Just Say No to Vending Machine Foods
SNACK-BASED, HIGH-FAT DIET RISKIER THAN SIMPLE HIGH-FAT DIET
A study has found that – compared to rats in most studies that are fed high-fat diets through the introduction of foods made from lard – rats fed a high-fat diet comprised of snack foods humans actually eat experienced higher consumption, greater weight gain, more tissue inflammation, and intolerance to glucose and insulin.
Researchers suggest that while rodent studies have often pointed to serious health risks resulting from a high-fat diet, even more severe health risks result from a high-fat diet in which the dietary fat comes from the so-called cafeteria diet, a lab research term describing the common Western diet of buffet-style access to junk food such as processed meats, cookies, and chips. The team found that rats fed the real-life cafeteria diet consumed about 30 percent more calories than those on a high-sugar, or regular high-fat diet, and were more prone to metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increase the risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and diabetes type 2).
Published June 17, 2011 in the online issue of Obesity, this study is accessible at http://bit.ly/lFVppQ free of charge.
Could You Be Consuming Harmful Trans Fats Unknowingly?
TRANS FAT-FREE LABELS HIDE HARMFUL AMOUNTS
A study found substantial amounts of trans fat in many foods labeled trans fat-free. Researchers suggested that the government labeling protocol deceives many consumers who unknowingly exceed the healthy recommended intake of 1.11 grams a day.
Trans fats, even when consumed in small quantities increase the risks of coronary artery disease, sudden cardiac death and diabetes. Current FDA regulation requires that fat contents of more than five grams be listed in one gram increments; contents under five grams be listed in 0.5 gram increments; and amounts under 0.5 grams be listed as zero grams of fat. However, zero-fat-labeled foods contain up to 0.49 grams of trans fat.
Consumption of just three such food items (that may contain up to .49 gms of trans fat, but are legally labeled as “O g”) would total 1.47 grams of trans fat, which is considered a medically harmful daily quantity.
While these amounts seem small, research shows that raising daily trans fat consumption from 0.9 to 2.1 percent will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by 30 percent.
This study was published in the January/February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion. It is available at http://bit.ly/ijZBoJ.
Whole Grains Proven to Lower Cardiovascular Risk
It has long been thought that daily consumption of whole-grain foods such as bread could have a positive effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease but until now, no “comprehensive randomized and controlled intervention trial” – a more scientific and conclusive study – had been undertaken.
Finally, results of a new study of this type confirm that daily intake of three portions of whole-grain foods significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, at least in middle-aged people, and chiefly through the mechanism of lowering systolic blood pressure (the upper number in your blood pressure reading).
In fact, the study pegged the reduction in the risk of developing coronary artery disease at 15 percent and the risk reduction for stroke at 25 percent. After just four weeks on this diet, participants also showed improvements in other risk factors such as insulin sensitivity, cholesterol and internal inflammation. The effect was similar for both those getting three servings of whole wheat and for those getting the same servings of whole wheat and oats. The study was just released by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Details are available now online at http://bit.ly/9Ztt9u.
