The Health Gazette - Nutrition

Folate Supplementation Risks Begin to Surface

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:29:31 -0600

As reported last September, food fortification with folate does pose some risks. Indeed I don't support fortification programs generally and I consider the folate programs to be a very bad idea. Why is this?

Essentially, folate food fortification involves the enrichment of denatured, highly refined, frequently poor quality and high risk (triggering allergies and sensitivities) grains. These flours are dangerous enough and should be completely avoided. This is an extremely unpopular position to take because grains marketing through Departments of Agriculture and 'scientific' associations has assumed a health-righteousness that supports an erroneous orthodox view that grains are essential sources of nutrient needs. Unpopular to be sure, but a position I stand by nevertheless.

What are you doing about osteoporosis?

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:12:11 -0600

As we noted earlier, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering updating what it will allow as a health claim related to calcium for osteoporosis. If you read that article you'll recall my scepticism about their motivation and intentions. Nevertheless, they are correct in their acceptance of the critical role played by associated nutrients in the absorption and utilization of calcium.

Remember, for the calcium to benefit your bones, it must be ingested (you have to eat or drink it), absorbed (from you gastrointestinal tract into your blood stream) and finally assimilated (taken into the boney tissue where it can be utilized). You must also maintain a required amount of calcium circulating in your blood to meet the needs of cells throughout your body, notably skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. Failure to do so will prevent calcium from being used to build or rebuild bone because when blood levels drop you automatically draw calcium from bone to help ensure adequate cellular function.

FDA "Updates" Health Claim for Calcium and Osteoporosis

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 07:17:01 -0600

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to allow new claims on foods and dietary supplements containing calcium and Vitamin D to show their potential to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. The proposed rule would allow manufacturers to include new information on their food and supplement labeling and to eliminate certain other information, described below.

"This is important information for all citizens," said Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D., director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition. "All persons lose bone with age, and the loss can influence an individual's risk of developing osteoporosis. Maintenance of an adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D in all stages of life can help lower one's risk."

Intelligent Children More Likely to Become Vegetarian Adults

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 09:19:00 -0600

It turns out vegetarians really are smarter. But maybe not because of what they eat. Bright children, evidently, are more likely to reject meat and opt to become vegetarians when they grow up, according to a study published in the BMJ (BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39030.675069.55 published 15 December 2006).

Researchers from the University of Southampton who conducted the study suggest that vegetarians are more thoughtful about what they eat. But it remains unclear whether bright children choose to become vegetarians for the health benefits or for other reasons, such as a concern for animals, or as a lifestyle choice.

Study Suggests Sugar Not As Blameworthy in Diabetes

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 06:00:43 -0600

Recent research in Northern Ireland suggests that high sugar intake does not directly affect insulin resistance and subsequent diabetes risk. Researchers from Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital and Queen's University report in the American Diabetes Association's journal Diabetes that no significant difference in the measures of insulin resistance was observed in their study.

Such findings are based on a small randomised, controlled, cross-over trial of 13 healthy men receiving either a high-sugar diet (providing 25 per cent of their energy) or a diet providing 10 per cent of their energy as sugar for 6 weeks (about average for a British adult).

Maintaining Organic Food Quality -- OCA Remains Watchful

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 16:32:44 -0600

The good folk at the Organic Consumers Association are on the ball. Although only human, they have not been distracted at this busy time of year and have identified a potential (well, actually I would say 'quite likely' at the very least) threat to maintaining standards and regulations pertaining to organic foods in the USA. This may involve politics, but it's health and nutrition politics and that means sensible people will pay careful attention. Hence, dear reader, the following is filed for you under nutrition.

We have previously noted that what passes for "organic" in the United States is quite a sham. One wonders just how bad things could become should a 'Dracula in charge of the blood bank' situation be allowed to develop. The risk is explained in the Organic Consumers Association press release as follows.

Fish Consumption Reduces Colorectal Cancer Risk in Men

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:30:24 -0600

As mentioned yesterday, studies into the association between diet and cancer show that food can have an impact in preventing cancer, or in reducing the aggressiveness of the disease. At the American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting last moth, investigators reported some examples of these relationships.

Here is another reported finding. It involves a prospective study of fish, n-3 fatty acid intake, and colorectal cancer risk in men.

Men who ate fish five times a week or more had a 40 percent lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to men who ate fish less than once a week, according to a new analysis of data from 22,071 participants in the Physicians' Health Study (PHS).

Criminalizing Vitamins and Nutritional Supplements Use

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 05:25:06 -0600

The concept and indeed the practice of criminalizing the use of vitamins and nutritional supplements are not merely artifacts of paranoia. Watch this video to learn more.

Good Nutrition is Key to Alleviating Depression

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 06:12:25 -0600

A study has shown that the combination of a nutritious diet, daily fish oil supplements and/or three oily fish meals, like salmon, sardines or fresh tuna, a week can help alleviate depression symptoms.

Published in Nutrition & Dietetics - the official Journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia, including the Journal of the New Zealand Dietetic Association - researchers reviewed all existing literature related to dietary manipulation in a bid to uncover how such nutritional manoeuvring may assist in treating this illness.

Depression is a major risk factor for deliberate self-harm and suicide - affecting more than one million Australians each year, and is estimated by the World Health Organization to become the second leading cause of morbidity worldwide by 2020. The findings in this study contribute to rectifying the simplistic, traditional view of the illness as a personality weakness, and provide anecdotal evidence of depression as a mood disorder with underlying biological and psychosocial causes.

Soy Formula Not Proven To Prevent Allergies In Infants

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 10:58:59 -0600

Although soy infant formulas were created to reduce the chances of babies developing allergies or food intolerances, there is no clear proof that soy or other specialized formulas lower those risks, a new review has found.

“There is no evidence that using any type of formula is better than exclusive breastfeeding for prevention of allergy,” said authors David Osborn, M.D., of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and John Sinn, M.D., of Westmead Hospital, in Australia. “Specialized formulas should be restricted to situations where infants cannot exclusively breastfeed or when an infant develops a specific food allergy or hypersensitivity.”

Americans Snacking Their Way To Disease

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:45:40 -0500

Here is some frightening news. According to a new report by Datamonitor, snacking has become so commonplace in the United States that it is now a major source of nutrition for most Americans. No wonder there is so much acute and chronic illness and almost everyone dies from preventable lifestyle diseases due largely to poor dietary habits.

"Snacking is so ingrained in America's eating habits that it has become a way of life rather than a trend", the report entitled Profiting from Changing Snacking and Beverage Occasions states.

According to Datamonitor, in a year, the typical US consumer eats 231 morning snacks, 283 afternoon snacks and 261 evening snacks. Children aged 6-13 consumed on average 840 snacks per year in 2005, which corresponds to over 2 snacks per day. Snacking frequencies peak for 14-24 year olds, who consumed 878 snacks in 2005. Little wonder then that childhood obesity is at an all time high.

Reduced Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease Associated With Mediterranean Diet

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:58:51 -0500

Eating a Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables and olive oil and includes little red meat, is associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to an article posted online that will appear in the December 2006 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. This association persisted even when researchers considered whether individuals had vascular diseases--diseases of the blood vessels, such as stroke, heart disease and diabetes--suggesting that the diet may work through different pathways to reduce Alzheimer's disease risk.

Study Finds Cola Drinks Raise Osteoporosis Risk

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 18:36:33 -0500

A study, published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women who drink four or more cola beverages per week have a higher risk of developing the bone disease osteoporosis. The researchers used dietary questionnaires from more than 2,500 people who were part of an osteoporosis study in the US.

Regular cola consumption was linked to lower bone mineral density in all women studied, regardless of other factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and calcium intake. Low bone mineral density increases the risk of osteoporosis, a debilitating condition also known as brittle bone disease.

WHO Again Targets Removing Trans Fats

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 22:23:06 -0500

The World Health Organisation (WHO) now recommends that governments around the world phase out partially hydrogenated oils if it turns out trans-fat labeling alone result in significant reductions.

The 'new' recommendation was made by the WHO in a proposed action plan for its food standards rulemaking body, the infamous Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). Codex is regarded with significant suspicion around the world in alternative health circles because it's seen as a threat to access to supplements.

In the request for comments on the draft action plan for implementation of the global strategy on diet, physical activity and health, the WHO said:

Scientists Promoting Grains Find New Angle

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:54:46 -0500

Australian scientist, David Topping, from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), presented at the World Grains Summit in San Francisco last month where he emphasized the importance for human health of starches that are not digested easily in the small intestine. I found this interesting, if rather unusual.

As a celiac and someone prone to food allergies I am very sensitive to the grain promoters, especially when they falsely spread marketing information dressed up as science that claims health benefits from grains. The whole grain focus of the widely promoted 'food pyramid' is nothing more than a Department of Agriculture backed marketing scam.