NUTRITION

Higher Calcium Intake Vs. Fractures and Osteoporosis

Higher Calcium Intake May Not Lower Risk for Fractures and Osteoporosis

Gradual increases in dietary calcium intake above the first quintile in a large female cohort are not associated with further reductions in fracture risk or osteoporosis, according to the results of a prospective longitudinal cohort study reported in the May 24 issue of the BMJ.

“It is problematic to make recommendations regarding calcium intake based on the results from clinical trials and previous cohort studies,” write Eva Warensjö, from Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, and colleagues. “Meta-analyses of randomised trials found that supplemental calcium gave modest or no reduction in risk of fracture. Both the habitual dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D status may affect the outcome and are rarely accounted for in the design of calcium supplementation trials.”

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Fat, Fish and Fowl

In general, fish and poultry are lower in fat than red meat. Also, these foods are almost always lower in saturated fat than red meats. That is why heart experts have been advising us to eat more chicken and fish.

Chicken-lovers should be aware of a few facts:

1. White meat chicken (the breast) is the leanest part.
2. Dark meat chicken has more fat than white meat, but the fat content is still moderate.
3. The skin of all fowl – including duck, goose, and turkey – contains the lion’s share of its fat. Part with the skin if you will, or eat only some of it.
4. New chicken-raising techniques have caused a sharp increase in the fat content of chicken. But most of the extra fat occurs as “pads” under the skin. These can be removed easily.

Fish Gets First Prize

Fish is the real winner when it comes to fat. Most type have very little fat. Some of the lowest-fat fish are:

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Estimate Your Fiber Intake

(This part is continuation of the previous stories regarding dietary fiber)

It is obvious that dietary fiber has significant role in keeping your optimum health and, furthermore, has ability to prevent you from cancer.  The question is: can we estimate the content of fiber in our foods?

If you want to estimate your dietary fiber intake, consult the following charts in which divide fiber into the two basic types: insoluble and soluble.

Insoluble Fiber Content of Foods

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More Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber

Two More Benefits of Fiber

(This part is continuation of the previous article)

The soluble forms of fiber have value in control of blood cholesterol and blood sugar. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and oat bran are good sources of these forms of fiber.

The soluble fibers don’t lower blood cholesterol nearly as much as the cholesterol’s sources raise it. But a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has a mild cholesterol-lowering effect, thanks to the fiber. Lower blood cholesterol, of course, means lower rates of heart disease.

These soluble forms of fiber have also revolutionized the treatment of diabetes. New research has shown that a high-fiber diet helps diabetics control their blood sugar better than the diets used in the past. Their insulin requirements often drop on a high-fiber diet. Changes in insulin doses should be made only on a doctor’s instructions.

Fiber’s ability to keep the blood sugar under control may very well help people who do not have diabetes. A low-fiber meal can cause the blood sugar level to rise quickly, then drop abruptly. Headaches, hunger, and irritability can set in as a result.

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Dietary Fiber Prevents You from Cancer, Part III

Can Fiber Cause Trouble?

( continuation of the previous article )

Scientists believe that we may be able to adapt to high-fiber diets. But this is not known for sure. It is speculation based on a handful of studies.

The effect of fiber on minerals varies among the different types. Here is what scientists think based on current knowledge:

• Iron nutrition probably won’t be affected by eating more fiber.
• Fiber probably will decrease absorption of zinc and copper.
• If zinc and copper intake is good, the decrease in absorption probably will not create any problems.

Whole grains contain more zinc and copper than refined grains, so this may offset any loss of these minerals resulting from the fiber. But until we know this for a fact, I feel it’s best to take a moderate rather than extreme approach to the fiber content of your diet.

Another Mineral-Robber

Fiber is not the only substances in whole grain foods that can bind to minerals. Whole grains also contain phytic acid, which can also tie up minerals. Nutritionists also refer to phytic acid as phytate.
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Dietary Fiber Prevents You from Cancer, Part II

More Whole Grain Ideas

(The previous story of fiber)

Of course, there are whole grain foods other than those that we think of as cereals.

Here are some ideas for whole grain foods that go well with lunch and dinner or make good snacks:

1. for lunch : whole wheat or rye bread
2. for dinner : brown rice, millet, bulghur wheat (as in tabouli)
3. for snacks : graham crackers, rye wafers, or whole wheat crackers

All of these foods are moderate sources of insoluble fiber.

A Matter of Milling

You may be surprised to see brown rice and whole wheat bread described as only moderate sources of fiber. These foods contain less fiber than is commonly believed.

Brown rice, for example, has only a moderately higher fiber content than white rice. The difference amounts to about 1.5 grams per half cup of cooked rice.
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Dietary Fiber Prevents You from Cancer

In the history of nutrition, there never has been a story quite like that of dietary fiber.

For decades, nutritionists viewed fiber as all but worthless. It did not even qualify as a nutrient, because its absence didn’t cause the deficiency disease that result when diets are inadequate in protein, vitamins, or minerals.

As far as nutritionists could see, fiber served no useful purpose other than to prevent constipation.

But during the past decades, fiber has come into its own. It is now the focus of intense research. It is now known that fiber plays a role in regulation of blood cholesterol and blood sugar. Fiber may even help with weight control.

And, yes, it is likely that fiber can help to prevent cancer. Diet institutions and foundations in almost every country surround the world, such as the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer in In the U.S., has advised us to eat whole grain foods every day. These foods are usually a good source of fiber. How about processed grains? Grains that have been refined – such as white flour – contain only little fiber.

The Fiber Fan Club

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Vitamin C Helps You to Fight Cancer, Part III

Handle with Care

If you are nutrition-minded, you probably try not to lose nutrients in cooking.

With vitamin A, you don’t have to worry. It is tough stuff; pretty much indifferent to water, heat, and even long periods of storage. Vitamin A doesn’t dissolve in water, so it doesn’t leach into water used in cooking.

But vitamin C is very sensitive. Heat, light, and oxygen can do it in. In fact, some loss of the vitamin C in food just cannot be prevented.

With a little effort, though, losses of the vitamin can be kept to a minimum. Here are the rules:

1. The sooner fresh foods can be used, the better. Vitamin C breaks down during storage.
2. Try not to chop these foods finely all the time. The fewer pieces a food is cut into, the lower its exposure to oxygen, which destroys vitamin C.
3. The vitamin C in cabbage, cantaloupe, squashes, and strawberries is especially unstable. The sooner they are eaten after cutting, the better.

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Vitamin C Helps You to Fight Cancer, Part II

How Much is Enough?

The RDA for vitamin C is 60 mg a day for adults. By the way, 60 mg of pure vitamin C crystals would measure only a fraction of a teaspoon.

The scientists who set the RDA, however, did not take the evidence on vitamin C and cancer into account.

Here is some more specific advice. Nutritionists have always recommended four or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables. I think at least two, and preferably three, should be foods supplying moderate to high amounts of vitamin C. I try to eat a food rich in vitamin C at every meal.

It is not hard. I can hardly start the day without my orange juice. So that is my first suggestion. Grapefruit juice is also a fine choice.

Here are some other tips that work for me:

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Vitamin C Helps You to Fight Cancer

It is time to rewrite our nutrition textbooks. The textbooks of yesterday tell us that vitamin C prevents scurvy. They talk of the vitamin’s role in healing wounds. They explain that vitamin C aids in the formation of collagen, which holds cells together.

But an update is in order. It is not that vitamin C does not do these things. Rather, it does more – much more.

It may very well help to prevent cancer, says the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer (of the U.S.). The panel members were impressed enough with studies of vitamin C and Cancer to advise us to eat foods rich in vitamin C every day.

Scientists have found that cancers of the stomach and esophagus are less common among people who eat diets rich in vitamin C. In fact, year-round access to foods rich in vitamin C may be one explanation for the dramatic fall in stomach cancer rates in the case of the United States.

Stomach cancer was common in the United States at the turn of the 20th century, when some fruits and vegetables were available only seasonally. We now have year round access to these fruits and vegetables, and many are rich in vitamin C. And stomach cancer is no longer common. It does remain a major health problem in some parts of the world.
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