COFFEE MAY EASE NECK, SHOULDER PAIN LINKED TO COMPUTER USE

Drinking just one cup of caffeinated coffee in the mornings may help reduce chronic neck and shoulder pain associated with working long hours at a computer, according to a new study published in the journal BMC Research Notes.

Researchers from Norway's National Institute of Occupational Health and Oslo University Hospital conducted a study to determine if subjects who had consumed coffee before performing a simulated computer office-work task found to provoke pain in the neck and shoulders and forearms and wrists exhibited different time course in the pain development than the subjects who had abstained from coffee intake.

For the study, 48 participants (22 with chronic neck or shoulder pain and 26 healthy pain-free subjects) were recruited to perform office-based computer work. Nineteen (40%) of the subjects had consumed coffee (1/2 to 1 cup) on average one hour before the task. Pain intensity in the shoulders and neck and forearms and wrists was rated on a visual analogue scale every 15 minutes throughout the work task.

The found 19 of the participants who had drank coffee, whether they had chronic pain or not, developed less pain over the course of the 90 minutes compared to those who didn't drink coffee.

The researchers said the results might have potentially interesting implications of a pain-modulating effect of caffeine in an everyday setting. However, studies with a double-blind placebo controlled randomized design are needed.

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease this past summer found older individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who drink up to three cups of coffee a day may help ward off progression to full-blown Alzheimer’s disease by up to two to four years compared to those who consume less caffeine.

A study published last year also found high levels of the chlorogenic acids (CGA) found in coffee increase alertness, reduce mental fatigue and decrease headaches.

ICE CREAM SALES SWEETEN TO $11 BILLION IN 2012

The ice cream and frozen novelty market, which struggled for positive sales growth in 2009 and lost sales in 2010, turned a corner in 2011 with a 4.1% increase in total U.S. retail sales to reach $10.7 billion, according to a new report from Mintel. Sales are expected to increase another 4.1% in 2012 to become an $11.1 billion industry.

According to the “Ice Cream and Frozen Novelties-US-July 2012" report, when buying ice cream or other frozen novelties, 94% of people say they base their decision on flavor, while 83% look at price and 72% look for a sale or promotion. When it comes to brand loyalty, 68% of respondents make their selections based on brand alone. New flavor profiles and ingredients, better-for-you products and new packaging concepts will be instrumental in the ice cream market’s success in the next few years.

According to Mintel, the popularity of Greek yogurt spilling over into the ice cream and frozen novelty market may be one reason that total U.S. retail sales of frozen yogurt were up 9.7% from 2011-12. It demonstrates the highest growth percentage of the four ice cream and frozen novelty segments.

Reduced fat (38%), reduced sugar (38%) and reduced calorie (36%) are the most important claims consumers are looking for on the packaging of their favorite frozen treat. However, gluten-free and dairy-free products are rapidly growing in popularity with 14% and 15% of Mintel respondents said they are “very or somewhat important" to them.

Serving size is important to 69% of survey respondents who buy frozen treats, and especially so among those aged 18-24 (74%) who are the most likely to eat it away from the home directly after purchasing it from the grocery or convenience store. Portion control containers also would fare well with those concerned with ‘low-in’ claims.

In terms of who is eating the most ice cream, the United States tops the list, with 17 liters per head, outpacing Australia (10.3 liters per head), Norway (10.2 liters per head), Sweden (8 liters per head), Denmark (7 liters per head) and the United Kingdom (6 liters per head).

Since Americans eat the most ice cream in the world, be sure to check out the Top Ice Cream Brands Image Gallery that reveals the current best-sellers in the United States.

Still hungry for ice cream info? Check out the article “Sweet Science of Ice Cream Inclusions" that discusses how inclusions accent the creamy dessert with crunch, color and texture, transforming it from a simple delight to pure manna.

 

HFCS AND SUGAR BATTLE RAGES ON

On Tuesday, a group of manufacturers of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that includes Cargill Inc., ADM, Ingredion and Tate & Lyle filed a countersuit against the sugar industry in the U.S. District Court of Central California (Western Sugar Cooperative v. Archer Daniels Midland Company et al, case No. 11-03473). The heart of the lawsuit is centered on the claim that the sugar industry is misleading consumers regarding its message that differences exist between HFCS and sugar. The sugar industry originally brought suit against HFCS after those manufacturers filed a petition with FDA to label HFCS as “corn sugar” (a request that was denied by FDA) and their continued branding of HFCS as “natural” in tandem with marketing efforts claiming that no physiological difference exists between HFCS and sugar—that the human body cannot tell the difference between the two.

As reported by Reuters and the Chicago Tribune, this is just the latest in a lengthy dispute between manufacturers of HFCS and the sugar industry regarding whether or not the two sweeteners can, and should be, marketed as equivalent (see “Sugar vs. corn syrup: sweeteners at center of bitter food fight”).

As noted in the Chicago Tribune article, the HFCS faction contends that consumers are being misled by the sugar industry, asserting that “there is no scientifically proven correlation between HFCS and health problems,” and that the “sugar industry’s advertising claims are false…” David Knowles, spokesman, the Corn Refiners Association, notes, “Both high-fructose corn syrup and processed sugar are nutritionally equivalent and consumers have a right to this information.”

Adam Fox, the lawyer for the sugar industry, has said that the allegations by the HFCS faction are “baseless.”

GREEN TEA BOOSTS BRAIN POWER

As reported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science via the EurekAlert! news service, recent research from China helps explain the neurological benefits of epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG), found in green tea—and specifically how it helps improve memory and spatial learning (see “Brainy beverage: Study reveals how green tea boosts brain cell production to aid memory”). The results of this research were published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Aug. 2012, 56(8):1,292-1,303).

“Green tea is a popular beverage across the world,” says Dr. Yun Bai, professor, Department of Medical Genetics, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China, in the EurekAlert! announcement. “There has been plenty of scientific attention on its use in helping prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cellular mechanisms in the brain.”

Bai and his research team focused on EGCG, the most-abundant catechin in green tea and a known antioxidant.

“We proposed that EGCG can improve cognitive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells, a process known as neurogenesis,” says Bai. “We focused our research on the hippocampus, the part of the brain which processes information from short-term to long-term memory.”

Results showed that ECGC boosts the production of neural progenitor cells, which—like stem cells—can adapt, or differentiate, into various types of cells. The team then used laboratory mice to determine if this increased cell production led to improved memory or spatial learning. The mice were trained for three days to find a visible platform in a maze, and then for seven days to find a hidden platform. Mice treated with ECGC required less time to find the hidden platform.

Overall the results revealed that EGCG enhances learning and memory by improving object recognition and spatial memory. “We have shown that the organic chemical EGCG acts directly to increase the production of neural progenitor cells, both in glass tests and in mice,” says Bai. “This helps us to understand the potential for EGCG, and green tea which contains it, to help combat degenerative diseases and memory loss.”