American Journal of Clinical Nutrition June Highlights

Snapshots from one of our favorite journals:

• the first long-term follow-up study (18 years) showing that increased mental stress affects the adrenals adversely, and in turn, has a negative impact on body mass index for waist circumference and triceps thickness; Bonnie - stress can increase probability of weight gain.
  
  
• a CLOCK polymorphism, which is a genetic abnormality of circadian rhythm, increases one's susceptibility to become obese; Bonnie - this is why a snack in the afternoon is important - to compensate for the dip in circadian rhythm. Those who work night jobs or are constantly traveling to foreign countries will evidence a problem if not compensated with nutrients and melatonin.
  
  
• Alzheimer's patients treated with EPA/DHA supplementation to increase their levels showed marked decrease in inflammatory cytokines; Bonnie - how many studies do we need to see to realize the importance of EPA/DHA supplementation.
  
  
• substituting protein for carbohydrate in the context of a healthy dietary pattern reduced atherogenic LDL and triglyceride markers; Bonnie - this is significant because it shows that eating more protein and less carbohydrate will improve cholesterol, which is the exact opposite of what most physicians tell their patients.
  
  
• foods that exhibit negative glycemic load and glycemic index suggest an overall direct association with colorectal and endometrial cancer
  
  
• the health benefits of dairy products and related nutrients are complex and may not be uniform across the population, t least for obesity and metabolic disorders. The data also indicate that variations in consumption of dairy products and dairy-related nutrients appear to be factors that account for some of the disparities in risk of obesity and its co-morbitities between major ethnic groups in the US; Bonnie - translation...we are not "one size fits all" and do not all require dairy servings on a daily basis as the USDA leads us to believe.