|
Research Findings
by John Darmanin
John is the Chairperson for the Vegetarian Society of Malta.
Study: Milk Consumption, Ovarian Cancer Link
High intakes of lactose and dairy products, particularly milk, may increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer, report Swedish researchers.
The study found that women consuming more than two glasses of milk a day significantly increased the risk of the most serious form of the disease.
Dr Kate Law, of Cancer Research UK, said it was not yet clear how nutrients, or the amount and distribution of body fat affected the risk of developing cancer. She commented: "Previous research has also suggested that a diet rich in whole milk, yogurt and cheese may put women at higher risk of ovarian cancer."
"Until more is known about the specific components of diet that influence cancer risk, the best advice is to emphasize a balanced diet which includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables."
Want to Lose Weight? Eat More, Study Finds
Loosing weight may be as simple as eating more -- eating more fruits and vegetables and less food that is "calorie-dense" such as cheese, researchers said.
Dieters who were told to eat foods that fill you up with water and fibre, such as vegetables and fruits, lost weight without counting calories and without gimmicks, a team at Pennsylvania State University found.
And a second study looking at what people normally eat found that those who eat more fruits and vegetables tend to weigh less.
Groups such as the American Heart Association have long advocated eating more fruits and vegetables and eating less calorie-laden food such as meat, cheese and sweets. The approach also underlies diets such as Weight Watchers.
After the first six months, the women told to fill up on vegetables had lost an average of 21 pounds while the women on the stricter diet had lost only 15 pounds.
Source: Reuters
High Fibre Equals Lower Risks
People who eat at least three or more servings of whole-grain foods each day may lessen their chances of developing "metabolic syndrome," according to a study funded by the Agricultural Research Service.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition marked by a combination of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, poor blood sugar control, low HDL "good" cholesterol and high blood fats; thus increasing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The health benefits observed among those who consumed three or more servings of whole-grain foods each day included better insulin metabolism. Those with metabolic syndrome tend toward insulin resistance.
Adding three servings of whole grains a day is not that difficult to do, according to Nutritional epidemiologist Nicola McKeown. She suggests replacing white rice with brown rice, white bread with whole-wheat bread, and choosing whole-grain breakfast cereals.
Source: ars.usda.com
New Soy Cancer Claim Nearing FDA Approval
The soy food market soared in 2000 after the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certified the link between soy protein and improved cardiac health.
FDA is expected to approve a new soy food cancer health claim in late November, when the agency’s 270-day review period ends. The claim maintains consumption of soy protein-based foods may reduce the risk of breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
Solae, a venture of DuPont and Bunge Limited, petitioned FDA for the claim, which is supported by 58 research studies. While the link between soy and cancer prevention has long been suspected, the company said FDA approval would enhance soy’s consumer appeal.
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 35 percent of U.S. cancer deaths can be avoided through diet. Solae is a sponsor of Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation “Race for the Cure” fundraising events, and foundation leaders are “very strong proponents of soy.”
Solae also is helping investigate the role of soy protein in sports nutrition (reportedly promoting more rapid muscle recovery) and in addressing women’s health concerns such as menopause and bone health.
Antioxidants in Vegan Diet & Rheumatic Disorders
by Hanninen O, Kaartinen K, Rauma A, Nenonen M, Torronen R, Hakkinen S, Adlercreutz H, Laakso J.
from the Department of Physiology, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland
Plants are rich natural sources of antioxidants in addition to other nutrients. Interventions and cross sectional studies on subjects consuming uncooked vegan diet called living food (LF) have been carried out. We have clarified the efficacy of LF in rheumatoid diseases as an example of a health problem where inflammation is one of the main concerns. LF is an uncooked vegan diet and consists of berries, fruits, vegetables and roots, nuts, germinated seeds and sprouts, i.e. rich sources of carotenoids, vitamins C and E.
The subjects eating LF showed highly increased levels of beta and alfa carotenes, lycopene and lutein in their sera. Also the increases of vitamin C and vitamin E (adjusted to cholesterol) were statistically significant. As the berry intake was 3-fold compared to controls the intake of polyphenolic compounds like quercetin, myricetin and kaempherol was much higher than in the omnivorous controls. The LF diet is rich in fibre, substrate of lignan production, and the urinary excretion of polyphenols like enterodiol and enterolactone as well as secoisolaricirecinol were much increased in subjects eating LF. The shift of fibromyalgic subjects to LF resulted in a decrease of their joint stiffness and pain as well as an improvement of their self-experienced health. The rheumatoid arthritis patients eating the LF diet also reported similar positive responses and the objective measures supported this finding. The improvement of rheumatoid arthritis was significantly correlated with the day-to-day fluctuation of subjective symptoms.
In conclusion the rheumatoid patients subjectively benefited from the vegan diet rich in antioxidants, lactobacilli and fiber, and this was also seen in objective measures.
This study is reprinted in full from www.BeyondVeg.com
|
