Nutrition News

Nutrition Updates
April 2008
Barbara Quinn, MS, RD, CDE

Egg consumption and risk for cardiovascular disease
Overall results a from prospective cohort study of 21,327 male participants of the Physicians’ Health Study indicate that the consumption of 6 or fewer eggs a week had no major effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease or death. A modest increase in the risk of death was observed in those who ate 7 or more eggs a week. In male physicians with diabetes, however, any egg consumption was associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Find the study report at
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/964.

DASH to lower cardiovascular risk
Several studies have already shown that the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is effective to reduce blood pressure. This prospective cohort study on middle-aged women over 24 years of follow-up showed evidence that adherence to the DASH-style diet is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Read the results at
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/168/7/713.

Naturally occurring plant sterols influence serum cholesterol
According to the authors, this is the second epidemiological study to show that increasing intake of naturally occurring plant sterols from vegetable foods can significantly decrease total cholesterol levels in men and women living in northern Sweden. It also highlights the importance of considering the actual plant sterol content of food in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Study results can be found at
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/993.

Smoking effects on health parameters
This review article reports current evidence on how smoking affects body weight, fat distribution, and insulin resistance. Smoking does increase metabolic rate, although heavy smokers tend to be overweight or obese more than light smokers. Evidence also continues to indicate that smoking leads to a greater accumulation of visceral fat, which increases the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. See the details at
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/801.

Update on Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is now seen as a world pandemic, according to recent articles on this subject. Health consequences of vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D content of foods, and a review of the literature in relation to the assessment of vitamin D from exposure to sunlight are some of the reports featured in the April 2008 Supplement of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Find these articles, respectively, at:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/1080S
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/1092S
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/1097S

Association between the intake of trans fats and risk of breast cancer
One factor that may contribute to increased risk of invasive breast cancer is a high serum level of trans-monounsaturated fatty acids, according to prospective data from the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. This association presumably reflects a high intake of industrially processed foods, say the authors of this study. Read the report at
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/kwn069.

Health effects of a diet high in monounsaturated fats
What effects do the amount and quality of fat in the diet have on insulin resistance and glucose tolerance? This strictly-controlled six-month dietary intervention study compared the effects of three different ad libitum diets (high-monounsaturated fatty acid and moderate-fat; low-fat; and control) on glucose metabolism in 46 nondiabetic obese men and premenopausal women following a period of weight loss. In this population, the authors concluded that the diet high in monounsaturated fat had a more favorable effect on glucose homeostasis than the typical Western diet “and may also be more beneficial than the official recommended low-fat diet in the short term.” Find the results at
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/855.