Health Research
CHINESE STUDY LINKS WESTERN DIET AND HEART DISEASE
ATLANTA (Reuters) -- Chinese researchers have presented more evidence that the standard Western diet can cause heart disease.
They said people who ate a traditional Chinese diet, based on rice, vegetables and green tea, were much less likely to suffer the physical symptoms of heart disease -- even though they have high rates of smoking.
But when Chinese people moved to Western cities such as San Francisco or Sydney, their arteries started to make the changes that herald heart disease, Dr. Kam Woo of the University of Hong Kong told a meeting of the American Heart Association.
"Both Chinese and non-Chinese should recognize the potential effects of the traditional Chinese diet," Woo told a news conference.
More green tea
"They should think about drinking more green tea, eating more vegetables and eating less meat and dairy products."
Woo started with villagers in Pan Yu, a town in Guangdong province about 100 miles from Hong Kong in southern China, who have one of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world.
He used ultrasound, which uses sound waves, to measure the thickness of the inner walls of
the carotid arteries that feed blood to the brains of some of the villagers, and asked them
about their dietary habits.
Woo then compared these measurements to westernized Chinese living in Hong Kong, Sydney, and San Francisco. In all, he studied 116 people aged 20 to 60.
The combined thickness of the lining and middle muscle layers of the carotid artery are considered a good indicator of heart disease.
The average carotid inner wall thickness was about one-fifth thinner among the Pan Yu villagers than in the Westernized Chinese, Woo reported.
Half the meat
The Pan Yu villagers ate just under half as much meat and just a tiny fraction of the amount of dairy food as the Western-living Chinese. They ate more vegetables, tofu and drank much more green tea.
For breakfast the villagers would eat congee, or rice porridge, steamed buns containing a small amount of meat and plenty of tea.
"Hardly any ham, bacon, sausage or scrambled egg is eaten in the typical Pan Yu breakfast meal," Woo said.
Other meals included stir-fried or steamed vegetables, a little meat and fish or tofu.
"That is in contrast to fried chicken or fish fillet" in the West, he said.
He said Westerners should not only eat more vegetables and less fatty meat, but should cook Chinese-style more often, steaming or stir-frying foods.
11/10/99
LIFESTYLE CHANGES COULD REDUCE HEART DISEASE RISK SIGNIFICANTLY
ATLANTA, Nov 08 (Reuters Health) -- A healthy lifestyle -- including a low-fat, high-fiber diet, exercise, and moderate alcohol intake -- can dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease, report Massachusetts researchers. A large study conducted in nurses suggests that a healthy lifestyle can cut heart risk by as much as 80%.
Dr. Frank B. Hu of Harvard University in Boston presented the latest findings from the Nurses' Health Study Monday at the 72nd Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. The ongoing study involves more than 84,000 women. Hu and colleagues surveyed the study participants about eating habits and lifestyle during a 14-year period. The investigators then categorized the women, aged 34 to 59 and free of heart disease at the beginning of the study, according to their risk of heart disease.
Hu reported that 1,129 cases of heart disease occurred in this group of women during the 14-year study period. There were 296 fatal and 833 nonfatal heart attacks. About half of these occurred in current smokers.
Women with the healthiest lifestyles and who had the lowest risk of heart disease were those who did not smoke, were not overweight, had about one drink of alcohol a day, exercised vigorously for 30 minutes or more a day, and had a relatively high intake of cereal fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish and flaxseed. In addition, healthy diets featured low levels of saturated fat and limited amounts of sugar.
After the researchers adjusted for other heart risks, including age, family history, high blood
pressure and menopausal status, a healthy lifestyle reduced risk of heart disease by 82% --
approaching half the risk of women with poorer eating and exercise habits. Hu described the
impact of the lifestyle on heart disease as ``profound,'' and he speculated that the effects of
diet and exercise on heart disease could be even greater. He pointed out that the nurses in
the lowest risk category followed guidelines for moderate risk reduction. With stricter
guidelines, including an even lower fat intake and eating more fruits and vegetables, risk
could drop even lower, the researcher predicted.
11/9/99
FOLIC ACID MAY PROTECT AGAINST LEUKEMIA
NEW YORK, Oct 25 (Reuters Health) -- Genetic mutations in the enzyme that processes folic acid may protect against a particular type of leukemia, researchers report.
The findings also suggest that a deficiency in folic acid may play a role in the development of
this type of leukemia, namely acute lymphocytic leukemia. For the estimated two-thirds of
the population that does not have one of the mutations, however, the study results highlight
the need to consume foods rich in folate, such as leafy green vegetables, fruits and orange
juice, one of the study's authors told Reuters Health in an interview.
Adequate consumption of folate is known to prevent some birth defects affecting the
backbone and spinal cord, but research has also suggested that people with certain genetic
mutations that affect the processing of folic acid may be less likely to develop colon cancer,
according to Martyn T. Smith, of the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues. This
type of mutation slows down the breakdown of folic acid so that more of the nutrient
remains available in the body.
To see if the mutations also offered protection against leukemia, the researchers studied 308
adults with leukemia and 491 people of the same age and sex who did not have cancer. The
investigators analyzed blood samples from all participants to see whether they had mutations
in the gene for the enzyme that processes folic acid.
Having one or more of the mutations did not appear to offer any protection against the most
common type of leukemia in adults, acute myeloid leukemia, according to the report in the
October 26th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
But the mutations did protect against another type of leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia,
which accounts for 10% to 15% of leukemia cases in adults, Smith noted in an interview
with Reuters Health. Having one or more of the mutations lowered the odds of having this
type of cancer by 3 to 14 times, the researchers note.
These genetic mutations ``will protect you against acute (lymphocytic) leukemia but not
against myeloid leukemia,'' Smith said in the interview.
Since most people do not have one of the protective mutations, the findings highlight the
importance of ``making sure people drink orange juice and eat their leafy vegetables,'' Smith
said.
The next step is to see whether the mutations offer protection against leukemia in children,
he said. Unlike adults, acute lymphocytic leukemia is the most common form of the illness in
children.
The results of the study suggest that people who do not get enough folic acid may be putting
themselves at risk for one type of leukemia, Dr. Bruce N. Ames, also of the University of
California, Berkeley, writes in an editorial that accompanies the study.
In his editorial, Ames highlights the importance of studying the effect of other nutrients on the
development of cancer. He notes that the rate of most types of cancer is nearly twice as high
among the quarter of the population that eats the least fruits and vegetables.
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1999;96:12216-12218,
12810-12815.
RESEARCH SUPPORTS IMPORTANCE OF PLANT-BASED DIET
Oct. 15 - Research continues to support the importance of a balanced, plant-based diet, even
though science is not yet able to identify with certainty how each specific component of such a
diet works.
THAT'S THE bottom-line conclusion of the latest research conference sponsored by the American Institute for Cancer Research. This year's conference focused on phytochemicals, a wide variety of substances that occur naturally in plant foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes (dried beans) and grains. Several presentations focused on phytochemicals in onions and garlic. In test tube studies, some of the compounds were able to block the formation of a major cancer-causing substance, and helped maintain normal cell growth and structure that are important to prevent the cells from developing into cancer.
But many conference speakers expressed concern that selectively boosting intake of individual phytochemicals based on laboratory research like this is inappropriate until we know
how they work in people.
Research presented at the conference also suggests that onion and garlic may help people lower their risk of cancer if consumed daily or perhaps weekly. But other findings presented on phytochemicals in these and other vegetables and fruits demonstrated that the effect of these substances cannot be simply related to the amount consumed. Rather, it is influenced by how they are processed and by interactions
with the rest of what we eat. For example, several researchers reported on lycopene, found in dark red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, red grapefruit and watermelon. Lycopene may help in prevention
of prostate and other cancers. Contrary to some popular assertions that vegetables are always most valuable when eaten raw, lycopene from tomatoes is most usable by the body when it comes in processed products like tomato juice, soup and sauce. Other reports at the conference related to antioxidants, compounds that prevent or repair damage to cells caused by highly reactive substances produced in our bodies by
pollution, sunlight, and normal body processes. While some consumers are familiar with the antioxidant capabilities of nutrients such as vitamins C and E, research has identified many phytochemicals that are potent antioxidants, including those found in large amounts in raisins, plums, most berries and whole grains.
Additional research needed
Throughout the two-day conference, scientists repeatedly emphasized the need for additional research to
accurately identify which phytochemicals (and in which forms) can actually help prevent cancer or slow its growth. In the meantime, researchers underscored the distinction between the need for further study before isolated phytochemical supplements are used and the strong support that already exists for the cancer preventive potential of a predominantly plant-based diet. Researchers continued to support the conclusions of the American Institute for Cancer Research's report on diet and cancer prevention - that a balanced, plant-based diet could bring about a major drop in cancer rates. The key, they say, is to make a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and whole grains the major part of what we eat each day.
10/11/99
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE SEEN AS RISK IN FOOD SUPPLY
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The increased use of antibiotics in food animals is boosting the risk that dangerous "superbugs" resistant to drug treatment could be passed along to humans, scientists said Monday.
"It's not just a single pig or a single cow. It's a whole food commodity issue," Michael Osterholm, CEO of the Infection Control Advisory Network, told a news conference at a scientific meeting here. "Red meat, white meat, produce -- any commodity stream can play a role."
Scientists both in Europe and the United States have raised questions over the treatment of food
animals with antibiotics, which farmers use widely both to fight animal illness and as part of
animal feed to promote growth.
The European Union banned four antibiotics used in animal feed last December, hitting multinational drug companies Rhone Poulec, Pfizer, Eli Lilly's Elanco Animal Health and Alpharma and potentially costing them hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales.
In the United States, authorities have moved more slowly, with the Food and Drug Administration monitoring the veterinary use of antimicrobial drugs with an eye toward regulating those drugs seen most likely to create resistant bacteria which could lead to human illness.
Key bacteria found in U.S.
Bacteria which shrugs off one of the most powerful known antibiotics -- vancomycin -- has been found in some U.S. chicken feed, and research on pigs, cows and chickens has revealed signs that drug-resistant strains of salmonella, campylobacter and other bacteria are also spreading through animal populations.
In a series of reports at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), scientists presented new findings indicating that the problem is growing more complex as governments try to assess how much of a threat dinner may really pose to public health.
In a study at the University of Antwerp, researchers found that samples of chickens, pigs and turkeys turned up "alarmingly high" anti-microbial resistance rates among strains of campylobacter bacteria, which are a major cause of human gastroenteritis and diarrhea.
"There is growing scientific evidence that the use of antibiotics in food animals leads to the development of resistant pathogenic bacteria that can reach humans through the food chain," the study's authors concluded.
Another study at the University de la Rioja in Spain found a relatively high rate of antibiotic resistance in E.coli bacteria strains obtained from broiler chickens compared with those found in humans or their pets -- a difference the researchers said could be associated with the more widespread use of antibiotics in farm chickens.
This year, U.S. researchers in Minnesota reported a rise in human gastrointestinal illness caused by antibiotic-resistant campylobacter bacteria which they tied directly to the increase in quinolone-type antibiotics given to chickens.
Probe seeks risks
Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the agency is working with the Centers for Disease Control to determine the actual risks posed by antimicrobial use in farm animals and
hoped to establish regulations aimed at limiting the use of drugs which might eventually lose effectiveness in treating human illness.
9/28/99
BLUEBERRIES MAY PROVIDE ANTI-AGEING BOOST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A secret of youth may be as close as a nearby farm or the supermarket shelves: blueberries.
Elderly rats fed the human equivalent of at least half a cup of blueberries a day improved in balance, coordination and short-term memory, a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience said. A cup of blueberries is a normal serving.
Like other fruits and vegetables, blueberries contain chemicals that act as antioxidants. Scientists believe antioxidants protect the body against "oxidative stress," one of several biological processes that cause aging.
People "are told that once you're old, there's nothing you can do. That might not be true," said Barbara Shukitt-Hale, who co-authored the study at the Agriculture Department's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
Improving balance and coordination
Blueberries, strawberries and spinach all test high in their ability to subdue molecules called oxygen free radicals, which are created when cells convert oxygen into energy. In normal amounts, free radicals help rid the body of toxins, but they can also harm cell membranes and DNA, which results in cell deaths.
The Tufts study said strawberry and spinach extract produced some improvement in memory, but only blueberry extract had a significant impact on balance and coordination.
Other studies have suggested that antioxidants in fruits and vegetables could prevent cancer and heart disease. Previous research by the Tufts scientists indicated that antioxidants slowed down the aging process in rats that started taking the dietary supplement at 6 months of age. Their latest study was the
first to show antioxidants can actually reverse age-related declines, they said.
The blueberry advantage
They don't know why blueberries were more effective than strawberries and spinach or exactly how the chemicals work in the laboratory animals.
"Fruits and vegetables in general are very good for you. That's without question ... It's another thing to know why," said Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, who directs the neuroscience and neuropsychology
program at the National Institute of Aging.
Clinical trials need to be done to see whether humans could benefit, she said. The institute, which helped finance the Tufts research, already is sponsoring studies to test the effect of vitamin E, another antioxidant, aspirin and B vitamins on the mental processes of older women.
The rats used in the Tufts study were 19 months old, the equivalent of 65 to 70 years in humans.
Mice and mazes
They begin losing motor skills at 12 months. By 19 months, the time it takes a rat to walk a narrow rod before losing its balance drops from 13 seconds to 5 seconds. After eating daily doses of blueberry extract for eight weeks, the rats could stay on the rod for an average of 11 seconds.
They also performed better in negotiating mazes, as did those fed strawberry and spinach extracts, which signals improved short-term memory. But the subjects on the strawberry and spinach diet were no better at staying on the rod than rats who got no fruit extract.
The scientists believe the antioxidants improve cell membranes so that important nutrients and chemicals can flow through more easily.
James Joseph, one of the Tufts scientists, starts his day by mixing a handful of berries in a protein drink. "Motor behavior is one of the first things to go as you age," he said.
10/24/99
VEGAN DIET HELPS CONTROL TYPE II DIABETES
NEW YORK, Sep 14 (Reuters Health) -- A strict vegetarian 'vegan' diet can help improve blood sugar
control in patients with type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, according to researchers.
Bold sugar levels declined on the vegan diet, ``despite decreased medication use,'' conclude researchers
led by Dr. Andrew S. Nicholson, of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington,
DC. The results were published in the August issue of Preventive Medicine.
Nearly 95% of all diabetics have type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body gradually becomes less
sensitive to insulin, leading to potentially dangerous fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Medications and healthy changes in lifestyle -- such as low-fat diets and exercise -- can help patients maintain safe glycemic (blood sugar) control.
In their study, the authors tracked the glycemic control of seven patients with type 2 diabetes who
followed a strict, plant-based, low-fat 'vegan' diet for 12 weeks. The investigators compared the results with those of four diabetic patients assigned to a more conventional low-fat regimen.
According to the researchers, fasting blood glucose levels dropped an average of 28% in patients on the
low-fat vegan diet and 12% in those randomized to the conventional low-fat diet. Average weight loss was 7.2 kg (almost 16 pounds) in the vegan group and 3.8 kg (slightly over 8 pounds) in the conventional group, according to the report.
Furthermore, one of six patients in the vegan group completely discontinued use of hypoglycemia
medication during the study period, while three patients were able to reduce their dosage of these agents. By comparison, ``no patients in the control group reduced medication use,'' the investigators point out.
Although the findings appear promising, the study group was small, and the authors warn that the results
require confirmation through further research.
Source: Preventive Medicine 1999;29:87-91.
BREAST CANCER: Researchers have found that
50-something women who are overweight are at heightened risk
for breast cancer. Breast cancer risk was twice as high for
the heaviest women than for the lightest women; twice as high
for women who gained more than 10 pounds in the preceding
decade than for those with no weight change; and 30 percent
lower for women who lost at least 10 pounds over the preceding
decade than for those whose weight didn't change.
Source: Journal National Cancer
Institute 1996;88:650 as cited in Nutrition Action
Healthletter, Oct 1996, p3.
BREAST CANCER and MEAT CONSUMPTION: A study
in Uruguay (where breast cancer is the most common cancer
among women) found that high intakes of total meat and red
meat were associated with significant increases in risk of
breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer among women eating
the most red meat was 4.2 times greater than for those eating
the least. Fried meat had an especially high association with
breast cancer risk, likely due to the carcinogens formed when
meat is cooked at high temperatures.
Source: International Journal of Cancer
1996;65:328-31.
BREAST CANCER and VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION: In
a 1996 study of premenopausal women 40 years of age or older,
researchers found that the intake of vegetables decreased
the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer by 54 percent.
Source: Journal of the National Cancer
Institute 1996;88:340-8.
CANCER TREATMENT and VEGETARIAN DIETS: A recent
article in Issues in Vegetarian Dietetics (a publication
of the American Dietetic Association's Vegetarian Practice
Group) announced, "A vegetarian diet can be both safe
and beneficial for people undergoing cancer treatment, provided
they know how to make appropriate food choices. In fact, vegetarian
foods may even help people get through difficult times during
cancer treatment when their regular diets may falter."
Source: Donna Paglia, MS, RD, "Vegetarian
Diets During Cancer Treatment," Issues in Vegetarian
Dietetics, Vol VI, No 2, Winter 1997.
CHILDREN and FRUIT/VEGETABLE INTAKE: Across
the board, children in the US are not eating enough fruits
and vegetables (F&V). In the most comprehensive study
done to date, researchers found: (1) only one in five children
consumed five or more servings of F&V per day; (2) 50
percent of all children consumed less than one serving of
fruit per day; (3) French-fried potatoes constitute 23 percent
of all vegetables children consumed; (4) only one in 14 children
ate at least 3 vegetables and 2 or more servings of fruit
per day; (5) intake of specially emphasized F&V (including
citrus and dark green/deep yellow vegetables) was especially
low.
Source: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent
Medicine 1996;150:81-86.
CHRONIC DISEASES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: The
following is excerpted from Chapter Four of the Worldwatch
Institute's State of the World 1997.
- As developing countries shift toward the western model
of a meat-based diet, (egged on by television and global
marketing) chronic diseases are replacing infectious diseases
as leading killers.
- By 1989, cardiovascular disease--including coronary heart
disease and stroke--had become the leading cause of death
in China. In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly twice
as many people die from chronic diseases as from infectious
ones. A similar pattern exists in the Middle East and some
Asian countries. By the year 2020 in developing countries,
chronic diseases will account for 7 out of 10 deaths and
nearly 60 percent of all illness and disability. (61)
- The economic burden of chronic disease threatens to overwhelm
health services that are already under financial strain...In
the US alone, diet-related diseases--including heart disease,
cancer and stroke--cost nearly $180 billion a year in medical
expenses and lost productivity. (62)
- The diet characteristic of many industrial societies today
represents a break with dietary evolution. (63)
- Although doctors and research scientists know what constitutes
a healthy diet and what diets minimize chronic disease,
people are not moving toward that standard. In fact, more
people are following the western model. A look at the trends
in consumption of oil, fat, and meat shows where developing
countries, and consequently the world, are heading. (64)
- Coronary heart disease rates are more than five times
higher among American men than Greek men, and about four
times higher for American women than Greek women. (64)
- More than two thirds of saturated fat comes from meat,
milk and eggs. (64)
- Generally, people in developing countries eat less than
half as much meat as people in industrial countries do.
As with fats and oils, per capita consumption has increased
dramatically in newly industrialized countries, where it
reached 34.8 kilograms in 1995, up from 6.9 kilograms in
1965--a boost of nearly 400 percent. (65)
- Current meat consumption trends in China, however, are
especially troubling, as they point to the direction that
other developing countries may be heading in. Demand for
all red meat in China quadrupled between 1975 and 1995,
and is expected to keep rising in the near future. If it
does, the most populous country in the world can expect
to see a growing incidence of heart disease, stroke and
cancer. (65)
- Because the western diet is still new in developing countries,
diet-related chronic diseases are just beginning to emerge
and the full effects may not be seen for 20-30 years. (65)
- By 2010, chronic diseases are expected to account for
nearly three fourths of all deaths in Brazil...Cardiovascular
diseases are expected to soon be responsible for one out
of four deaths in developing countries...In parts of China,
Egypt and Poland, the prevalence of hypertension is already
approaching levels seen in Finland, which has one of the
highest mortality rates from stroke among middle-aged men
in the world. (66)
- Rather than aspiring to a western diet, people in developing
countries would be better off eating like people in Mediterranean
areas. (67)
- The bottom line is that the western diet is neither
inevitable nor desirable. There is a lot of diversity and
variability in diet patterns, even among westerners. One
key to reducing the dietary contribution to chronic disease
is education about the health risks and benefits of food
choices. As consumers in developing countries face an onslaught
of western fast-food chains, food experts, and advertisements,
they would do well not to succumb to the unhealthy habits
of westerners. With the right kind of information, people
can maintain the healthy aspects of their own traditional
diet, and supplement it with fresh fruits and vegetables.
(68) (emphasis added)
- Developing countries are in a unique but potentially tragic
situation. Because changes in eating, drinking, and smoking
are occurring more rapidly there than they did in industrial
countries three generations ago, and because they affect
more people, the costs of chronic disease in money and lives
threatens to be much higher. (75)
- Ongoing education about health and safety risks is important
to counter misleading and seductive advertisements, especially
for young adults. (75)
- Food policies that discourage overconsumption of fat
and meat are best for human health. In some areas, such
as China and other Asian countries, promoting nutritional
health means preserving traditional diets, cooking methods,
and cultural preferences rather than succumbing to western
influences...Food pricing schemes can be established based
on health benefits from grains, meats, fruits and vegetables...When
people know the facts, they often change their eating habits.
(76)
- If current trends in western diet and in alcohol and tobacco
use continue, developing countries will face an enormous
social and economic burden of chronic disease on top of
the continued burden of infectious disease. On the other
hand, if governments seize the opportunity to learn from
the mistakes of industrial countries, developing countries
will avoid increases in chronic disease and reduce the incidence
where it already exists. (77)
<CROHN'S DISEASE: Crohn's Disease is a chronic
illness involving the intestines. Though the cause of Crohn's
Disease is uncertain, recent findings suggest that diet may
play a role in its prevention. Researchers in Japan (where
Crohn's Disease is growing in prevalence) found that animal
protein is the nutrient most closely linked with the disease.
Vegetable protein was associated with a reduced incidence
of the disease.
Source: Am
J Clin Nutr 1996;63:741-745 as cited in Vegetarian
Journal, Sep/Oct 1996, p14.
EXERCISE: The 1996 Surgeon General's Report
on Physical Activity and Health found that fewer than
60 percent of US citizens are meeting the minimum guidelines
for moderate physical activity--about 30 minutes a day, most
days of the week. Hundreds of studies confirm that regular
physical activity reduces the risk of premature death, heart
disease, colon cancer, heart attack, high blood pressure and
much more.
Source: Julie Walsh, RD, "No More Excuses;
Uncle Sam Wants YOU to Get Moving," Environmental
Nutrition, Oct 1996, p2.
FISH
FISH and CONTAMINANTS: A recent report by the Center
for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) warns consumers,
"Shellfish feed by filtering two to three gallons of
water an hour. That means they take in whatever's floating
by--not only plankton and other foods, but viruses, bacteria,
mercury, and who-knows-what-else."
Fish with fins aren't always squeaky clean either, CSPI adds,
noting the risk of chemical contaminants. "Harmful metals,
industrial chemicals, and pesticides like mercury, PCBs, dioxin,
and chlordane often wash into rivers, lakes and oceans. In
fact, 47 states currently have fish consumption advisories
that warn about eating certain species. They cover 1,740 rivers
and lakes (including all the Great Lakes) and large chunks
of coastal areas."
Source: David Schardt and Stephen Schmidt,
"Fishing for Safe Seafood," Nutrition Action
Healthletter, Vol 23, #9, Nov 1996, p1-5.
FISH and PCBs: A Sept. 12, 1996 article in
the New England Journal of Medicine reports lower IQs
in Michigan children exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs), a persistent industrial compound once widely used
in the manufacture of electronic equipment and in paper recycling.
The average IQ was 6.2 points lower in children with the highest
prenatal exposure compared with children with the smallest
exposures. The children with the highest levels of PCBs were
traced to mothers who had eaten large quantities of Great
Lakes fish, infamous for PCB contamination. PCBs now taint
most soils and waters. The study's authors note,"women
who eat no fish may accumulate [PCBs] from other food sources,
including dairy products, such as cheese and butter, and fatty
meats, particularly beef and pork."
Source: Science News, Sep 14, 1996;
150:165. Also, New York Times, Sep 14, 1996, pA-14.
FOOD CHOICES
FOOD CHOICES and CHILDREN: A recent study finds that
10-year-olds are eating--and parents and schools are serving--less
red meat but more chicken and seafood. Total meat consumption
has stayed about the same. This trend more-or-less mirrors
changes in adults.
Source: Rod Smith, "Kids, schools switching
from meat to poultry," Feedstuffs, Oct 28, 1996.
FOOD CHOICES and CHILDREN and THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH
PROGRAM: The percentage of public schools offering brand-name
fast foods (like items from Pizza Hut, Domino's, Taco Bell
and Subway) increased dramatically from about 2 percent in
the 1990-91 school year to 13 percent in the 1995-96 school
year.
Source: General Accounting Office, "School
Lunch Program: Role and Impacts of Private Food Service Companies,"
August 1996.
FOOD SAFETY
FOOD SAFETY and ANIMAL DRUGS: In June 1996, a federal
jury found a Wisconsin company guilty of importing illegal
drugs including clenbuterol, and adding them to animal feeds.
Evidence showed that Vitek Corporation sold more than 1.7
million pounds of products containing these unapproved drugs
between 1988 and 1994. The US attorney involved in the case
stated, "The evidence established that veal feed suppliers
and veal producers throughout the country paid Vitek extra
for veal [feed] containing these illegal and harmful animal
drugs." The investigation is ongoing and additional charges
are expected soon.
Source: "Guilty verdict returned in veal
feed case," Feedstuffs, Sep 23, 1996, p19.
FOOD SAFETY and DAIRY: A recent report sheds new light
on one of the largest salmonella outbreaks in US history.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculates
that 224,000 people were sickened by salmonella-contaminated
Schwan's ice cream in 1994. Only 300 cases of salmonella poisoning
were reported to federal agencies from all causes that year,
pointing out just how hidden and widespread food contamination
(much of it associated with animal foods) is. One review of
published studies estimates as many as 81 million cases of
foodborne illness occur in the US each year, with only thousands
ever officially reported.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine,
May 16, 1996, cited in Science News; 150: Sep 14, 1996,
p173.
FOOD SAFETY and E. COLI and GREAT BRITAIN: An outbreak
of E. coli in Scotland had killed nine elderly people by early
December, 1996, with at least 204 cases confirmed overall.
The outbreak was linked to meat eaten at a retiree's luncheon.
The British government said that there had been more than
1,300 cases of E. coli poisoning in Scotland since 1990.
Source: "Ninth person dies in British
E. coli outbreak," Dec 8, 1996, found on WWW home page
of Federal Meat Inspectors Union.
FOOD SAFETY and E. COLI and JAPAN and US BEEF EXPORTS:
In the second-half of 1996, an outbreak of E. coli poisoning
killed 11 Japanese and sickened more than 9,500 others. The
outbreak has led to a sharp decline in Japan for US beef.
Sales were down 30-50 percent.
Source: "E. coli outbreak in Japan takes
toll on US exports," Meat Marketing and Technology,
Oct 1996.
FOOD SAFETY and MEAT: In Sept. 1996, the editor of
a meat industry trade journal called The National Provisioner
warned readers, "brown may be the color of a cooked [hamburger]
patty, but it may not be the color signaling that it is well
done and thus safe to eat." This cautionary note was
the focus of an editorial entitled, "Burgers cooked to
the right color may still contain poison."
Source: Barbara Young-Huguenin, The National
Provisioner, Sep 1996, p8.
HEALTH GENERAL: Half of all adults--100 million Americans--suffer
from one or more chronic diseases such as heart, liver and
kidney diseases, cancer, stroke, arthritis, diabetes and senility,
according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Two of three adults between 45 and 64, and nine of ten elderly
have one or more of these health problems. These chronic health
problems consume three quarters of all health care dollars.
By the year 2030, according to government estimates, one of
five Americans will be 65 or older, and 150 million of them
will suffer from chronic diseases.
Source: JAMA, Nov 13, 1996;276:1473.
HEART DISEASE: Heard that we are winning the war against
heart disease? Don't celebrate yet. According to the Feb.
1997 issue of Environmental Nutrition, "It seems
that, contrary to previous reports, deaths from heart disease
haven't dropped, they have merely been delayed. In other words,
efforts to fend off heart disease may gain the average person
a couple of years, but may not keep the disease at bay forever."
EN continues, "last fall the health community
was rocked by news that deaths from heart disease may actually
be rising. According to government figures, instead of about
150 of every 100,000 people dying yearly from the disease,
the toll might be as high as 260 to 270." The good news
of the past, it seems, was based mostly on the decline in
heart disease among 40-to-60 year olds. But four out of five
heart disease deaths occur among people over 65. When baby
boomers begin to reach 65, experts anticipate a surge in the
incidence of heart disease.
Source: Marsh Hudnall, RD, "Heart Disease
Handbook--Part 1," Environmental Nutrition, Feb
1997, p1-4.
HEART DISEASE and CHILDREN: Coronary heart disease
risk factors are prevalent at an early age according to a
study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Researchers found that of the 14- and 15-year olds studied,
41 percent of boys and 48 percent of girls were obese; 14
percent of boys and 8 percent of girls were severely obese;
dietary fat and saturated fat intake was higher than recommended;
and cardiovascular fitness scores were below average. The
results suggest the need to reduce intake of fat while increasing
exercise.
Source: JADA 1996;96:238-242, cited
in Nutrition Close-Up, Vol 13, #2, 1996.
HEART DISEASE and CHOLESTEROL and SOY: Numerous studies
have demonstrated how soy foods can lower LDL ("bad")
cholesterol. But a recent exciting finding is that soy also
increases HDL ("good") cholesterol, in some cases
by as much as 50 percent. To date, relatively few dietary
approaches have been shown to raise HDL cholesterol. According
to nutrition authority Mark Messina, PhD, "The combined
effect of a decreased LDL and an increased HDL strongly support
the use of soy for reducing heart disease risk."
Source: Mark Messina, PhD, "Researchers
From Around World Present On Wide Range of Chronic Diseases,"
The Soy Connection, Vol 5, #1, Winter 1997.
HEART DISEASE and CHOLESTEROL and STROKE: HDL's (the
"good" cholesterol) have long been known to protect
against heart disease. Researchers in Israel have recently
found that raising HDLs may also protect against stroke, which
is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. Smoking, older
age, high blood pressure and diabetes are other stroke risk
factors.
Source: Stroke, Jan 1997, as cited
in Environmental Nutrition, Feb 1997, p1.
HEART DISEASE and ESTROGEN REPLACEMENT THERAPY: One
of the strongest arguments for taking Estrogen Replacement
Therapy (ERT) has been the belief that it reduces women's
risk of heart disease. But new research suggests that this
may be overrated. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine say that the link between the two doesn't
take into account the possibility that ERT users were simply
healthier before menopause anyway.
Source: Amy O'Connor, "Heart to ERT,"
Vegetarian Times, Feb 1997, p22.
HEART DISEASE and FIBER: A recent Harvard University
study concluded that a high-fiber diet alone--independent
of fat intake--can prevent heart disease. Men who ate the
most fiber--29 grams per day on average--were 36 percent less
likely to suffer a heart attack than those who ate the least,
about 12 grams per day, which is roughly the US average fiber
intake.
Source: "Fat and Fiber Square Off in
the Fight Against Heart Disease," Environmental Nutrition,
Oct 1996, p2.
Simply replacing four slices of refined bread with whole
wheat bread can increase dietary fiber intake by as much as
8 grams per day and would be a significant step toward helping
consumers reach the 20-35 grams that experts recommend.
Source: Mark Messina, PhD, "Small Changes
Can Lead to Big Improvements," The Soy Connection,
Fall 1996, p1.
In a study of 44,000 men, researchers found that those who
ate the most fiber were at a 41 percent lower risk of coronary
heart disease than those eating the least amount of fiber.
Researchers concluded that fiber appears to be an important
component in preventing heart disease.
Source: Journal of the American Medical
Association 1996;275:447-51.
HEART DISEASE and FISH: Despite high hopes in the
early 1980s that fish consumption protected humans from heart
disease, the consensus among researchers now seems to be that
a little fish may still do some good, but more fish is not
necessarily better. Since the early 80s, studies have shown
conflicting results about the purported benefits to the heart
from eating fish. Several studies have shown no link. A study
of 45,000 male dentists in 1986 found that men who ate six
or more servings of fish a week had no lower risk of heart
disease than the men who ate only one serving a month.
Source: Bonnie Liebman, "Is Seafood a
Heart Saver?, Nutrition Action Healthletter, vol 23,
#9, Nov 1996, p6-7.
HEART DISEASE and FOLIC ACID: Researchers have known
for some time that the B vitamin folic acid (also called folate)
can prevent birth defects. Now cardiac experts believe that
it can avert up to 10 percent of all cases of heart disease
and stroke as well. Folate benefits cardiac patients by lowering
elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine
is an amino acid found at elevated levels primarily in people
who eat meat. High levels of homocysteine have also been linked
to senility. Good sources of folate include dark green leafy
vegetables, fruits (especially citrus), other vegetables,
whole grains and enriched breakfast cereals.
Source: Frances Sigurdsson, "Folate For
All," Vegetarian Times, Feb 1997, p22.
A study of 5,100 Canadian men and women found that those
with the lowest levels of folate in their blood were at 70
percent higher risk for heart disease than those with the
highest levels. Vegetables and legumes are rich in folate.
Folate is required to convert homocysteine (an amino acid
closely associated with the consumption of meat) into methionine.
Homocysteine is linked with both stroke and heart disease.
Source: Journal of the American Medical
Association 1996;275:1893-96.
HEART DISEASE and FRUIT CONSUMPTION: Eating fresh
fruits daily appears to significantly lower the risk of dying
from heart disease, stroke and other causes, according to
British researchers. A study of more than 11,000 adults aged
45 and older found that people who ate fresh fruit daily had
24 percent fewer heart attacks, 32 percent fewer strokes and
21 percent fewer deaths overall compared with those who did
not.
Source: "The Healthy in a Study Eat Fresh
Fruit Daily," Washington Post, Oct 8, 1996.
HEART DISEASE and MEDICAL COSTS and DEAN ORNISH, MD: A
total of 507 heart disease patients who followed Dr. Dean
Ornish's low-fat diet and lifestyle regimen may have lowered
medical costs by up to $7 million over the past three years
according to a study by the insurance company Mutual of Omaha.
The insurer and Ornish said most of the patients who initially
needed bypass surgery or angioplasty were able to avoid the
procedures after participating in the Ornish program. Mutual
of Omaha arrived at the $7 million savings figure by comparing
the medical costs of 14 of its policyholders who took part
in Ornish's program with a control group of 14 other policyholders
who had similar histories of heart disease but were not in
the program. Medical costs were $3,826 for Ornish participants
and $13,927 for those not in the program, a savings of more
than $10,000 per patient. According to the study, chest pain
disappeared after a year in 65 percent of the patients who
had it, and progression of artery blockages was stopped or
reversed in 66 percent.
Source: Shannon Querry, "Sparse Diet
OK'd For Heart Disease," Associated Press, Feb.
12, 1997.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE and PLANT-RICH DIETS: Currently
some 50 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure,
also known as hypertension. Patients taking part in a recent
study at five medical centers across the country significantly
reduced their high blood pressure within two weeks of consuming
a diet rich in high-fiber fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy
products. These results suggest that dietary improvements--along
with lifestyle changes--can replace pharmaceutical drugs for
some patients. Blood pressure drugs often have unwanted side
effects.
Source: Stuart Auerback, "Diet Lowers
Blood Pressure," Washington Post, Nov 19, 1996.
HOSPITAL FOOD: A recent survey of 57 teaching hospitals
in the US found that hospital food is not only notoriously
bad tasting, it's nutritionally substandard as well. The survey
found that 39 percent of the hospital menus exceeded the recommended
levels for fat, 47 percent for saturated fat, a whopping 81
percent for cholesterol and 54 percent for sodium. The researchers
concluded, "Hospitals should assume a greater role in
promoting healthful diets. We cannot think of a more appropriate
place to encourage the nutritional health of Americans.
Source: Don Colburn, "Hospital menus
fare poorly in nutrition," Washington Post, Jan
2, 1997.
IRON: New findings by US Department of Agriculture
researchers indicate that women eating a vegetarian diet do
not have significantly different levels of iron in their blood
than women eating meat every day. The study's results suggest
that the body may absorb the iron it needs from plant sources
as well as it does from animal sources. Previous studies have
found that people eating a vegetarian diet consume more iron-rich
foods than do omnivores.
Source: Amy O'Connor, "The Iron-clad
Truth," Vegetarian Times, Feb 1997, p22.
MAD COW DISEASE: In October 1996, British researchers
reported in the journal Nature of having direct evidence
that Mad Cow Disease was indeed transmitted from cattle to
people.
Source: Science News, Vol 150, Nov
2, 1996, p282.
What worries many is that the US continues to recycle animal
scraps, turning them into cattle feed. On January 2, 1997,
the Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on feeding
cows back to other cows.
Source: FDA Press Release, January 2, 1997.
Author Robert Rhodes, who wrote The Making of the Atomic
Bomb, has written a book called Deadly Feasts: Tracking
the Secrets of a Terrifying New Plague on the subject
of Mad Cow Disease. A review of Deadly Feasts in the
New York Times notes, "Infectious material drawn
from victims of spongiform diseases [of which Mad Cow is one]
can be bombarded with radiation, soaked in formaldehyde, baked
at 700 degrees--and it remains infectious." Rhodes calls
the practice of feeding protein supplements made from dead
livestock to other livestock (a practice responsible for Great
Britain's outbreak of Mad Cow Disease) "industrial cannibalism."
Because this practice is widely used in the US, Rhodes believes
that American beef may already be infected with the agent
that causes Mad Cow Disease.
Source: George Johnson, "The Brain Eater,"
New York Times, March 16, 1997.
MAD COW DISEASE and FDA BAN: In what is being billed
as a purely preventive measure to keep Mad Cow Disease from
reaching America's livestock herd, the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is proposing a ban on mixing dead cows, sheep and other
ruminants into livestock food that is fed back to cows, the
means by which Mad Cow Disease was spread among British cattle.
But ranchers and meat processors are protesting, claiming
the ban will cut into profits. An FDA study determined that
the ban will cost the rendering industry $20 to $50 million.
The renderers claim that $160 million is more accurate.
Feed expenses make up the majority of the costs of raising
livestock, so higher costs could translate into more expensive
beef and pork, some say. Beef producers fear that this will
accelerate consumers departure from beef for chicken and fish.
The ban could also present another problem for ranchers:
the disposal of animal carcasses and byproducts which no longer
have commercial use. Cattlemen would have to resort to burying
carcasses and byproducts or turning them into fertilizer,
both of which are expensive and inconvenient, say ranchers.
Source: Michelle Crouch, "Proposed Mad
Cow Disease ban will hurt ranchers, processors," AP
Business Extra, March 12, 1997.
MAD COW DISEASE and FEED EXPORT: An article in the
journal Nature on June 12, 1996 alleges that agricultural
firms in England exported feed containing meat byproducts
suspected of causing Mad Cow Disease for two years after those
feeds were banned in Britain. Tens of thousands of tons of
the contaminated feed may have been exported, apparently with
the full knowledge of British authorities. Exports of the
feed doubled after they were banned in Britain in 1988. Much
of the exported feed was sold to France, but also to other
European countries, the Middle East and Asia.
Source: Ian Elliot, "Exports of bad British
feed alleged," Feedstuffs, June 24, 1996.
MAD COW DISEASE and NEW YORKER MAGAZINE:
In its December 2, 1996 issue, The New Yorker devoted
eleven pages to a story on Mad Cow Disease entitled "A
New Kind of Contagion." "Is British beef safe?,"
the author asks. "If the infectivity is restricted to
the parts of the cow's body which are being removed and discarded
[that's the brain, the spinal cord, and so forth], and if
we can trust the abattoirs to remove the offal, then the beef
is probably safe... Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily
mean that British beef has always been safe. From 1985 until
the offal ban in November 1989, infected matter was routinely
passing into the human food supply." After the ban, offal
was still often passing into the food supply because the ban
was rarely enforced... A single gram--less than a twentieth
of an ounce--of infective BSE material given to a cow is enough
to kill it.
Source: John Lanchester, "A New Kind
of Contagion", The New Yorker , Dec 2, 1996, p70-81.
MAD COW DISEASE and RENDERING: The emergence of Mad
Cow Disease is attracting press coverage to America's secretive
rendering industry. The New York Times recently revealed
that rendering is "the ancient but seldom-discussed practice
of boiling down and making feed meal and other products out
of slaughterhouse remains and restaurant scraps, dead farm
animals, road kill and--distasteful as it may seem--cats and
dogs euthanized in some animal shelters."
"This quasi-cannibalism lies behind the [Mad Cow Disease]
outbreak in Britain and regulators want to be sure it will
not cause problems in the United States," said the Times.
"Rendering, which dates to the early Egyptians, operates
in the shadows of polite society, persisting because it provides
an essential service: disposing of millions of pounds of dead
animals every day."
"Renderers in the United States pick up 100 million
pounds of waste material every day--a witch's brew of feet,
heads, stomachs, intestines, hooves, spinal cords, tails,
grease, feathers and bones. Half of every butchered cow and
a third of every pig is not consumed by humans. An estimated
six million to seven million dogs and cats are killed in animal
shelters every year."
The materials are cooked and then separated into fatty acids
"for lubricants, lipstick, cement, polish, inks and waxes.
Other fractions, including the gelatinous layers, tallow and
grease, go into thousands of products including soaps, candles,
pharmaceuticals, homeopathic medicines and gummy candies."
The heavier protein materials become "the major ingredient
in pet and animal feed. It is a cannibalistic practice that
has proved highly profitable."
"Since 1989, British renderers have tried to keep infected
meat out of their products...In 1989, the American rendering
industry initiated a voluntary program under which, for example,
no sheep heads were to be accepted at rendering plants. An
Agriculture Department (USDA) survey three years later found
that [only] 6 of 11 plants inspected did so."
The Times reports that USDA has proposed a new rule
to ban the feeding of protein derived from cows, sheep, goats,
deer and elk back to cows. But according to Dr. Richard Marsh,
a veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin, the cow epidemic
may have nothing to do with the processing techniques used
by renderers in making animal feeds. Says Marsh, there are
reasons to believe that Mad Cow Disease has already spontaneously
risen in American cattle. In a stunning revelation, the Times
continues: "Spontaneous cases of Mad Cow Disease may
well occur in one cow out of every million cows each year,
said Dr. Joseph Gibbs, a leading expert on Mad Cow Disease
at the National Institute of neurological Disorders and Stroke
in Bethesda, Md. There are 150 million cows in this country,
which means that each year 150 of them might develop Mad Cow
Disease--all on their own, without any exposure to tainted
feed." (emphasis added)
"Renderers pick up carcasses of 100,000 downer cows
[those that die for no readily apparent reason] every year
and mix them in with other animals, Dr. Marsh said. Although
[USDA] tries to test downer cows for signs of Mad Cow Disease,
it can only sample a small percentage. Moreover, animals can
be quite sick and not show signs of it before they are sent
to slaughter, Dr. Marsh said. Thus, try as they might to
avoid the problem, renderers could unknowingly introduce infected
animals into animal feed and start an epidemic."(emphasis
added)
"Deer and elk also have a spontaneous mad-cow-like disease,
Dr. Gibbs said. If they die in the woods, the disease would
not be transmitted. But if they are killed on the road, they
are sent to zoos or greyhound tracks or, more often, go straight
to the rendering plant to end up as cattle feed or pet food."
Source: Sandra Blakeslee, "Fear of Disease
Prompts New Look at Rendering," New York Times,
March 11, 1997.
MAD COW DISEASE and TIME MAGAZINE:
In January 1997, Time magazine ran a 2-page story
on Mad Cow Disease. Time cited a recently published
paper suggesting that 1996's outbreak of human illness resulting
from Mad Cow "might be only the tip of an epidemiological
iceberg, and that thousands of Europeans are unknowingly infected
and could die from the disease."
"The only thing that stands between us and an epidemic
is unmitigated luck," Robert Rohwer told Time.
Rohwer is director of molecular virology at the VA Medical
Center in Baltimore. Rohwer added, "I hope we're not
on the same course as the British, but we could be."
The Time article concludes, "There are 44 million
head of cattle in the US, and 7 million are killed for food
each year. If just one of those slaughtered cows turns out
to be a mad cow, the illness that's now an ocean away could
establish its first beachhead on American shores."
Source: Jeffrey Kluger, "Could Mad-Cow
Disease Strike Here?," Time, Jan 27, 1997.
OBESITY and MEAT CONSUMPTION: A study in the British
Medical Journal found that the average weight of male
and female meat eaters was 13 pounds and 10.3 pounds greater
than the respective average weight of their counterparts who
eat a vegan diet.
Source: British Medical Journal 1996;313:816-17.
OSTEOPOROSIS and BONE HEALTH and PROTEIN CONSUMPTION:
Dietary protein increases urinary calcium losses and has been
associated with higher rates of hip fracture in cross-cultural
studies. (Such bone fracture rates are considered a barometer
of overall bone strength and health). Now a study of 85,900
women has found that protein was associated with a 22 percent
increased risk of forearm fractures for women who consumed
more than 95 grams per day compared with those who consumed
less than 68 grams per day. (The Recommended Dietary Allowance
of protein for women is 50 grams per day.) This increased
risk was observed for animal protein only, not for women eating
larger-than-recommended quantities of vegetable protein.
Researchers also calculated that women who consumed at least
5 servings of red meat per week had a 23 percent increased
risk of forearm fracture compared with women who ate red meat
less than once per week.
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology
1996;143:472-9.
PLANT-BASED DIETS: The Center for Science in the Public
Interest ran an excellent article in the October 1996 issue
of their publication Nutrition Action Healthletter on
the health and environmental benefits of plant-based diets.
"There's no question that largely vegetarian diets are
as healthy as you can get," says Marion Nestle, chair
of the nutrition department at New York University. "The
evidence is so strong and overwhelming and produced over such
a long period of time that it's no longer debatable."
Nestle adds, "My number-one reason for eating a plant-rich
diet is that it tastes good. I feel deprived if my meal doesn't
have lots of vegetables in it."
Source: Bonnie Liebman, "Plants for Supper:
10 Reasons to Eat More Like a Vegetarian," Nutrition
Action Healthletter, Oct 1996, p10-12.
SENIOR'S HEALTH and SENILITY and FOOD CHOICES: Symptoms
such as dementia, mental disorientation and memory loss, commonly
associated with senility, may actually be due to nutritional
deficiencies, according to several recent studies in prominent
medical journals. In March 1996, the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition published a study showing that homocysteine,
an amino acid found at high levels in the blood of people
who eat meat, is linked with a type of mental disorientation
frequently seen in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
The study found that eating foods rich in folic acid lowers
blood levels of homocysteine and improves mental functioning.
Source: Carol M. Coughlin, RD, "Nutritional
Rx for Aging," Vegetarian Times, Feb 1997, p30.
STOMACH CANCER and ONIONS: Studies in Iowa and China
have shown that the consumption of vegetables in the onion
family (onions, leeks, garlic and shallots) may reduce considerably
the risk of stomach cancer.
Source: Gastroenterology 1996;110:10-20.
VEGETARIAN DIETS
VEGETARIAN DIETS and HEALTH: In a study in northern
Mexico, researchers found that people following a vegetarian
diet for an average of five years had lower sodium, higher
potassium and lower blood pressure than the non-vegetarian
control group. In addition, 11.1 percent of the non-vegetarians
were overweight and suffered from high blood pressure, compared
to only 2.7 percent of those following a vegetarian diet.
Source: Nutrition Research 1995;15(6):819-30.
VEGETARIAN DIETS and LONGEVITY: A study of 11,000
vegetarian and health-conscious people followed for an average
of 17 years found that they had an overall mortality level
44 percent below that of the general population.
Source: British Medical Journal 1996;313:775-79.
WIC and DIETARY CHANGES: The USDA is considering changes
to the Women With Infant Children (WIC) feeding program to
include more vegetarian options, reports Suzanne Havala, RD.
WIC is considering the addition of soy-based milk and possibly
other soy foods. The proposed changes are believed to be "on
a fast track." Changes to the WIC program follow the
same formal rule-making process that changes made to the National
School Lunch program follow.
Source: Suzanne Havala, MS, RD, FADA, "WIC
Program May Undergo Changes to Include More Vegetarian Options,"
Issues in Vegetarian Dietetics, Vol VI, No 2, Winter
1997.
WOMEN'S HEALTH
WOMEN'S HEALTH and MENOPAUSE and SOY: Researchers
at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in North Carolina found
that women given soy supplements reported significantly less-severe
hot flashes and night sweats than those taking placebos. The
soy also had other beneficial effects for those in the 18-week
study: total cholesterol dropped an average of 10 percent,
LDL ("bad" cholesterol) levels dropped 12 percent
and diastolic blood pressure dropped six points. Soy may prove
to be a potential alternative to traditional estrogen replacement
therapy. A much larger study using more soy protein is currently
underway.
Source: "Research News," Environmental
Nutrition, Feb 1997, p8.
WOMEN'S HEALTH and OSTEOPOROSIS and SOY: "Four
[recent] animal studies and two human studies...strongly suggest
a role for soy in inhibiting bone resorption [i.e. bone loss],
stimulating bone formation or both, although all of this work
should be considered preliminary."
Source: Mark Messina, PhD, "Researchers
From Around World Present On Wide Range of Chronic Diseases,"
The Soy Connection, Vol 5, #1, Winter 1997
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