American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Highlights - January

As we do every month, here is a brief summary from our favorite nutrition journal.

• Increased Waist Circumference, not BMI (Body Mass Index), is negatively associated with pulmonary (lung) function.
  
  
• There is higher risk for inflammation in normal-weight women whose fat mass is greater than 30% of their body weight than normal-weight women who have less than 30%.
  
  
• A small study showed that obese women on a weight loss regimen while supplementing with 600mg calcium/200IU vitamin D lost more weight than women on placebo.
  
  
• Breastfeeding increases the likelihood of ideal visual development as opposed to children given formula.
  
  
• Selenium supplementation in young, well-norusihed subjects can mount a compensatory antioxidant response to HIV infection.
  
  
• In seniors with low vitamin B-12 status, high serum folate was associated with anemia and cognitive impairment. When vitamin B-12 status was normal, however, high serum folate was associated with protection against coginitive impairment.
  
  
• A study to explain ethnic differences in levels of HDL, the "good cholesterol," may be due to excess carbohydrate intake. Of four ethnic groups, South Asians ate the most carbohydrates and had the lowest HDL, while Chinese ate the least carbohydrates and had the highest HDL.