February 1997
Yo-Yo Diets May Not Ruin Metabolism After All
Subscribers Only If you're a chronic dieter who's lost and regained the same weight over and over again, you may be under the impression you've wrecked your metabolism, making future attempts at weight loss even more difficult. Well, cheer up. A new study reveals good news for weight cyclers, better known as yo-yo dieters. Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver looked at 52 overweight, otherwise healthy women who had lost and regained
Timing of Supplements Can Affect Nutrient Absorption, But Not To Worry
Subscribers Only Q. Does it matter when I take my nutrition supplements? A. Yes and no. Vitamins and minerals don't act in a vacuum; they interact with each other in complex ways. Some nutrients work best in the presence of other nutrients. And some nutrients compete with others for absorption. So, ideally, certain vitamins and minerals should be taken together and certain ones shouldn't. That's not always practical, however. So, while there are guidelines for
Soy in A.M. May Relieve Sweats in P.M.
Subscribers Only Night sweats. Hot flashes. These are familiar symptoms of menopause—in western countries, that is. But not in Asia. Hot flashes are so infrequent in Japan that there is no Japanese phrase for them. Researchers have long believed that the large soy intake typical of Asian diets is at least partly responsible for the rarity of such menopausal symptoms in Asian women. Now, promising preliminary research from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine in
Renewed Frenzy Over NutraSweet Safety Heightens Concerns
Subscribers Only NutraSweet. Brain tumors. By now you've probably heard there's a connection. Or is there? Reports questioning the safety of aspartame (brand names NutraSweet and Equal) -- most recently on the CBS program 60 Minutes—have dominated health headlines, but are based on little hard evidence. Here's the scoop. Unlike many additives, aspartame consists of two naturally occurring compounds—the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine—albeit in a way nature never intended. Since aspartame was first
Recent E. coli Outbreak Spurs Change for "Fresh" Juices
Subscribers Only Q. I heard fresh juice is no longer safe to drink. Is that true? A. You're probably referring to a highly publicized E. coli outbreak from juice that occurred in October, sickening dozens of people and killing one child. Not surprisingly, it has intensified concerns about the safety of fresh—that is, unpasteurized—juice, which is certainly riskier than pasteurized juice, particularly for specific groups of people. A large fresh juice manufacturer, Odwalla, of Half
Low HDL's Raise Risk for Common Type of Stroke
Subscribers Only A new study from Israel suggests that high blood levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL's), the "good" cholesterol long known to protect against heart disease, may also protect against death from ischemic stroke—the most common kind of stroke, which is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. Researchers examined blood lipid levels in over 8,000 men, age 42 or older. At the end of the study, 21 years later, they found that those
Latex Gloves and Fruit: Unexpected Link
Subscribers Only If you are allergic to fruit—particularly avocados, bananas, kiwifruit, papaya or peaches—tell your physician or dentist before you undergo any procedure or surgery that requires the use of latex gloves. Since the late 1980's, physicians have noticed a surge in latex allergies among patients who frequently undergo procedures in which skin or blood is exposed to latex, as well as in health care workers who use the gloves regularly. The offending culprits appear
Heart Disease Handbook - Part 1: Rating Your Risks And Taking Action
Subscribers Only (First in a four-part series.) February is American Heart Month, focusing attention on heart disease, the number one killer of Americans. But the news this year is less than heartwarming. It seems that, contrary to previous reports, deaths from heart disease haven't dropped, they have merely been delayed. In other words, efforts to fend off heart disease may gain the average person a couple of years, but may not keep the disease at
Food Folklore: EN Finds Too Few Facts Among The Fiction
Subscribers Only Mothers, brothers, neighbors and friends seem only too happy to dole out nutrition advice—accurate or not. Even strangers spout words of wisdom: Avoid spicy foods if you have an ulcer; eat carrots for good eyesight; don't use aluminum pans—they cause Alzheimer's disease. Are there kernels of truth in such folklore? Or is it all hogwash? Here, EN uncovers the truth about some popular food folklore. True or False? Chicken soup helps relieve symptoms
Choosing Lean Over Not-So-Lean Beef and Pork Cuts
Subscribers Only Even in our diet-obsessed, fat-free frenzied nation, Americans still enjoy plenty of burgers, steaks and pork chops. In 1996 alone, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the average American ate more than 65 pounds of beef and 49 pounds of pork products. While those statistics may cause you to cringe, there is good news. Thanks to leaner breeds of cattle and swine, in addition to better processing techniques, today's meat is leaner than
Chocolate: Love-Hate Relationship Perpetuates Myths
Subscribers Only Don't know what to give your loved one for Valentine's Day? A fruit basket would be EN's healthful choice, but chocolates are more traditional. Just how popular is chocolate? Americans consume, on average, about half an ounce per person per day. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association estimates $709 million worth will be sold this Valentine's Day. Certainly, chocolates have irresistible appeal. Indeed, researchers recently attempting to unlock the mystery of chocolate's allure isolated substances
Bowes & Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, 16th ed.
Subscribers Only Jean A. T. Pennington, Ph.D., R.D. J. B. Lippincott Co. 227 East Washington Square Philadelphia, PA 19106 1994, 512 pp., $30.95, spiral-bound Ever wonder how much vitamin C or fiber a kiwi contains? Do you know the best food sources of vitamin E? What about the fat content of your favorite cookies? Answers to these and other questions on food composition can be found in the latest edition of a classic, referred to