May 2000
Web Finds
Subscribers Only www.talksoy.com Have a question about soy? This is the place to go. Here you’ll find everything from the latest research on soy to tips on how to cook with soy. Looking for soy foods? This site offers a list of places to order foods by mail and tells you which products meet the new FDA health claim. Sign up for a free newsletter or read over fact sheets.
Soy Compound Doubles Benefits of Low-Fat Diet
Subscribers Only New research suggests that adding soybean extract to a low-fat diet can double the reduction in blood cholesterol. Researchers think the extract, known as plant sterols, limits cholesterol absorption. This is the first time it’s been shown to improve cholesterol levels beyond what a low-fat diet can do. U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers studied 53 men and women with mildly elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) levels. During three weeks of a moderately low-fat diet, total cholesterol fell 7% and
Some of the Newest Food Allergies Have Nonfood Triggers; How Best to Test
Subscribers Only When is a food allergy not a food allergy? When it’s triggered by factors outside the food chain, like pollen or latex. The now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t nature of such allergies makes them difficult to diagnosis and treat.
The Bone Density Diet: 6 Weeks to a Strong Body and Mind
Subscribers Only George J. Kessler, D.O., P.C. with Colleen Kapklein Ballantine Books 1540 Broadway New York, NY 10036 2000, 426 pp., $25, hardcover A diet for your bones? Sounds good to us. Kessler, a doctor of osteopathy and an attending physician at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, lays out a holistic, yet manageable, nutrition and lifestyle program for those at risk of osteoporosis. That’s pretty much everyone. Kessler argues osteoporosis is largely preventable with proper nutrition (including supplements), exercise and, if necessary, medication. Every week for six
Research Roundup
Subscribers Only Vitamin C may help protect women against gallbladder disease, say researchers at the University of California at San Francisco, who analyzed the diets and blood of 13,000 men and women. The researchers found less gallbladder disease in women with high blood levels of vitamin C and in those who took C supplements. (Vitamin C helps break down cholesterol into bile acids, which would otherwise harden into gallstones.) No such connection was found in
Protect Yourself Against Cancer: A Diet Guide Especially For Women
Subscribers Only (Part 1 of a two-part series on diet and cancer prevention for women and men.) In honor of Mother’s Day, this feature is dedicated to all the moms and daughters out there. Because cancer is the number two killer of women, keeping cancer at bay is half the battle toward a strong, healthy body. What can you do to protect yourself? Plenty. Read on to find out your best lines of defense against specific cancers.
Osteoporosis Consensus: Nutrition & Exercise Key to Healthy Bones
Subscribers Only When it comes to osteoporosis, prevention is the best medicine. That’s the consensus of a scientific committee of independent experts convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in March to review the latest research on this bone-thinning disease. Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone density, which makes bones prone to fractures, especially at the hip, spine and wrist. The condition affects an estimated 10 million Americans, with women outnumbering men four to one. An additional 18 million have low
Multis: Two Is Not Twice as Nice
Subscribers Only Q. My doctor told me I should get 800 International Units (IU) a day of vitamin D for bone health and suggested taking two multivitamins a day. Is this a good idea? A. No. This is not the best way to get more vitamin D, for several reasons. While it may seem like an easy way to double your dose of D, you also end up doubling everything else in the multi. For most nutrients, this is not a problem,
How "Losers" Win
Subscribers Only Spring is a time for new beginnings. What better way to get started losing weight than to learn from other people’s success stories? Here are some tips Prevention magazine’s editor compiled from readers that helped them become successful "losers": Eat a real breakfast. Work up to a whole-grain cereal like oatmeal with low-fat milk. Breakfast boosts metabolism so you burn more calories all day. When eating out, get half to go. Ask
Got the Munchies? Time for Healthful Snack Satisfaction
Subscribers Only Surveys indicate that three out of four Americans eat at least one snack a day. The others probably just don’t admit to it…as if snacking is bad. It’s not, of course. It can make good sense to eat a snack for an energy surge between meals. But snacks need not be transgressions to be confessed. Snacking can help or harm a diet. The difference depends on what you choose and how much. Fritos Corn Chips, for example, will set
Expert Panel Shuns Antioxidant Supplements, Pushes Food Sources
Subscribers Only Vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and carotenoids like beta-carotene should come from food, not supplements. That was the main message conveyed last month by an expert panel of the Institute of Medicine, a private, nonprofit group that advises the federal government. The panel examined data on the beneficial and harmful health effects of four so-called antioxidant nutrients. The 17-member expert panel concluded there isn’t enough evidence to support using large doses of these nutrients to combat chronic diseases like cancer, heart
Concerned About Your Cookware? EN Answers Common Questions
Subscribers Only (Part 1 of a two-part series on cookware and storageware safety.) While dire predictions of everyday pots and pans cooking up trouble have abated in recent years, concern remains high among consumers. Here, EN clarifies the most often-asked questions. Q The nonstick coating on one of my pans is flaking off. Should I stop using it?
Claims for Wheat Grass Juice Are Mostly Out to Pasture
Subscribers Only Q. I’ve heard of people drinking "shots" of wheat grass juice at juice bars. What is it and is it good for me? A. Wheat grass is simply a young green wheat plant harvested before it develops kernels (berries) and transforms into golden stalks of grain. As a young plant, wheat grass actually resembles a leafy green vegetable more than a cereal grain. Wheat grass for juicing is typically grown in indoor trays, blended and swallowed straight up or combined
Boom in St. Johns Wort Use Prompts More Drug-Herb Interactions to Surface
Subscribers Only Depression is the leading cause of disability. It comes as no surprise then, that sales of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), dubbed the herbal antidepressant, have skyrocketed. In one recent year alone, retail sales rose by a staggering 2,800%. This boom has apparently led to an increase in reported cases of interactions between St. John’s wort and some prescription drugs. Several studies have reported the ability of Hypericum extracts to significantly decrease blood levels of drugs that are metabolized in