If people keep gaining weight at the current rate, fat will be the norm by 2015, with 75 percent of U.S. adults overweight and 41 percent obese, U.S. researchers predicted in a study published in the journal Epidemiologic Reviews. Studies show that 66 percent of U.S. adults were overweight or obese in 2003 and 2004. Sixteen percent of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight and 34 percent are at risk of becoming overweight, according to federal government figures.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Calls get louder to raise vitamin D levels
Recommended daily intakes of vitamin D should be quadrupled to 800 International Units, says a leading US expert from Boston University School of Medicine.
The review, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, increases the need for policy makers to review current guidelines for the vitamin, and could open opportunities for food fortification and supplements.
Dr. Michael Holick states that current recommendations of 200 IU per day for children and adults up to 50 years of age for vitamin D need to be increased to 800 - 1000 IU vitamin D3.
"However, one can not obtain these amounts from most dietary sources unless one is eating oily fish frequently," said Holick. "Thus, sensible sun exposure (or UVB irradiation) and/or supplements are required to satisfy the body's vitamin D requirement."
The review, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, increases the need for policy makers to review current guidelines for the vitamin, and could open opportunities for food fortification and supplements.
Dr. Michael Holick states that current recommendations of 200 IU per day for children and adults up to 50 years of age for vitamin D need to be increased to 800 - 1000 IU vitamin D3.
"However, one can not obtain these amounts from most dietary sources unless one is eating oily fish frequently," said Holick. "Thus, sensible sun exposure (or UVB irradiation) and/or supplements are required to satisfy the body's vitamin D requirement."
No Cancer Shield Found in Fruit and Vegetable Diet
A seven-year government experiment in more than 3,000 women found no benefit from a diet that included far more than the recommended servings of five fruits and vegetables a day. The study appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. For now, the message for the 2.4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States is that they do not need to go overboard on vegetables, researchers said. In this experiment, all the women had been successfully treated for early stage breast cancer. Their average age was 53 when the study began. A group of 1,537 women were randomly assigned to a daily diet that included five vegetable servings, three fruit servings, 16 ounces of vegetable juice and 30 grams of fiber. In most cases, a serving equaled a half cup. French fries and iceberg lettuce could not be counted as vegetables. The women were allowed to eat meat, but were told to get no more than 15 percent to 20 percent of their calories from fat. As a comparison, an additional 1,551 women were assigned to get educational materials about the importance of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. During the next seven years, the cancer returned in about the same proportion of women in both groups. About 10 percent of both groups died during that time, most of them from breast cancer.
Bonnie - this is disgusting. If you are talking about cancer prevention, you cannot look at people who have already had it because their immune system is already compromised.
Update 7/26/2007 - isn't it interesting that a study to appear in the August issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute says men who often eat broccoli and cauliflower may be less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than men who skimp on those vegetables. The finding comes from a study of more than 29,000 U.S. men aged 55-74 who were followed for an average of four years. When the study started, the men didn't have prostate cancer. They completed surveys about the foods they typically ate. During the study, the men were regularly screened for prostate cancer. A total of 1,338 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, including 520 men with aggressive prostate cancer. The men who reported frequently eating cruciferous vegetables -- which include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, and turnip greens -- were 40% less likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer during the study than men who rarely ate those vegetables.
This study was geared towards prevention!
Bonnie - this is disgusting. If you are talking about cancer prevention, you cannot look at people who have already had it because their immune system is already compromised.
Update 7/26/2007 - isn't it interesting that a study to appear in the August issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute says men who often eat broccoli and cauliflower may be less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than men who skimp on those vegetables. The finding comes from a study of more than 29,000 U.S. men aged 55-74 who were followed for an average of four years. When the study started, the men didn't have prostate cancer. They completed surveys about the foods they typically ate. During the study, the men were regularly screened for prostate cancer. A total of 1,338 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, including 520 men with aggressive prostate cancer. The men who reported frequently eating cruciferous vegetables -- which include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, and turnip greens -- were 40% less likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer during the study than men who rarely ate those vegetables.
This study was geared towards prevention!
New research on belly fat/diabetes connection
Abdominal fat, the spare tire that many of us carry, has long been implicated as a primary suspect in causing the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: prediabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and changes in cholesterol. But with the help of powerful new imaging technologies, a team of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers at Yale University School of Medicine has found that insulin resistance in skeletal muscle leads to alterations in energy storage that set the stage for the metabolic syndrome.
The new study, published July 16, 2007, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), demonstrates that insulin resistance in skeletal muscle -- caused by decreased ability of muscle to make glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrate from food energy -- can promote an elevated pattern of lipids or fats in the bloodstream that underpins the metabolic syndrome. Coauthors of the paper were from Yale and Harvard Medical School.
The subjects for the study were all young, lean, non-smoking, healthy individuals who were sedentary and matched for physical activity. Aside from insulin resistance in one cohort, these volunteers had none of the other confounding factors typically associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes, which have been thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome. After providing the study's subjects with two meals high in carbohydrates, magnetic resonance spectroscopy measured the production of liver and muscle triglyceride, the storage form of fat, and of glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate. "What we found is that (insulin) sensitive individuals took the energy from carbohydrate in the meals and stored it away as glycogen in both liver and muscle," said rersearchers. In the insulin resistant subjects, the energy obtained from their carbohydrate rich meals was rerouted to liver triglyceride production, elevating triglycerides in the blood by as much as 60 percent and lowering HDL cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”) by 20 percent. "What we see," they noted, "is alterations in patterns of energy storage. An additional key point is that the insulin resistance, in these young, lean, insulin resistant individuals, was independent of abdominal obesity and circulating plasma adipocytokines, suggesting that these abnormalities develop later in the development of the metabolic syndrome."
Another key observation was that skeletal muscle insulin resistance precedes the development of insulin resistance in liver cells, and that fat production in the liver is increased. “These findings also have important implications for understanding the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, one of the most prevalent liver diseases in both adults and children” The good news, according to Shulman, is that insulin resistance in skeletal muscle can be countered through a simple intervention: diet exercise.
Bonnie - I see this pattern routinely with people who have large amounts of belly fat. These people should always be on a low glycemic load diet (meaning most of their carbs should come from fruits and vegetables). Also, because cow's milk affects insulin (skim more than 2%), they should also avoid milk (but not necessarily, plain yogurt or lowfat cheese).
The new study, published July 16, 2007, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), demonstrates that insulin resistance in skeletal muscle -- caused by decreased ability of muscle to make glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrate from food energy -- can promote an elevated pattern of lipids or fats in the bloodstream that underpins the metabolic syndrome. Coauthors of the paper were from Yale and Harvard Medical School.
The subjects for the study were all young, lean, non-smoking, healthy individuals who were sedentary and matched for physical activity. Aside from insulin resistance in one cohort, these volunteers had none of the other confounding factors typically associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes, which have been thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome. After providing the study's subjects with two meals high in carbohydrates, magnetic resonance spectroscopy measured the production of liver and muscle triglyceride, the storage form of fat, and of glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate. "What we found is that (insulin) sensitive individuals took the energy from carbohydrate in the meals and stored it away as glycogen in both liver and muscle," said rersearchers. In the insulin resistant subjects, the energy obtained from their carbohydrate rich meals was rerouted to liver triglyceride production, elevating triglycerides in the blood by as much as 60 percent and lowering HDL cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”) by 20 percent. "What we see," they noted, "is alterations in patterns of energy storage. An additional key point is that the insulin resistance, in these young, lean, insulin resistant individuals, was independent of abdominal obesity and circulating plasma adipocytokines, suggesting that these abnormalities develop later in the development of the metabolic syndrome."
Another key observation was that skeletal muscle insulin resistance precedes the development of insulin resistance in liver cells, and that fat production in the liver is increased. “These findings also have important implications for understanding the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, one of the most prevalent liver diseases in both adults and children” The good news, according to Shulman, is that insulin resistance in skeletal muscle can be countered through a simple intervention: diet exercise.
Bonnie - I see this pattern routinely with people who have large amounts of belly fat. These people should always be on a low glycemic load diet (meaning most of their carbs should come from fruits and vegetables). Also, because cow's milk affects insulin (skim more than 2%), they should also avoid milk (but not necessarily, plain yogurt or lowfat cheese).
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Colitis cases on the rise
According to researcher that appears in the Archives of Surgery, the bacteria Clostridium difficile, which is one of the causes of Colitis, a particular bowel inflammation, may have become more common, stronger or more resistant to antibiotics. A look at discharge data from U.S. hospitals from 1992 through 2003 found that the rate of such infections increased from 261 cases per 100,000 patients to 546 cases per 100,000 discharged patients, a 109 percent increase.
Clostridium difficile is found in the intestines of 1 percent to 3 percent of healthy adults and about 20 percent of those taking antibiotics, the study said. When the bacteria grow they can cause severe or complicated diarrhea that may eventually lead to death, it added. "Three million new cases of C. difficile colitis occur in the United States each year," the research team wrote, and anecdotal evidence and some studies suggest it "has become more common and potentially more pathogenic."
While the study shows the changing nature of this kind of colitis, it does do not offer explanations for the change, the researchers said. The shift could be caused by new strains of the bacteria, its increasing resistance to antibiotics or the increasing severity of illness and therefore susceptibility to infection among hospitalized patients, they concluded.
Steve - the hypothesis for the increase in cases is right on. Weaker hosts and more resistant pathogens make for larger numbers affected by C. Dificile. This pathogen can be extremely virulent. This first step in reducing its effect is to go off of antibiotics. Then, one must repopulate the gut with high-dose healthy flora (probiotics). A large influx of omega 3 fatty acids and an exemplary diet will accelerate healing and calm the inflammation.
Clostridium difficile is found in the intestines of 1 percent to 3 percent of healthy adults and about 20 percent of those taking antibiotics, the study said. When the bacteria grow they can cause severe or complicated diarrhea that may eventually lead to death, it added. "Three million new cases of C. difficile colitis occur in the United States each year," the research team wrote, and anecdotal evidence and some studies suggest it "has become more common and potentially more pathogenic."
While the study shows the changing nature of this kind of colitis, it does do not offer explanations for the change, the researchers said. The shift could be caused by new strains of the bacteria, its increasing resistance to antibiotics or the increasing severity of illness and therefore susceptibility to infection among hospitalized patients, they concluded.
Steve - the hypothesis for the increase in cases is right on. Weaker hosts and more resistant pathogens make for larger numbers affected by C. Dificile. This pathogen can be extremely virulent. This first step in reducing its effect is to go off of antibiotics. Then, one must repopulate the gut with high-dose healthy flora (probiotics). A large influx of omega 3 fatty acids and an exemplary diet will accelerate healing and calm the inflammation.
High glycemic carbs linked to AMD
According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, heavy consumption of high glycemic foods, those which break down faster into glucose, increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration by as much as 40% (in those consuming the highest amount).
High glycemic foods are considered simple carbohydrates, such as cakes and cookies, cheese pizza, white bread, and foods sweetened with sugar and corn syrup.
Steve - for an extensive explanation of glycemic foods, access our Blood Sugar Balance Action Plan.
High glycemic foods are considered simple carbohydrates, such as cakes and cookies, cheese pizza, white bread, and foods sweetened with sugar and corn syrup.
Steve - for an extensive explanation of glycemic foods, access our Blood Sugar Balance Action Plan.
Monday, July 16, 2007
HRT 'no benefit' to older hearts
More evidence that hormone replacement therapy could be harming, not protecting the hearts of older women has been published. Research into 5,000 women from the UK, Australia and New Zealand suggests women over 60 are more at risk of heart and blood problems. The British Medical Journal study backs major US research which revealed risks for millions of women worldwide.
The WISDOM study began in 1999, and involved doctors at the University of Adelaide in Australia, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in New Zealand, and the Medical Research Council in the UK. It identified 5,692 healthy women registered at GP practices with an average age of 63, and randomly gave them either combined oestrogen and progestogen HRT pills, or "dummy" placebo pills. When the US Women's Health Institute (WHI) study was halted in 2002 after finding significant evidence of HRT endangering the health of some of its patients, the WISDOM study, which was almost identical in its method, was also stopped. However, researchers were able to analyse the results in the first few years of the trial. They found, like the WHI study, a significant increase in the number of "major cardiovascular events", such as angina, heart attack or even sudden heart death, and potentially dangerous blood clots in the group given HRT, compared with those given no hormone treatment.
Dr Madge Vickers, former head of the MRC General Practice Research Framework, who led the study, added: "Importantly, the WISDOM study showed that there is no overall disease prevention benefit from HRT and some potential risk for women who start hormone replacement therapy many years after menopause.
Bonnie - as a Certified Menopause Educator, I have counseled many women over age 60 still on HRT. There are ways to safely wean off; and, if necessary, use natural substances to ameliorate menopausal symptoms.
The WISDOM study began in 1999, and involved doctors at the University of Adelaide in Australia, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in New Zealand, and the Medical Research Council in the UK. It identified 5,692 healthy women registered at GP practices with an average age of 63, and randomly gave them either combined oestrogen and progestogen HRT pills, or "dummy" placebo pills. When the US Women's Health Institute (WHI) study was halted in 2002 after finding significant evidence of HRT endangering the health of some of its patients, the WISDOM study, which was almost identical in its method, was also stopped. However, researchers were able to analyse the results in the first few years of the trial. They found, like the WHI study, a significant increase in the number of "major cardiovascular events", such as angina, heart attack or even sudden heart death, and potentially dangerous blood clots in the group given HRT, compared with those given no hormone treatment.
Dr Madge Vickers, former head of the MRC General Practice Research Framework, who led the study, added: "Importantly, the WISDOM study showed that there is no overall disease prevention benefit from HRT and some potential risk for women who start hormone replacement therapy many years after menopause.
Bonnie - as a Certified Menopause Educator, I have counseled many women over age 60 still on HRT. There are ways to safely wean off; and, if necessary, use natural substances to ameliorate menopausal symptoms.
Canada's folic acid success to encourage others?
If anyone needed further support for benefits of folic acid fortification, a new study shows that the incidence of neural tube defects in Canada has dropped by 46 per cent since the advent of folic acid addition to flours.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has implications for countries debating the effectiveness of fortification. Currently, only Canada, the United States, and Chile require that folic acid be added to flour. The signs are indicating that it will be introduced in the UK soon. An announcement is expected within the next month or so concerning fortification in Ireland, and similar measure under scrutiny in Australia.
"We found that food fortification with folic acid was associated with a significant reduction in neural-tube defects in Canada," wrote lead author Philippe De Wals of Université Laval. "Furthermore, the risk reduction appeared greatest in regions in which the rates were highest before the fortification program was implemented.
Steve - the UK is predicted to go a step further by introducing an activated form of folate, L-5 methyl tetrahydrofolate, as the main fortifying ingredient, so it can be absorbed by a large part of the population who cannot break down folic acid into absorbable folate.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has implications for countries debating the effectiveness of fortification. Currently, only Canada, the United States, and Chile require that folic acid be added to flour. The signs are indicating that it will be introduced in the UK soon. An announcement is expected within the next month or so concerning fortification in Ireland, and similar measure under scrutiny in Australia.
"We found that food fortification with folic acid was associated with a significant reduction in neural-tube defects in Canada," wrote lead author Philippe De Wals of Université Laval. "Furthermore, the risk reduction appeared greatest in regions in which the rates were highest before the fortification program was implemented.
Steve - the UK is predicted to go a step further by introducing an activated form of folate, L-5 methyl tetrahydrofolate, as the main fortifying ingredient, so it can be absorbed by a large part of the population who cannot break down folic acid into absorbable folate.
High levels vitamin B-6 may boost conception and miscarriage rates
High levels of vitamin B6 prior to falling pregnant may boost conception rates and reduce the odds of losing the baby during early pregnancy, suggests new research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
If the results are repeated in more studies in other populations around the world, it may see vitamin B6 force an extension of the current cogs of pregnancy nutrition: folic acid, calcium with vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.
"We found that poor preconception vitamin B6 status was associated with increased risk of early pregnancy loss and reduced probabilities of conception and clinical pregnancy in a prospective cohort of young Chinese women," wrote lead author Alayne Ronnenberg from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
"This study underscores the potential importance of micronutrient status at the time of conception on pregnancy outcome."
The researchers, from U of M Amherst, University of Illinois, Harvard Medical School, Anhui Medical University (China), Northwestern University, and Children's Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, looked at the B vitamin status (folate, B6 and B12) of 364 women (average age 24.9, average BMI 19.8 kg per sq. m) working in the textile industry in Anqing, China.
The women were included if they conceived at least once during prospective observation (1996-1998) and provided daily urine samples over a 12-month period. The urine was tested for human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) to detect conception and early pregnancy loss.
Ronnenberg and co-workers report that women with sufficient vitamin B6 levels increased the odds of conception by 120 per cent, and halved the odds for early pregnancy loss.
They also report that sufficient levels of B6 improved the odds of conception by 40 per cent and lowered the odds for early pregnancy loss by 30 per cent, compared to women with B6 deficiency.
Bonnie - well, well, well! For those of you who have seen me over the years for prenatal and pregnancy counseling, you know that B-6, in particular the co-enzymatic form Pyridoxyl-5-Phosphate, is a staple of my nutrient regimen. I cannot tell you how elated I am with this study.
If the results are repeated in more studies in other populations around the world, it may see vitamin B6 force an extension of the current cogs of pregnancy nutrition: folic acid, calcium with vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.
"We found that poor preconception vitamin B6 status was associated with increased risk of early pregnancy loss and reduced probabilities of conception and clinical pregnancy in a prospective cohort of young Chinese women," wrote lead author Alayne Ronnenberg from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
"This study underscores the potential importance of micronutrient status at the time of conception on pregnancy outcome."
The researchers, from U of M Amherst, University of Illinois, Harvard Medical School, Anhui Medical University (China), Northwestern University, and Children's Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, looked at the B vitamin status (folate, B6 and B12) of 364 women (average age 24.9, average BMI 19.8 kg per sq. m) working in the textile industry in Anqing, China.
The women were included if they conceived at least once during prospective observation (1996-1998) and provided daily urine samples over a 12-month period. The urine was tested for human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) to detect conception and early pregnancy loss.
Ronnenberg and co-workers report that women with sufficient vitamin B6 levels increased the odds of conception by 120 per cent, and halved the odds for early pregnancy loss.
They also report that sufficient levels of B6 improved the odds of conception by 40 per cent and lowered the odds for early pregnancy loss by 30 per cent, compared to women with B6 deficiency.
Bonnie - well, well, well! For those of you who have seen me over the years for prenatal and pregnancy counseling, you know that B-6, in particular the co-enzymatic form Pyridoxyl-5-Phosphate, is a staple of my nutrient regimen. I cannot tell you how elated I am with this study.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Epigenetics Receives Green Light as Major Initiative in NIH Roadmap
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has concluded their selection process for a new cohort of Roadmap initiatives, approving four topics as Major Roadmap Initiatives. Two programs, epigenetics and microbiomes, were approved for immediate implementation as five year programs.
Epigenetics is the study of stable genetic modifications that result in changes in gene expression and function without a corresponding alteration in DNA sequence. The epigenome is a catalog of the epigenetic modifications that occur in the genome. Epigenetic changes have been associated with disease, but further progress requires the development of better methods to detect the modifications and a clearer understanding of factors that drive these changes.
Steve - if you have followed our newsletters and blog for the last year, you know that we have discussed epigenetics many times in reference to nutrition's positive and adverse effect depending on diet and lifestyle. The NIH roadmap is very good news for the public.
Epigenetics is the study of stable genetic modifications that result in changes in gene expression and function without a corresponding alteration in DNA sequence. The epigenome is a catalog of the epigenetic modifications that occur in the genome. Epigenetic changes have been associated with disease, but further progress requires the development of better methods to detect the modifications and a clearer understanding of factors that drive these changes.
Steve - if you have followed our newsletters and blog for the last year, you know that we have discussed epigenetics many times in reference to nutrition's positive and adverse effect depending on diet and lifestyle. The NIH roadmap is very good news for the public.
Selenium supplements raise risk of type 2 diabetes
Bonnie - It is astounding that studies like this get published, much less get splattered all over the media landscape.
In a nutshell, researchers took data from a study looking at the preventive benefits of selenium supplementation on certain forms of cancer and then linked selenium with an increased risk of diabetes (the cancer outcome was positive and the researchers note this).
First of all, nutrition professionals do not prescribe supplemental selenium for diabetes prevention, they do for cancer prevention. In fact, any selenium I prescribe beyond what is in a multivitamin/mineral I do very cautiously because it can be toxic in large amounts.
The researchers admit that the study must be interpreted cautiously because the aim of the study had nothing to do with diabetes!
The researchers admit that diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was self-reported by the subjects, not medically diagnosed.
Unmeasured diabetes risk factors such as family history, body fat distribution, physical activity, and DIET were non existent.
The subject samples were elderly (average age 63.2 years).
Chance cannot be ruled out in the findings because out of the 1200 subjects, 58 got diabetes in the selenium group while 39 got diabetes in the non-selenium group. This has no clinical significance!
Annals of Internal Medicine study
In a nutshell, researchers took data from a study looking at the preventive benefits of selenium supplementation on certain forms of cancer and then linked selenium with an increased risk of diabetes (the cancer outcome was positive and the researchers note this).
First of all, nutrition professionals do not prescribe supplemental selenium for diabetes prevention, they do for cancer prevention. In fact, any selenium I prescribe beyond what is in a multivitamin/mineral I do very cautiously because it can be toxic in large amounts.
The researchers admit that the study must be interpreted cautiously because the aim of the study had nothing to do with diabetes!
The researchers admit that diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was self-reported by the subjects, not medically diagnosed.
Unmeasured diabetes risk factors such as family history, body fat distribution, physical activity, and DIET were non existent.
The subject samples were elderly (average age 63.2 years).
Chance cannot be ruled out in the findings because out of the 1200 subjects, 58 got diabetes in the selenium group while 39 got diabetes in the non-selenium group. This has no clinical significance!
Annals of Internal Medicine study
Vitamin C may boost folate supplement response
Supplementation with vitamin C may increase the uptake of a folic acid derivative, suggests new research from Belgium.
"Administration of a physiological dose of [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate with L-ascorbic acid significantly improved the measured serum folate response in folate saturated healthy men," wrote the researchers, led by Professor Ann Van Loey, in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany reported last year that the folic acid derivative, [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate ([6S]-5-MTHF), is even more bioavailable when given as supplements than folic acid, and could be an alternative for the primary prevention of neural tube defects (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84, pp. 156-161).
Steve - we have said for many years that at least a quarter of the human population cannot genetically break down folic acid into 5-methyl tetrahydrofolate and 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate to be absorbed. It is nice that researchers are finally recognizing this. To cover yourself, make sure you take a complete folate with all three of the above (Metagenics makes one called Actifolate).
"Administration of a physiological dose of [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate with L-ascorbic acid significantly improved the measured serum folate response in folate saturated healthy men," wrote the researchers, led by Professor Ann Van Loey, in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany reported last year that the folic acid derivative, [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate ([6S]-5-MTHF), is even more bioavailable when given as supplements than folic acid, and could be an alternative for the primary prevention of neural tube defects (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84, pp. 156-161).
Steve - we have said for many years that at least a quarter of the human population cannot genetically break down folic acid into 5-methyl tetrahydrofolate and 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate to be absorbed. It is nice that researchers are finally recognizing this. To cover yourself, make sure you take a complete folate with all three of the above (Metagenics makes one called Actifolate).
Antibiotics Won't Prevent Urinary Tract Infections in Kids: Study
Giving antibiotics to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in small children won't help and may even hurt, a new study finds. Reporting in the July 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers say the use of antibiotics as prevention boosts risks for drug resistance while doing nothing to shield kids from future urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The authors looked at 611 children under the age of 6 who had had a first urinary tract infection and 83 children who had suffered from recurrent UTIs. Preventive antimicrobial therapy did not lower a child's risk of recurrent UTI, the researchers found. However, prior use of antibiotics to prevent infection did boost the likelihood of developing a drug-resistant infection by nearly 7.5 times. Indeed, 61 percent of recurrent urinary tract infections were caused by a pathogen with antibiotic resistance, the researchers pointed out.
Bonnie - this is welcome news. I have been incessant on this issue. Antibiotics do more harm than good for UTI's in kids as well as adults. Probiotics, consumption of low acid foods, and cranberry/cherry extract are natural therapies that have helped my clients.
The authors looked at 611 children under the age of 6 who had had a first urinary tract infection and 83 children who had suffered from recurrent UTIs. Preventive antimicrobial therapy did not lower a child's risk of recurrent UTI, the researchers found. However, prior use of antibiotics to prevent infection did boost the likelihood of developing a drug-resistant infection by nearly 7.5 times. Indeed, 61 percent of recurrent urinary tract infections were caused by a pathogen with antibiotic resistance, the researchers pointed out.
Bonnie - this is welcome news. I have been incessant on this issue. Antibiotics do more harm than good for UTI's in kids as well as adults. Probiotics, consumption of low acid foods, and cranberry/cherry extract are natural therapies that have helped my clients.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Kids in northern climates at risk of low vitamin D
Babette Zemel, director of the Nutrition and Growth Laboratory, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said: "The recommended levels of dietary and supplemental vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine (Dietary reference intakes for calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D and fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1997) are probably too low to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D. Fortification of foods other than liquid milk should be explored," she said.
The new research measured blood levels of vitamin D in 382 healthy children between six years and 21 years of age living in the northeastern U.S. After measuring the intake of vitamin D from dietary and supplemental sources and evaluating blood levels of vitamin D, the researchers found that 55 per cent of the children had inadequate vitamin D blood levels (levels of 25(OH)D below 30 nanomoles per litre of serum), with the proportion increasing to 68 per cent in winter.
Steve - this should not come as a surprise. There was a reason Cod Liver Oil used to be a staple in children's diets way back when!
The new research measured blood levels of vitamin D in 382 healthy children between six years and 21 years of age living in the northeastern U.S. After measuring the intake of vitamin D from dietary and supplemental sources and evaluating blood levels of vitamin D, the researchers found that 55 per cent of the children had inadequate vitamin D blood levels (levels of 25(OH)D below 30 nanomoles per litre of serum), with the proportion increasing to 68 per cent in winter.
Steve - this should not come as a surprise. There was a reason Cod Liver Oil used to be a staple in children's diets way back when!
Monday, July 09, 2007
ADA spokesperson makes startling statement.
In a Chicago Tribune piece that appeared over the weekend entitled, "Think before you drink diet. Although better than regular, no-calorie cola still has problems," Dietitian and American Dietetic spokesperson David Grotto was quoted as saying,
"Diet drinks, however, are still a better choice over the full-calorie versions. Grotto said he has a patient who has lost 40 pounds simply by switching from regular to diet pop."
But he recommends capping consumption.
"I advise my patients to limit their soda consumption to two or three servings a day," Grotto said. "And keep in mind that a serving is considered 8 ounces."
Bonnie - it is amazing that a Dietitian could advocate drinking any soda. Diet drinks are no better that regular, and in some cases worse, because of reactions to the artificial sweeteners. We've known for years about the neurotoxic effects of aspartame. But, in light of the latest aspartame rat study linked to cancer, his comments are even more shocking. A recent study also showed that those drinking diet soft drinks gained more weight than those who drank sugar soft drinks. I hope he was misquoted.
"Diet drinks, however, are still a better choice over the full-calorie versions. Grotto said he has a patient who has lost 40 pounds simply by switching from regular to diet pop."
But he recommends capping consumption.
"I advise my patients to limit their soda consumption to two or three servings a day," Grotto said. "And keep in mind that a serving is considered 8 ounces."
Bonnie - it is amazing that a Dietitian could advocate drinking any soda. Diet drinks are no better that regular, and in some cases worse, because of reactions to the artificial sweeteners. We've known for years about the neurotoxic effects of aspartame. But, in light of the latest aspartame rat study linked to cancer, his comments are even more shocking. A recent study also showed that those drinking diet soft drinks gained more weight than those who drank sugar soft drinks. I hope he was misquoted.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Nutrition education ineffective
The federal government will spend more than $1 billion this year on nutrition education — fresh carrot and celery snacks, videos of dancing fruit, hundreds of hours of lively lessons about how great you will feel if you eat well. But an Associated Press review of scientific studies examining 57 such programs found mostly failure. Just four showed any real success in changing the way kids eat — or any promise as weapons against the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. "Any person looking at the published literature about these programs would have to conclude that they are generally not working," said Dr. Tom Baranowski, a pediatrics professor at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine who studies behavioral nutrition.
The results have been disappointing, to say the least:
• Last year a major federal pilot program offering free fruits and vegetables to school children showed fifth graders became less willing to eat them than they had at the start. Apparently they didn't like the taste.
• In Pennsylvania, researchers went so far as to give prizes to school children who ate fruits and vegetables. That worked while the prizes were offered, but when the researchers came back seven months later the kids had reverted to their original eating habits: soda and chips.
• In studies where children tell researchers they are eating better or exercising more, there is usually no change in blood pressure, body size or cholesterol measures; they want to eat better, they might even think they are, but they're not.
Nationally, obesity rates have nearly quintupled among 6- to 11-year-olds and tripled among teens and children ages 2 to 5 since the 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The medical consequences of obesity in the U.S. — diabetes, high blood pressure, even orthopedic problems — cost an estimated $100 billion a year. Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr., nominated as the next surgeon general, says fighting childhood obesity is his top priority. The challenges to changing the way children eat are as numerous as the factors that have prompted the obesity epidemic in the first place:
Parents.
Experts agree that although most funding targets schools, parents have the greatest influence, even a biological influence, over what their children will eat. When children slim down, it's because "their families get religion about this and figure out what needs to happen. If the mother is eating Cheetos and white bread, the fetus will be born with those taste buds. If the mother is eating carrots and oatmeal the child will be born with those taste buds," said Dr. Robert Trevino, at the Social and Health Research Center in San Antonio, Texas. Most kids learn what tastes good and what tastes nasty by their 10th birthdays."If we don't reach a child before they get to puberty, it's going to be very tough, very difficult, to change their eating behavior," said Trevino.
Poverty.
Poorer kids are especially at risk, because unhealthy food is cheaper and more easily available than healthy food. Parents are often working, leaving children unsupervised to get their own snacks. Low-income neighborhoods have fewer good supermarkets with fresh produce. Parks often aren't safe and sports teams cost money.
Advertising.
Children between 8 and 12 see an average of 21 television ads each day for candy, snacks, cereal and fast food — more than 7,600 a year, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study. Not one of the 8,854 ads reviewed promoted fruits or vegetables. There was one ad for healthy foods for every 50 for other foods. Children may be the best sources to explain why lessons about nutrition don't sink in.
The USDA doesn't have the resources to undertake "long term, controlled, medical modeled studies" necessary to determine the impact of its programs. Doctors like Tom Robinson, who directs the Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, said those studies aren't needed. The research has already shown they don't work. "I think the money could be better spent on programs that are more behaviorally oriented, as opposed to those that are educationally oriented, or studies that just describe the problem over and over again," he said. There may be pieces of solutions found in limited studies currently being tested around the country. In some situations, obese and overweight children can lose weight and get healthy through rigorous hospital and clinic-based interventions that involve regular check-ins, family involvement, scheduled exercise and nutrition education. School programs that increase physical activity are also more likely to have an impact than nutrition education.
Courtesy of AP
Steve - this is a sobering, yet refreshing study. It shows that what exists is not working.
We were so happy they addressed parental responsibility for being the overriding factor in nutrition education. We could throw billions of dollars per year for school nutrition education, but it will not make an ounce of difference without parental change. Schools have to involve parents in their nutrition education programs, because many need it more than the children!
The results have been disappointing, to say the least:
• Last year a major federal pilot program offering free fruits and vegetables to school children showed fifth graders became less willing to eat them than they had at the start. Apparently they didn't like the taste.
• In Pennsylvania, researchers went so far as to give prizes to school children who ate fruits and vegetables. That worked while the prizes were offered, but when the researchers came back seven months later the kids had reverted to their original eating habits: soda and chips.
• In studies where children tell researchers they are eating better or exercising more, there is usually no change in blood pressure, body size or cholesterol measures; they want to eat better, they might even think they are, but they're not.
Nationally, obesity rates have nearly quintupled among 6- to 11-year-olds and tripled among teens and children ages 2 to 5 since the 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The medical consequences of obesity in the U.S. — diabetes, high blood pressure, even orthopedic problems — cost an estimated $100 billion a year. Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr., nominated as the next surgeon general, says fighting childhood obesity is his top priority. The challenges to changing the way children eat are as numerous as the factors that have prompted the obesity epidemic in the first place:
Parents.
Experts agree that although most funding targets schools, parents have the greatest influence, even a biological influence, over what their children will eat. When children slim down, it's because "their families get religion about this and figure out what needs to happen. If the mother is eating Cheetos and white bread, the fetus will be born with those taste buds. If the mother is eating carrots and oatmeal the child will be born with those taste buds," said Dr. Robert Trevino, at the Social and Health Research Center in San Antonio, Texas. Most kids learn what tastes good and what tastes nasty by their 10th birthdays."If we don't reach a child before they get to puberty, it's going to be very tough, very difficult, to change their eating behavior," said Trevino.
Poverty.
Poorer kids are especially at risk, because unhealthy food is cheaper and more easily available than healthy food. Parents are often working, leaving children unsupervised to get their own snacks. Low-income neighborhoods have fewer good supermarkets with fresh produce. Parks often aren't safe and sports teams cost money.
Advertising.
Children between 8 and 12 see an average of 21 television ads each day for candy, snacks, cereal and fast food — more than 7,600 a year, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study. Not one of the 8,854 ads reviewed promoted fruits or vegetables. There was one ad for healthy foods for every 50 for other foods. Children may be the best sources to explain why lessons about nutrition don't sink in.
The USDA doesn't have the resources to undertake "long term, controlled, medical modeled studies" necessary to determine the impact of its programs. Doctors like Tom Robinson, who directs the Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, said those studies aren't needed. The research has already shown they don't work. "I think the money could be better spent on programs that are more behaviorally oriented, as opposed to those that are educationally oriented, or studies that just describe the problem over and over again," he said. There may be pieces of solutions found in limited studies currently being tested around the country. In some situations, obese and overweight children can lose weight and get healthy through rigorous hospital and clinic-based interventions that involve regular check-ins, family involvement, scheduled exercise and nutrition education. School programs that increase physical activity are also more likely to have an impact than nutrition education.
Courtesy of AP
Steve - this is a sobering, yet refreshing study. It shows that what exists is not working.
We were so happy they addressed parental responsibility for being the overriding factor in nutrition education. We could throw billions of dollars per year for school nutrition education, but it will not make an ounce of difference without parental change. Schools have to involve parents in their nutrition education programs, because many need it more than the children!
Organic food 'better' for heart
A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found almost double the level of flavonoids - a type of antioxidant. Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the team said nitrogen in the soil may be the key. Dr Alyson Mitchell, a food chemist at the University of California, and colleagues measured the amount of two flavonoids - quercetin and kaempferol - in dried tomato samples that had been collected as part of a long-term study on agricultural methods.
They found that on average they were 79% and 97% higher respectively in the organic tomatoes than in the conventionally grown fruit. New Scientist magazine reported that the different levels of flavonoids in tomatoes are probably due to the absence of fertilizers in organic farming. Flavonoids are produced as a defense mechanism that can be triggered by nutrient deficiency, such as a lack of nitrogen in the soil. The inorganic nitrogen in conventional fertilizer is easily available to plants and so, the researchers suggests, the lower levels of flavonoids are probably caused by over-fertilization.
Soil Association policy director said: "We welcome the now rapidly growing body of evidence which shows significant differences between the nutritional composition of organic and non-organic food. "This is the second recent American study to find significant differences between organic and non-organic fruit. "These findings also confirm recent European research, which showed that organic tomatoes, peaches and processed apples all have higher nutritional quality than non-organic."
Steve - a compelling and well-structured study adds to the mounting data on organic versus conventional.
They found that on average they were 79% and 97% higher respectively in the organic tomatoes than in the conventionally grown fruit. New Scientist magazine reported that the different levels of flavonoids in tomatoes are probably due to the absence of fertilizers in organic farming. Flavonoids are produced as a defense mechanism that can be triggered by nutrient deficiency, such as a lack of nitrogen in the soil. The inorganic nitrogen in conventional fertilizer is easily available to plants and so, the researchers suggests, the lower levels of flavonoids are probably caused by over-fertilization.
Soil Association policy director said: "We welcome the now rapidly growing body of evidence which shows significant differences between the nutritional composition of organic and non-organic food. "This is the second recent American study to find significant differences between organic and non-organic fruit. "These findings also confirm recent European research, which showed that organic tomatoes, peaches and processed apples all have higher nutritional quality than non-organic."
Steve - a compelling and well-structured study adds to the mounting data on organic versus conventional.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Obesity dramatically increases risk of Alzheimer's
In 50 years time, up to 2.5m people in the United Kingdom could have dementia unless steps are taken to stem the obesity epidemic, the Alzheimer's Society warned. Better diet, more exercise and lower blood pressure would all help to reduce people's risk of the condition. Around 700,000 people currently suffer from dementia in the UK. The biggest risk factor for all types of dementia, of which Alzheimer's disease is the most common, is age. But experts are also starting to realize that lifestyle factors also have a big impact on a person's risk. Obesity, smoking, high blood pressure and cholesterol all increase the risk of dementia because they can lead to damage of the blood vessels in the brain, which in turn leads to the death of brain cells. According to the Alzheimer's Society: "People who are obese at 60 are twice as likely to develop dementia by the time they are 75. They added that research had shown that regular exercise and a healthy diet could substantially reduce the risk.
Bonnie - sobering number for the UK. I shutter to think what these numbers will be in the US!
Bonnie - sobering number for the UK. I shutter to think what these numbers will be in the US!
Adopting a healthy lifestyle in middle age can lower risk of premature death
It is never too late to change your lifestyle habits! According to a study that appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, 16,000 middle-aged adults who began eating five or more fruits and vegetables every day, exercising at least two hours a week, keeping weight down and not smoking decreased their risk of heart disease by 35 percent and risk of death by 40 percent in the four years after they started.
Five percent of US adults report food allergy
According to a FDA survey, a 5.3% of US adults said a doctor diagnosed them with food allergy. Most were allergic to one or more of the eight most common food allergens.
Bonnie - this is a very significant number (approximately 15 million Americans) given the fact that these were doctor-diagnosed food allergies. Allergists, much less doctors, ever take food allergies into account for health-related symptoms. My estimation would be closer 15-20% of the population if you take into account those with food allergies who are undiagnosed. Add to that the number of Americans with food intolerances, I would say that somewhere between 50-60% of the population have a food issue.
Bonnie - this is a very significant number (approximately 15 million Americans) given the fact that these were doctor-diagnosed food allergies. Allergists, much less doctors, ever take food allergies into account for health-related symptoms. My estimation would be closer 15-20% of the population if you take into account those with food allergies who are undiagnosed. Add to that the number of Americans with food intolerances, I would say that somewhere between 50-60% of the population have a food issue.
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