You must read and accept the disclaimer to use this site. Updated for monthly, 2011

J Nutr, May 2011

SYNOPSES OF ARTICLES THIS MONTH

A. Get plenty of vitamin D - 1. Only 600 IU of vitamin D daily may be too low for many in US - These data provide evidence that in an environment with minimal sun exposure (4), the recommended 600 IU vitamin D/d may be too low for about one-third of the country [based on CDC estimates that ∼30% of people in the United States are obese (5)].

2. 2,000 iu of vitamin D does not reduce height - High vitamin D intake in childhood had been suggested to have an adverse influence on linear growth.

B. Get plenty of anitoxidants - 3. Lower serum antioxidant status is associated with higher rates of metabolic syndrome - In the major national study of national US nutrition from 2001-2006, those with lower carotenoid, retinoid, or vitamin C serum concentrations had proportionally higher rates of metabolic syndrome.

C. Get plenty of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) - 4. BCAAs promote muscle growth - Branched chain amino acids are a key regulator of muscle protein synthesis. This study used a single dose of 10g of leucine, causing a 60% increase in muscle protein synthesis. (Read about BCAAs I take)

D. Get plenty of probiotics -
5. Probiotics useful for a healthy intestinal lining - The intestinal tract is inhabited by 10 to the 14 microbes. Chronic inflammatory diseases of the intestine, such as inflammatory bowel disease (3) and celiac disease (4), are characterized by a leaky intestinal barrier. In type I diabetes, an autoimmune disease, patients have increased small intestinal permeability (5). The intestinal barrier is a complex environment exposed to many dietary components and many commensal bacteria. So after a course of antibiotics, it may be important to eat fermented foods to reestablish those bacteria.

6. Whey protein is also useful to strengthen the intestinal lining

7. Fermentation products of fiber produced by colonic bacteria promote colon health.

8. In a separate study, it was again found that fiber is necessary for proper colon function - The definition of dietary fiber (DF)8 has changed over the years since its first proposal (1, 2). Health Canada currently uses a traditional DF definition [undigested nonstarch polysaccharides plus lignin...These results show that both the amount and source of DF determine proximal colon epithelial gene response patterns in rats.

9. Probiotics enhance colon activity that produces molecules that reduce risk of heart disease -A high serum concentration of enterolactone, an enterolignan produced by colonic microbiota from precursors in cereals, vegetables, and fruits, is associated with reduced risk of acute coronary events. Probiotics and prebiotics modify colonic metabolism and affect the serum enterolactone concentration.

E. Get plenty of fish oil - 10. Fish oil supplement benefits immune system in less than a week - Immune modulatory effects of EPA and DHA are well described. However, these fatty acids must be effectively incorporated into cell membrane phospholipids to modify cell function. Nutritional supplementation with a fish oil-enriched medical food significantly increased the percentage of EPA in phospholipids of WBC within 1 wk. Simultaneously, ex vivo immune responsiveness to LPS increased significantly. These results hold promise for novel applications such as fast-acting nutritional interventions in cancer patients.

11. Unsaturated fats, even omega-6, are better than saturated fats to prevent inflammation - These results indicate that exchanging 50g of butterfat (saturated fat) for 50g of sunflower oil (omega-6 fat) in a mixed meal may decrease postprandial lipemia and concentrations of inflammation markers in overweight men.

F. Don't get too much sodium - 12. Sodium hazardous to large arteries in hypertensive adults - Various epidemiologic and interventional studies demonstrated a clear relationship between high dietary sodium and an increased rate of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients (1, 2). Sodium intake is also related to alterations in the structure of large arteries, which might help explain its relationship with cardiovascular risk.

G. Don't let economic status control your diet - 13. Food intake patterns are related to adult and childhood economic status - Two food patterns labeled “traditional-western food pattern” and “green food pattern” were identified. In men, adult SES was inversely associated with adherence to the traditional-western food pattern. High adherence to the green food pattern was positively related to high adult SES in both sexes.

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