Sunday, October 6, 2019

Latest Health Research - Diet


The relationship between lifetime drinking and non-fatal acute myocardial infarction

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 day ago
New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation suggests that the impact of alcohol consumption on coronary heart disease may be underestimated. Although much of the literature to date on the subject suggests that risk is lower among current moderate drinkers than nondrinkers or heavy drinkers, the relationship between lifetime patterns of alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease remains unclear. In this new retrospective case-control study, the researchers examined people hospitalized for heart attacks in western New York ... more »

Fathers-to-be should avoid alcohol six months before conception

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 days ago
Aspiring parents should both avoid drinking alcohol prior to conception to protect against congenital heart defects, according to research published today in the *European Journal of Preventive Cardiology*, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 Drinking alcohol three months before pregnancy or during the first trimester was associated with a 44% raised risk of congenital heart disease for fathers and 16% for mothers, compared to not drinking. Binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks per sitting, was related to a 52% higher likelihood of these birth defects f... more »

High fiber diet associated with reduced CV risk in hypertension, type 2 diabetes patients

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 days ago
Medical nutrition therapy paired with medical treatment may reduce future heart disease American College of Cardiology Patients with hypertension and Type 2 diabetes who consume a high fiber diet had improvement in their blood pressure, cholesterol and fasting glucose, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Middle East Conference 2019 together with the 10th Emirates Cardiac Society Congress. The conference is Oct. 3-5 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hypertension and diabetes are major risk factors for future cardiovascular disease. Diet also plays... more »

Drinking more sugary beverages of any type may increase type 2 diabetes risk

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 days ago
People who increase their consumption of sugary beverages--whether they contain added or naturally occurring sugar--may face moderately higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Drinking more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), like soft drinks, as well as 100% fruit juices, were associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk. The study also found that drinking more artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) in place of sugary beverages did not appear to lessen diabetes risk. However, diabetes risk decreased when one daily servi... more »

More on no need to reduce red or processed meat consumption

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
*1. New guidelines: No need to reduce red or processed meat consumption* A rigorous series of reviews of the evidence found little to no health benefits for reducing red or processed meat consumption. Note: HD video soundbites of the authors discussing the paper are available to download at http://www.dssimon.com/MM/ACP-red-meat. Recommendations: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-1621 Editorial: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-2620 URLs go live when the embargo lifts Based on a series of 5 high-quality systematic reviews of the relationship between meat cons... more »

Halving the amount red and processed (RPM) meat in the diet can have a significant impact on health

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
A new study has found that halving the amount red and processed (RPM) meat in the diet can have a significant impact on health, reducing the amount of LDL 'bad' cholesterol in the blood which cuts the risk of developing heart disease. Red and processed meat (RPM) include fresh pork, beef, lamb and veal and meats that have been smoked, cured or preserved (other than freezing) in some way. These meats are typically high in saturated fatty acids which cause an increase in LDL cholesterol. This is the "bad" cholesterol that collects in the walls of blood vessels, where it can cause blo... more »

No need to cut down red and processed meat consumption?

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
A panel of international scientists led by researchers at Dalhousie and McMaster universities systematically reviewed the evidence and have recommended that most adults should continue to eat their current levels of red and processed meat. The researchers performed four systematic reviews focused on randomized controlled trials and observational studies looking at the impact of red meat and processed meat consumption on cardiometabolic and cancer outcomes. In one review of 12 trials with 54,000 people, the researchers did not find statistically significant or an important associati... more »

High-fructose and high-fat diet damages liver mitochondria

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have found that high levels of fructose in the diet inhibit the liver's ability to properly metabolize fat. This effect is specific to fructose. Indeed, equally high levels of glucose in the diet actually improve the fat-burning function of the liver. This explains why high dietary fructose has more negative health impacts than glucose does, even though they have the same caloric content. "This is one of a series of studies that we've been doing concerning what role high fructose in the diet plays in terms of insulin resistance and metabolic sy... more »
 

Seafood consumption during pregnancy may improve attention capacity in children

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
A team of scientists from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by "la Caixa", has studied the relationship between the consumption of various types of seafood during pregnancy and attention capacity in children at eight years of age. The results, published in the *International Journal of Epidemiology*, show that eating a seafood-rich diet during early pregnancy is associated with better attention outcomes in children. The study included 1,641 mother-child pairs from the INMA Environment and Childhood Project, a Spanish cohort study on the role o... more »

Diet relieves symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
New research from King's College London has found that a diet low in fermented carbohydrates has improved certain gut symptoms and improved health-related quality of life for sufferers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). King's College London New research from King's College London has found that a diet low in fermented carbohydrates has improved certain gut symptoms and improved health-related quality of life for sufferers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In a paper published today in *Gastroenterology* a team of researchers carried out a trial of a diet low in fermentable ol... more »

Plastic teabags release microscopic particles into tea

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Many people are trying to reduce their plastic use, but some tea manufacturers are moving in the opposite direction: replacing traditional paper teabags with plastic ones. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' *Environmental Science & Technology* have discovered that a soothing cup of the brewed beverage may come with a dose of micro- and nano-sized plastics shed from the bags. Possible health effects of ingesting these particles are currently unknown, the researchers say. Over time, plastic breaks down into tiny microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics, the latter being less than 1... more »

'Report card' on diet trends: Low-quality carbs account for 42 percent of a day's calories

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *An 18-year 'report card' on the American diet shows adults are eating too many low-quality carbohydrates. view more Credit: Audrey Jenkins/Tufts University BOSTON (Sept. 24, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET)--Despite years of steady advice and guidance on healthy eating, a 'report card' on the American diet shows adults are still consuming too many low-quality carbohydrates and more saturated fat than recommended, according to researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study... more »

A healthy diet may help prevent kidney disease

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
*Highlights* - In an analysis of published studies, a healthy dietary pattern was associated with a 30% lower incidence of chronic kidney disease. - A healthy dietary pattern was also linked with a 23% lower incidence of albuminuria, an early indicator of kidney damage. - Maintaining a healthy diet may help prevent kidney disease, according to an analysis of published studies. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of *CJASN*. Making dietary changes can help slow the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but it's not clear whether a healthy diet is protective... more »

Diets of US adults: too much sugar, saturated fat

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
U.S. adults made modest improvements to their diets in recent years but still eat too much low-quality carbohydrates and saturated fat based on an analysis of nationally representative survey data. The study included data from nearly 44,000 adults who reported their dietary intake in a 24-hour period. Researchers report a decline in the consumption of low-quality carbohydrates (primarily added sugar) and increases in high-quality carbohydrates (primarily whole grains), plant protein (primarily whole grains and nuts) and polyunsaturated fatty acids from 1999 to 2016. However, intake... more »

Simple lifestyle modifications key to preventing many breast cancer cases

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Expert reports estimate that one in three breast cancer cases could be prevented by lifestyle modifications. Those modifications include such basics as weight management, physical activity, nutrition, and alcohol consumption, among others. The latest research on risk management and most current lifestyle recommendations will be presented during The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Chicago, September 25-28, 2019. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in women in the United States and around the globe. Numerous studies focused on breast cancer preventio...
 
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Increasing nut consumption by just half a serving (14 g or ½ oz) a day is linked to less weight gain and a lower risk of obesity, suggests a large, long term observational study, published in the online journal *BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health*. Substituting unhealthy foods, such as processed meats, French fries, and crisps (potato chips) with a half a serving of nuts may be a simple strategy to ward off the gradual weight gain that often accompanies the aging process, suggest the researchers. On average, US adults pile on 1lb or nearly half a kilo every year. Gaining 2.5-10 kilo... more »

Green tea could hold the key to reducing antibiotic resistance

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Scientists at the University of Surrey have discovered that a natural antioxidant commonly found in green tea can help eliminate antibiotic resistant bacteria. The study, published in the *Journal of Medical Microbiology*, found that epigallocatechin (EGCG) can restore the activity of aztreonam, an antibiotic commonly used to treat infections caused by the bacterial pathogen *Pseudomonas aeruginosa*. *P. aeruginosa* is associated with serious respiratory tract and bloodstream infections and in recent years has become resistant to many major classes of antibiotics. Currently a combi... more »

Onion and garlic consumption may reduce breast cancer risk

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Onions and garlic are key ingredients in sofrito, a condiment that's a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine. They may also be a recipe for reducing the risk of breast cancer. That's according to the findings of a study led by University at Buffalo and University of Puerto Rico researchers. It's the first population-based study to examine the association between onion and garlic consumption and breast cancer in Puerto Rico. The results were published in the journal *Nutrition and Cancer*. "We found that among Puerto Rican women, the combined intake of onion and garlic, as well as sofrit... more »

Those who consume tea at least four times a week have better brain efficiency

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) revealed that regular tea drinkers have better organised brain regions - and this is associated with healthy cognitive function - compared to non-tea drinkers. The research team made this discovery after examining neuroimaging data of 36 older adults. "Our results offer the first evidence of positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure, and suggest that drinking tea regularly has a protective effect against age-related decline in brain organisation," explained team leader Assistant Professo... more »

Alcohol consumption in people with type 2 diabetes may have some positive effects

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
An meta-analysis of studies presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Barcelona, Spain (16-20 September) shows that recommendations to moderate alcohol consumption for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) may need to be reviewed, since low-to-moderate consumption could have a positive effect on blood glucose and fat metabolism. The study is by Yuling Chen, Southeast University, Nanjing, China, and Dr Li Ling, Director of the Department of Endocrinology, Zhongda Hospital and School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China ... more »

Vegan diet can boost gut microbes related to body weight, body composition and blood sugar control

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
New research presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Barcelona, Spain (16-20 Sept) suggests that a 16-week vegan diet can boost the gut microbes that are related to improvements in body weight, body composition and blood sugar control. The study is by Dr Hana Kahleova, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Washington, DC, USA, and colleagues. Gut microbiota play an important role in weight regulation, the development of metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to test the effect... more »

Don't make major decisions on an empty stomach, research suggests

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
We all know that food shopping when hungry is a bad idea but new research from the University of Dundee suggests that people might want to avoid making any important decisions about the future on an empty stomach. The study, carried out by Dr Benjamin Vincent from the University's Psychology department, found that hunger significantly altered people's decision-making, making them impatient and more likely to settle for a small reward that arrives sooner than a larger one promised at a later date. Participants in an experiment designed by Dr Vincent were asked questions relating to fo... more »

Eating cheese may offset blood vessel damage from salt

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Cheese lovers, rejoice. Antioxidants naturally found in cheese may help protect blood vessels from damage from high levels of salt in the diet, according to a new Penn State study. In a randomized, crossover design study, the researchers found that when adults consumed a high sodium diet, they also experienced blood vessel dysfunction. But, when the same adults consumed four servings of cheese a day alongside the same high sodium diet, they did not experience this effect. Billie Alba, who led the study while finishing her PhD at Penn State, said the findings may help people balance... more »

Meatballs might wreck the anti-cancer perks of tomato sauce

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Eating your tomato sauce with meatballs piled on top could have a surprising downside, new research suggests. Some of the anti-cancer benefits of tomatoes, specifically those from a compound called lycopene, could disappear when they're eaten with iron-rich foods, according to a new study from The Ohio State University. Researchers analyzed the blood and digestive fluid of a small group of medical students after they consumed either a tomato extract-based shake with iron or one without iron. Lycopene levels in digestive fluid and in the blood were significantly lower when the study ... more »

Fatty foods necessary for vitamin E absorption, but not right away

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
A fresh look at how to best determine dietary guidelines for vitamin E has produced a surprising new finding: Though the vitamin is fat soluble, you don't have to consume fat along with it for the body to absorb it. "I think that's remarkable," said the study's corresponding author, Maret Traber of Oregon State University, a leading authority on vitamin E who's been researching the micronutrient for three decades. "We used to think you had to eat vitamin E and fat simultaneously. What our study shows is that you can wait 12 hours without eating anything, then eat a fat-containing m... more »

Eating mushrooms may help lower prostate cancer risk

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 4 weeks ago
A new study published in the *International Journal of Cancer* found an inverse relationship between mushroom consumption and the development of prostate cancer among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men, suggesting that regular mushroom intake might help to prevent prostate cancer. A total of 36,499 men, aged 40 to 79 years who participated in the Miyagi Cohort Study in 1990 and in the Ohsaki Cohort Study in 1994 were followed for a median of 13.2 years. During follow-up, 3.3% of participants developed prostate cancer. Compared with mushroom consumption of less than once per week,... more »

Coffee may protect against gallstones

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 4 weeks ago
Drinking more coffee may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones, according to a new study published in the *Journal of Internal Medicine*. Among 104,493 individuals, those who drank more than six cups of coffee per day had a 23% lower risk of developing symptomatic gallstones compared with individuals who did not drink coffee. Drinking one extra cup of coffee per day was associated with 3% lower risk. Also, individuals with certain genetic variants that have been linked to increased coffee consumption had a lower risk of gallstones. Although the study only uncovered correlatio... more »

New study confirms the long-term benefits of a low-fat diet

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 4 weeks ago
A team led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified several women's health benefits from a low-fat diet. The findings, published in the September issue of the *Journal of Nutrition*, found a low-fat diet commensurate with an increase in fruit, vegetable and grain servings reduced death following breast cancer, slowed diabetes progression and prevented coronary heart disease. Dr. Ross Prentice, member of the Cancer Prevention and Biostatistics programs at Fred Hut

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