News summary

Carbohydrates and breast cancer

Research in Mexico shows that breast cancer is more than twice as common there in women who eat a lot of carbohydrates. Dr Eduardo Lazcano-Ponce points out that the main carbohydrates eaten by the women being observed were corn-derived, including tortillas, and soft drinks and bread. The point here is that corn in Mexico is not fortified with folate and other nutrients as are many grains, cereals and other sources of carbohydrates in the US, and it may be that those nutrients might help prevent cancer, according to Sandra Schlicker, executive director of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition. Dr Walter Willett, chief of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, who conducted the study with doctors at the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica at Cuernavaca, in Mexico, says, “The findings do raise concern about the possible adverse effects of eating lots of carbohydrates.”
(CNN Online)
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NICE to investigate Atkins diet

The Atkins diet is to come under the scrutiny of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. A team of up to 20 doctors, nutritionists and dieticians, will investigate the diet, whose critics claim its side effects can include kidney damage, bone thinning and increased cholesterol. The inquiry comes in the wake of a report from the Commons Select Committee on Health, which criticised ministers for failing to tackle growing obesity rates. The results of the study, which will be published in a year, is expected to have an impact on how doctors choose to treat their overweight patients.
(BBC News Online)
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Vegan diet “is not hard to adopt”

Research indicates that changing from a conventional to a vegan diet may be easier than it would seem. Dr Neal Barnard, of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC, says for many people giving up meat and animal products entirely is easier than trying to limit them as part of a low-fat regime. Another incentive, according to Dr Barnard, is that those on a vegan diet can find that their cholesterol level drops, and experience as many health benefits as those on medication for their cholesterol.
(Reuters Health Online)
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Eating with the family has benefits

A study at the University of Minnesota concludes that family meals may contribute to the health and well-being of adolescents. Researchers who examined data from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a survey of 4,746 middle and high school students, say, “Frequency of family meals was inversely associated with tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use; low grade-point average; depressive symptoms, and suicide involvement.”
(HealthScout)
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Vitamin receptor “affects cancer risk”

The increased risk of breast cancer associated with vitamin D deficiency may also be related to the way in which the body uses the vitamin. Researchers at St George?s Hospital in London have found that women with certain versions of a gene involved in the breakdown of vitamin D are at nearly twice the average risk of breast cancer. Dr Michelle Guy and colleagues looked at effect of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene in 398 women with breast cancer and 427 without. She says, “While it is known that 5-10 per cent of breast cancer cases are due to a genetic predisposition associated with well-characterised genes, like BRCA1, the underlying causes of the majority of all other breast cancers remain a mystery.
(BBC News Online)
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Dietary strategies “reduce gallstone risk”

It may be possible for women to avoid gallstones by eating a diet high in fibre, particularly the “insoluble” type found in whole-wheat products and corn bran. Dr Chung-Jyi Tsai, of Harvard Medical School, says the protective effect of a high-fibre diet remains even when other gallstone risk factors are taken into account. The findings appear shortly after a report from the same research team showing that consumption of vegetable protein seems to block gallstone formation.
(Reuters Health Online)
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Manufacturer says its cereals are safe

Kellogg’s has defended its products after the authorities in Denmark banned the sale of its vitamin-enriched cereals. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration claims that if children eat the cereals regularly they may suffer liver and kidney damage, but Kellogg’s says its cereals are within recommended daily vitamin allowances. The Food Standards Agency in the UK has advised people to carry on eating cereals as part of a healthy diet. BBC correspondent Nicola Carslaw points out that in Denmark there has been strong resistance to fortification of foods and there is a belief that too many added vitamins can do harm.
(BBC News Online)
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Edible cling film

Scientists at Oregon State University in the US have developed a wrapping that not only keeps food fresh but can also be safely eaten. The film, which is used in liquid form and can be sprayed on fresh foods. contains natural preservatives and can be fortified with vitamins and minerals. Dr Yanyun Zhao and Dr Mark Daeschel invented the wrapping after experimenting with chitosan, an ingredient in crab and shrimp shells, and lysozyme, a protein from egg whites.
(Ananova)
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