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AJCN May, 2011 -DETAILS

Everything in the email of Mother's Day is below, with more details.
FEATURE THIS MONTH FROM THE NEW YORKER: Poverty Clinic – How a traumatic childhood may cause asthma, allergies, and ADHD, and cognitive therapy may cure these “illnesses.”

AJCN This month:
Omgea-3/omega-6 intake ratio controversy -Low concentrations of fish oil (EPA+DHA) have been linked to increased risk of total mortality (7), cellular aging (8), depression (9), and acute coronary syndromes (10). Over the last century, intake of EPA+DHA has fallen steadily from about 32 to 23% of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), while ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 has increased substantially. Per capita soybean (omega-6 consumption) increased more than 1,000 fold in the 20th century. Omega-6 causes inflammation. Inflammation and free radicals are the two major causes of chronic disease,

BRILLIANT DISCOVERY-Lifetime taste preferences for veggies develop from exposure between 1.5 and 3.5 mos old. - Sensitive periods are restricted periods of time (ie, specific ages) in development, during which there is a biological display of an extreme neural sensitivity to the storage of experience-driven sensory and probably conceptual information. A period of time is considered to be a sensitive period when the extreme neural sensitivity is not present in other time periods. Furthermore, the neural sensitivity promotes an individualized design of the shape and function of the brain that is specific to the individual's idiosyncratic environment and which is directed to individual's survival by safeguarding the normal development (disease-free) of sensory systems and probably of cognitive systems. The main effect of exposure to stimuli during a sensitive period concerns the imprinting effect that these experiences induce in the individual for later stages of life, in the sense that these experiences induce lasting or everlasting changes in the individual's behavior, and in his or her underlying sensory and neural function...the existence of sensitive periods of functional development during early postnatal life within both of these sensory modalities has been rigorously documented for binocular vision and hearing...All of the infants initially rejected the PHF, but the authors found that, in contrast to infants aged ≥3.5 mo, infants aged at least 1.5 mo but younger than 3.5 mo may learn to accept PHFs if they are exposed to this type of formula for ≥1 mo. The exposure in early infanthood thus establishes a potentially long-lasting pattern of eating behavior that is based on acceptance of sour- and bitter-tasting foods, such as vegetables, whose consumption prevents future diseases... relatively short, repeated exposures to a bitter- and sour-tasting PHF during a sensitive period may change an infant's initial rejection into a preference for that stimulus.

High fat meals induce obesity genes

Cranberry juice reduces cardiovascular disease risk factors - Cranberry juice contains polyphenolic compounds that could improve endothelial function and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Conclusions: Chronic cranberry juice consumption reduced carotid femoral pulse wave velocity—a clinically relevant measure of arterial stiffness.

Glycemic load, rather than carbohydrate content, determines risk for diabetes - Dietary glycemic load (GL; defined as the mathematical product of the glycemic index and carbohydrate content) is increasingly used in nutritional epidemiology. The glycemic index of a food reflects how fast the carbs turn into blood sugar. The value of whole grains is they significantly lower the glycemic index of foods. These findings provide the first large-scale, systematic evidence of the physiologic validity and superiority of dietary GL over carbohydrate content alone to estimate postprandial glycemia and insulin demand in healthy individuals.

BCAAs (Branched chain amino acids) stimulate muscle growth - more about (BCAAs) -In this particular study, whey protein stimulates postprandial muscle protein accretion more effectively than do casein and casein hydrolysate in 74 year old men.

Vitamin D level decreases substantially after inflammation - Studies indicate that low plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with a range of disease processes, many of which are inflammatory. So vitamin D supplementation of at least 2,000 IU daily may be especially sensible during illness.

No clear benefit to iron supplements for nonanemic pregnant women - Using doses of 30 or 60 mg of iron, the benefit of iron supplements in nonanemic women (in Burkina Faso)is unclear. Despite micronutrient supplementation, anemia remained highly prevalent during gestation.

Two weeks of a low-carb diet reduced triglyerides 42% in people with fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - Reductions were significantly greater with dietary carbohydrate restriction than with calorie restriction.

Vitamin C reduces gastrointestinal cancer risk from dietary sources - Preformed N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) (NDMA) (which mainly come from processed meats) was associated with a higher gastrointestinal cancer incidence, specifically of rectal cancer. Plasma vitamin C may modify the relation between NDMA exposure and cancer risk.

High protein, low carb diets promote colon cancer - Conclusions: After 4 wk, weight-loss diets that were high in protein but reduced in total carbohydrates and fiber resulted in a significant decrease in fecal cancer-protective metabolites and increased concentrations of hazardous metabolites. Long-term adherence to such diets may increase risk of colonic disease.

PUFA, esp. nuts, reduce inflammatory disease risk - Some of the causes of death and disability are characterized by exaggerated inflammation and excessive formation of inflammatory eicosanoids and cytokines (2). Examples of such conditions and diseases include chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease (2). We report on a novel link between dietary intake of total n−3 PUFA and risk of inflammatory disease mortality in older women. Furthermore, our data indicate a protective role of nuts, but not fish, against inflammatory disease mortality.

Dietary vitamin B intake reduces incidence of PMS - Intakes of thiamine and riboflavin from food sources were each inversely associated with incident PMS. For example, women in the highest quintile of riboflavin intake 2–4 y before the diagnosis year had a 35% lower risk of developing PMS than did those in the lowest quintile (relative risk: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.92; P for trend = 0.02). No significant associations between incident PMS and dietary intakes of niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, and vitamin B-12 were observed. Intake of B vitamins from supplements was not associated with a lower risk of PMS. Conclusions: We observed a significantly lower risk of PMS in women with high intakes of thiamine and riboflavin from food sources only.

Low potassium intake, esp. likely in African Americans, contributes to diabetes - Low serum potassium appears to be independently associated with incident type 2 diabetes, and low dietary potassium is more common in African Americans than in whites.

Whole soy gives favorable change in fasting glucose - A favorable change in fasting glucose concentrations was observed in studies that used whole soy foods or a soy diet.

Children may benefit from whole milk instead of low-fat milk - In 4 to 13 year olds, their energy intake stays the same, they get less saturated fats but fewer CLAs.

Vegetarians have 40% lower risk of cataracts than meat eaters - At least, try to follow the no-fours diet.

Fish consumption reduces bone loss and hip fractures - Fish consumption may protect against bone loss. The protective effects may be dependent on the amount of EPA+DHA intake.

Symposium: Nutrition and Health Disparities: An Issue from Bench to Bedside and Community - The preponderance of the evidence supported an association of acculturation with poor dietary quality and obesity.

- Roc, Nutrition Investigator

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Two minute video tells what education should be - thanks to Cam and Alan Watts