Young Kids Seem Indifferent To Portion Sizes, Calorie Densities, When Eating

It is widely believed that children self-regulate food intake, but a new study takes issue with that belief: kids will eat a lot of calorie-rich foods if that’s what they’re served. The researchers tested 120 children (ages three to five) who ate lunch in three separate daycare centers for six weeks. They ate meals of different size and calorie densities, including chicken, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, applesauce, ketchup, and milk. They liked the lower-calorie and higher-calorie meals similarly. They also ate smaller portions of food as easily as larger portions. The good news from the study is that parents and caregivers can serve more healthful lower-calorie foods, and smaller portions, “and kids seem to be just as satisfied.”

"If You Give Kids Too Much Food, They’ll Overeat", Futurity, March 17, 2016

Coffee Drinking Drastically Cuts Risk Of Colorectal Cancer

A study involving nearly 10,000 men and women living in Israel, some recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer, found that even moderate coffee consumption, whether regular or decaffeinated, was associated with a reduced likelihood of developing colon cancer. Drinking only one or two cups a day was linked to a 26 percent reduction in the risk, and drinking more than that – more than 2.5 cups a day – decreased the risk up to 50 percent. The researchers speculated that caffeine and polyphenols in coffee may act as antioxidants, limiting the growth of potential colon cancer cells; melanoidins generated during coffee roasting may encourage colon mobility; and diterpenes may prevent cancer by enhancing the body's defense against oxidative damage.

"Coffee Consumption and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer", Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, April 01, 2016

FDA Will Release Voluntary Salt-Content Goals This Summer

Politico reports that voluntary goals for sodium levels in processed foods will be released this summer by the FDA, thanks to a lawsuit by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Having to reduce salt content makes some food companies nervous, because the ingredient gives breads, crackers and sauces “their trademark taste.” It’s likely, however, that the reductions would be phased in over ten years. The CSPI lawsuit should push the FDA to release the salt targets completed two years ago but kept under wraps. Excessive salt content in processed foods has been a bête noire of the Obama administration for years.

"Obama's latest food crackdown: Salt", Politico, April 03, 2016

Paleo Diet May Do More Harm Than Good

People intent on controlling or losing weight – especially those who are already overweight or sedentary – should avoid all forms of the Paleo diet, new Australian research warns. The Paleo diet generally emphasizes low-carb, high-fat eating. For the study, the researchers experimented with two groups of overweight mice, one of which ate a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet. After eight weeks, the LCHF mice gained more weight, their glucose intolerance worsened, insulin levels rose, they gained 15 percent of their body weight, and fat mass doubled from two percent to almost four percent. "To put that in perspective, for a 100 kilogram person, that's the equivalent of 15 kilograms in two months,” one researcher said. “That's extreme weight gain.”

"A low-carbohydrate high-fat diet increases weight gain and does not improve glucose tolerance, insulin secretion or β-cell mass in NZO mice. ", Nutrition & Diabetes, April 05, 2016

For Overweight People, Breakfast Offers A Double Benefit

Eating breakfast is associated with increased health, if not necessasrily weight loss, but in obese people it has other benefits. A British study finds that when obese people eat breakfast they are more active during the day and they tend to eat less. For the study, two groups of individuals aged 21 – 60 either fasted or ate a 700-calories breakfast for six weeks. The researchers did not control how the breakfast group obtained their 700 calories, so there is no data on whether a high-carb or high-protein diet works better. What is ultimately healthier – eating breakfast or fasting – depends on the individual and their own personal goals. If being more active or controlling blood sugar are important, then people should eat breakfast.

"The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in obese adults.", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 05, 2016

Why Leafy Green Veggies Keep The Gut Healthy

British and Australian researchers have discovered a previously unknown enzyme that gut bacteria, fungi and other organisms use to feed on an unusual but abundant sugar sulfoquinovose (SQ) found in green vegetables. The researchers said gut bacteria, including crucial protective strains of E. coli, use SQ as a source of energy. E. coli creates a protective barrier that keeps bad bacteria from growing and colonizing in the gut. “The good bugs are taking up all the habitable real estate," said one scientist, who added that the findings may someday be used to develop “an entirely new class of antibiotics.”

"YihQ is a sulfoquinovosidase that cleaves sulfoquinovosyl diacylglyceride sulfolipids. ", Nature Chemical Biology, April 05, 2016

Organic Beef, Milk Shown To Be More Nutritious Than Conventional

British researchers and colleagues from around the world reviewed scientific studies on milk and meat, finding that organically grown products contained more beneficial nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids. The data showed that organic milk and meat have more desirable fat profiles, and could raise omega-3 fat intake by 50 percent without increasing calories and undesirable saturated fat. They also showed lower levels of myristic and palmitic acid in organic meat and a lower omega-3/omega-6 ratio in organic milk. There were also higher levels of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin E and carotenoids, and 40 percent more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in organic milk. Organic cattle raising involves more outdoor grazing and low concentrate feeding than conventional raising.

"Higher PUFA and omega-3 PUFA, CLA, a-tocopherol and iron, but lower iodine and selenium concentrations in organic bovine milk: A systematic literature review and meta- and redundancy analysis. ", British Journal of Nutrition, April 05, 2016

No Link Between Cholesterol Consumption And Heart Disease

A Finnish study confirms earlier research that found no correlation between higher intake of dietary cholesterol – eating eggs every day, for example – and a greater risk of coronary heart disease. The finding held for Finns in the general population and for those with the APOE4 phenotype, which affects cholesterol metabolism. The study examined the dietary habits of 1,032 men aged between 42 and 60 without cardiovascular disease. The men, about a third of whom were carriers of APOE4, were followed for 21 years. Eating eggs, a significant source of dietary cholesterol, did not increase the risk of coronary heart disease, and did not cause a harmful thickening of the common carotid artery walls.

"Associations of egg and cholesterol intakes with carotid intima-media thickness and risk of incident coronary artery disease according to apolipoprotein E phenotype in men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. ", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 05, 2016