Environmental Nutrition

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Research Roundup 10/08

Subscribers Only That’s what researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found after studying 12 sedentary men and women, aged 60 to 75, who participated in endurance exercise training for 11 months. The training involved walking, running or cycling for an hour three to five days a week. After training, their hearts performed as if younger, with increased capacity to accommodate the energy demands of exercise.

The Persimmon—A Practically Perfect Fall Fruit

Subscribers Only Most of the persimmons we get today are from Brazil, China, Japan and Korea. They are available late September through January, peaking around Thanksgiving. Brightly colored with a glossy, deep orange-red skin, persimmons are classified as astringent or nonastringent. Astringent varieties are distinguished by a plump acorn-like shape that tapers to a point. They have a high tannin content, making them tart and bitter when not ripe. At their peak, however, the tannins disappear and astringent persimmons become soft, almost mushy to the touch. What’s left is a sweet custard-like pulp that you can eat with a spoon and that tastes similar to apricots or plums. The astringent variety you see the most is the Japanese Hachiya (Diospyros kaki), chock full of vitamins A and C, the mineral manganese and a whopping six grams of fiber (nearly twice what’s in an apple). The dark orange-colored pulp is testament to its bounty of beta-carotene, though the amount varies by variety.

The Pros and Cons of Irradiation as an Answer to Keeping Our Food Safe

Subscribers Only The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have approved the use of irradiation for pork, poultry, red meat, eggs in the shell, sprouting seeds, and fruits and vegetables, including potatoes. As labeling laws currently stand, any irradiated food must be labeled with a statement such as "treated by irradiation" and must display the irradiation symbol, called a radura. The one exception is spices that are used as ingredients; they are exempt. (Packaged spices are not usually irradiated.)Some mail-order beef products, like Omaha Steaks, are irradiated and clearly say so on the package. Some ingredients in restaurants are irradiated, but restaurants do not have to disclose that fact. Should any of this be cause for concern?

Green Spuds? Cut It Out

Subscribers Only GA are always present in potatoes, triggering toxic effects in humans only if consumed in large amounts. Symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion, even hallucinations. You can’t destroy GA by cooking, but since they lie just under the skin, cutting away any green is enough to make potatoes safe to eat. Chips and fries, which are typically peeled before cooking, are usually low in GA. However, fried potato skins in restaurants can contain large amounts—up to seven times the safe limit—according to one report.

Aluminum’s Link to Alzheimer’s Still Murky

Subscribers Only Aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth. It is in many foods as well as in some antacids, deodorants and buffered aspirin. Aluminum pots and pans—once a target of Alzheimer’s theories—don’t contribute much to intake unless you use them routinely to cook acidic foods like tomato sauce. Some suggest aluminum in drinking water is especially risky. Chronic low-dose exposure might aggravate disease progression with oxidative damage to brain cells. Another theory suggests aluminum is more easily absorbed from water than from other sources.

EN Uncovers Healthful Nuggets in the Fast-Food Jungle

Subscribers Only Fast food is practically synonymous with "bad" food—bad for your waist, bad for your heart, bad for your body. But fast food is there when you need it and easier on your pocketbook than most sit-down restaurants. With today’s busy lifestyles and rapidly rising food costs, you may find yourself at the drive-thru more often than you’d like. Can you survive the trip with health intact? Fortunately, price doesn’t have to be fast food’s only redeeming quality. Most fast-food restaurants now offer at least a few lower-fat or lower-calorie choices. Subway, for example, offers the option of whole-wheat rolls and has a line of Jared sandwiches and salads—all with six or fewer grams of fat—appealing options for health-conscious customers.

Low-Fat Diets Fall Short of Results for Low-Carb and Mediterranean Plans

Subscribers Only The glory days of the low-fat diet may be over. So suggests a recent Israeli study of 322 moderately obese middle-aged volunteers. It’s not the first study to hint that low-fat diets aren’t always best for weight loss, but it’s notable for being long-term. The study compared three diets: (1) a low-carb plan modeled after the Atkins diet, with a very low carbohydrate content gradually increasing to a near-normal intake, (2) a low-fat plan (30% of calories) based on American Heart Association guidelines, and (3) a Mediterranean-style plan rich in vegetables plus olive oil and nuts and low in red meat. Researchers monitored participants’ weights and blood lipid levels. Women were instructed to eat 1,500 calories a day, men 1,800.

Ta-Ta to Tomalley

Subscribers Only If lobster is still on your menu in these days of rising food costs, be sure to leave one part behind on your plate—the tomalley or the soft "green stuff" you find inside a lobster’s cavity. The Food and Drug Administration recently cautioned consumers not to eat tomalley in American ("Maine") lobster, as it has been found to contain dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). The symptoms of PSP usually appear within two hours of eating affected shellfish and include numbness of the mouth and face, muscle weakness, headache and nausea. PSP can be serious, even leading to respiratory failure and death. Unfortunately, cooking does not kill PSP toxins.

Potassium Product Promises to Lower Pressure

Subscribers Only The Buzz. Unilever, the maker of Promise spreads and Promise activ SuperShots with phytosterols for lowering blood cholesterol, has now introduced Promise activ SuperShots with potassium for lowering blood pressure. According to the company, the new fruit-based product provides a "simple, on-the-go option to help consumers achieve a diet rich in potassium." (Gee, isn’t that what bananas are?) The Basics. Americans’ average potassium intake is shockingly low—barely one-third of the currently recommended 4,700 milligrams a day. And low potassium intake is a major factor in the development of high blood pressure.

Savvy Shopping: 9 Tips for Saving at the Supermarket

Subscribers Only Food shopping these days is taking a bigger bite out of everyone’s pocketbook. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, food prices rose 4% last year—the highest annual increase in almost 20 years. That upward climb has continued this year with no end in sight. The rising cost of fuel is the driving factor. Skyrocketing oil prices not only increase food production and transportation costs, but also have added to burgeoning demand for corn and soybeans, increasingly being diverted from the food supply to make alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Other aggravating factors include a weak dollar, growing global food demands and weather woes like this past summer’s floods in the Midwest.

Fatty Fish Once a Week May Save Your Sight

Subscribers Only A group of European researchers has found that people who eat fatty fish, such as mackerel, sardines or salmon, just once a week have only half the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared to those who eat fatty fish less than once a week. AMD is the leading cause of adult blindness in the U.S. Fatty fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which scientists believe help protect the macula of the eye with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

4 New Ways Vitamin K May Benefit Your Body; Why You Might Need More

Subscribers Only In 1929, a Danish researcher discovered the key to stanching blood flow, aptly naming it vitamin K, for "koagulation." By the end of the century, K’s role in blood clotting remained its only claim to fame. Now, scientists are discovering the nutrient’s possible participation in bone strength, heart health, control of inflammation and prevention of diabetes. "There are plenty of potential roles for vitamin K on the horizon that were unthinkable 10 or 20 years ago," says John Suttie, Ph.D., a vitamin K researcher retired from the University of Wisconsin. Given a recent flurry of headlines, it seems vitamin K is poised for stardom. Is all the hype warranted? Or should we curb our enthusiasm? EN investigates.

Spice Up Your Cuisine To Help Protect Against Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes

Subscribers Only Adding herbs and spices to your food may do more than make a meal tasty, it may keep you healthy. Potent plant compounds in herbs like cinnamon and rosemary have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial actions that scientists suggest might help do everything from normalize blood glucose levels and protect the heart to improve mood and boost brain function—even repel cancer cells. Much of the research is preliminary and in rodents, but it expands our thinking of what flavoring food can do. Here, EN updates you on the latest research.