Environmental Nutrition

View or print a copy of the entire July 2009 issue of Environmental Nutrition

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Research Roundup: July 2009

Subscribers Only Beverages sweetened with fructose increased abdominal fat and insulin resistance. Researchers who gave overweight and obese men and women beverages sweetened with either fructose or glucose found that those who consumed the fructose drinks gained fat in their abdominal area, became less sensitive to insulin, and had increases in total and LDL cholesterol. Conversely, those who drank the glucose beverages added less abdominal fat and experienced no significant changes in insulin sensitivity or cholesterol levels. To find out what type of sweetener a beverage or food contains, check the ingredients list. And remember, while glucose appears to do less damage than fructose, the healthiest dietary strategy is to minimize added sugars.

Tiny, Versatile Pine Nut Packs Plenty of Nutrition

Subscribers Only Pine nuts, also known as pignoli, pignolia, piñon and Indian nuts, are creamy white in color, soft, sweet and chewy. The tiny, torpedo-shaped kernels measure about one-half inch long. They are harvested from the cones of about 20 varieties of pine trees. The Mediterranean or Italian pine nut—most commonly found in the U.S.—comes from the Stone Pine tree (Pinus pinea). A serving of pine nuts (one ounce or 1/4 cup, about 160 kernels) is a good source of copper, magnesium and zinc. Pine nuts are surpassed only by almonds and hazelnuts in vitamin E content of nuts and supply nearly 20% of the Daily Value for vitamin K, important for blood clotting and bone health. As with all nuts, the fat is mostly good-for-you mono- and polyunsaturated. Pine nuts also contain phyto-sterols—plant compounds that block cholesterol’s absorption—at twice the level found in walnuts.

Hormone Use in Cows Raises Eyebrows, But Concerns Are Complex

Subscribers Only Recombinant BST (rBST) or recombinant BGH (rBGH) is a bioengineered version of natural BST. The FDA approved it in 1993 for use in dairy cows to boost milk production by about 10%. Many of the industrialized nations around the globe including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and all of the nations in the European Union do not allow the use of rBGH because of human and animal health concerns. The Codex Alimentarius, the UN’s main food safety body, concluded there is no consensus that rBGH is safe for human consumption. The U.S. FDA considers milk from cows that are given rBST to be safe to drink. A National Institutes of Health panel also reviewed the data and pronounced the use of rBST safe, because rBST is a "species-specific hormone" that has no activity in humans. Moreover, unlike steroid hormones (like estrogens), which are active when taken by mouth, protein hormones (like insulin and rBST) are broken down in the stomach into their component amino acids, just like any other protein.

Grapefruit and Cancer?

Subscribers Only The same natural compound in grapefruit that alters blood levels of some drugs is known to increase estrogen levels as well. And high estrogen levels increase the risk of breast cancer. In fact, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) must carry a warning that grapefruit increases estrogen levels. In this study, grapefruit increased breast cancer risk whether women took ERT or not.

Good Nutrition May Help Prevent Hearing Loss

Subscribers Only Most recently, a study from the Netherlands found a promising link to the B vitamin folic acid. In a group of 728 older men and women, those who received a daily supplement of 800 micrograms (twice the Daily Value) for three years experienced a small, but significant slowing of an age-related decline in hearing. However, not all studies have found such a link.

High-Fiber Cereals: Still a Very Smart Health Move

Subscribers Only Fiber has an image problem. It’s not trendy like omega-3 fats or phytonutrients. Chances are, unless you’re irregular, you don’t even think about it. You should. Most Americans get only about 15 grams of dietary fiber a day—not even close to the recommended 25 and 38 grams for women and men, respectively, up to age 50. After age 50, men should strive for 30 grams a day, women for 21 grams daily. To get that much fiber, a daily bowl of high-fiber cereal is almost a must. While most of the cereals we found deliver between 5 and 10 grams per serving, a few boast up to 14 grams per bowl—enough to make a significant contribution to your daily fiber tally.

Pump It Up: 10 Strength Training Tips for Bones, Balance, Weight Control

Subscribers Only Not so long ago, lifting weights conjured up images of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his bodybuilding heyday; it certainly wasn’t an activity encouraged for someone at risk for a heart attack. Now, however, health experts recommend strength training for everyone to improve overall health and quality of life, even for simple activities like carrying groceries, opening jars and climbing stairs. Most recently on the bandwagon is the American Heart Association (AHA) with new guidelines published July 31st in Circulation. AHA recommends strength training as a part of your regular physical activity, even if you have heart disease (and your doctor gives the okay).

Could Broiling and Grilling Be Almost as Bad for You as Frying?

Subscribers Only Here’s a twist to the adage that you are what you eat: How you cook your food may be just as important to your health as the food itself. That’s what researchers discovered recently when they looked at blood levels of compounds that form in foods during cooking. They linked the compounds to indicators of oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which increase with age and are associated with chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

Red-Flagging Food Labels: 8 Tips to Sift Fact From Fiction

Subscribers Only Surveys say most of us take advantage of the information on food labels. That’s the good news. The bad news is that making sense of it all is more complicated than you might think. It requires mental math skills, the ability to translate scientific jargon and the willingness to cut through a maze of marketing hype.

Protect Your Vision with Nutrient-Rich, Low-GI Foods

Subscribers Only An analysis of data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) revealed that study participants whose diets were high in certain nutrients and foods with a low glycemic index (GI) had the lowest risks of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD, which initially affects central vision, may result in severe vision impairment and even blindness. In the study, participants’ food intake was analyzed to determine the amounts of vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3 fatty acids, and low-GI foods they were consuming.

The Latest On Protecting The Prostate From Cancer, Enlargement And More

Subscribers Only Most men will experience a prostate problem at some point in their lives because much can go awry with this walnut-sized gland beneath the bladder. The most common conditions include prostatitis—inflammation of the prostate—which can cause pain and can interfere with urination and sexual functioning, and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)—enlargement of the prostate—which causes frequent urination, but does not impair sexual function. Scarier is prostate cancer, the most frequent cancer in men over age 50. It has a high cure rate if detected early, but undetected it can be deadly. The good news, however, is that with all that can go wrong, there is much that can be done to protect the prostate. Here’s how.

Grow a Healthy, Edible Garden and Reap the Rewards

Subscribers Only Imagine your back door leading to a verdant edible garden, where your inspiration for dinner is right at your fingertips. Feel like a mesclun salad? Just pinch off a few leaves. And while you’re at it, harvest some vine-ripened tomatoes, zucchini, and basil for a delicious, healthy side dish. Thanks to soaring food prices and a bounty of health and environmental benefits linked with enjoying local produce, more people are turning their backyard paradise into a kitchen garden. "The pleasures of home-grown food will always exceed anything you buy. You can also contribute to the smallest carbon footprint possible," says Amanda Archibald, R.D., dietitian and founder of the food education company, Field to Plate. There’s no better time to dig into Mother Earth and sow the seeds for a garden that will give back in so many ways.