American Journal Clinical Nutrition Highlights

Bonnie - AJCN is our favorite nutrition journal. We will try every month to encapsulate its new findings, which are always at the cutting edge of nutritional research.

Vitamin's E and C are safe across a broad range of intakes -
A review article from nutritional experts across the globe conclude from clinical trial evidence that vitamin E supplements appear safe for most adults in daily amounts of 1600IU or less and vitamin C supplements in daily amounts of 2000mg or less. Note: three of the ten contributors of this study are emplyed by a vitamin trade organization (2) and manufacturer of bulk vitamin ingredients.

Dairy Products do not lead to alterations in body weight or fat mass in young women -
Dairy advocates suggest that increased dairy calcium intake is associated with reduced weight and fat mass. It is the crux of the Dairy Council's 3-A-Day Campaign. 155 young women (18-30 yrs) were tracked in a one year study. Based upon the findings, increased intake of dairy products did not reduce body weight or fat mass.

Vitamin C Supplementation Prevents Premature Rupture of Chorioamniotic Membranes in Pregnant Women -
Vitamin C is involved in the synthesis and degradation of collagen and is important for maintenance of membranes encapsulating amniotic fluid. Inadequate availability of vitamin C durng pregnancy has been proposed as a risk factor for premature rupture. Of 126 women tracked from their 20th week of pregnancy, daily supplementation with 100mg vitamin C effectively lessened the incidence of PROM (premature rupture of the chorioamniotic membranes).

Carbohydrate-Restricted Diets Effective in Promoting Fat Loss -
Seventy-three obese men and women were given either a lowfat, high (lean) protein diet or a high (monounsaturated-enriched) fat, standard (lean) protein diet each with the same amount of carbohydrates over a 16 week period. Both diets were well accepted with no deleterious effects on renal function, blood pressure, or markers of bone turnover and were qually effective at reducing body weight, improving insulin resistance, and improving cardiovascular disease risk factors. Thus, the study concluded that restriction of carbohydrates in these diet models may be beneficial in improving body composition.

Ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Bone Mineral Density in Older Adults -
A higher ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids is associated with lower bone mineral density at the hip in 642 men and 564 women. The findings suggest that an ideal ratio of 2 or 3:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3 is more beneficial to bone health than the average ratio which can range anywhere from 6 to 20:1.
Steve - the easiest way to bring this ratio into balance, which was 2:1 in the paleolithic era, is to eat more fatty fish, supplement with high quality fish oil, and/or eat flax seeds. Keep in mind that omega 6 polyunsaturate oils are vegetable and grain oils such as corn, soybean, and rapeseed (canola) oils.

Effects of Soy Protein and Soy Isoflavones on Calcium Metabolism in Women -
Based upon a small study of fifteen postmenopausal women, supplementing their diets with soy protein enriched with isoflavones did not significantly affect calcium metabolism in a positive manner.