January 2008 Archives

While it should come as no surprise to anyone, it still is upsetting to read articles such as this one in the New York Times regarding one of my favorite treats.  Consumers need to read the EPA's fish consumption advisories when making food choices for their families.

Recent laboratory tests found so much mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants that at most of them, a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.

"No one should eat a meal of tuna with mercury levels like those found in the restaurant samples more than about once every three weeks," said Dr. Michael Gochfeld, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J.

Often the limited information available at point of purchase or consumption makes it difficult to make informed choices regarding fish and seafood products.

Read more:

The New York Times 

Environmental Protection Agency - Fish Consumption Advisories

U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Seafood Information and Resources

Women who have higher dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin, compounds that are found in yellow or dark, leafy vegetables appear to have a lower risk for developing cataracts according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"The oxidative hypothesis of cataract formation posits that reactive oxygen species can damage lens proteins and fiber cell membranes and that nutrients with antioxidant capabilities can protect against these changes," the authors write as background information in the article. Vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are all believed to have antioxidant properties. Lutein and zeaxanthin are the only carotenoids - yellow plant pigments - present in the lens of the human eye and may also protect against cataracts by filtering harmful blue light.

William G. Christen, Sc.D., of Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues analyzed dietary information from 35,551 female health professionals who enrolled in the Women's Health Study in 1993. The women were then followed for an average of 10 years, and the diets of those who developed cataracts were compared with the diets of those who did not.

A total of 2,031 women developed cataracts during the study. When the participants were split into five groups based on the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin they consumed, those in the group who consumed the most (about 6,716 micrograms per day) had an 18 percent lower chance of developing cataracts than those who consumed the least (1,177 micrograms per day). The one-fifth who consumed the most vitamin E from food and supplements - about 262.4 milligrams per day - were 14 percent less likely than the one-fifth who got the least (4.4 milligrams per day).

"In conclusion, these prospective data from a large cohort of female health professionals indicate that higher intakes of lutein/zeaxanthin and vitamin E are associated with decreased risk of cataract," the authors write. "Although reliable data from randomized trials are accumulating for vitamin E and other antioxidant vitamins, randomized trial data for lutein/zeaxanthin are lacking. Such information will help to clarify the benefits of supplemental use of lutein/zeaxanthin and provide the most reliable evidence on which to base public health recommendations for cataract prevention by vitamin supplementation."

Read more:

Science Daily

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) urges every woman who could become pregnant to get 400 micrograms (400 mcg) of folic acid every day. Folic acid helps the body make healthy new cells. It is important that women get enough of it before and during a pregnancy to prevent major birth defects involving a baby's brain or spine.

More U.S. women are taking daily supplements of folic acid, a B vitamin crucial to prevent some major birth defects, but the number remains too low according to federal health officials.

Folic acid and folate are forms of the water-soluble Vitamin B₉. These occur naturally in food and can also be taken as supplements.

Read more:
CDC - Folic Acid
Office of Dietary Supplements - National Institutes of Health
The National Council on Folic Acid
Wikipedia

One of our researchers sent me an article from an LA television website that states the facts in such an uncomplicated manner I had to pass it along. Too often today the subject of nutrition, what to eat and how to cook is overly complicated by the media. Keep it simple and enjoy!

I will give you the first 3 and go to KABC TV to get the rest.

Nutritionists say there are six so-called "super foods" that every woman should incorporate into her diet as often as possible.

Following are the six foods that should be included in every woman's diet.

1. Low fat yogurt - Nutritionists say yogurt has the potential to decrease the risk of breast cancer and can reduce problems associated with digestive tract disorders and stomach ulcers.

2. Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel - Fatty fish is packed with two types of omega-3 fatty acids. It helps protect women from heart disease, stroke, hypertension, depression, and may even Alzheimer's disease.

3. Beans - Beans are a good source of protein and fiber. They're low in fat and help protect against heart disease and breast cancer.

More: KABC TV

Yes, according to researchers in Italy. They report that cooking vegetables can preserve or even boost their nutritional value in comparison to their raw counterparts, depending on the cooking method used.

The report found in the Dec 26, 07 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry was reviewed for and article in ScienceDaily.

They found that steaming broccoli actually increased its content of glucosinolates, a group of plant compounds touted for their cancer-fighting abilities.

Read more: ScienceDaily