked respondents whether there have been times in the previous 12 months that they didn’t have enough money to buy adequate food for their families. The 18.2% figure was comparable to previous surveys. People in Mississippi reported struggling the most, and generally those in the Southeast and Southwest were most likely to fall short on affording food. Respondents in the Mountain Plains and Midwest were the least at risk of food hardship, Gallup said. The USDA recently warned that the drought could boost grocery costs 3%-5% next year. Gallup noted, “More residents may face problems as the drought-related crop damage results in a shortage of inputs in the food supply and begins to affect retail prices.”…
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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
The US drought may lead to starvation halfway around the world in countries like Yemen, warns the international food-relief agency Oxfam. In a report issued prior to a “Hunger Summit” in the UK, Oxfam painted a dire picture of the effect of rising corn, soy and wheat prices in the developing world. Already, according to the report, corn stockpiles are at their lowest level in 6 years and the world is seeing a record number of food emergencies. Hard-hit areas include the Sahel region of West Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Yemen. “For millions of people who are currently struggling to get by, rising food prices could spell disaster,” warned Max Lawson, Oxfam head of policy. “We need urgent action to help the worst affected countries build their food reserves and put in place social safety-nets to enable people to weather this storm.” But Lawson added that short-term action was not enough: “We cannot keep relying on humanitarian agencies to pick up the pieces.”…
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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
A stay in the hospital could be bad for your blood pressure — and not just because of the anxiety associated with hospitalization. A University of Toronto study finds hospital food is high in sodium, which is linked to hypertension risk. Researchers analyzed more than 2,300 daily menus at 3 acute-care hospitals in Ontario. When patients weren’t picking their own meals, 86% of daily menus topped the recommended maximum sodium intake of 2,300 mg and 100% exceeded the 1,500 maximum for higher-risk individuals. Average daily sodium was 2,896 mg. Patients did marginally better when they got to pick the day’s meals, with 79% exceeding 2,300 mg and 97% over 1,500 mg. At least patients specifically on salt-restricted diets mostly got meals within recommended maximums. Diabetics, though, averaged 3,406 mg of daily sodium in menus selected by the hospital. Researchers concluded, “Our findings highlight the need for sodium-focused food procurement and menu-planning policies to lower sodium levels in hospital patient menus.” — Archives of Internal Medicine…
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August 2012
Foods rich in antioxidant vitamins C and E and selenium may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer — a poorly understand cancer that’s often diagnosed too late for effective treatment, making prevention especially important. British researchers report that people consuming more dietary vitamins C and E and selenium (but not zinc) were at 67% lower risk for pancreatic cancer than those in the lowest one-quarter of intake. The fact that higher risk was seen only in the lowest intake group suggests a “threshold effect,” scientists commented, beyond which extra antioxidants offered no further protection. If a causal connection is confirmed, however, 1 in 12 such cancers could be prevented by getting more than the lowest level of dietary antioxidants. Researchers compared 49 participants in the large EPIC-Norfolk study who developed pancreatic cancer with 3,970 healthy controls. In contrast to previous negative findings with antioxidant supplements, scientists added, “food sources of these nutrients may have different effects.” — Gut…
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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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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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June 2012
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.
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June 2012
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
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June 2012
Consumers, meanwhile, are switching their worries from fats to sugars as the dietary ingredient most to blame for obesity. The 2012 International Food Information Council (IFIC) Food & Health survey finds the percentage of Americans citing sugar as “the source of calories most likely to cause weight gain” nearly doubled from 11% in 2011to 20%. The 18% answering “fats” was well below the 26%-34% blaming fats back in 2006-10. “Carbs” also gained popularity as a culprit, up from 9% in 2011 to 19%. Another 30% gave the technically correct answer, “all sources are equal” — a calorie is, after all, a calorie — down from 40%. As media attention has shifted to sugar as “the villain of the piece,” as an IFIC spokesperson put it, consumers have become less vigilant about saturated fats: Only 47% say they’re trying to limit these unhealthy fats, down from 64% in 2010. Yet 32% are mistakenly avoiding healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
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