Category: Diet and Nutrition

Categories : Diet and Nutrition PaediatricsTags :

Study Reveals More Sugar in Breakfast Products Aimed at Children

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Breakfast products that are aimed at children contain significantly more sugar than those aimed at adults, a Spanish study has revealed.

The researchers analysed a 355 advertisements from 117 different products from 2015 to 2019, and found that the average amount of sugar in the breakfast products analysed and advertised for adults was 10.25%, while for children it was 36.20%.

“Although much of the adult population still adhere to the Mediterranean diet, it is a practice that is waning among children and young people, who are increasingly opting to eat processed industrial products with a high sugar content for breakfast,” explained Mireia Montaña, UOC Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences professor and researcher.

Mònika Jiménez, professor of Advertising and Public Relations at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and co-author of another study on breakfast food advertising involving Prof Montaña, warned of persuasive advertising for foods with little nutritional value.

She said, “The less closely a product correlates to that which would be deemed healthy nutritional parameters, the greater the tendency for the advertising discourse to focus on hedonism or happiness and tend towards persuasion.” As Jiménez explained, when such discourse alludes to positive feelings, it stimulates certain areas of the brain that lead us to consume, a strategy which “is especially harmful in relation to certain audiences, such as minors, because they are very susceptible to these kinds of stimuli.”

Profs Montaña and Jiménez found that low nutritional quality breakfast foods were advertised mostly through television (39%), followed by radio (28%), the internet (18%), newspapers (6%), magazines (5%), outdoor advertising (2%) and cinema (0.56%). “TV is the most effective medium when it comes to persuading children. And when is it that children are going to the supermarket with their parents and end up imposing their preferences with regard to what goes into the shopping trolley? Precisely when they are younger, up until preadolescence,” Prof Jiménez pointed out.

Though there are regulations in Spain preventing advertisers from targeting children directly, there are no such restrictions for products which can be aimed at any age group, such as hot chocolate. Advertising aimed at children to use ‘pester power’ on their parents results in food being bought which is then consumed by the entire family. 

Their recommendations included more stringent regulatory frameworks, better nutritional education aimed at parents and children, and added taxes on certain products such as soft drinks.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Journal information: Blasco, M.M., et al. (2021) Breakfast Food Advertisements in Mediterranean Countries: Products’ Sugar Content in the Adverts from 2015 to 2019. Children. doi.org/10.3390/children8010014.

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Skeletal SystemTags :

Plant-based Protein Increases Bone Turnover

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A Finnish study has found that increasing the share of dietary protein from plant versus animal sources leads to increased bone turnover and possible fracture risk.

The 136 adult participants followed one of three diets for a period of three weeks. One of them was modelled on the typical Finnish diet where 70% of protein came from animal sources and the rest from cereals. The second had half the protein come from animal sources and the other half from plants, and the third had 70% of protein from plants and the rest from animal sources

Dairy milk, which is fortified with vitamin D in Finland, was substituted with unfortified plant-based milk, which may have been a confounding variable. There was a marked increase in bone formation and resorption markers, which in the long term could indicate bone loss. These findings are in line with the Oxford-EPIC study, which followed participants for 18 years and found a higher rate of fractures in vegetarians compared to those on an omnivorous diet.

“The results could be different if fluid dairy products had been replaced with plant-based drinks fortified with vitamin D and calcium,” said Docent Suvi Itkonen, Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki. “Then again, the average vitamin D intake was also below the recommended level in the group where subjects consumed the animal protein-rich diet, but not to the same extent as in the other groups.”

Source: News-Medical.Net

Journal information: Itkonen, S. T., et al. (2021) Partial Replacement of Animal Proteins with Plant Proteins for 12 Weeks Accelerates Bone Turnover Among Healthy Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. The Journal of Nutrition.doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa264.

Categories : Cancer Diet and NutritionTags :

Decreasing Cancer Deaths with Population-wide Vitamin D

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Supplementation Scientists have estimated that supplementing the over-50 population in Germany with sufficient vitamin D would save 30 000 lives which would otherwise be lost to cancer, gaining some 300 000 extra years of life, all while reducing healthcare costs.

Vitamin D is created in the body through the interaction of UV-B radiation with dehydrocholesterol, which is produced in the skin, into vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). In many countries, populations have chronically low vitamin D levels due to more time being spent indoors. Vitamin D supplementation is associated with the prevention and treatment of nutritional rickets and osteomalacia, but it is important for other aspects of health such as prevention of respiratory tract infections and asthma. In countries such as Germany, low sunlight levels for much of the year combined with more time spent indoors results in much of the population having inadequate vitamin D levels. 

Three large meta-analyses had indicated that mortality due to cancer is reduced by 13% with vitamin D supplementation.

“In many countries around the world, the age-adjusted rate of cancer mortality has fortunately declined over the past decade,” said Hermann Brenner, epidemiologist at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ).  However, given the often considerable costs of many new cancer drugs, this success has often come at a high price. Vitamin D, on the other hand, is comparatively inexpensive in the usual daily doses.”

To get their figures, the scientists used a daily administration of 1000 international units of vitamin D, costing 25 Euros per person per year. Since about 36 million people over the age of 50 live in Germany, this results in an annual cost of 900 million Euros.

The researchers calculated the number of years lost to cancer death, and also did not account for testing of vitamin D levels, as the proposed 1000 international units were far short of an overdose danger. The study estimated that if the entire German population over the age 50 were given sufficient supplements to achieve the recommended levels of vitamin D, 30 000 cancers deaths annually would be prevented.

“In view of the potentially significant positive effects on cancer mortality – additionally combined with a possible cost-saving – we should look for new ways to reduce the widespread vitamin D deficiency in the elderly population in Germany. In some countries, foods have even been enriched with vitamin D for many years – for example, in Finland, where cancer mortality rates are about 20 percent lower than in Germany. Not to mention that there is mounting evidence of other positive health effects of adequate vitamin D supply, such as in lung disease mortality rates,” said Brenner, adding, “Finally, we consider vitamin D supplementation so safe that we even recommend it for newborn babies to develop healthy bones.”

Spending about 12 minutes two to three times a week in the sun, with face, hands and parts of the arms and legs all uncovered and without sunscreen is sufficient to provide enough vitamin D.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Journal information: Niedermaier, T., et al. (2021) Vitamin D supplementation to the older adult population in Germany has the cost‐saving potential of preventing almost 30,000 cancer deaths per year. Molecular Oncology. doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.12924.

Categories : Diet and Nutrition ExerciseTags : 1 Comment

Appetite Control With Semaglutide is a ‘Game Changer’ for Obesity

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Semaglutide, a drug normally used to treat type 2 diabetes promises to make a huge impact in the fight against obesity and the diseases associated with it.

A 15 month study involving over 2000 participants resulted in an average weight loss of 15kg for those taking the appetite suppressing drug.   
Speaking to the BBC, Jan, one of the participants in the trial, lost 28kg, which was over a fifth of her body weight. “The drug changed my life and completely altered my approach to food,” she said.

She said dieting had made her “miserable” but taking the drug was completely different as she was less hungry. 

However, that the trial has ended for Jan, her appetite has returned to normal and she is gaining weight. She said: “It felt effortless losing weight while on the trial, but now it has gone back to feeling like a constant battle with food.”

Recently approved by the FDA and European Medicines Agency, semaglutide is normally used to treat type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to diet and exercise, but the trial sought to establish its use in higher doses as an appetite suppressant. One group was given a weekly semaglutide injection while the other received a placebo, and dietary and lifestyle guidance was given to both groups with the aim of losing weight. 
The drug mimics GLP-1, a hormone that is released after a meal. The trial participants receiving semaglutide lost an average of 15kg compared to 2.6kg for  placebo, with 32% of participants receiving semaglutide losing a fifth of their body weight compared to 2% for placebo.

Side effects included nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation.
Prof Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, from the University of Cambridge, said: “The amount of weight loss achieved is greater than that seen with any licensed anti-obesity drug.

“This is the start of a new era for obesity drug development with the future direction being to achieve levels of weight loss comparable to semaglutide, while having fewer side-effects.”

Dr Duane Mellor, a dietician and from Aston Medical School, said: “It is useful to have a potential option to help people lose weight, however we need to acknowledge that weight loss will still need lifestyle change, and that any medication or change in lifestyle can bring potential risks and side-effects.

“So, it is always wise to speak to a health professional before trying to lose weight.”

Source: BBC News

Categories : Diet and NutritionTags :

Eating Grapes Protects against Sunburn

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Compounds found in the humble grape may offer a protective effect against the sun’s damaging UV radiation, a new study has found.

Researchers from University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Department of Dermatology found that healthy adult participants who ate freeze-dried powdered grapes for 14 days achieved a 74.8% increase in natural skin protection. 

The number of sunburns experienced over a lifetime increases the risk of skin cancer. Sunburns also cause skin damage, which has a cosmetic effect. Sunburns are marked by DNA damage triggering cell apoptosis, as well as the release of inflammatory markers such as prostaglandins, reactive oxygen species, and bradykinin in response to dimers formed by UV radiation. Prostaglandin E2 and histamine levels also rise after a sunburn.
Research in mouse models has shown that polyphenols, found in grapes as well as other fruits and vegetables, can reduce UV radiation damage, as well as reducing the production of inflammatory compounds. As such, this is the first research that shows the consumption of table grapes has a photoprotective effect against the sunburn response in adult humans. The subjects were also given a polyphenol compound, proanthocyanidin, as a topical extract to apply on their skin.

“Study results indicate that oral consumption of grapes has systemic beneficial effects in healthy adults,” said lead author Allen Oak, MD, a dermatologist in the UAB School of Medicine. “These benefits include inhibition of inflammation and repair of DNA damage.”

The preliminary findings also indicated that grapes may help reduce the risk of skin cancer as well, although this requires further research. 
“Grape consumption may act as an ‘edible sunscreen,'” Oak said. “This does not mean that grapes should be used in lieu of sunscreen, but they may offer additional protection which we are eager to continue learning more about. This research is exciting because our current findings provide building blocks for additional studies that may eventuate in an oral photoprotective product from a natural source.”

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Allen S.W. Oak et al. Dietary table grape protects against UV photodamage in humans: 1. clinical evaluation, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2021.01.035

Categories : Diet and Nutrition GastrointestinalTags :

Eating Saturated Fats can Cut Symptoms of Pancreatitis

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A study has found that symptoms of pancreatitis are less severe when foods with saturated fats are eaten.

The study, by researchers from Mayo Clinic, the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and the Washington University School of Medicine, examines the obesity paradox in which obese patients had better results when being treated for certain conditions, compared to non-obese patients.

Pancreatitis is the leading cause of hospitalisation from gastrointestinal disorders in the United States. It can have a variety of causes, such as gallstones, having abdominal surgery or overconsumption of alcohol.
Saturated fats are found in meat and dairy, while unsaturated fats are found in plants and fish, and in general consumption of unsaturated fats over saturated fats is encouraged as it is associated with reduced risk of heart disease and other conditions. However, exceptions such as the obesity paradox exist.

To delve into this question, the researchers examined 20 clinical reports from 11 countries, where fat intake in obese patients was monitored. They found that among obese patients who developed pancreatitis, those who ate a diet heavy in saturated fats had less severe symptoms than those who did not. 

To determine the cause of this protective effect, the researchers fed mice a diet rich in either saturated or unsaturated fats, and then induced pancreatitis in them. Those fed saturated fats developed less severe symptoms. On closer examination, they found that saturated fat did not interact well with pancreatic triglyceride lipase, reducing production of long-chain non-esterified fatty acids, which reduced the symptoms of pancreatitis.  

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Biswajit Khatua et al. Adipose saturation reduces lipotoxic systemic inflammation and explains the obesity paradox, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd6449

Categories : Diet and Nutrition GastrointestinalTags :

Underweight and Gastrointestinal Distress – A Bidirectional Relationship?

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An Asian cross-sectional study found that underweight was linked to functional dyspepsia (FD), regardless of the presence of anxiety, although anxiety was additionally associated with FD.

The study by Kee Huat Chuah, MD, of the University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, and colleagues, also found no link between high body mass index (BMI) and other functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). People with FGIDs often have irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, or functional constipation. These conditions affect up to 40% of people at any one point in time, two-thirds will have chronic, fluctuating symptoms. The questionnaire-based study recruited 1002 adult individuals with a median age of 32, with 20.7% having FGID according to the Rome III criteria.

Across different FGIDs, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional diarrhea and constipation, FD affected more underweight adults (defined as BMI less than 18.5) compared with a non-FGID control group (13.3% vs 3.5%, P=0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that underweight maintained an independent association with FD, at an odds ratio (OR) of 3.648 (95% CI 1.494-8.905, P=0.004).

The results of a large population study from France were consistent with these findings, which also found that being underweight was independently associated with FD in females.  Diarrhoea may also have been associated with central obesity, but there were too few individuals with diarrhoea to draw conclusions, although a large US population study from 2019 showed that obesity was associated with chronic diarrhoea.

A bidirectional association has been observed in eating disorders (often linked with anxiety disorders) with both a low BMI and FD.  Anxiety and/or eating disorders may have caused FD subjects to have a low BMI.

William D Chey, MD, of Michigan Medicine, who was not involved with the research, said the results were interesting and that they could be applicable to the US population since obesity rates are comparable to those in Malaysia.

“But I do agree it’s important to consider whether these observations are cause or effect,” Chey commented. “In other words, FD might cause people to lose weight or thin people might be more prone to developing FD. I do think there’s face validity to these observations. Remember that patients with functional dyspepsia that have meal-related symptoms of fullness and early satiety are unable to eat very much without feeling ill.”

Patients with postprandial distress syndrome often lose weight as a result, Chey continued. “On the other hand, patients with anorexia often have measurable abnormalities in gastric emptying, but that’s not to say all FD patients have eating disorders. My point is that certain non-GI conditions associated with weight loss can also be associated with abnormal GI function.”

The team called for further studies of longitudinal design to explore whether anxiety causes a low BMI in FD or vice versa. Limitations included not being population based, with the cohort being mostly hospital and university staff members. In addition, the data on psychological disorders came from a subgroup of original participants in the study’s second phase; the number of participants with functional diarrhoea was low; the cross-sectional design did not allow for causality; and the questionnaire only asked about dietary habits.

Source: MedPage Today

Journal information: Beh KH, et al “The association of body mass index with functional dyspepsia is independent of psychological morbidity: a cross-sectional study” PloS One 2021; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245511.

Categories : Cancer Diet and NutritionTags :

Breast Cancer in Mice Inhibited by Restricted Feeding Times

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Restricting calorie intake to an eight-hour window coinciding with physical activity reduced breast cancer risk in female mouse models.

Researchers from University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Moores Cancer Center and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System (VASDSH) found that the restricted feeding times, which are kind of circadian rhythm-linked intermittent fasting, enhanced metabolic health and tumour circadian rhythms in female mice with obesity-driven postmenopausal breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in US women, after skin cancer.

“Previous research has shown that obesity increases the risk of a variety of cancers by negatively affecting how the body reacts to insulin levels and changing circadian rhythms,” explained senior author Nicholas Webster, PhD. professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and senior research career scientist at VASDSH. “We were able to increase insulin sensitivity, reduce hyperinsulinemia, restore circadian rhythms and reduce tumor growth by simply modifying when and for how long mice had access to food.”

Female mouse models mimicking postmenopausal hormone conditions were used to investigate if time-restricted feeding of obese mice affected the tumour growth and development, and reduced metastasis to the lungs. The mice were split into three groups, one with constant access to food, one with access for eight hours at night when they have the greatest activity, and the last was fed an unrestricted low-fat diet.

Obesity and menopause disrupt the circadian rhythm, with increased risk of insulin resistance and thereby chronic diseases such as cancer. A number of cancers are known to be associated with insulin resistance, such as breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. High insulin levels in obese mice drive tumour growth. Artificially increasing insulin levels has been shown to accelerate tumour growth whilst lowering them is similar to the effect of limiting eating.
Manasi Das, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Webster lab and first author, said: “Time-restricted eating has a positive effect on metabolic health and does not trigger the hunger and irritability that is associated with long-term fasting or calorie restriction. Through its beneficial metabolic effects, time-restricted eating may also provide an inexpensive, easy to adopt, but effective strategy to prevent and inhibit breast cancer without requiring a change in diet or physical activity.”

Webster believes that time-restricting eating warrants further investigations as it may present a way to reduce breast cancer risk, or that of cancer in general.

“The increase in risk of breast cancer is particularly high in women who are overweight and have been through menopause. For this reason, doctors may advise women to adopt weight loss strategies to prevent tumor growth,” said Das. “Our data suggests that a person may benefit from simply timing their meals differently to prevent breast cancer rather than changing what they eat.”

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Manasi Das et al. Time-restricted feeding normalizes hyperinsulinemia to inhibit breast cancer in obese postmenopausal mouse models, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20743-7

Categories : Diet and NutritionTags :

High-carb and High-fat Diets Compared

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Plant-based diets high in carbohydrates and meat-centred diets high in fats have become increasingly popular in recent years, and a new small, tightly controlled study has investigated their effects.

A myriad of health benefits ascribed to plant-based diets, while high-fat, low-carb diets have been proposed as a way to counteract overweight and diabetes risk. But there has been little understanding on how exactly the two diets compare, given that they restrict either fats or carbohydrates.

The answers to these questions were sought by a team at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).”High-fat foods have been thought to result in excess calorie intake because they have many calories per bite. Alternatively, high-carb foods can cause large swings in blood glucose and insulin that may increase hunger and lead to overeating,” said the study’s lead author, NIDDK Senior Investigator Kevin Hall, PhD. “Our study was designed to determine whether high-carb or high-fat diets result in greater calorie intake.”

The study took 11 male and 9 female non-diabetic participants and housed them in a facility for four weeks. For two weeks, they were served either a low-fat, high-carb, plant-based diet or a low-carb, high-fat meat-based diet. They were then changed to the other diet for the next two weeks. The food was minimally processed, contained equivalent amounts of non-starchy vegetables and participants were allowed snacks and to eat as much as they wanted.

The participants ate 550 to 700 fewer calories per day than when they ate the low-carb diet. Despite this difference, participants reported no hunger, and the same level of fullness and satisfaction with both diets. The participants lost weight on both diets, but more so on the low-fat diet.

“Despite eating food with an abundance of high glycemic carbohydrates that resulted in pronounced swings in blood glucose and insulin, people eating the plant-based, low-fat diet showed a significant reduction in calorie intake and loss of body fat, which challenges the idea that high-carb diets per se lead people to overeat. On the other hand, the animal-based, low-carb diet did not result in weight gain despite being high in fat,” Hall said.

The results add to a growing body of evidence that shows that diet is much more complex than just total calories. Hall’s previous research found that participants who ate highly processed food let to overeating and weight gain compared to a minimally processed carbs and fat-matched diet.

In this case, however, there were benefits observed in both diets.

“Interestingly, our findings suggest benefits to both diets, at least in the short-term. While the low-fat, plant-based diet helps curb appetite, the animal-based, low-carb diet resulted in lower and more steady insulin and glucose levels,” Hall commented. “We don’t yet know if these differences would be sustained over the long term.”

However, weight loss was not a goal of the study, and that may have influenced participants’ eating behaviours and the outcome of the study. The inpatient setting of the study also controlled what foods were available, unlike daily life where a variety of options, costs, preparation and availability concerns influence food choices. 

Source: Medical Xpress

Categories : Diet and Nutrition ExerciseTags :

Poor Diet is an Important Factor of Childhood Obesity

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A Baylor University study has shown that market-bought food in addition to the traditional diet reliably predicted obesity in Amazonian children, a result that has important insights into the global childhood obesity epidemic.

Globally, 6% of girls and 8% of boys in 2016 were obese, compared to 1% in 1975. In South Africa, 13% of children under the age of five are obese.

“The importance of a poor diet versus low energy expenditure on the development of childhood obesity remains unclear,” said lead author Samuel Urlacher, PhD, of Baylor University. “Using gold-standard measures of energy expenditure, we show that relatively lean, rural forager-horticulturalist children in the Amazon spend approximately the same total number of calories each day as their much fatter peri-urban counterparts and, notably, even the same number of calories each day as children living in the industrialised United States.”

Factors such as income and access to running water were used to establish market integration. Children’s physical activity was measured with wearable devices and immune activity by measuring biomarkers obtained from minimally invasive finger-prick blood samples. Most importantly, children’s daily energy expenditure was measured with the “doubly labeled water” stable isotope-tracking method and children’s resting energy expenditure using respirometry. These are both participant-friendly, gold-standard techniques.

A third of peri-urban children were overweight, while zero rural children were, and peri-urban children on average had 65% more body fat than rural children. Peri-urban and rural children had similar levels of physical activity, and market integration, immune activity and physical activity had no effect on expenditure between rural and peri-urban children’s energy expenditure, in common with previous studies. Compared to rural children, peri-urban children spent 108 less calories while at rest, which is thought to be due to lower immune activity. Most importantly, variation in market foods was related to children’s level of body fat.

“Our findings are in line with a growing body of research pointing toward poor diet being the most important factor underlying the development of childhood obesity,” Urlacher said. “Exercise is absolutely still a critical part of this equation and is essential for living a healthy life, but diet increasingly appears to be most directly related to children’s adiposity and long-term energy balance.”

The researchers plan to follow the children longitudinally to record any development obesity and cardiovascular problems.

Source: News-Medical.Net