1. Low-carb Diets – adverse
effects
When health professionals speak of low-carbohydrate diets, they
often list the disadvantages as lack of concentration, kidney
problems and bad breath, and say ‘low-carbohydrate diets
can be dangerous’. This does little to deter people in the
quest for weight loss and there is the commonly held belief that
‘as long as I lose weight, I don’t care what I have
to do’.
2. Grains Reduce Diabetes by up to
30% – research review
A recent review of the scientific literature on diabetes and diet
has found overwhelming evidence that people who eat just two or
three serves* of wholegrain foods each day are 20-30% less likely
to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who don’t eat
any wholegrain foods.
3. Grains and Diabetes –
free consumer brochure now available
Given the overwhelming evidence supporting the beneficial role
of wholegrains in the prevention and treatment of diabetes, Go
Grains has produced an easy-to-read and up-to-date summary of
the latest scientific evidence with helpful tips and meal suggestions.
Wholegrains Help Reduce Weight
A new study by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard
Medical School in the US has found women with the greatest whole
grain consumption weigh less, and are less likely to gain weight,
while those consuming a large amount of refined grain foods
are more likely to be obese.
Cereals Reduce Childhood Obesity
Researchers have found a strong association between the frequent
consumption of ready-to-eat cereals and body mass index (BMI)
in children aged four to 12.
Fibre Vital To Prevent Breast Cancer
Swedish researchers investigating the association between the
intake of plant foods, fibre and fat in the diet, and the risk
of breast cancer, found those with highest fibre intakes had
a 40% lower risk of breast cancer. However, combining a high
fibre diet with a low fat diet produced the lowest risk of cancer.
Low-carb Food Labels Under Fire In US
As the Atkins diet fad rages on, food manufacturers have caught
on to advertising ploys that glorify the newest buzz word: ‘low-carb’.
Full stories:
1. ‘Low-carb’ diets
and potential adverse effects (back to
contents)
Low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss have been around for many
decades, but they’ve been receiving a lot of extra attention
of late.
Given the popularity of these diets, many people are now asking
whether carbohydrates are inherently ‘bad’ for us.
Unfortunately, there is little scientific fact available regarding
exactly how these diets work or, more importantly, if there is
any potential for serious long-term harm.
In response to the current surge of interest, Dr Tim Crowe (School
of Health Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne) and co-author
Shane Bilsborough, have sought out the evidence regarding the
effectiveness and health implications of the low-carbohydrate
diet.
Dr Crowe’s review of the literature has recently been published
(Asia Pacific J. Clin.Nutr. 2003:12(4):396-404) and he has kindly
consented to this snapshot of his findings.
There are many variations on exactly what a ‘low-carbohydrate’
diet is, but a common factor is advice to eat protein as the primary
macronutrient for the body, with the remainder of the energy to
be made up from fat.
While short-term carbohydrate restriction over a period of a
week can result in a significant loss of weight (albeit mostly
from water and glycogen stores), there is some serious concern
regarding the adoption of this type of eating plan for longer
periods of months or years.
Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile
function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage,
increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid
abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates
in the diet.
When health professionals speak of low-carbohydrate diets, they
often list the disadvantages as lack of concentration, kidney
problems and bad breath, and say ‘low-carbohydrate diets
can be dangerous’.
This does little to deter people in the quest for weight loss
and there is the commonly held belief that ‘as long as I
lose weight, I don’t care what I have to do’.
By delivering a stronger message and addressing the serious potential
health risks such as potential cardiac complications, osteoporosis,
muscle loss and possibly insulin resistance, people will be better
able to make informed choices based on the latest scientific thinking
about the risks associated with low-carbohydrate diets.
The need to further explore and communicate the untoward side-effects
of low-carbohydrate diets should be an important public health
message from nutrition professionals.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has escalated to such an extent
throughout the world that the condition is considered to have
reached epidemic proportions in many countries, including Australia.
Nearly one-in-four Australian adults either have diabetes, or
are at high risk of developing the disease. This figure has doubled
in the last 20 years.
A recent review of the scientific literature on diabetes and
diet has found overwhelming evidence that people who eat just
two or three serves* of wholegrain foods each day are 20-30% less
likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who don’t
eat any wholegrain foods.
The review’s author, Professor Jim Mann (Professor in Human
Nutrition and Medicine, University of Otago in NZ) said there
is strong evidence to suggest that eating wholegrain and high
fibre grain-based foods and legumes is beneficial for the prevention,
treatment and control of diabetes.
"For those who are at risk, but have not yet developed diabetes,
the progression of impaired glucose tolerance to Type 2 diabetes
can be delayed, and insulin resistance improved, by lifestyle
changes that include exercise and a diet with some wholegrain
foods,” Professor Mann said.
"For people who already have diabetes, diets that include
substantial amounts of wholegrain and high fibre cereal foods,
fruits, vegetables, and legumes are associated with improvements
in insulin sensitivity and improved blood sugar control.
"People with diabetes are up to four times more at risk
from heart disease, and wholegrain foods have also been clearly
associated with a reduced risk of heart disease," Professor
Mann said.
The nutrients in wholegrains, such as fibre and the essential
mineral magnesium, may account for some of the beneficial effect,
but Professor Mann said it is possible that the intact structure
of the grain may also be important.
* One serve of wholegrain food is equivalent to:
2 slices of bread (made from ingredients that include whole
or kibbled grains, wholemeal or stoneground flour, or rye flour),
or
1 cup of cooked brown rice or wholemeal pasta, or
1 cup of cooked porridge, or
1 1/3 cups flaked breakfast cereal (wholegrain or high
fibre)
3. New brochure: Grains and diabetes
- Now available (back to contents)
Given the overwhelming evidence supporting the beneficial role
of wholegrains in the prevention and treatment of diabetes, Go
Grains has produced an easy-to-read and up-to-date summary of
the latest scientific evidence with helpful tips and meal suggestions.
Eating more wholegrain and high fibre foods made from grains
(such as breads crispbreads, breakfast cereals, oats and brown
rice) and legumes (such as chickpeas, baked beans and lentils)
is recommended for people with diabetes, as well as for the general
population.
Eating more wholegrain foods and legumes is easy to achieve by
including them in both meals and snacks.
Try beginning the day with a wholegrain or high fibre breakfast
cereal or oats. For lunch, choose a wholegrain sandwich or roll.
At dinner, include some legumes (try lentils in a soup or chickpeas
in curry) served with brown rice or wholemeal pasta.
Wholegrain crispbreads or rye bread with a favourite topping
are an ideal snack.
A new study by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard
Medical School in the US has found women with the greatest whole
grain consumption weigh less, and are less likely to gain weight,
while those consuming a large amount of refined grain foods are
more likely to be obese.
The researchers investigated the relation between the intake
of dietary fibre and whole or refined grain products with weight
gain over time. They used a prospective cohort study on more than
74,000 female nurses aged 38-63 in 1984 who were free of cardiovascular
disease, cancer and diabetes at baseline. Their dietary habits
were regularly assessed over the years with food-frequency questionnaires.
Over 12 years, those women with the greatest increase in intake
of dietary fibre gained an average of 1.52kg less than those with
the smallest increase in intake of dietary fibre. This result
was independent of age and body weight at baseline.
Women in the highest quintile of dietary fibre intake had a 49
per cent lower risk of major weight gain than did women in the
lowest quintile.
The research team concluded that: “Weight gain was inversely
associated with the intake of high-fibre, wholegrain foods but
positively related to the intake of refined-grain foods. This
indicates the importance of distinguishing wholegrain products
from refined-grain products to aid in weight control”.
Researchers have found a strong association between the frequent
consumption of ready-to-eat cereals and Body Mass Index (BMI)
in children aged four to 12.
Lead researcher Ann Albertson, a senior nutrition research scientist
at Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition in the US, collected
data on cereal consumption in 2,000 households that included 603
children aged four to 12. The researchers accounted for all types
of cereal, including whole-grain and pre-sweetened cereals.
They found that children who ate eight or more servings of cereal
over the two weeks had significantly lower BMIs compared with
children who ate three servings or less.
Almost 80 percent of the children who ate cereal often had an
appropriate body weight for their age and gender, according to
a report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
In addition, children who ate the most cereal also had more vitamins
A and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, calcium, iron and
zinc compared with children who ate little or no cereal. Cereals
are unique in that they are a fortified grain product, and they
are low in fat and almost always eaten with milk, which is a good
source of calcium, Albertson said
Despite the fact that some of the cereals were pre-sweetened,
there was no difference in the overall sugar consumption between
the two groups of children. Ready-to eat-cereal contributes only
about five percent of total sugar intake in kid's diets.
If you can get children to eat a cereal breakfast, you can help
guarantee a more sound nutrient intake, and set them up for eating
patterns that are associated with more favourable body weight,
Albertson says.
Fibre intake vital for preventing
breast cancer (back to contents)
Swedish researchers set out to investigate the association between
the intake of plant foods, fibre and fat in the diet, and the
risk of breast cancer.
More than 11,000 postmenopausal women were interviewed about
their diet history. This data was then combined with anthropometrical
measurements and data from national and regional cancer registries.
Those with highest fibre intakes had a 40% lower risk of postmenopausal
breast cancer. However, combining a high fibre diet with a low
fat diet produced the lowest risk of cancer.
The researchers conclude that: “These findings support
the hypothesis that a dietary pattern characterised by high fibre
and low fat intakes is associated with a lower risk of postmenopausal
breast cancer”.
Washington: As the Atkins diet fad rages on, food manufacturers
have begun to catch on to advertising ploys that glorify the newest
buzz word: ‘low-carb’.
Though the US Food and Drug Administration currently prohibits
the use of both explicit and vague carbohydrate claims in foods,
the market has experienced an onslaught of products plastered
with mention of the high calorie nutrient.
Convenience chains offer more than 50 snacks touted as low-carb.
Two groups are now pressuring the FDA to establish labelling requirements
for low-carbohydrate foods. If the FDA decides to develop labels
for carbohydrates, the nutrient will become the first to have
its own labelling standards.
The FDA is scheduled to release a report from its Obesity Working
Group later in February which may contain plans to label low-carb
products.
* Go Grains is a joint initiative of BRI Australia Ltd., an independent grains research centre, and the Grains Research and Development Corporation, which plans and invests in research and development on behalf of grain growers and the Federal Government. Privacy : Subscriber details will be used expressly for the Go Grains E-News Service and will not be provided to any other company or used for any other purpose. Each edition of the Go Grains E News Service will contain information on how to unsubscribe from future editions. Unsubscribe : If you wish to subscribe to, or unsubscribe from, this service, please email the E-News Service Coordinator at gge-news@bri.com.au . Disclaimer : The Go-Grains E-News Service is a collection of articles published by the sources identified. Go Grains and BRI Australia Ltd has collated and distributed these articles to update recipients on the latest scientific research and news concerning the nutrition and health benefits of grains and legumes. The articles may relate to products not yet approved, licensed, registered or available in Australia . Go Grains and BRI Australia Ltd accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information in the articles and cannot endorse the conclusions reached by researchers and/or the authors of these articles. We acknowledge NutraIngredients.com and FoodNavigator.com for providing some of the content for this edition of E-News.
