NPR : Studies Explore Red Meat, Veggies and Cancer Risk

NPR : Studies Explore Red Meat, Veggies and Cancer Risk

Today's NPR Morning Edition had an interesting piece on two new studies.

The first found that eating more red meat (and more processed meat--bologna, hot dogs etc.) was tied to an increase in colon cancer.

The second study found that eating vegetables provides little direct protection for breast cancer.

you can listen to it here.

Yahoo! News - Kraft to Cut Back Snack Food Advertising to Kids

Hats off to Kraft for this move! Of course, they could also try to make their products more nutritious in the first place, but hey, this is still a step in the right direction.

Yahoo! News - Kraft to Cut Back Snack Food Advertising to Kids: "Kraft Foods Inc. on Wednesday said it would stop advertising products like Oreo cookies and Kool-Aid beverages to children younger than 12 as part of plan to address concerns about childhood obesity. "

"The move means ads for some of Kraft's best-known snack foods and sugary cereals will no longer appear during television shows viewed primarily by children ages 6 to 11, such as cartoons. "

Watch that Sugar for pre-schoolers!

Penn State Live

"American preschoolers get about 14 to 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day, on average, mostly from fruit-flavored drinks, high-fat desserts and cola-type soft drinks which displace the grain, vegetable, fruit and dairy food groups and lower the quality of their diet, a Penn State study has shown."

For instance:

"Forty percent of the 2- and 3-year-olds and 70 percent of the 4- and 5-year-olds with the highest added-sugar intake did not get an adequate intake of calcium. Even at the lowest added-sugar consumption level studied, 14 percent of the younger children and 39 percent of the older children didn't receive an adequate intake of calcium."


The article is published in the January issue of the Journal of Pediatrics as “Adverse Effect of High Added-Sugar Consumption on Dietary Intake in American Preschoolers. “

Yahoo! News - Bran in Diet Seen to Lower Risk of Heart Disease

More good news out today on diet and nutrition! Yet another study finds that eating bran reduces the risk of heart disease.

Yahoo! News - Bran in Diet Seen to Lower Risk of Heart Disease:

"Researchers found that among nearly 43,000 middle-aged and older men, those who ate the most whole grains -- such as oatmeal, brown rice and some breakfast cereals -- were less likely than men with the lowest consumption to develop coronary heart disease over 14 years. "

"In highly processed grain products, such as white bread, the bran and germ are removed before milling -- which also takes away the fiber, vitamins and other nutrients found in those constituents. Diets rich in whole grain foods such as cooked oatmeal, whole barley, bulgur, popcorn, and breakfast cereals and breads made from whole grains, have been linked to better weight management and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease"

The paper was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

So put that peanut butter on whole wheat bread!

Update on Red Cross donations: Allegany Park and Shop

Thanks to the generous donations of employees and customers, the Allegany Park and Shop has now raised over $1000 for the Red Cross' Tsunami relief fund.

THANKS!!!

WAY TO GO!!! :)

Peanut Consumption Improves Indices of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Healthy Adults

Anybody want a peanut butter sandwich?
I was talking at the gym the other day about peasunt butter and ended up doing some web searches. The conclusion? The best evidence we now have suggests that peanuts are good for you!

So go nuts!

Peanut Consumption Improves Indices of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Healthy Adults:

"triglycerides were lowered in all treatment groups and were significantly lower in the Addition and Substitution groups at 24 and 18 percent respectively. This could translate into an 8 and 6 percent decrease in risk of cardiovascular disease. These findings are consistent with a previous clinical study at Penn State University (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999) that found a 13% decrease in triglyceride levels when participants consumed a diet with peanuts and peanut butter, compared to the average American diet. "

I would add, try to use the natural kinds that do not have the transfatty acids associated with partial hydrogenation.

Zinc shown to lower esophageal and tongue cancers

Betterhumans > Zinc-cancer Link Suggests Dietary Treatment: "A new finding about the link between zinc deficiency and esophageal and tongue cancers suggests that zinc treatment could help prevent the conditions in people at high risk."

BTW if you have frequent heartburn and suffer from "acid reflux", get checked. The acid can eat away at the esophagus which may lead to cancer.

Nutrition may help keep eyes healthy

If you listen to Paul Harvey, you have heard this for years, but now we have further proof that nutrition plays an important role in eye health.

New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online:

"An interesting follow-up study on 36,000 male Health Professionals who ate broccoli more than twice a week had a 23 per cent lower risk of cataracts compared to men who consumed this sulphur-rich vegetable less than once a month. Apart from broccoli's content of lutein and zeaxanthin, scientists suggest that its sulphur compound which also has antioxidant property may play a role in protecting the eye from free radical damage. "

"Reported in the June 2004 issue of Archives of Opthamology, a study involving periodic data collection of food intake in 77,562 women and 40,866 men over an average period of 15 years shows that a diet high in fruits and vegetables decreases the risk of eye disease."

Nutrients required for eye health are vitamin A, beta carotene, C, E, anthocyanidins, lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc. Fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are also important as DHA is naturally concentrated in the retina of the eye require for healthy retinal function."

BBC NEWS | Health | Olive oil acid 'cuts cancer risk'

BBC NEWS Health Olive oil acid 'cuts cancer risk'

First heart problems, now cancer? Wow.

"Scientists in Chicago say they have uncovered why a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil seems to cut the risk of developing breast cancer. The key is an ingredient of olive oil called oleic acid, they say."

"Northwestern University laboratory tests on breast cancer cells showed the acid sharply cut levels of a gene thought to trigger the disease. Cancer charities said the study, in Annals of Oncology, was interesting, but more research was needed."

"Not only did oleic acid suppress activity of the gene, it also boosted the effectiveness of a breast cancer drug called herceptin, which has helped to prolong the lives of many patients. "

"Lead researcher Dr Javier Menendez said: "Our findings underpin epidemiological studies that show that the Mediterranean diet has significant protective effects against cancer, heart disease and ageing."

And to think, Thomas Jefferson reportedly said that if he could get olive trees to grow in Virgina, he would be able to save hundreds of lives a year. I guess he was just a tad ahead of his times!

Yahoo! News - Stay Thin by Sleeping More?

Yahoo! News - Stay Thin by Sleeping More?: "A study published on Monday found that people who sleep less tend to be fat, and experts said it's time find if more sleep will fight obesity."

"Monday's study from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk covered 1,000 people and found that total sleep time decreased as body mass index -- a measure of weight based on height -- increased.

Men slept an average of 27 minutes less than women and overweight and obese patients slept less than patients with normal weights, it said. In general the fatter subjects slept about 1.8 hours a week less than those with normal weights."

Mmm, maybe. I will say that personally I tend to eat more when I am tired, but I still have my reservations about it. Maybe we should sleep on it ;).