Europeans Feel Personalized Nutrition Programs Are Better For Health And Fitness

A European focus group study has found that consumers believe personalized nutrition – whereby diets are customized for individuals – is better for their health and fitness. Researchers at the Food4Me project also found that consumers liked the programs because they are convenient and payment-based. But at the same time the 126-person group worried about the security of the health data gathered by regulators and nutrition service providers. Personalized nutrition takes into account genetic differences among individuals, including how certain genes affect the risk of diet-related diseases. The goal  of the Food4Me project, funded by the European Commission, is to find the best ways to deliver information and services.

"Personalized Nutrition Perceived Positively by Consumers", Nutrition Horizon , August 21, 2013

Vegan Mexican Dish Finds A Place On Chipotle’s Fast-Food Menu

It may be hard to believe, but the vegan culinary culture that shuns all animal products is inching its way into the world of fast food. Chipotle Mexican Grill, whose menu includes organic ingredients and naturally raised meats, is now selling vegan Sofritas in its restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia. The chain had been offering the item – basically shredded, organic tofu braised with chipotle chilies and roasted poblanos in burritos, tacos or bowls – only in California. If the $6.50 vegan dish is a hit, the company says it will it out across all of its 1,450 restaurants.

"Chipotle unwraps vegan burrito", USA TODAY, July 29, 2013

Healthy Diet, Adequate Exercise – Plus Twice The RDA Of Protein – Prevent Muscle Loss

Eating twice the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein while regularly exercising and eating a healthy diet prevents muscle loss and promotes fat loss, according to a U.S. study. The caloric intake and exercise levels of the men and women in the study were tightly controlled. In addition, they were assigned to groups that ate the normal RDA of protein, twice the RDA and three times the RDA. The researchers concluded that eating twice the RDA of protein helps prevent muscle loss when trying to lose fat, along with adequate exercise and a well balanced diet.

"Effects of high-protein diets on fat-free mass and muscle protein synthesis following weight loss: a randomized controlled trial", The FASEB Journal, August 29, 2013

Animal Study Finds That Omega-3 Supplements Reduce ADHD Symptoms

A Norwegian study in young rats with hyperactivity, poor ability to concentrate and impulsiveness – all symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in humans – has found that the intake of omega-3 fatty acids led to a decline in the symptoms. The rats were given omega-3 supplements while in the womb and from the earliest stages of life. Monitoring of the animals found substantial differences in the behavior of those given the omega-3 supplements as fetuses and as baby rats and those that had not. Male rats showed improved ability to concentrate, while all of the omega-3 rats showed reduced hyperactivity. The researchers cautioned that these findings might not translate to human beings for a variety of reasons.

"Marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids induce sex-specific changes in reinforcer-controlled behavior and neurotransmitter metabolism in a spontaneously hypertensive rat model of ADHD", Behavioral and Brain Functions, August 23, 2013

Exercise Can Prevent Some Unhealthy Results Of A Junk Food Diet

A U.S. study  finds a link between the Western junk food diet – high in saturated fat, vegetable oil fats and sugar – and erectile and coronary artery dysfunction , particularly with a sedentary lifestyle. The study was conducted in rats who ate either a healthy diet or a fat-rich diet, and who either exercised or remained sedentary. The findings showed that rats who ate the Western diet but stayed sedentary developed erectile dysfunction and poorly relaxing coronary arteries. But those who ate a junk food diet – and exercised – were able to prevent these problems. Animals who ate a healthy diet avoided both erectile and coronary artery dysfunction.

"Exercise prevents Western diet-associated erectile dysfunction and coronary artery endothelial dysfunction: response to acute apocynin and sepiapterin treatment", AJP: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, August 20, 2013

Healthy Diet Associated With Lower Risk Of Pancreatic Cancer

U.S. researchers who analyzed questionnaire data from an NIH-sponsored diet and health study involving 537,218 people found a 15 percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer among those who ate a healthier diet. The authors evaluated how closely study participants' diets matched the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2005). The  association between a higher HEI score (indicating a healthier diet) and lower incidence of pancreatic cancer was stronger among overweight or obese men compared to men of normal weight, researchers said. But there was no difference for normal vs. overweight or obese women.

"Potential to Link Dietary Patterns in the Food Supply and Populations to Health", JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, August 15, 2013

Mediterranean Diet Coupled With Low GI Carbs Reduces Risk Of Diabetes

Italian researchers who studied more than 22,000 Greek patients for 11 years found that those who followed the Mediterranean diet more closely – and especially ate more low glycemic index foods – were 12 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those who followed the diet less closely. Those whose diet was more rich in high glycemic index carbohydrates were 21 percent more likely to develop diabetes. The researchers said the Mediterranean diet was not associated with weight loss, but with “dietary characteristics”. They suggested that a Mediterranean diet whose foods were low on the glycemic index “may reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes".

"Mediterranean diet and glycaemic load in relation to incidence of type 2 diabetes: results from the Greek cohort of the population-based European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)", Diabetologia, August 15, 2013

Mediterranean Diet Affects Gene Associated With Type 2 Diabetes And Stoke Susceptibility

A new study by U.S. and Spanish researchers has found a genetic reason to follow the Mediterranean diet: the food apparently interacts with a gene variant associated with type 2 diabetes and eliminates increased stroke susceptibility. The diet puts people who carry the gene variant on an even playing field with people with one or no copies of the variant. The randomized, controlled trial enrolled more than 7,000 men and women who ate either a Mediterranean or low fat control diet and monitored them for cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack for almost five years. Researchers said the findings boost the science of nutrigenomics, the study of the links between nutrition, gene function and human health.

"Mediterranean Diet Reduces the Adverse Effect of the TCFL2-rs7903146 Polymorphism on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Stroke Incidence", Diabetes Care, August 13, 2013

Sugar-Rich Diet Proves Deadly For Mice In Experiments

In a study in mice, U.S. researchers found that a 25 percent increase in sugar – half dextrose and half fructose – in the diet caused serious health problems. That sugar increase, comparable to three cans of sugary soda added to an otherwise healthy human diet, caused a higher rate of mortality and reduced fertility, the researchers said. The same unhealthy results were seen when mice were inbred and when they consumed the added sugar. To conduct the study, researchers used 377-square-foot "mouse barns" enclosed by 3-foot walls to closely approximate the actual living conditions – and breeding, feeding, and competitive behavior – of house and field mice.

"Human-relevant levels of added sugar consumption increase female mortality and lower male fitness in mice", Nature Communications, August 13, 2013

Healthy Diet, Moderate Alcohol, Reduce Risk Of Chronic Kidney Disease With Type 2 Diabetes

Patients with type 2 diabetes who ate a healthier diet and drank moderate amounts of alcohol reduced their risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a Canadian study. For the study, researchers examined the association of a healthy diet, alcohol, protein and sodium in 6,213 patients. A lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease and mortality was associated with: higher quality diet (including at least three servings of fruit a week), higher intake of animal protein, and moderate intake of alcohol. Sodium intake was not linked to kidney disease.

"Diet and Kidney Disease in High-Risk Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus", JAMA Internal Medicine, August 12, 2013

Transparent Packaging Has An Effect On Snack Eating, Depending On Different Factors

A new study confirms that transparent food packages influence snacking habits in different ways, but it depends on the size, visual appeal and healthiness of the food. Participants were placed in a room with snacks – nuts, cookies, M&Ms, Cheerios and Fruit Loops packaged in either transparent or opaque bags –  to watch episodes of “The Office”. The participants were told they would be evaluating ads, but the researchers were only interested in their food consumption. The results? Participants ate fewer large, visually appealing snack foods from transparent packages, ate more small foods (like M&Ms) from transparent packages, and ate fewer carrots from transparent packages. "The health food results were somewhat surprising to us," one researcher said.

"The See-Food Diet: How Transparent Packaging Affects Eating", News release, American Marketing Association, August 05, 2013

Gluten-Free Baked Goods Among Best New Products At Fancy Food Show

Food writer Ruth Taber sampled a lot of innovative foods and beverages at last month’s Fancy Food Show in New York City, but was especially fond of some tasty gluten-free baked snacks. Among her  favorite products: Barry Novick’s award winning All Parmesan Gourmet Wafer Crisps made entirely of cheese; Just The Crumbs – created by a woman with celiac disease – combining brown rice, quinoa, flax, and sesame seeds and suitable for any recipe calling for crumbs; and Israeli firm Osem’s Gratify gluten-free pretzels made with rice and soy flour (and wheat, milk, casein and egg free).

"Ruth Taber: Food finds", El Paso Times, August 15, 2013

Only 7 Percent Of US Consumers Say They're Vegetarian, 36 Percent Use Meat Alternatives

While only 7 percent of consumers in the United States identify themselves as vegetarian, 36 percent say they use meat alternatives, according to a research from Mintel. Half of consumers who use meat alternatives are using them to replace real meat and 16 percent say they use the products together with meat products. Data also showed health concerns are a major factor encouraging consumers to use meat alternatives, with one-third of consumers say they are using meat alternatives because they are healthy. Also, 31 percent of respondents said they are trying to cut their meat consumption, while another 31 percent said they like the taste of meat alternatives.

"More than one-third of Americans consume meat alternatives, but only a fraction are actually vegetarians", Mintel, August 12, 2013