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Read Previous Issues of NUTRITION NEWS |
NUTRITION NEWS from Paula Harrison, M.S., R.D. Scientific research suggests that diet plays a crucial role in building our body's immunity and protecting us against diseases such as heart disease and cancer with the anti-oxidants beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and selenium being of particular importance. Other substances called phytochemicals which are found in plants also are believed to interfere with the development of heart disease and cancer. Emphasizing the foods in the lower portion of the U.S.D.A.'s Food Guide Pyramid--vegetables, fruits, and whole grains--will maximize your intake of these disease-fighting substances. The following information has been excerpted from the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter: - NUTRITION REVOLUTION: A recent issue of 'New Scientist' described the new revolutionary thinking clearly: "For decades, scientists have struggled to understand the ways foods can harm us... Now nutritionists are increasingly 'thinking positive,' as research at the cutting edge focuses on how food can improve health. The turning point came four years ago, when epidemiologist Gladys Block of the University of California at Berkeley published a major review of more than 200 nutritional studies...For an area normally dogged by complex and contradictory findings, the evidence was unusually clear: people who regularly ate substantially more fruits and vegetables than average were 'up to four times less likely' to succumb to a huge range of cancers... A diet rich in fruit and vegetables also seemed to protect against heart disease."(Sept., 1997 issue) - HOW FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PREVENT CANCER: Fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of antioxidant Vitamins(C and E), as well as folacin, carotenoids, and dietary fiber, which are all important in preventing cancer. One carotenoid, beta carotene, is converted by the body into vitamin A; both beta carotene and vitamin A may help protect against cancer. Readers of this newsletter will already have encountered terms such as indoles, sulforaphane, and flavones--just a few of the recently identified chemicals in foods from plants that may also be protective. For example, an indole found in vegetables like broccoli and brussel sprouts has been shown to slow the growth of mammary cancer in rats. Substances in soybeans help reduce the risk of certain cancers in lab animals. These protective chemicals seem to "mop up" toxins that promote cancer. There are hundreds of natural of natural chemicals in foods that protect against cancer--many still waiting to be discovered. (June, 1997 issue) - HIGH C: While the RDA for vitamin C is 60 milligrams a day, the 'Wellness Letter' recommends a daily supplement of 250 to 500 milligrams of vitamin C because of its antioxidant potential. However, if you eat the right fruits and vegetables, you may already be consuming that much--and the pill may be unnecessary.(EXAMPLES--from the most to the least # of mgs: red peppers, green peppers, black currants, broccoli, orange juice, brussel sprouts, papaya, cranberry juice cocktail, strawberries, grapefruit juice, navel orange, kiwifruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower, kale, honeydew, and grapefruit--one serving will provide a high of 163 mg for red peppers to a low of 42mg for a grapefruit). - THE KEY IS E: The evidence about the health benefits of vitamin E, another potent antioxidant, keeps mounting. The 'Wellness Letter' recommends a daily supplement of 200 to 800 IU(international units), the amount used in most studies. That's the equivalent of 133 to 533 milligrams. It would be very hard to get even half that much E from food, unless you swollow vegetable oil or salad dressing by the spoonful. The RDA is a mere 8 to 10 milligrams. Here are the leading sources, most of them high in fat:(listed in order from a hgh of 12mg for 1tbsp of corn or soybean oil to a low of 1.5mg for 1tbsp of olive oil) corn or soybean oil, canola or sunflower oil, kale, sweet potato, wheat germ, almonds or hazel nuts, sunflower seeds, cooked spinach, lima beans, salad dressing, asparagus, blueberries, avocado, broccoli, margerine, and olive oil. (June, 1997 issue) - TAKING VITAMINE E TO HEART: The strongest and most consistent evidence so far concerns the protective effect of vitamin E pills against coronary artery disease(which leads to angina and heart attacks). In fact, of all nutrients with cardio-protective potential, the case is most convincing for vitamin E. For instance, a study last year from Cambridge University, published in 'The Lancet', found that E pills reduced the risk of heart attack by one-third. This vitamin may reduce the risk of heart disease because it prevents the oxidation of LDL("bad") cholesterol. Oxidation--a process similar to that by which butter goes rancid--makes LDL more likely to promaote the buildup of fatty plaque in coronary artery walls(atherosclerosis). This vitamin is uniquely able to protect LDL because it is carried in the blood by LDL itself. It may also reduce the blood's ability to clot, thus lowering the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attacks. In addition, E may be protective because it helps reduce inflammatory processes, which have been linked with coronary artery disease. Also strong is the research about E's role in bolstering the immune system, especially in older people. This was seen in a study from Tufts University, published in the 'Journal of the American Medical Association' in May. Other studies suggest that vitamin E might help prevent or ameliorate a range of other diseases--certain cancers, arthritis, cataracts, Parkinson's, one kind of stroke, diabetes, and most recently Alzheimer's--but so far the evidence about these remains inconsistent or preliminary. (July, 1997 issue) The following information was excerpted from 'Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter' (Sept., 1997) - BETA-CAROTENE MAY WARD OFF ARTHRITIS: Preliminary research suggests a possible association between foods rich in beta-carotene and a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the body's immune system engages in battle against its own tissue. That results in inflamation, which in turn triggers the release of chemicals into the synovium, or joint lining. These chemicals cause synovial thickening and subsequent joint damage that makes it hard to manipulate areas such as the knuckles and knees. "People should interpret the results to mean that they should eat more fruits and vegetables," says head researcher George Cornstock, M.D. Beta-carotene is found in high concentrations in carrots, apricots, cantaloupe, seet patatoes, pumpkin, and dark green vegetables. The following information was excerpted from 'Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter'(Nov., 1997): - VEGETABLES AT BREAKFAST: You know you should eat at least 3 servings of vegetables a day, but you don't like crowding them all at dinner, and you don't always feel like having a salad for lunch. What about breakfast? Who says you can't have a sweet potato sprinkled with some cinnamon and sugar in the morning or a few broccoli florets dabbed with yogurt-based dip? Or what about last night's vegetable left-overs? v Even if your idea of breakfast preparation is opening your car window at the doughnut shop drive-thru, you might be willing to try the ideas above. The following information was excerpted from 'Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter(Oct., 1997): - KEEPING FAT OFF THE MIDDLE: Fat around the waist, more than fat deposits elsewhere on the body, is associated with an incresed risk of heart disease and diabetes and perhaps certain cancers as well. Scientists with the American Cancer Society who followed almost 80,000 middle-aged people for 10 years found that those who ate at least 19 servings of vegetables a week were significantly less likely to gain weight at the waist than people who ate relatively little in the way of vegetables. Conversely, those who ate more than 3 servings of red meat each week appeared to be 'more' likely to gain weight around the belt line. *****Paula Harrison is a registered dietician practicing in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Paula is a graduate of New York University with a M.S. in Nutrition. If you have any questions you might want to ask her, you may E-mail her at: gpgodart-smile@worldnet.att.net |
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