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Increased intake of folate may help cut the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the Gastroenterology journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute. Researchers focused on the link between folate consumption and colorectal cancer among 99,523 participants in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Results showed no significant association in the first two years of follow-up studies, but discovered significantly inverse relations in the following years. Findings supported epidemiological evidence that increased folate intake cuts colorectal cancer risk and eased worries that high intakes of the water-soluble B vitamin may actually increase risk of cancer.
"High Folate Intake May Reduce Risk of Colorectal Cancer", American Gastroenterological Association, July 05, 2011
A systematic review of the results of seven studies involving more than 6,000 participants found little evidence to conclude that a moderate reduction in salt intake cuts the risk of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease, though there was evidence that it reduces blood pressure. The researchers said moderate reductions in salt intake in the studies were perhaps too little to have a significant health benefit. They acknowledged that they would be more comfortable drawing conclusions regarding clear health benefits if the pool of participants were at least triple the number they examined. Larger studies should be conducted “to get a full understanding of the benefits and risks of reducing salt intake," said British researcher Rod Taylor.
"Reduced Dietary Salt for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (Cochrane Review)", American Journal of Hypertension, July 05, 2011
U.S researchers who analyzed eight years of data from a large (nearly 100,000 participants) cancer prevention study found an association between consuming high levels of the water-soluble B vitamin known as folate and a reduction in colorectal cancer risk. Folate occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables and other foods, and is also available as folic acids in supplements. The researchers found that the best results came from total folate and folic acid intake, from both natural and fortified foods, and from supplements. The study period was from 1999 to 2007, after folate fortification began. Researchers found neither higher nor lower risk of cancer during the first two years of follow-up (1999 to 2001), but found statistically significantly reductions in colorectal cancer during the subsequent years (2002 to 2007).
"High Levels of Folate From Supplements and Fortification Are Not Associated With Increased Risk of Colorectal Cancer", Gastroenterology, July 05, 2011
U.S. researchers have found that a natural form of vitamin E activates the production of a protein in the brain that washes toxic substances from neurons and keeps them alive following a stroke. The researchers suggest that alpha-tocotrienol could be have a more powerful effect than drugs in acting on single mechanisms for preventing stroke damage. The tocotrienol form of vitamin E, or TCT, is commonly found in the Southeast Asian diet. It is scarce in the American diet, however, but available in nutritional supplements. The researchers said alpha-tocotrienol influences the production of the protein MRP1 that clears away a toxic compound that destroys neurons when stroke blocks blood flow to brain tissue.
"Natural Vitamin E α-Tocotrienol Protects Against Ischemic Stroke by Induction of Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein 1", Stroke, June 30, 2011
A study by French researchers has found that resveratrol curbs insulin resistance and prevents bone density loss associated with spaceflight weightlessness and lack of physical activity. Experiments with rats in which the weightlessness experienced by astronauts was simulated showed that animals who were not fed resveratrol lost soleus muscle mass and strength, developed insulin resistance, and lost bone mineral density and resistance to breakage. Animals who received resveratrol experienced none of these effects. “[Resveratrol] could thus be envisaged as a nutritional countermeasure for spaceflight but remains to be tested in humans,” the researchers concluded.
"Resveratrol prevents the wasting disorders of mechanical unloading by acting as a physical exercise mimetic in the rat", The FASEB Journal, June 29, 2011
A Swedish researcher has developed a way to measure a food’s impact on blood sugar levels – the glycemic profile or GP – that provides a more accurate picture when combined with the glycemic index (GI) system because it takes the shape of the blood sugar curve into account. The flatter the curve over time the better the GP. Food that produces an even and reasonably low curve scores the highest GP values because it delivers energy for a long time. Using the GI system alone is inaccurate because it only takes into account short-term fluctuations in blood sugar. The best foods have a low GI and a high GP score. To calculate GP, blood glucose is measured for three hours after a meal, rather than two hours used in GI.
"New measurement important complement to GI", News release, Lund University in Sweden, June 28, 2011
A study revealed that changes in eating and drinking occasions (EOs) and portion size (PS) are the main causes of changes in total energy (TE) intake of American adults over a period of 30 years. Researchers used cross-sectional data from the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey (1977–1978), Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (1989–1991), and National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (1994–1998 and 2003–2006) for adults aged 19 years and above to analyze TE and its components (PS, EO, and energy density). Results showed an increase in TE intake and the number of daily EOs between 1977–1978 and 2003–2006, while average PS rose between 1977–1978 and 1994–1998.
"Energy Density, Portion Size, and Eating Occasions: Contributions to Increased Energy Intake in the United States, 1977–2006", PLoS Medicine, June 28, 2011
Regular consumption of plant foods may prevent obesity among children and adolescents, according to a study in the United States. Researchers used a non-quantitative food frequency questionnaire from the 1980 Child-Adolescent Blood Pressure Study to determine the link between the risk of being overweight and consumption of food groups. Results showed that the frequency of consumption of plant foods including grains, nuts, vegetables, and low nutrient-dense foods was inversely related to the risk of obesity. Also, researchers found that dairy consumption increased the risk.
"The risk of child and adolescent overweight is related to types of food consumed", Nutrition Journal, June 24, 2011
Researchers in the U.K. have found that a 70 ml (2.4 oz.) “shot” of beetroot juice delivers a large number of bioavailable antioxidants and polyphenols “in a small convenient volume.” Beetroot contains pigments known as betalains that comprise betacyanins, betaxanthins and other healthful phenolic compounds. In addition to these biologically accessible antioxidants, beetroot contains nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, folic acid, iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, niacin, biotin, vitamin B6 and soluble fiber. Consuming beetroot juice offers a more convenient alternative to eating the vegetable, the authors wrote, adding that their findings “clearly demonstrate that antioxidants [in the beetroot juice] become more accessible following digestion than those in other vegetable juice products.”
"A beetroot juice shot is a significant and convenient source of bioaccessible antioxidants", Journal of Functional Foods, June 22, 2011
Many children and teens, especially females, overeat to ease stress, boredom and depression, according to a ten-year U.S. study. And they often become addicted to these unhealthy foods, making it difficult to lose weight or keep from gaining weight. The study involved 29,406 young people who ranged in age from eight to 21 years (ninety-four percent were females). Information was collected on a Web site through bulletin board posts, etc. Thirty-two percent of the participants said they chose sugar-sweetened beverages, junk food, and fast food when sad, depressed, stressed, nervous, lonely, tired or bored. The solution to the problem? “Taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages, and possibly junk food and fast food, and restriction of such outlets to children, would seem warranted and even embraced by some children.”
"Addiction to Highly Pleasurable Food as a Cause of the Childhood Obesity Epidemic: A Qualitative Internet Study", Eating Disorders, June 21, 2011
A study revealed that folic acid supplementation and higher intracellular folic acid (ICF) levels during pregnancy are not associated with atopic diseases, such as asthma and wheeze, in childhood. Researchers conducted multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses of data gathered via the KOALA Birth Cohort Study. They also defined folic acid use as standalone and multivitamin supplements based on the period of use before and during pregnancy. Results of the study showed that increased ICF levels during pregnancy slightly decreased risk for developing asthma.
"Folic Acid Use in Pregnancy and the Development of Atopy, Asthma, and Lung Function in Childhood", Pediatrics, June 20, 2011
A study revealed that increased consumption of soluble fibre may help lower the amount of deep belly fat or abdominal fat that humans accumulate. Researchers examined possible links between lifestyle factors — such as smoking, physical activity, calorie intake, and fat intake — and five-year change in abdominal fat as measured by computed tomography in the Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis Family Study. Results showed that soluble fiber intake and vigorous physical activities were inversely related to change in visceral adipose tissue, but soluble fiber played no role in change in subcutaneous adipose tissue.
"Lifestyle Factors and 5-Year Abdominal Fat Accumulation in a Minority Cohort: The IRAS Family Study", Obesity, June 16, 2011
An extremely low-calorie diet reversed Type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes in a clinical trial conducted in the U.K. All eleven people who participated experienced diminished symptoms of the disease – a chronic condition caused by excessive glucose in the blood – by limiting their food intake to 600 calories a day for eight weeks. Their diet during the trial consisted of liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables. Pre-breakfast blood sugar levels were normal after one week; eventually the pancreas recovered the ability to produce insulin and post-meal blood sugar levels improved. After two months, the volunteers returned to a normal diet. In a three-month follow-up of ten participants, seven were still free of diabetes.
"Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol", Diabetologia, June 09, 2011
University of Michigan researchers have discovered that zinc prevents a protein known as amylin from forming clumps in the pancreas associated with type 2 diabetes. Those clumps shut down the insulin-producing cells that control levels of sugar in the blood. Under normal conditions, when healthy people have proper levels of zinc in the pancreas, amylin helps blood sugar control. But when zinc levels drop, as in type 2 diabetes, amylin begins to clump together, which leads to the formation of ribbon-like structures called fibrils. These structures have been linked to a number of human diseases.
"A Two-Site Mechanism for the Inhibition of IAPP Amyloidogenesis by Zinc", Journal of Molecular Biology, May 17, 2011
Researchers in Thailand have discovered that the seed kernel waste of the edible Asian fruit rambutan can be processed to yield a fat that could possibly be used in the cosmetic and food industries. The fat extracted from the seed kernel – normally a waste product generated in the production of canned rambutan – contains high levels of arachidic acid, which makes the fat highly resistant to oxidation and therefore very stable. The extracted fat is white, solid at room temperature. Other physical and chemical characteristics “compared well with those of conventional fats.” Though the fat needs to be tested for safety before using it in food products, “the merit of using rambutan kernel fat in the cosmetic and food industries may be justified,” the researchers said.
"Response surface optimization and characteristics of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) kernel fat by hexane extraction", LWT - Food Science and Technology, May 11, 2011
Researchers in Israel have discovered that an extract of cinnamon bark known as CEppt inhibited the development of Alzheimer’s disease in genetically altered mice and fruit flies. CEppt was isolated by grinding cinnamon and extracting the substance into an aqueous buffer solution. The solution was added to the drinking water of the mice and fruit flies. The researchers discovered after four months that disease development had slowed remarkably; the animals' activity levels and longevity compared favorably to that of their healthy counterparts. According to the researchers, the extract inhibited the formation of toxic amyloid polypeptide oligomers and fibrils, which compose deposits of plaque found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
"Orally Administrated Cinnamon Extract Reduces β-Amyloid Oligomerization and Corrects Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease Animal Models", PlosONE, January 28, 2011
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EurekAlert, June 27, 2011
Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, June 23, 2011
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