Environmental Nutrition

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Research Roundup - November 2008

Subscribers Only Taking a daily omega-3 supplement could reduce the risk of dying from heart failure, in which the heart gradually loses its ability to pump blood. Those were the findings of Italian researchers who conducted a multi-center study of almost 7,000 heart failure patients, who were given either a placebo or one gram of omega-3s a day for four years. Those who received the supplement were hospitalized less and fewer of them died. Though the difference was not statistically significant, the researchers saw promise because benefit occurred in people who had already tried conventional therapies that failed.

Savor the Flavor, Nutrition of Roasted Chestnuts

Subscribers Only The Folklore. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that chestnuts protected against poisons, dog bites and dysentery. And history suggests some European peasants relied almost solely upon chestnuts for food during much of the year. Likewise, chestnuts were part of daily life in early America, as a food source for people and livestock, with the tree providing much-needed wood. But in the early 1900s, chestnut blight led to the near-extinction of the American chestnut tree.

5 Lifestyle Factors That Research Says Can Slash Your Risk of Stroke

Subscribers Only In a study published in the journal Circulation on Aug 12th (online), a group of Harvard researchers combined the findings of 43,685 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and 71,243 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, which both tracked diet, smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake and body mass index (BMI) over time.

All Pumpkin Rocks

Subscribers Only Both canned and fresh pumpkin are nutritious choices; both are low in calories, virtually sodium-free and excellent sources of fiber, vitamin A as beta-carotene, and choline, an often-overlooked but critical B vitamin. Both also provide potassium, important for blood pressure.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup a “Natural?”

Subscribers Only The soul-searching may have been prompted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group that threatened a lawsuit against the maker of HFCS-sweetened 7UP, which called itself "natural." The company has since backed down; 7UP ads now say they contain "100% natural flavors." The latest brouhaha is over industry ads that claim HFCS has "the same natural sweeteners as table sugar and honey." Can Highly Processed=Natural? Just how natural is HFCS? It does start with a natural ingredient—corn—but see if the following sounds "natural" to you: According to the trade association for HFCS makers, the ubiquitous sweetener is made by soaking corn in sulfur dioxide, separating the corn starch using high speed centrifuges, adding enzymes to separate out sugar molecules, adding magnesium and using a series of filters and separation procedures.

Plastic Chemical Risky

Subscribers Only Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes and liver abnormalities, according to a study in the September 17 Journal of the American Medical Association. BPA is the chemical used to make hard plastics and the lining of canned foods (see EN’s feature story, September 2008).

Turkey Day Tips for Convenient, Yet Healthful, Side Dishes

Subscribers Only Looking to catch more of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade rather than spending your time keeping company with turkey giblets, mashing potatoes or simmering soups? While EN normally champions fresh, whole foods, on this day of thanks you may prefer to spend your time reconnecting with family and counting your blessings, instead of slaving away in the kitchen in an all-day cooking marathon. These days, there are many side-dish options available to help you cut cooking corners, without losing a lot of the home-made taste or nutritional value. EN scoured grocery store aisles to check out store-bought substitutes for several holiday classics to see how well they stack up nutritionally. What we found included some acceptable substitutes, but as is typical of convenience foods, many contain a lot of sodium and sometimes extra fat and calories too. So be sure to read and compare labels.

Can You Be Fat and Still Be Healthy? Yes, Says New Study, But…

Subscribers Only In the debate over whether you can be overweight yet healthy at the same time, a new study suggests the answer may depend on how you define "healthy." The study, in the August 11/25 Archives of Internal Medicine, analyzed data from 5,440 people taking part in government surveys of food intake. It found that a large percentage of those who were overweight or obese were "metabolically healthy," as determined by blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins and C-reactive protein—a marker for inflammation. On the flip side, many normal-weight participants were found to be "metabolically unhealthy," putting them at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So does weight mean anything when it comes to your health?

Snack Chips: Fruits, Veggies, Whole Grains…Salt

Subscribers Only The Buzz. "Move over potato chips, there’s a new chip in town," says a promotion for Nabisco’s new Garden Harvest Toasted Chips. The company has positioned the new snack as a more healthful alternative to potato chips; fruits and vegetables are prominent on the package. The Basics. The chips are mostly whole grain (whole-wheat flour is the first ingredient), provide three grams of fiber and 120 calories per one-ounce serving (16 chips). The Vegetable Medley and Tomato Basil varieties provide 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, a small amount of vitamin C plus 220 to 240 milligrams of sodium per serving. The Apple Cinnamon variety is sweeter, with 1½ teaspoons of sugar per ounce, but only 65 milligrams of sodium. All three flavors are free of saturated and trans fats.

9 Specialty Oils Make Intriguing Additions to Your Pantry

Subscribers Only Much like you select quality fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses, selecting the right oil can make or break a recipe as well as your health. But with so many oils to choose from, knowing which one to use for each recipe is key. EN regularly recommends olive oil or canola oil for everyday use because they boast the most healthful fatty acid profiles of oils well-suited for general use. Others don’t fare as well for cooking, are too strongly flavored or are too expensive for everyday use. But you can still experiment in small quantities. The best oils for frying have a high "smoke point," so they can be heated to a high temperature before they smoke and burn. Everyday oils with the highest smoke points include corn, peanut, safflower, sunflower and soybean. Specialty oils offer taste sensations beyond those found in bland oils like canola, sunflower and safflower. Think of these suddenly popular gourmet oils as culinary opportunities. All oils are pure fat, but when used in moderation in place of saturated fat-rich butter or trans-laden hydrogenated fats, they can be heart-healthy. Here’s a culinary guide to selected specialty oils.

Bones Benefit From Fruits and Veggies

Subscribers Only Vitamin C-rich foods may help prevent bone loss in older men. That’s what Boston researchers with the Framingham Osteoporosis Study found when they looked at dietary intakes of vitamin C and compared them to bone density in 213 men over four years. Nonsmokers with the highest intakes of vitamin C had higher bone mass and less bone loss than those with the lowest intakes of C. And getting the vitamin from foods like fruits and vegetables was especially protective. In addition, men with low intakes of either calcium or vitamin E were the most likely to see bone benefits from a high C intake.

Special Conference Report : Diet Changes That Can Cut Cancer Risk

Subscribers Only According to the American Cancer Society, good nutrition could prevent more than one-third of all cancers. If you add lifestyle changes, like physical activity and stress management, that number doubles. And for the 15 million Americans already diagnosed with the disease, diet can still help, first by slowing disease progression and, second, by reducing the risk of recurrence. This past summer, a Cancer and Nutrition Symposium sponsored by The Cancer Project, an affiliate of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, presented a roundup of the research aimed at breast and prostate cancers, the two most common cancers influenced by diet and lifestyle factors. EN was there to bring you this special report.

7 Nutrients Help Control The Insidious Inflammation That Fuels Disease

Subscribers Only Not all inflammation is obvious. There’s inflammation you can see, such as when you cut your finger and it gets red. And then there’s inflammation you can’t see, the kind that occurs in your body, affecting blood vessels and organs. Research continues to mount implicating uncontrolled, invisible inflammation like this as a key villain in the development of several chronic diseases, such as arthritis, heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. While the inflammation in your finger is a sign the body is helping itself heal, chronic inflammation does the opposite; it leads to the breakdown of tissues and ultimately contributes to health problems that can affect the entire body. Fortunately, there is much you can do to keep inflammation from running amok. The anti-inflammation trio of not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly are key defenders. But eating a balanced diet is pivotal too. Here, EN looks at seven nutrients that may be particularly helpful for managing inflammation.