That's the message from the largest study of its kind to find a link between high-fiber diets and lower risks of death not only from heart disease, but from infectious and respiratory illnesses as well.
The government study also ties fiber with a lower risk of cancer deaths in men, but not women, possibly because men are more likely to die from cancers related to diet, like cancers of the esophagus. And it finds the overall benefit to be strongest for diets high in fiber from grains.
Most Americans aren't getting enough roughage in their diets. The average American eats only about 15 grams of fiber each day, much less than the current daily recommendation of 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men, or 14 grams per 1,000 calories. For example, a slice of whole wheat bread contains 2 to 4 grams of fiber.
In the new study, the people who met the guidelines were less likely to die during a nine-year follow-up period.
The men and women who ate the highest amount of fiber were 22 percent less likely to die from any cause compared to those who ate the lowest amount, said lead author Dr. Yikyung Park of the National Cancer Institute.
The study, appearing in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, included more than 388,000 adults, ages 50 to 71, who participated in a diet and health study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and AARP.
They filled out a questionnaire in 1995 or 1996 about their eating habits. It asked them to estimate how often they ate 124 food items. After nine years, more than 31,000 of the participants had died. National records were used to find out who died and the cause of death.
The researchers took into account other risk factors including weight, education level, smoking and health status and still saw lower risks of death in people who ate more fiber.
"The results suggest that the benefits of dietary fiber go beyond heart health," said Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health, who wasn't involved in the new research but co-authored an editorial in the journal.
The evidence for fiber's benefits has been strongest in diabetes and heart disease, where it's thought to improve cholesterol levels, blood pressure, inflammation and blood sugar levels. Fiber's benefits also may come from its theorized ability to bind to toxins and move them out of the body quicker. High-fiber diets can promote weight loss by making people feel full, which has its own health-promoting effects.
However it works, fiber may offer a prevention benefit against killers like pneumonia and flu, the new study suggests. The cancer benefit may have shown up only in the men because they're more likely than women to die from cancers related to diet, Park said.
Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables and beans. But fiber from grains was most strongly tied to the lowered risk in the study.
"That's what seemed to be driving all these relationships," said Lawrence de Koning of the Harvard School of Public Health, a co-author of the editorial.
Whole grains also contain vitamins and minerals, which may play a role in reducing risk, he said. For that reason, supplements may not be as effective.
"Nothing beats the original food," he said. He suggested substituting whole wheat bread for white bread as a simple way to increase fiber from grains.
What does a high-fiber diet look like? A woman who wants to meet the 25 gram guidelines for daily fiber intake could eat one-third cup of bran cereal (9 grams), a half cup of cooked beans (10 grams), a small apple with skin (4 grams) and a half cup of mixed vegetables (4 grams).
To reach 38 grams, a man could eat all that — plus about 23 almonds (4 grams), a baked potato (3 grams), an oat bran muffin (3 grams) and an orange (3 grams).
Experts recommend adding fiber gradually to allow your digestive system time to get used to it.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Energy drinks potentially dangerous for kids, study reports
Parents might start hearing more about Red Bull during pediatrician visits.
Researchers at the University of Miami have reviewed the literature on energy drinks -- caffeinated beverages such as Red Bull, which sometimes also contain herbal supplements -- and their effects on children.
It's no great surprise that they found that the products, many of which have three times the caffeine of a cola and some of which have five times more, might be quite harmful to kids. Their results were released by the journal Pediatrics on Monday.
The team ran targeted searches of Google and the medical database PubMed to find 121 references to energy drinks, two-thirds in scientific articles. Sifting through the materials, they reported that:
* Many children and young adults have tried energy drinks, and some consume them heavily. A survey of college students reported that 51% regularly consumed one or more of the drinks per month, and a majority of those students drank them several times a week, citing insufficient sleep and a desire for more energy as reasons for that consumption.
* The drinks are unregulated in the U.S., and the number of overdoses of caffeine from drinking them are not known. But in Germany, Ireland and New Zealand, officials have reported cases of liver damage, kidney failure, seizures, confusion and arrhythmias associated with energy drink use.
* Caffeine in the drinks can exacerbate cardiac conditions (especially in children with eating disorders) and interfere with calcium absorption and bone mineralization in young adolescents.
* Additional ingredients may boost caffeine levels.
* Extra calories in the drinks can contribute to diabetes, high BMI and dental problems.
The authors concluded that energy drinks don't have a therapeutic benefit to kids, and could put some children at risk for serious problems.
They urged pediatricians to ask patients about their energy-drink consumption and let them know about potential dangers. The team asked researchers to seek out safe doses, warning that "unless research establishes energy-drink safety in children and adolescents, regulation...is prudent."
Researchers at the University of Miami have reviewed the literature on energy drinks -- caffeinated beverages such as Red Bull, which sometimes also contain herbal supplements -- and their effects on children.
It's no great surprise that they found that the products, many of which have three times the caffeine of a cola and some of which have five times more, might be quite harmful to kids. Their results were released by the journal Pediatrics on Monday.
The team ran targeted searches of Google and the medical database PubMed to find 121 references to energy drinks, two-thirds in scientific articles. Sifting through the materials, they reported that:
* Many children and young adults have tried energy drinks, and some consume them heavily. A survey of college students reported that 51% regularly consumed one or more of the drinks per month, and a majority of those students drank them several times a week, citing insufficient sleep and a desire for more energy as reasons for that consumption.
* The drinks are unregulated in the U.S., and the number of overdoses of caffeine from drinking them are not known. But in Germany, Ireland and New Zealand, officials have reported cases of liver damage, kidney failure, seizures, confusion and arrhythmias associated with energy drink use.
* Caffeine in the drinks can exacerbate cardiac conditions (especially in children with eating disorders) and interfere with calcium absorption and bone mineralization in young adolescents.
* Additional ingredients may boost caffeine levels.
* Extra calories in the drinks can contribute to diabetes, high BMI and dental problems.
The authors concluded that energy drinks don't have a therapeutic benefit to kids, and could put some children at risk for serious problems.
They urged pediatricians to ask patients about their energy-drink consumption and let them know about potential dangers. The team asked researchers to seek out safe doses, warning that "unless research establishes energy-drink safety in children and adolescents, regulation...is prudent."
Monday, February 14, 2011
Omega-3s Slow AMD, Retinopathy Progression
A diet rich in foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinopathy, an eye disease that can cause blindness in premature babies and individuals with diabetes, according to a new study published in Science Translational Medicine.
Building on previous studies that showed eye diseases are slowed in people who consumed a diet high in fish, researchers at Children’s Hospital sought to determine a specific metabolic process that provided a protective mechanism. They fed mice deficient in each key lipid-processing enzyme—cyclooxygenase 1 or 2, or lipoxygenase 5 or 12/15—a diet high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). They found the omega-3 rich diet helped prevent the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the retina. They determined an enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase, or 5-LOX, converted omega-3 into an acid called 4-HDHA, slowed abnormal blood vessel growth.
"This is important for people with diabetes, who often take aspirin to prevent heart disease, and also for elderly people with AMD who have a propensity for heart disease," the researchers said.
Sources:
* EurekAlert: Study reveals how they work in preventing several forms of blindness
Building on previous studies that showed eye diseases are slowed in people who consumed a diet high in fish, researchers at Children’s Hospital sought to determine a specific metabolic process that provided a protective mechanism. They fed mice deficient in each key lipid-processing enzyme—cyclooxygenase 1 or 2, or lipoxygenase 5 or 12/15—a diet high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). They found the omega-3 rich diet helped prevent the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the retina. They determined an enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase, or 5-LOX, converted omega-3 into an acid called 4-HDHA, slowed abnormal blood vessel growth.
"This is important for people with diabetes, who often take aspirin to prevent heart disease, and also for elderly people with AMD who have a propensity for heart disease," the researchers said.
Sources:
* EurekAlert: Study reveals how they work in preventing several forms of blindness
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Vegetable-Fed Salmon Still Rich in Fatty Acids
New research from the Research Council of Norway found 70 percent of fish oil and 80 percent of marine proteins in conventional feed can be replaced with vegetable ingredients without any adverse effect on farmed salmon and salmon trout health.
The AquaMax project, a collaboration between 33 partners from 14 countries, examined whether production salmon can still be considered healthful food when raised on roughly 50 percent vegetable feed. The findings suggest even with such a radically altered diet, salmon appear to retain their value as a good source of fatty acids that are healthy for humans.
“The risk of ingesting contaminants must be weighed against the health benefits of eating seafood rich in the marine omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA," the researchers said. “This is a dilemma for pregnant women in particular. Pregnant women and the children they are carrying are most vulnerable to pollutants such as dioxins, yet they also have the greatest requirement for the nutrients in fish. Marine omega-3 fatty acids are especially important for both mother and baby."
The researchers raised salmon on a customized feed in which large proportions of marine ingredients were replaced with vegetable meal. The salmon feed still contained some marine ingredients. The fish fillets were consumed by 62 pregnant women twice a week, from week 21 of their pregnancy until giving birth. The babies were also followed up for their first six months. The control group of 62 pregnant women ate the same amount of fish as they normally would have.
“The results were very encouraging. In the group that ate the test salmon fillets, omega-3 levels were elevated in both the mothers and their babies. Even though these test salmon had received less omega-3 through a feed based mainly on vegetable ingredients, the salmon meat still provided an excellent source of the healthful fatty acids," the said.
Sources:
* The Research Council of Norway: Vegetable-fed salmon still yield healthful fat
The AquaMax project, a collaboration between 33 partners from 14 countries, examined whether production salmon can still be considered healthful food when raised on roughly 50 percent vegetable feed. The findings suggest even with such a radically altered diet, salmon appear to retain their value as a good source of fatty acids that are healthy for humans.
“The risk of ingesting contaminants must be weighed against the health benefits of eating seafood rich in the marine omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA," the researchers said. “This is a dilemma for pregnant women in particular. Pregnant women and the children they are carrying are most vulnerable to pollutants such as dioxins, yet they also have the greatest requirement for the nutrients in fish. Marine omega-3 fatty acids are especially important for both mother and baby."
The researchers raised salmon on a customized feed in which large proportions of marine ingredients were replaced with vegetable meal. The salmon feed still contained some marine ingredients. The fish fillets were consumed by 62 pregnant women twice a week, from week 21 of their pregnancy until giving birth. The babies were also followed up for their first six months. The control group of 62 pregnant women ate the same amount of fish as they normally would have.
“The results were very encouraging. In the group that ate the test salmon fillets, omega-3 levels were elevated in both the mothers and their babies. Even though these test salmon had received less omega-3 through a feed based mainly on vegetable ingredients, the salmon meat still provided an excellent source of the healthful fatty acids," the said.
Sources:
* The Research Council of Norway: Vegetable-fed salmon still yield healthful fat
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