Recent News 
Whole grains cut risk of many woes
Diet, Exercise Top Drugs in Preventing Diabetes
Controlled-Carb Rather than 'Right-Carb'
Companies scramble before FDA rules kick in.
EU launches 'Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health'
Whole grains cut risk of many woes
A powerful disease preventative and weight loss tool may be as close as your supermarket shelf. Whole grains, such as whole wheat, oats, brown rice and barley, reduce the risk of conditions ranging from heart disease to diabetes. People who consume at least three servings of whole-grain foods a day may lessen their chances for developing metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by high blood pressure, low HDL (good) cholesterol, high blood fats and poor blood sugar control (being overweight is one trigger for the syndrome. The recommendation to eat three whole grain products a day is part of the new dietary guidelines recently issued by the federal government. Now product innovations are making it easier to meet these nutrition goals, belying the image whole grains have of being difficult to prepare, or even to find. With the wide range of products readily available now, health experts recommend eating a variety of whole grains. You're probably aware that whole grains can be a good source of dietary fiber. Fiber improves insulin metabolism, reducing the risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. You can find whole grains in everything from oatmeal cookies to barley soup. However, you should take the nutrition content of the entire food, not just the grains, into account.
(Excerpted from the Herald News March 8, 2005)
Diet, Exercise Top Drugs in Preventing Diabetes
Preventing diabetes with diet and exercise may be not only possible, especially among nonsmokers, but also more cost-effective than medication. D iet and exercise modifications reduced the risk of developing diabetes in nonsmoking men. A computer simulation, found a diet and exercise program was cheaper than using a pill when it came to preventing the disease. Lifestyle interventions such as diet or exercise were more effective than the diabetes pill metformin in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. There has been a debate about how to implement lifestyle intervention. The word on the street is that it can't be done. It's too expensive. The diet-exercise program, however, cost society about $8,800 while taking the pill cost about $29,000 per year of healthy life saved. Unlike the lifestyle strategy, the metformin program was not cost-effective after the age of 65. Diet and exercise delayed the onset of type 2 diabetes by about 11 years, while metformin delayed the onset by about three years. The bottom line is that intensive lifestyle intervention is more cost-effective than a pill and we have to find better ways to implement it in clinical public health practice.
(Excerpted from Health Day News Feb 25, 2005)
Controlled-Carb Rather than 'Right-Carb'
Weight reduction can cut the incidence of coronary heart disease in those at risk by nearly a third, making it more important than ever for individuals to properly understand nutritional protocol. Controlled-carb approaches: outperform low-fat diets when it comes to lowering triglyceride levels; produce greater improvements in HDL (good) cholesterol than low-fat diets; lower markers of inflammation, in contrast to high-carbohydrate diets and; result in greater loss of total fat and abdominal fat than low-calorie, low-fat diets.
(Excerpted from PR Newswire - 3/8/05)
Companies scramble before FDA rules kick in.
It's still a year before food companies will be required to disclose the amount of trans fat in their packaged products, but already more and more are doing so -- or scrambling for ways to reduce those levels before they have to reveal them. This is especially true among the makers of soft-tub margarines and "spreads," many of which now ballyhoo "no trans fat" on their labels, even though the products may contain a tiny amount of this fat. For consumers, the changing trans-fat scene calls for a sharp eye at the grocery store.
Beginning in January, packaged-food labels will have to tell you how much trans fat each serving contains, as mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The search for trans-fat alternatives has grown intense among both food manufacturers and the suppliers of oils and fats used in food products. At the same time, companies say they must retain the food qualities consumers expect. While a small amount of trans fat occurs naturally in milk and milk products and in some meat, by far the largest share of this fat found in the American diet is manufactured. Producing it involves infusing vegetable oils with hydrogen atoms, making them more stable and firm at room temperature -- much like saturated fat and with similar heart-health impacts. In the ingredient list on food labels, these appear as "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils.
(Excerpted from The Seattle Times Mar. 10, 2005)
EU launches 'Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health'
The European Union has officially launched its "Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health" aimed at reversing the increase in obesity in Europe. Rates of obesity, particularly among children, have risen across the EU and health experts have expressed concern about the consequences of this trend. The creation of the platform is part of an overall strategy on nutrition and physical activity being developed by the European Commission, and follows months of discussions between the Commission and the various stakeholders. Stakeholders agreed that promoting healthier diets and more physical activity among Europeans is the key to tackling the obesity problem.
(Excerpted from Just Food.com March 15, 2005)
Protein Positives
As the low-carb craze loses steam, protein ingredients retain their value with new product launches and related application and nutritional research. Protein ingredients including protein isolates and protein concentrates made from whey, soy and wheat are discussed as options for companies wishing to add protein to their grain-based foods. The work done with no-carb fiber during the low-carb peak will pay dividends as markets focus on larger issues of health and wellness.
(Excerpted from Milling and Baking News March 15, 2005)
