September Research Highlights

Journal of the American College of Nutrition

• A high glycemic index diet unfavorably affects CVD risk factors and therefore, submission of high with low glycemic index carbohydrates may reduce the risk of CVD.
  
  
• Chronic American ginseng supplementation at the given dose can cause an oxidative stress in postmenopausal women, as reflected by the elevated oxidative damage markers and increased erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity.
  

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

• A high vitamin B-6 intake may improve prostate cancer survival among men with a diagnosis of localized-stage disease.

• Dietary fiber can play a role in preventing breast cancer through nonestrogen pathways among postmenopausal women.

• Green tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of death from pneumonia in Japanese women.

Journal Nutrition

• Undernourished children had comprehensive differences in temperament traits compared to nourished children, which may increase their risk of developing behavioral and mental health problems in later childhood.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

• Greater attention needs to be directed to understanding and improving the diets of school employees given their high rates of overweight and obesity, poor diets, and important role in student health.

• Perinatal (maternal) depression refers to major and minor episodes during pregnancy (termed antenatal) and/or within the first 12 months after delivery (termed postpartum or postnatal). One biological factor given increasing consideration for perinatal depression is inadequate nutrition. Credible links between nutrient deficiency and mood have been reported for folate, vitamin B-12, calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, and n-3 fatty acids. For maternal depression, the nutrient that has received the most attention from nutrition researchers has been the n-3 essential fatty acids. Numerous studies, such as randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and ecological studies, have found a positive association between low n-3 levels and a higher incidence of maternal depression. In addition, nutrient inadequacies in pregnant women who consume a typical western diet might be much more common than researchers and clinicians realize. A number of studies have reported inadequate intakes of n-3, folate, B vitamins, iron, and calcium in pregnant women. Depletion of nutrient reserves throughout pregnancy can increase a woman's risk for maternal depression.