Do You Know Which 5 Foods Account for the Highest Sodium Intake?
5 FOODS ACCOUNT FOR 1/3 OF SODIUM INTAKE
A large analysis of the sodium content of foods purchased has found that five food categories taken together account for over a third of all sodium consumption. The study assessed 44, 372 food products purcha
sed by 21,108 UK households to determine the key sodium contributors.
Bacon, bread, milk, cheese and sauces account for a total 37 percent of sodium intake.
- Table salt & processed meats contribute 23 & 18 percent of sodium consumption, respectively.
- Bread and bakery products account for a significant 13 percent.
- Dairy products contribute 12 percent.
- Sauces and spreads alone represent 11 percent of sodium intake.
Researchers concluded that targeting sodium reduction in a small number of foods would lead to large decreases in the sodium available for consumption. This study, along with a chart of the sodium content of the main contributing foods, has been made available online at http://bit.ly/i0egpd by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, although the study will not appear in print until a future issue of the journal.
How to Get Children to Make Good Nutrition Decisions Naturally
LOW-SUGAR CEREALS INCREASE CHILDREN’S FRUIT CONSUMPTION
A study has concluded that when children are served cereals containing low levels of sugar instead of high levels, they are more likely to add fruit to their cereal.
Both sugar and fruit were made available along with their cereal. Children given low-sugar cereal chose to eat substantially less cereal, more fruit and less sugar. They also increased overall dietary nutrition. Children reported that they liked or loved the cereal they were served, whether they received the high- or low-sugar cereals.
Fifty-four percent of children given low-sugar cereal opted for fruit as a topping compared with just eight percent of those given high-sugar cereal. Researchers suggested that despite heavy marketing of sugar-coated cereals at children, children can and will make good nutritional decisions if they are given the chance.
This study was released December 13, 2010 by the journal Pediatrics and is now available online at http://bit.ly/dQPyAy without subscription or fee.
Study Suggests Pomegranate Juice May Prevent Cancer from Spreading
POMEGRANATE JUICE MAY PREVENT CANCER FROM SPREADING WITHIN BODY
In a study on lab-cultured cancer cells, researchers found that components in pomegranate juice inhibit the migration of cancer cells within the body, potentially leading to a new treatment down the road.
Cancer cells often metastasize – spread – within the body by breaking away from the cancer location.
But pomegranate components increased cell adhesion, reducing the breaking away of cells. They also discovered that pomegranate components weaken the natural attraction that prostate cancer cells have to a protein in bone marrow, which is how prostate cancer cells spread to the bone. The proteins and genes involved in the movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in the metastasis of other cancers. The pomegranate components were identified as phenylpropanoids, hydrobenzoic acids, flavones and conjugated fatty acids.
Research is still needed to see whether these pomegranate components have the same effect on live subjects as on the lab culture and without side effects. This study was presented in Philadelphia on December 12, 2010 by Canadian researchers at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology but is not yet published or available online.
Study Shows EPA & DHA Offer Natural Antidepressant Effect
TWO OMEGA-3 FATS MAY ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION
A study concludes that taking two omega-3 fatty acids together – eicosapentenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) – has an antidepressant effect that has not been recognized before, on those with clinical depression. (Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are essential to ingest because the body cannot synthesize them. Greatest sources include cold water fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna and halibut, and fish oil supplements.) Taking DHA alone had no effect on depression but taking either EPA alone, or EPA and DHA together, was linked to reduced depression. Also, results showed no effect on mood or attitude in those without clinical depression. Scientists should undertake a larger human trial to study this effect further, suggested the study team leader, who also stressed that patients should always talk to their healthcare providers before taking omega-3 supplements to treat depression. This study was presented in Miami Beach at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual meeting, which ended December 9, 2010. It has not yet been published and is not yet available online.
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JUST THINKING ABOUT A FOOD DECREASES APPETITE FOR IT 
A study with significant implications for traditional dieting wisdom has found that imagining the consumption of foods seen as desirable by a dieter reduce eventual consumption of those food items. Dieters have been advised for decades to distract themselves from thoughts of eating in order to curb cravings. While some subjects were distracted, others repeatedly imagined eating, in one case, 30 M&M candies one at a time; and still others imagined a non-food topic. The group that visualized eating the 30 M&M candies was found later to consume significantly less of these items than the other groups. In later phases of this study, it was discovered that only imagining actual consumption of a food reduced later intake of that food; simply thinking about a food was insufficient to produce this effect; and imagining the consumption of a food different from the food later consumed also had no significant effect. Other senses may drive the appetite but imagining consumption substitutes for actual consumption, concluded researchers. This study was released in the December 10, 2010 issue of the journal Science. A summary of this study (and others), aimed at the general public, is available now at http://bit.ly/egzh94 in an online podcast.
Children, Farm Animals & Allergies
What do Children, Farm Animals & Allergies Have in Common?
Allergies are less common in children exposed during infancy to farm animals and bacteria.
In fact, children of mothers who were exposed during pregnancy to farm animals or cats are born with an immune system protection against atopic dermatitis, according to a study released November 26, 2010 by the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
(Atopic dermatitis is an itchy and painful skin rash caused by an inherited hypersensitivity to allergens.)
Further, children who grow up with older siblings, who may transmit bacteria to them, are less likely to develop autoimmune diseases and allergies. These facts add even greater weight to the well-accepted Hygiene Hypothesis, which strongly suggests that the modern era’s obsession with sanitized environments, and early-life protection against bacteria, deprives a child’s immature and still-developing immune system from experiencing an appropriate level of bacterial exposure. This may cause an immune system over-reaction throughout life.
1 Week of Salt Reduction Can Substantially Lower Health Risks
SALT REDUCTION LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE IN DIABETICS:
A study concludes that substantially limiting salt (sodium) intake for about a week lowers existing high blood pressure in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics, which in turn reduces other diabetic risks, including stroke, heart attack and diabetic kidney disease.
This review noted that a daily salt reduction of 8.5 mg resulted in a drop in blood pressure similar to that achieved with blood pressure medications. (Diabetics are more likely to develop high blood pressure.) The study team recommended that diabetics reduce their salt intake to at least 5 to 6 grams a day – which is the current guideline for the general population – and preferably even lower.
Reducing salt intake can be challenging for anyone. Few people are aware that the majority of salt intake comes from processed foods, implying that the focus should be less on the shaker and more on the supermarket and chain restaurant. This study was published in the December, 2010 issue of The Cochrane Library. It can be read online now at http://bit.ly/gfQxAq.
Hold the Hand Sanitizer?
Allergies are less common in children exposed during infancy to farm animals and bacteria. In fact, children of mothers who were exposed during pregnancy to farm animals or cats are born with an immune system protection against atopic dermatitis, according to a study released November 26, 2010 by the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. (Atopic dermatitis is an itchy and painful skin rash caused by an inherited hypersensitivity to allergens.) Further, children who grow up with older siblings, who may transmit bacteria to them, are less likely to develop autoimmune diseases and allergies. These facts add even greater weight to the well-accepted Hygiene Hypothesis, which strongly suggests that the modern era’s obsession with sanitized environments, and early-life protection against bacteria, deprives a child’s immature and still-developing immune system from experiencing an appropriate level of bacterial exposure. This may cause an immune system over-reaction throughout life.
Prenatal Cell Phone Use & Behavior
BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS LINKED TO PRENATAL CELL PHONE EXPOSURE
A current study found that pregnant women who use mobile phones regularly have a greater risk of having children with behavioral problems; and children who also start using cell phones early themselves slightly increase that risk. Children exposed to cell phone radiation exclusively before birth were found to have a 40 percent higher risk of behavioral problems. Children exposed to cell phones both before birth and up to age seven, were found to have a 50 percent greater chance of behavioral problems. And children who were exposed to cell phones only after birth were found to have a 20 percent higher risk of behavioral problems. This large epidemiological study confirmed the similar findings of earlier research by the same group. Although the influence of various other sociological factors was taken into account, this link is not necessarily one of cause and effect. This study was released December 7, 2010 and will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/i17Bvk.
Early PT For Back Pain Helps Prevent More Intensive Care Later
EARLY PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR BACK PAIN PREVENTS LATER SURGERY
A recent study found that those who receive physical therapy in the acute phase following an episode of lower back pain are less likely to require medical services than those who seek physical therapy after a delay. The medical treatments that those receiving early physical therapy were less likely to need included epidural steroid injections, lumbar surgery, or frequent physician office visits.
The window for more effective treatment for low back pain appeared to be the acute phase, classed as within 4 weeks; the sub-acute and chronic phases were classed as 4-12 weeks and 3-12 months, respectively. The most common back conditions experienced by patients in the study were nonspecific backache, sciatica, degenerative disk disease, and spinal stenosis.
General practitioners under-recommend physical therapies and their treatment practices may need to modified, suggested the researchers, who concluded this would cut overall healthcare costs.
Recently released by the journal Spine, this study will be published in a future issue but is accessible online now at http://bit.ly/enAMLZ .
Surgeries & Global Warming
SURGERIES MAY BE SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN GLOBAL WARMING
A study found that inhalation of anesthetic gases administered in surgeries every day have a strong global warming potential, furnishing an Earth-heating effect equivalent to that of a coal-fired power plant or one million passenger cars. And that is just the effect of surgical gases used in the United States alone.
All three of the regularly used anesthetic gases – isoflurane, desflurane and sevoflurane – have atmospheric warming effects that are hundred times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2). However, desflurane is the most harmful gas. One kilogram of desflurane has the same environmental warming effect as 1,620 kilograms of CO2. The amount of gas involved in a single surgical procedure is not high but the total number of surgeries worldwide can have a significant environmental effect. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) collaborated with two universities to conduct the study. This study is published in the December, 2010 issue of British Journal of Anaesthesia and is now available online at http://bit.ly/f4jtKi.
How to Improve Lung Function?
Red wine may be touted as beneficial for the heart. But in moderation, white wine may be more effective at keeping lung tissues in good working order, according to a study presented May 20, 2002 at the 98th meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Atlanta. The lung benefit most likely stems from the antioxidants in white wine, which counter the creation of harmful molecules called free radicals that wreak havoc on lung tissues. Antioxidant-rich, fresh fruits and vegetables have long been linked to improved lung function.
Is Vitamin C from Fresh Fruit Superior?
BLOOD SATURATION OF VITAMIN C MAY BE NEEDED TO AVOID SEVERE TISSUE DEFICIENCY
A study determined that when ascorbate (vitamin C) levels in the blood of mice are below the saturation point, some body tissues can still be severely deficient in this vitamin, including tissues of
the liver, kidney and heart. The study compared tissue levels in lab mice with high, but not saturated, blood levels of ascorbate to tissue levels naturally found in “wild-type mice,” and found the lab mice tissues deficient.
This suggests that even high dietary intakes and high blood levels of ascorbate can result in serious tissue shortages. Also, the study found that consumption of fresh kiwifruit resulted in up to five times more effective delivery of vitamin C to tissues than from ingestion of ascorbate added to water. Although these results may have serious implications for human nutrition, it is important to remember that, so far, this research was conducted only on mice.
This just-released study will not be published until a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. However, it is available online now at http://bit.ly/ffRRQQ.
Get the Lead Out!
EXTREMELY HIGH LEAD LEVELS IN USED CONSUMER PRODUCTS
A study has discovered a widespread problem with lead in used consumer products at levels that are far beyond even the most conservative safe upper limits. Many recycled, used or older consumer products widely available for sale – such as jewelry, toys, kitchen utensils, window frames, shutters, common dishware, toy teapots, picture frames and home decor items – contain surface lead concentrations more than 700 times higher than the U.S. federal limit.
The researchers purchased the items from antique stores, second-hand shops and junk stores, testing for surface lead with a swab before buying. (Similar items are sold at flea markets.) They then used x-ray fluorescence to determine exact lead content, finding high levels in a number of diverse items.
The amount of lead ranged from twice the federal limit in a metal ice cream scoop to 714 times the limit in a salt shaker lid. This study appears in the December, 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Health. It is available at http://bit.ly/dERJhL.
Acupuncture & Pain Perception
ACUPUNCTURE LESSENS PERCEPTION OF PAIN
Previously, it 
has been suggested that acupuncture reduces pain, although it has seldom been studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Now, such a study suggests that acupuncture can affect the experience of pain in two ways:
1.) it reduces the incoming pain signal itself; and
2.) it lowers activity in brain areas that govern patients’ expectations of pain.
(A functional MRI measures the tiny metabolic changes that take place in an active part of the brain, while a patient performs a task or is exposed to a specific external stimulus.) At first, eighteen healthy volunteers underwent fMRI while an electrical pain stimulus was attached to the left ankle. Then, acupuncture needles were placed at three places on the right side: between the toes, below the knee and near the thumb, after which the same electrical pain currents were directed at the left ankle. Researchers compared the fMRI imaging results without acupuncture to those with acupuncture; and detected changes in brain areas linked to both pain expectation and sensation. This study was presented November 30, 2010 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago but has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.