Is Risk of Death Raised by Eating More Red Meat?

Is eating red meat bad for health? This highly controversial question has been debated between various groups of people for years.

Eating too much meat would probably cause people to put on weight. Being overweight or obese, one will have a much higher chance of getting many medical complications like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and even certain types of cancer.

In order to find out answer pertaining to this question, the National Cancer Institute in United States carried out one of the largest study.

The researchers reported that people who eat the most red meat as well as processed meat have the highest overall risk of death from all causes, including heart disease and cancer. Their findings appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine on March 23, 2009.

More than 500,000 people aged between 50 and 71 were involved in the study. They filled out questionnaires on their diet and other health habits. Their records were later examined by the researchers.

It was found that people who ate meat heavily were more likely to die over the next 10 years than those who ate the least amount of meat, even when other factors such as eating fresh fruits and vegetables, exercise, obesity and smoking were accounted for.

The researchers found that the consumption of red and processed meat were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular mortality.

The volunteers participated in the study were divided into 5 groups, called quintiles. There were 47,976 men and 23,276 women died during the period between 1995 and 2005.

People in the quintile that ate the most red meat had a higher risk for overall death, death from heart disease and cancer than the men and women who ate the least red meat.

If people could eat less meat, thousands of deaths could just be prevented. For overall mortality, 11 percent of deaths in men and 16 percent of deaths in women could be prevented should people reduced their red meat intake to the level in the first quintile.

Youth Studying Closed to Fast Food Restaurants Tend to be Obese!

Fast food has been accused as the culprit responsible for the prevailing obesity epidemic among the youngsters. Evidence has already shown that obese people have higher chance of getting heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other medical disorders.

Consumer groups have actively pushed for laws on new fast food restaurants in certain Los Angeles neighborhoods, and the food industry often responds and maintains that a lack of exercise is more to blame.

The youth obesity rates in United States have tripled since 1980, although they did level off this decade. According to the figures from government, 32 percent of United States children are overweight and 16 percent are obese.

Published on December 23, 2008 in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers from Azusa Pacific University in California reported that youth who study near a fast-food outlet eat fewer servings of fruit and vegetables, drink more soda, and they are more likely to be obese or overweight than students at other schools are.

Involving more than 500,000 adolescents at middle schools and high schools in California, the study examined the relationship between obesity among these students and fast food restaurants located within half a mile (0.8 km) of schools.

The weight and dietary information from a statewide school survey between 2002 and 2005 were recorded and the data was cross-referenced with a database of top fast food chains located near each school.

The researchers discovered that fast food outlets near schools did affect students’ eating habits, and hence overweight and obesity. Results clearly showed that students, who were exposed to nearby fast food, have a higher level of body mass index. In other words, they just weighed more. However, they could not determine the exact rationale why fast food restaurants near schools have such an impact.

Possible explanation should go beyond than easy accessing to burgers, fries and tacos. Perhaps, ‘a nearby fast food restaurant is a perfect location for people to socialize’ might be the reason.

How Grapes Could Help Prevent Heart Disease?

People with high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) have a higher possibility of getting heart disease including heart attack and heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure.

A recent study found that grapes helped laboratory rats, which were fed with salty diet, lower their blood pressure reduced and improve heart function. The study was sponsored in part by the California Table Grape Commission who provided financial support and supplied the grape powder; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and part of the National Institutes of Health.

The researchers from the Cardioprotection Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan, who carried out the study reported on October 29, 2008 in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences that their findings may help people with high blood pressure.

Meanwhile, they were also pleased to note that their findings support their theory that something within the grapes has a direct impact on cardiovascular risk. This is well beyond the already known fact that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables could lower blood pressure.

In the study, the effects of ordinary grapes were examined on rats that develop high blood pressure when fed a salty diet.

A powder from red, green and purple table grapes and a high-salt diet were given to some rats while others were fed the grape powder and a low-salt diet. Using grape powder, which contained the same nutrients in fresh grapes, would allow the scientists to measure the rats’ intake carefully.

18 week later, lower blood pressure, better heart function, reduced inflammation throughout their bodies, and fewer signs of heart muscle damage were observed among rats that ate the grape-enriched diet when comparing to rats that ate a salty diet with no grapes.

The grape powder used in the study comprised about 3 percent of the rats' diet. For humans, this should be about 9 servings of grapes a day. By the way, one serving is about 15 grapes, so it means people have to consume about 135 grapes per day.

It is believed that flavonoids, which are beneficial chemicals found in grapes, green tea, cocoa and tomatoes, could be responsible for the lowering of blood pressure.

Furthermore, flavonoids have already been shown in other studies to have heart-health benefits. In fact, various studies sponsored by chocolate makers, almond and walnut producers have shown some sorts of heart benefits, including reducing inflammation in blood vessels and lowering the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

Fruit Juice May Be Superior Than Fruit To Prevent Heart Disease

Fruit and vegetables should form part of everyday’s diet if one wishes to prevent heart disease and maintain a healthy body. Yet, most of the health experts would advise us not to take fruit juice because it may cause a person to gain weight.

However, a recent study by French researchers from the Universite Montpellier reported in May 2008 that grapes, apples and their juices could prevent atherosclerosis being developed in hamsters eating a high-fat diet, high-cholesterol diet.

The term atherosclerosis refers to buildup of fatty plaque deposits in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks or stroke.

The study found that fruit juices had a more powerful anti-atherosclerotic effect than the fruit itself. This is probably the first time that processing fruits can have a major impact on its health benefits.

In the study, hamsters were fed with grapes, grape juice, apples, apple juices or water, along with a diet designed to promote atherosclerosis. The aim is to investigate how juice might influence the content of phenolic compounds, which are powerful antioxidants contained in fruits. Meanwhile, a control group of animals ate normal chow.

The hamsters, which were fed with fruits, had the amount equivalent to 3 apples or 3 bunches of grapes daily for a human, while the amount of juice given to another group of hamsters was equivalent to 4 glasses daily for a person weighing 70 kilos.

The researchers noted that apples and grapes had roughly the same phenol content but the purple grape juice had 2.5 times more phenols than apple juice.

When comparing with hamsters given water, those consumed fruit or fruit juice had lower cholesterol levels, less oxidative stress, and less fat accumulation in their aorta (the main vessel supplying oxygenated blood to the body). In terms of health effects, purple grape fruit rank high, followed by purple grapes, apple juices and apples.

According to the researchers, while the amounts of phenols contained in a food have a direct effect on its antioxidant properties, other antioxidant compounds in the fruits such as Vitamin C, carotenoids could also contribute to their effects. Such findings do provide encouragement that fruit and fruit juice may have significant clinical and public health relevance.

Would Fruit Juice Benefit Women with Type-2 Diabetes?

Eat more vegetables and fruits to stay healthy! You would probably hear this very common statement frequently. How about fruit juice, is it good for health?

A recent study published in July 2008 by Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans indicated that “women with Type-2 diabetes” should stay away from fruit juice. They should eat green leafy vegetables and whole fruits, instead, if they wish to ward off Type-2 diabetes.

The researchers found that with an additional 3 servings of whole fruit daily, or one more serving of spinach, kale or similar leafy green vegetable, the risk of developing diabetes over an 18-year-period was reduced among the 71,346 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study.

The decrease was only modest, so if one with many other risk factors, for example, unhealthy diet, smoking, emotional stress, overweight, etc., then this may not be able to prevent one from diabetes, the researchers added.

Diabetes is a very common disease that affects some 150 million people worldwide. A person with diabetes will have high levels of sugar in their blood. This will lead to heart disease, heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, etc. if it is not managed appropriately.

In the study, 4,529 women, who developed Type-2 diabetes, were being followed and their data on the diets were analyzed. These women were divided into 5 groups based on fruit and vegetable intake, and on fruit juice consumption.

It was found that an additional of 3 servings a day of whole fruit would reduce the risk of Type-2 diabetes by 18 percent, while a single additional serving of leafy green vegetables only cut the risk by 9 percent. When an additional daily serving of fruit juice was introduced, the likelihood of developing diabetes was increased by 18 percent. A possible reason for such an increase in risk could be the big sugar load coming in liquid form that is absorbed rapidly.

The new findings seem to be contradicting with the current national dietary guidelines in United States, which recommend using 100 percent fruit juice to replace a serving of fruit. While the findings must be replicated, the researchers still warn people who wish to replace some beverages with fruit juices as healthier options to implement with caution.

Prices For Healthy Foods Are Getting Higher And Higher!

Healthy lifestyle is the key for heart disease prevention. This is an undeniable fact. But when we talk about healthy lifestyle, we cannot do away with healthy diet. In other words, healthy food forms an integrated part of our healthy life.

But regretfully, the prices of fruits and vegetables are now climbing faster than inflation, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, also revealed that junk food is actually getting cheaper.

The researchers examined the prices of 372 foods and beverages at Seattle supermarket chains in 2004 and 2006 and found that low-calorie and nutrient-rich foods, mainly fruits and vegetables, were far more expensive than sweets and snack foods, based on comparison of calorie for calorie. While the price of the lowest-calorie fruits and vegetables was more than US$18.16 (S$26.33) per 1,000 calories, the most calorie-rich foods cost US$1.76 per 1,000 calories.

In fact, the average price of the lowest-calorie foods, including green vegetables, tomatoes and berries, increased by almost 20 per cent over 2 years. In the same time period, there was a 2-per cent drop in the cost of the most calorie-laden fare, such as butter, potato chips, cookies and candy bars. The 20-per cent increase in the cost of the lowest-calorie foods may very likely put those Americans who need these healthful foods the most out of reach.

This study highlighted a key obstacle to healthy eating. In addition, the fact that calorie-dense foods are the least expensive and most resistant to inflation, may also help explain why the highest rates of obesity continue to be observed among groups of limited economic means.

The researchers urged Americans to change their personal behavior and the government to make policy shifts that can help people eat more healthful foods, such as changes in the way they subsidizes the agricultural industry.

How To Eat Healthily During This Festive Season?

Eggnog, log cakes, turkey, ham and many festive treats will keep popping up in front of you whenever you go during this coming Christmas and New Year.

Most of us just cannot resist 'good and delicious' foods, especially those only available once a year. Too much of these 'good' food will not only make us gain weight, but also lead us to health problems such as heartburn and indigestion. One should not forget the fact that eating rich food over time can increase the risk of weight gain and other diet-related conditions such as stroke, diabetes and heart disease. So, the best is to exercise restraint.

This does not mean that we should totally ignore all these festive foods but instead, we should eat healthily. But, how can we do it?

Here are some useful eating tips suggested by dietitians.

One dietitian suggests having a sugared drink or light snack before going out for meal as this can stave off hungers and prevent overeating. When you are at the buffer table, choose low-fat and low-sugar dishes that include lean meats without the skin, fruit and vegetables. If you must take ham, just have one serving (2 thin slices). Excessive salt intake should be avoided as this may lead to hypertension (high blood pressure).

Indigestion and gastric pains due to overeating are not uncommon problems during the festive period. So eat slowly, and chew your food well and do not forget to use small plates to cut down on the portions of food you consume.

Another dietitian advises people to stop eating several hours before bedtime because lying down too soon after eating increases the likelihood of heartburn. After a heavy meal, one should try restore balance to his or her diet by having smaller meals or light snacks of fruit for the next one of two meals.

If you want to prepare meals at home, then take note of the followings:

• Steam, grill or boil food instead of frying it.
• Remove the skin from poultry.
• Add vegetables to meat dishes.
• Use less salt and seasoning, and replace with herbs, spices and homemade stock.

Are There Other Ways To Boost Your Fiber Intake?

Besides fruit and vegetables, you can start your day right by eating a fiber-rich breakfast. For example, you can try oatmeal with fruit, or make a smoothie in the blender with yogurt and a variety of fruit like banana, mango and berries. Furthermore, don’t forget to add in a tablespoon of ground flax seeds.

Another way to increase fiber intake is to consider beans in dips as well as in soups, salads and stews. Beans are wonderful things that you should not ignore.

Refined foods lack fiber. For example, there are not much fiber left in white bread and white rice. Remember to stick to whole, unprocessed foods and experiment with new grains. Brown or wild rice, buckwheat, millet and quinoa should be included into your meals. These work well as a side dish or in a salad.

Take More Fruit and Vegetables To Increase Your Fiber Intake

Fiber forms an important part of our daily diet in order to keep us healthy. But not many people are aware of this or they simply ignore taking fiber because they do not like it.

Let us look at some ways that you can boost your fiber intake!

Fruit contains fiber. But you should take them without peeling, and not in juice form. This is because the skin of apples and pears, and the fine membrane that holds orange segments are rich sources of fiber. Another way to get fruit fiber is to snack on dried fruit.

Vegetables are also excellent origins of fiber. In order to increase the fiber intake, you can have a side salad with your meals. Iceberg lettuce does not have much fiber. So you may want to discard it and instead, choose other alternatives such as spinach and aragula leaves. If you like, you may add beans, grains and even different vegetables to your salad. Some people also add fruit into salad to make it more tasty and colorful to induce appetite.

Nevertheless, make sure you rinse fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating. If you are very concerned about the possible pesticide residues, you can choose organic fruit and vegetables.