December 17, 2004 Recent News 
Dairy Food No Magic Bullet for Weight Loss
Top ten trends to watch in 2005
Health Benefit in Low-Glycemic Diet
Grain foods intake shift brings whole grains to the front
Carb titans fight critics with fiber
Dairy Food No Magic Bullet for Weight Loss
A new study casts doubt on earlier, highly publicized findings suggesting that dairy foods burn off body fat. A study found that people on high-dairy, low-calorie diets lost a lot more weight than those on low-dairy, low-calorie diets. When results were in, it was quite disappointing that there were no differences between the high- and low-dairy groups. A study of 54 borderline-obese people with an average age of 45, all got a low-calorie diet and a behavior-modification plan that included plenty of exercise. Half the subjects were restricted to only one serving of dairy food each day. The other half got three or four servings of dairy food daily. After six months, everybody lost weight -- 22 pounds in the high-dairy group and 20.5 pounds in the low-dairy group. The difference is not statistically significant; that is, the difference is so small it could be due to chance. Evidence in multiple studies since 1999 shows that dairy foods help the body burn fat. You can only metabolize so much body fat, if you are on a diet with modest calorie restriction, you can improve that effect with dairy foods. However, if you are already restricting calories a lot, you may be at your body's maximum effect and may not see any extra effect of dairy foods.
(Excerpted from WebMD Nov 19, 2004)
Top ten trends to watch in 2005
The low-carb trend has been winding down lately, leaving the door wide open to new developments which could prosper in 2005, ranging from beverages packaged in metal bottles and disposable products of all sorts to allergy-free foods and indulgent pet items. Some of the specific trends include whole grains, sugar substitutes, energizing alcohol-based beverages and allergy-free foods.
(Excerpted from M2 Presswire - 11/24/04)
Health Benefit in Low-Glycemic Diet
Researchers compared a diet rich in carbohydrates with a low glycemic index with a conventional low-fat diet that included carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. In the study, those on the low-glycemic diets achieved better improvement in blood pressure and blood fats, and their resting metabolic rate didn't drop as much as it did for those on the low-fat diet. Food was provided for the subjects. What was found across the board for blood fats and blood pressure and insulin resistance is, the decrease with weight loss was twice as great for the low-glycemic group compared to the low-fat group. Both groups averaged the same amount of weight loss, the 10 percent goal, but the dieters on the low-glycemic diet reported less hunger. And their resting metabolic rate, which typically drops during weight loss, dropped less in the low-glycemic eaters. People trying to lose weight and reduce disease risk should not become too obsessed with total fat or glycemic load at the expense of calories. The most important aspect is watching total calories and increasing activity.
(Excerpted from Health Day 11/29/2004)
Grain foods intake shift brings whole grains to the front
Various factors in changing food consumption trends affecting grain-based foods include convenience, new product innovation, demographics, channels of distribution, and the growing number of meals eaten away from home. The most discussed factor and that considered a primary force was the health and wellness issue. There has been a drop in households buying ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. Pounds purchased dropped from 31.4 pounds in 1994 to 26.5 pounds today. Whole grain consumption effects on supermarkets has been effected by low-carb diets and proposed guidelines which will encourage consumers to shift grain-based food consumption to whole grains, and data on the steady increase in fat intake as a percentage of diet.
(Excerpted from Milling & Baking News 26 Oct 04)
Carb titans fight critics with fiber
Cereal and bread producers are countering the low-carb trend with whole grains to satisfy consumers' hunger for more fiber in their diets. Sara Lee, General Mills and Pepperidge Farm are launching whole-grain, high-fiber products aimed at this market. Some entries are low-carb, but many are not. General Mills has announced that it will make all of its Big G cereals with whole grains, a move with the potential of having a significant impact on the overall health of Americans. David Kessler, the former FDA commssioner, says "The science shows a strong connection between whole grain and a reduced risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, the biggest preventable killers in the US." Analysts do not believe this move by General Mills will have much impact on sales, given that cereal is already perceived as healthy.
(Excerpted from Brandweek 10/4/2004)
The whey forward
New demand for protein in food formulations has led ingredient developers to analyze and fractionalize proteins in new and novel ways to benefit human health. The low-carb trend has increased demand for products high in protein. The sources of protein ingredients are egg, soy, and milk that includes whey (liquid portion) and casein (milk solids). Whey is the most popular because of its advanced technical and nutritional characteristics. Beverages are a convenient delivery system for high protein/low carb nutrition, and whey protein isolates are easy to incorporate into many different types of food systems, including bakery products and confections.
(Excerpted from World of Food Ingredients 10/1/2004)
