Dieting
Diets high in choline may increase risk for colorectal polyps
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Contrary to expectations, diets high in the nutrient choline were associated with an increased risk of some colorectal polyps, which can—but do not always—lead to colorectal cancer, according to a study published online in the August 7 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Major food sources of choline include red meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy products. Choline is involved in a biochemical process known as one-carbon metabolism. Studies have shown that people with increased intake of other nutrients required for one-carbon metabolism, such as folate, are at a decreased risk for colorectal polyps. This is the first study to examine the association between choline and colorectal polyps.
Dietary carbs linked to vision loss
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The carbohydrates present in a diet can influence the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of vision loss in older adults, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“AMD appears to share several carbohydrate-related mechanisms and risk factors with diabetes-related diseases, including (eye) and cardiovascular disease,” write Dr. Allen Taylor, of Tufts University, Boston, and colleagues. “However, to date, only one small study has addressed this issue.”
Dietary Supplement Can Turn the Skin Permanently Blue
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Colloidal silver is peddled as a cold medicine, decongestant, all-around germ fighter, and a kind of cure-all. Is there any legitimate reason for taking the dietary supplement? The short answer is no, and there may be some serious and strange side effects, reports the August 2007 issue of the Harvard Health Letter.
Silver has several uses in conventional medicine. Silver sulfadiazine is used to treat serious burns. Fabric impregnated with silver is sometimes used as a dressing for wounds or skin infections. And silver nitrate is occasionally used to treat warts and corns.
Vitamin D deficiency: Common and problematic yet preventable
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In a review article to appear in the July 19th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Michael Holick, an internationally recognized expert in vitamin D, provides an overview of his pioneering work that expounds on the important role vitamin D plays in a wide variety of chronic health conditions, as well as suggesting strategies for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.
Humans attain vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, diet and supplements. Vitamin D deficiency is common in children and adults. In utero and childhood, vitamin D deficiency may cause growth retardation, skeletal deformities and increase risk of hip fractures later in life.
Eating Nutritional Foods Can Help Children Be at Their Best Academically
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The start of the school year also means the return of school lunches, and the choice of brown-bagging or eating in the cafeteria. A nutritionist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center says that it may seem contrary to perception, but a lunch from home may be the better choice, nutritionally.
“Lunches served in school cafeterias are not always the best choice and I recommend that sometimes lunches need to be packed,” says Mary Pat Alfaro, MS, RD, CNSD, education coordinator in Nutrition Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s. “Although The Healthy School Lunch Campaign is urging schools to serve more balanced, lower fat meals, a packed lunch means the parents are in control of what children eat, including their portion size.”
PepsiCo, others settle benzene suit: plaintiffs
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Soft drink companies including PepsiCo Inc. have settled a lawsuit alleging that their products contained ingredients that could form the carcinogen benzene, the suit’s plaintiffs said on Thursday.
The settling companies, which also include Sunny Delight Beverages Co., Rockstar Inc., Polar Beverages Inc. and Shasta Beverages Inc., agreed to reformulate or had already reformulated some products to lessen the chance that their ingredients would form the cancer-causing chemical.
Western diet ups breast cancer risk among Chinese
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Post-menopausal Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet heavy in meat and sweets face a higher risk of breast cancer than their counterparts who stick to a typical Chinese diet loaded with vegetables and soy, a study found.
The researchers, writing on Tuesday in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, tracked about 3,000 women in Shanghai, about half of whom were diagnosed with breast cancer.
Children Prefer Large Portions … of Some Foods
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Given the choice, Canadian fifth-graders prefer larger portions of snacks and fast foods and smaller portions of vegetables than the recommended amounts, according to researchers at Dalhousie University in Canada.
The researchers showed nearly 5,000 children a variety of portion sizes of french fries, meat, cooked vegetables and potato chips and asked them to indicate their “usual portion sizes.”
Healthy diet may decrease diabetes risk
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Adopting a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables and fiber while cutting back on red meat and fats may reduce the risk of developing diabetes, results of a new study suggest.
“We now have some solid evidence to give dietary recommendations to help reduce risk of diabetes,” study co-author Dr. Teresa T. Fung, of Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health.
Mom’s meat-rich diet affects kids’ stress response
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Adults whose mothers ate an unbalanced, meat-heavy diet during pregnancy may tend to have an exaggerated hormonal response to stress, a study suggests.
The findings are in line with previous research linking such prenatal diets to higher adulthood blood pressure.
Dark chocolate may cut blood pressure
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Enjoying small amounts of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate daily appears to lower blood pressure, according to a report in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
Previous reports have linked cocoa-containing foods with reduced blood pressure, but the effect of regular, low-level cocoa intake on blood pressure was not known, Dr. Dirk Taubert, from University Hospital of Cologne in Germany, and colleagues point out.
Can Blindness be Prevented Through Diet?
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Increasing intake of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, found in popular fish-oil supplements, may protect against blindness resulting from abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye, according to a study published online by the journal Nature Medicine on June 24.
The study was done in mice, but a clinical trial at Children’s Hospital Boston will soon begin testing the effects of omega-3 supplementation in premature babies, who are at risk for vision loss.
Sugary drinks tied to extra pounds in preschoolers
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Preschool children who are regularly given sugary drinks between meals are more likely to be overweight than their peers, new study findings suggest.
The “empty” calories from sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit drinks have been blamed for contributing to childhood obesity, but not all studies have found evidence to support that claim.
Coffee consumption may lower blood uric acid levels—the precursor of gout
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High uric acid levels in the blood are a precursor of gout, the most common inflammatory arthritis in adult men. It is believed that coffee and tea consumption may affect uric acid levels but only one study has been conducted to date. A new large-scale study published in the June 2007 issue of Arthritis Care & Research examined the relationship between coffee, tea, caffeine intake, and uric acid levels and found that coffee consumption is associated with lower uric acid levels but that this appears to be due to components other than caffeine.
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world; more than 50 percent of Americans drink it at the average rate of 2 cups per day. Because of this widespread consumption, its potential effects have important implications for public and individual health.
Healthy Body Weight throughout Adulthood May Help Delay Disability
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Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout adulthood may help prevent or delay the onset of physical disability as we age, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.
The study, reported on-line by the International Journal of Obesity, found that older adults with a history of excess weight in midlife or earlier had worse physical performance than those who were normal weight throughout adulthood or became overweight in late adulthood.
