1. Wholegrains: Helping Battle Weight A review of recent research offers insight into the potential role of wholegrains in body weight regulation, and identifies a number of potential effects the components of wholegrains may have on hormonal factors and satiety.
2. Heart Disease: Wholegrains Reduce Risk The intake of wholegrains, and especially bran, has been linked with a reduced incidence of heart disease by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health.
3. Selenium: Fighting Colon Cancer
New research has linked higher blood levels of the mineral selenium with lower rates of colorectal cancer growth. Dietary selenium has previously been associated with cancer protection, with several studies showing it may help combat prostate cancer,but this study strengthens the link with colorectal cancer.
4. Wheat Bran: Further Colon Cancer Protection
According to a study from the Netherlands, rats fed a diet containing wheat bran or curcumin received greater protection against the development of colorectal tumours.
Weightloss Programs: Lacking Evidence
There is little evidence to support the use of many commercial weight loss programs, according to a study in the US, which suggests that the search for new, more effective methods will continue to preoccupy dieters.
Low Carb: US Pasta Sales Down
Falling pasta sales of a leading US food company, American Italian Pasta, reflect an industry-wide problem that demonstrates how a low-carb legacy may still undermine foods with a higher carbohydrate content.
Glycaemic Index: Growing Trend in UK
A UK hospital is the latest to launch a glycaemic index testing service to meet demand from European food makers looking to develop new low-GI ranges.
A review of recent research offers insight into the potential role of wholegrains in body weight regulation, and identifies a number of potential effects the components of wholegrains may have on hormonal factors and satiety.
Previous clinical trials and observational studies show the intake of wholegrain foods is inversely associated with biomarkers of obesity such as insulin, C-peptide, and leptin concentrations in the blood, according to authors Pauline Koh-Banerjee and Eric Rimm from Harvard University.
They found that wholegrain foods "tend to have low glycaemic index values, resulting in lower postprandial glucose responses and insulin demand". High insulin levels may promote obesity by altering adipose tissue physiology and by enhancing appetite.
However, they said the glycaemic response was by no means the only factor involved. The fibre content of wholegrains may also affect the secretion of gut hormones that may act as satiety factors, independent of glycaemic response.
The researchers concluded that"future studies may examine whether wholegrain intake is directly related to body weight, and whether the associations are primarily driven by components of the grain, including dietary fibre, bran, or germ".
The intake of wholegrains, and especially bran, has been linked with a reduced incidence of heart disease by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health.
The researchers evaluated the association of wholegrain, bran, and germ intake with the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in men. The prospective cohort study, published in the December 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involved 42,850 male health professionals aged 40 to 75 years who had no cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer or diabetes.
Daily wholegrain, bran, and germ intakes were derived in grams per day from a detailed semi-quantitative dietary questionnaire.
During a 14-year follow-up, researchers detected 1,818 incident cases of heart disease in the participants. After such controls as CVD risk factors and intakes of bran and germ added to food were measured, the hazard ratio of CHD between extreme quintiles of wholegrain intake was 0.82 (that is, an 18% reduced risk).
The hazard ratio of CHD in men with the highest intake of added bran was 0.70 (30% reduction in risk) compared with men with no intake of added bran. Added germ was not associated with heart disease risk, although the researchers noted the intake of germ was particularly low in these subjects and the potential health effects of the germ component of wholegrains could no be ruled out.
The researchers concluded the bran component of wholegrains is likely to be a key factor in its beneficial association with CHD.
New research has linked higher blood levels of the trace mineral selenium with lower rates of colorectal cancer growth.
Dietary selenium from cereal grains, fish, meat and poultry, has previously been associated with cancer protection, with several studies showing it may help combat prostate cancer. However past research on selenium and colorectal cancer has yielded mixed results.
Researchers from the University of Arizona now say most previous studies may have been too small to track the mineral's impact on tumour growth.
To gain better insight into the selenium's anti-cancer role, the researchers pooled data from three completed clinical trials of colorectal adenoma: the Wheat Bran Fibre Trial, the Polyp Prevention Trial, and the Polyp Prevention Study, each with several hundred participants.
After adjustment for age, gender, smoking status and study site, each of the trials showed lower risk of adenoma recurrence in patients with the highest levels of blood selenium in the blood versus those in the lowest levels.
Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the authors said there are several possible mechanisms for this effect, including protection against DNA damage and increased immune system activity.
They concluded that further research would be needed to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in selenium's anti-cancer activity.
4. Wheat Bran: Further Colon Cancer Protection (back to contents)
According to research from the Netherlands, rats fed a diet containing wheat bran or curcumin* received greater protection against the development of colorectal tumours.
In the study, rats were fed either a control diet, or a diet containing 10% wheat bran and 0.2% curcumin for 8 months.
The researchers concluded that "the wheat bran and curcumin diets inhibited the development of colorectal tumours".
* Curcumin is an ingredient of the spice tumeric which is used worldwide as a seasoning, and is a key ingredient of curry.
There is little evidence to support the use of many commercial weight loss programs, according to a study in the US, which suggests that the search for new, more effective methods will continue to preoccupy dieters.
The study, published in the 1 January issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, examined the evidence for the major commercial and organised self-help weight loss programs in the United States that provide in-person or online counselling.
It only included programs supported by randomised trials of at least 12 weeks duration that included a follow-up evaluation lasting at least one year. These were eDiets.com, Health Management Resources, Take Off Pounds Sensibly, OPTIFAST, and Weight Watchers.
"Of three randomised, controlled trials of Weight Watchers, the largest reported a loss of 3.2 per cent of initial weight at two years," according to authors Adam Gilden Tsai and Thomas Wadden from the University of Pennsylvania.
Research on very-low-calorie diet programs showed patients who completed treatment lost approximately 15-25 per cent of initial weight, but these were associated with high costs, high attrition rates, and a high probability of regaining 50 per cent or more of lost weight in one to two years.
The researchers concluded that, "with the exception of one trial of Weight Watchers, the evidence to support the use of the major commercial and self-help weight loss programmes is suboptimal. Controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these interventions."
Falling pasta sales of a leading US food company, American Italian Pasta, reflect an industry-wide problem that demonstrates how a low-carb legacy may undermine foods with higher carbohydrate content.
Although a number of problems have afflicted American Italian Pasta (AIP) in 2004, from shipment delays to restructuring costs, the most worrying issue is the company’s statement that falling sales were due to "continued and accelerated consumption declines".
AIP cited independent figures which showed that on average Americans had eaten four to five per cent less pasta in the three months up to 4 October, and the decline was worse, at around seven per cent, in the last four weeks of this period.
Sue Perram, market analyst at US-based Avondale Partners, said the pasta industry was unlikely to recover any lost ground in the near future and that a main problem was a growing low-carb mindset making people biased against higher carb foods like pasta.
"Even though someone might not be following a low-carb diet they may still be in a low-carb mindset. For example, they may choose not to have a bowl of pasta in the evening because they are watching their carbs," said Ms Perram.
Another analyst, James McCoy, from market researchers Mintel, painted a similar picture. He believes there is good potential for low-carb foods to integrate themselves into the mainstream by becoming part of a balanced everyday diet.
Even though Morgan Stanley figures show low-carb diets in the US declined by two per cent in first half of 2004, "low-carb may occupy a position similar to Diet Coke in allowing consumers to feel better about cheating occasionally," Mr McCoy said.
A UK hospital is the latest to launch a glycaemic index testing service to meet demand from European food makers looking to develop low-GI ranges.
The glycaemic index, which ranks the impact of a food on blood sugar levels, is seeing growing interest because of its potential to reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
While science to support this link remains limited, the body of evidence is increasing, and food manufacturers under pressure from government and media are beginning to investigate the use of GI as a means of improving the nutritional value of their products.
Reading Scientific Services Limited (RSSL) which launched the latest UK GI testing service, said it has seen strong interest in the service from manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and distributors, including overseas companies.
"Some of them want to test what they already have but others are interested in reducing the GI of existing products," according to Simon Hails, head of consumer research at RSSL.
Some of the research has been used to develop range extensions already on the market. More than 100 products have gone through trials at RSSL and this number is expected to continue rising. Mr Hails puts the interest down to the "ongoing high profile nature of the health and nutrition debate".
RSSL is still seeing interest for low-carb foods, which represent a bigger value on the current marketplace. However, they expect to see more products labelled with their GI value on UK shelves in the future.
Mr Hails also said an ongoing debate about the value of the glycaemic index over the glycaemic load (GL) is currently holding back product launches. Both give a measure of how blood glucose levels rise immediately after consumption of a food, but GL is related to portion sizes, whereas GI allows for an easier comparison between different products.
"At the moment opinion is shifting back to favour glycaemic load. A lot of people are waiting for a consensus on this, which will be driven by the need for communication to the consumer," Mr Hails said.
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