1. Fibre: Reduces inflammation New research reveals that people who eat a diet high in fibre have significantly lower levels of a protein that is associated with inflammation, diabetes and heart disease.
2. Beans: Keeping you trim A new study of US nutritional data has shown that eating beans may reduce the risk of obesity and help people stay slim.
3. Soy: Benefits for adults A new White Paper, released in the UK, reviews literature and studies on the benefits of soy and confers that most adults should include soy products in their diet.
4. Insoluble fibre: Secrets to fighting fat
A further study has been released linking wholegrains to lower risks of diabetes – news that has already been grasped by cereal makers with the number of wholegrain products gradually rising.
5. Grains in the News:
Grains: Pills for your ills
Adelaide scientists have made a world breakthrough in grain breeding which is expected to lead to a range of revolutionary health foods.
Legumes: May starve tumours Australian scientists have found a compound in legumes which shows early promise as a way to starve cancerous tumours of their blood supply.
Med diet: For Alzheimer's
The Mediterranean diet, high in monounsaturated fat and grains, low in meat and dairy products, appears to reduce the risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.
Toast : The first comfort food
Full of warmth and goodness, toast is the world's first comfort food, and one of the most enduring simple pleasures throughout history.
People who eat a diet high in fibre have significantly lower levels of a protein that is associated with inflammation, diabetes and heart disease, say scientists, giving yet more support for high-fibre diets.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced in the liver and is a known marker for inflammation. Increased levels of CRP are a good predictor for the onset of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The prospective observational study, Seasonal Variation of Blood Cholesterol Levels Study (SEASONS), used 24-hour dietary recalls to measure usual intake of carbohydrate, protein, fat and fibre. Over 500 participants with an average age of 48, took part in the year-long study.
“The likelihood of elevated CRP concentrations was 63 per cent lower in participants in the highest quartile of total fibre intake than in participants in the lowest quartile,” reported lead author Yunsheng Ma from the University of Massachusetts.
Insoluble fibre intake was associated with a 68 per cent reduction in CRP levels, while soluble fibre was linked to a 42 per cent reduction.
“This study suggests that a diet high in fibre may play a role in reducing inflammation and, thus, the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Our results support the current dietary guideline, which recommends 20 to 35 grams of fibre per day, including both soluble and insoluble fibre,” concluded Ma.
The mechanism of how dietary fibre could reduce inflammation is not clear, say the researchers. A recent review had suggested that fibre could reduce the oxidation of fats, which is linked to oxidative stress and increased levels of inflammation.
Another explanation is that soluble fibre act as prebiotics by boosting conditions for bacteria in the intestinal tract, improving gut health, and subsequently preventing inflammation.
The authors note some limitations of their study, most notably that the researchers could not control for medications in their study. Participants taking statins or hormones, for example, were excluded at the start of the study, but no checks were made during the study to check continued compliance.
Randomised controlled clinical trials of high and low-fibre diets are needed, said the researchers, and, based on the results of these trials, a review of public health recommendations.
An examination of US nutritional data has shown that eating beans may reduce the risk of obesity and help people stay slim.
The study looked at data taken from the National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey. The investigators found that adults who eat beans weigh an average of 6.6 pounds less yet eat 199 more daily calories than adults who don't eat beans.
Similar results were found for teenage bean eaters who consume 335 more daily calories but weigh 7.3 pounds less than non-bean-eating teens.
Adult bean eaters consume less total and saturated fat than non-bean eaters and have a 22 per cent lower risk of obesity. Adult and teen bean eaters have smaller waist sizes, three-quarter inch and one inch, respectively. The fibre intake of adult and teen bean eaters is more than one-third higher than non-bean eaters.
"Beans are an excellent source of fibre and previous studies have shown that high-fibre diets may help reduce body weight, so this makes sense," said Dr Victor Fulgoni, author of the study.
"As well, they are naturally low in fat and cholesterol-free. It's no wonder that beans have been called a 'superfood.'"
US dietary guidelines recommend that Americans triple their current intake of beans from one to three cups per week as they are an important source of vitamins and fibre. In addition, other research has shown that diets including beans may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Most adults should include soy products in their diet, says a new white paper, released in the UK, that reviews literature and studies investigating the health benefits they may confer.
The paper was authored by Shannon Koski, manager of protein applications at US protein manufacturer Protient, part of Associated British Foods (Ingredients).
According to Koski, increased consumer acceptance of soy is down to growing awareness of its use as a healthy ingredient. That, in turn, is leading retailers to reorganise their shelves to make room for soy products.
“The healthy attributes of soy have been linked to the isoflavones naturally occurring in soy in conjunction with the soy protein,” wrote Koski. Her paper focuses on soy meal, flour, concentrates and isolates, as these have been shown to result in the most health benefits.
It looks at positive studies that point to benefits in a number of areas: women’s health; heart health; bone health; muscle mass; and prostate health.
For women’s health, it is thought that soy isoflavones may exert oestrogenic effects, making them a suitable alternative to hormone replacement therapy for women dealing with symptoms of menopause, such as hot flushes.
As well as citing studies that showed a 30 to 40 per cent reduction in symptoms in intervention studies using soy foods, soy protein isolate and soy extracts providing between 30 and 100mg of isoflavones per day, the paper also considers epidemiological data that suggests an inverse association between phyto-estrogens and breast cancer risk, but not a strong one.
Based on data from a Chinese and Asian-American studies, Koski wrote: “It appears that soy phyto-estrogens are cancer protective, particularly when consumed early in life.”
However a recent meta-analysis study published in this month’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Vol. 98, pp. 459-471) was not considered. After pooling 18 epidemiological studies (12 case-control and six cohort or nested case-control) dating from 1978 to 2004, researchers from Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in the US concluded that the data on breast cancer risk reduction was inconclusive.
In particular, they said that women should choose soy foods over supplements as they long term effects of high-dose supplements are not know – advise that was criticised by the National Nutritional Foods Association as “irresponsible and misleading”.
In the case of prostate health, the author said there is limited epidemiological data to indicate a link between soy intake and reduced risk, but a pilot intervention study has suggested that isoflavones may be of benefit.
“For several reasons, men concerned about their prostate health may consider incorporating soy into their diets.”
Heart health and soy is an area that has been studied rather more thoroughly, and the paper explains that soy product consumption has been seen to reduce levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, as well as improve plasma lipids. Soy isoflavones are seen to reduce low density lipoprotein oxidation and improve vascular reactivity.
Koski said that a large-scale Chinese study (Journal of Nutrition Sept 133: 2874-2878 (2003) “provides direct confirmation that soy food consumption may reduce the risk of coronary hear disease”.
For bone health, the paper said that the clinically important benefits of isoflavones are “suggestive but not conclusive, and more research is needed in this area”. For muscle mass, it said that soy is an important protein source for improved mass, “and potentially for improved antioxidant activity as well”.
Koski concluded: “Given the increasing number of products containing soy, and the improving flavour of such products, soy foods should be incorporated into the diet of most adults for their numerous health benefits.”
The white paper, which did not discuss any potential negative effects of consuming soy, comes just a month after an independent panel of scientists convened to review recent scientific data on the soy compound genistein and assess whether it could have a negative impact on human development or reproduction.
After three days of discussion, the overall consensus was that, when given orally, there was no threat from the reproductive and developmental effects of soy. The effects of genistein in relation to heart disease or cancer risk, for example, were not explored by the panelists.
Nor was the panel’s decision unanimous: one panel member disagreeing with the finding and saying that greater caution was merited.
4. Fibre: Insoluble protects against diabetes | ( back to contents )
A German clinical trial has reported that eating a fibre-enriched bread for only three days improved insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese women by eight per cent, as the evidence for fibre protection against type-2 diabetes continues to grow.
The new study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, adds to a number of observational studies linking whole grains to lower risks of the disease – news that has already been grasped by cereal makers as the number of wholegrain products rises.
Sales of wholegrain products in the US have increased following recommendations of the health benefits in the USDA's new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
In Europe, the Healthgrain Integrated Project was recently launched to identify new sources of nutritionally enhanced grain, as well as to develop methods to make cereal products more appealing to consumers.
The controlled, single-blind, cross-over study, led by Martin Weickert from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, Potsdam, randomised 17 overweight or obese women, average age 53, with normal glucose metabolism, to eat nine macronutrient matched portions of fibre-enriched bread or control bread during a 72-hour period.
The fibre-enriched bread provided 31.2 grams of insoluble fibre per day, while the control bread was standard white bread.
“When analysing results for the entire cohort, intake of fibre-enriched bread for 72 hours significantly improved whole-body glucose disposal; this was equivalent to an eight per cent improvement of insulin sensitivity,” reported Weickert.
The researchers reported no significant changes in plasma glucose, serum insulin, magnesium concentrations, blood lipids or serum insulin after eating the fibre-enriched bread, compared to control.
The molecular mechanism behind these improvements are not clear, say the researchers.
“Insoluble fibre, containing mainly cellulose and hemicellulose, are unlikely to be physiologically inert and may be interesting candidates for future research,” they said.
One possible mechanism involving increased magnesium intake improve insulin sensitivity, as proposed by a recent study, but the magnesium content of both test and control breads were identical, and no increase in serum concentrations of magnesium were observed, suggesting this is not the mechanism responsible for the effects reported by Weickert and colleagues.
The authors point out that the use of fibre supplements has been criticised, but, seeing as many people are falling short of recommended levels, they say: “It seems important to identify active substances of dietary fibres that may have favourable health effects.”
“An emphasis on cereal, fruit, and vegetable consumption containing a particularly high proportion of insoluble dietary fibre might be a safe, effective, and low-cost approach to reduce insulin resistance,” they concluded.
Adelaide scientists have made a world breakthrough in grain breeding which is expected to lead to a range of revolutionary health foods.
The discovery means conditions such as colorectal cancer, obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, high serum cholesterol and cardiovascular disease could be treated.
I cracking a puzzle which has defied scientists around the world for more than 30 years, the Adelaide researchers identified the genes involved in making a key component of dietary fibre in cereals.
The scientists, at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics at the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide, announced their breakthrough recently. It involves the discovery of the genes which help produce beta-glucans - a carbohydrate which is a major component of dietary fibre - in grains.
The centre's deputy chief executive, Professor Geoffrey Fincher, said it means scientists can increase the amount of fibre in foods with potentially dramatic human health benefits.
It follows the recent use of beta-glucans in fruit juices to help lower cholesterol levels in the U.S.
Professor Fincher said the breakthrough will allow scientists to manipulate the levels of beta-glucans in cereal crops.
"We're very excited by this because of the benefits it has for human health and for farmers," Professor Fincher said. "It means Australian farmers will potentially be more competitive on world markets because of the health benefits of their cereal crops."
"We've solved a problem that has perplexed large international research laboratories in both the private and public sectors for more than 30 years," Professor Fincher said. Under the centre's commercialisation plan, farmers are expected to have access to new grain varieties with higher fibre levels in five to 10 years.
Professor Fincher said new high fibre health food products such as fruit juices and bread will be available soon afterwards.
The research, primarily funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, was also undertaken at the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University.
Australian scientists have found a compound in legumes which shows early promise as a way to starve cancerous tumours of their blood supply.
Molecular geneticist Peter Greshoff, of the University of Queensland, said the complex sugar compound had been tested on an umbilical cord vein in the laboratory and shown to be 88 per cent effective in inhibiting capillary growth.
The next step will be to see if the as-yet unnamed compound is able to choke the blood supply feeding cancerous tumours in mice.
While Professor Greshoff warned any possible human application could be a decade away, he said he was "very excited" about the research.
"If we can kill a tumour or starve the tumour in humans so that the natural process of the body reabsorbs it, then we have a winner," he said in an interview.
Two large pharmaceutical companies have already expressed interest in the research.
Prof Greshoff said although legumes had potential anti-cancerous properties such as being full of anti-oxidants, eating more of them would not give people a high dose of the compound which is found in the roots of the plant.
Legumes include plants like soy beans, chick peas, clover and even the Australian wattle.
Prof Greshoff, the director of the Australian Research Centre for Integrative Legume Research, described the idea to test the compound for its potential in treating cancer as a "eureka moment".
He said he had the idea while attending an unrelated seminar by a colleague.
The Mediterranean diet, high in monounsaturated fat and low in meat and dairy products, appears to reduce the risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to a study of a New York City population, and the more strictly it is adhered to, the stronger its preventive effect.
The researchers studied 2,258 Medicare recipients in Manhattan who did not have dementia, recording their health status and their consumption of constituents of the Mediterranean diet: olive oil, fruits, vegetable, legumes, cereals, fish, a little alcohol and very little dairy or meat. The study appears in the Annals of Neurology in April.
Researchers classified the subjects by how strictly they followed the diet. Over the next four years, 262 participants developed Alzheimer's disease. The third who were most faithful to the diet were 40 per cent less likely to develop Alzheimer's than the third least faithful, and the third who were moderately compliant were 15 per cent less likely to develop it.
The authors, led by Dr Nikolaos Scarmeas, an assistant professor of neurology at Columbia, acknowledged the study's weaknesses. Still, Dr Scarmeas said, "The findings are very strong, and they make biological sense. This diet is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease, lower oxidative stress and lower inflammation, which have in turn been associated with lower risk for Alzheimer's."
Should everyone go on the diet? Maybe not yet. "Ultimately," Dr Scarmeas said, "recommendations have to come from similar findings in repeated observational studies like this one, and, if feasible, from clinical trials."
Historians believe toast first became common about 5,000 years ago in Egypt. The Romans spread the idea of toast across Europe. The word "toast" comes from the Latin "tostum" which means scorch or burn. The world's first comfort food is one of the most enduring pleasures throughout history.
"Toast is one of those perfect foods that will never go out of style . Warm, crunchy and golden brown, toast is delicious, inexpensive, easy to make and a low-fat, low-calorie source of grains," said Judi Adams, MS, RD, president of the Grain Foods Foundation, US.
The process that caramelises toast - cooking the sugars in the bread and turning them golden brown - begins at 155 degrees celcius and is called the Maillard reaction, which gives toast its flavour and its crunch.
Bread and toast can be a good source of whole grain, which may help prevent heart disease and some cancers. The high folic acid content of enriched grains found in white bread and toast may help prevent neural tube defects.
There is also a scientific study on the benefits school children receive from eating what many consider the British national dish: beans and toast. A researcher from the University of Ulster has presented data showing that "toast alone boosted children's scores on a variety of cognitive tests." The toast combined with beans was even more beneficial.
On the racier side, a recent US survey conducted by Harris Interactive® for the Grain Foods Foundation found that nearly 10 per cent of Americans are more passionate about toast than they are for, well, passion. One in ten said they "would rather eat toast in the morning than have sex." Another 52 per cent indicated they prefer toast in the morning over candy, 38 per cent want toast more than chocolate, and 29 per cent prefer their morning toast over a bubble bath.
To get a sense of how revered toast was earlier in history, consider that the official US White House Cookbook of 1887 devoted five entire pages and 21 different recipes to nothing but toast.
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