News summary

Fruit compound “cuts LDL cholesterol”

Blueberries could provide an alternative way to reduce cholesterol, according to US researchers, who have found that a compound in the fruit is as effective as the drug ciprofibrate in cutting levels of the LDL form in rodents. Although the results are preliminary, a team at the US Department of Agriculture team believes pterostilbene could be developed as a treatment. The team, led by Dr Agnes Rimando found that the compound shows the most potent effect in stimulating a receptor protein that plays an important role in reducing cholesterol and other blood fats.
(BBC News Online)
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Health effects of sugar-sweetened drinks

Study findings indicate that adults who regularly consume sugar-sweetened drinks may be at an increased risk of both diabetes and obesity. Investigators at the Harvard School of Public Health say women who take at least one sugary drink every day are 83 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who have less than one such drink per month. In addition, women who increase their intake from less than one drink per week to at least one per day tend to gain more weight over a four-year period than those with any other sweet-drink habit.
(Reuters Health Online)
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US fruit and vegetable message “not getting through”

Americans still do not eat enough fruit and vegetables, according to a recent study, and most do not even know how much they should eat. Polling organisation AC Nielsen says more than 85 per cent of consumers fail to consume the federally recommended minimum of five servings of produce a day, while nearly 60 per cent think one to four servings is enough for a healthy diet and 20 per cent that one or two servings is enough. The finding is based on a sample of 2,472 people. The current official recommendation is based on servings including six fluid ounces of fruit juice, a medium apple or four ounces of chopped vegetables, and these are expected to be revised next year with larger portions.
(CNN Online)
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Mother?s milk “does not confer benefits”

Scientists in the US say there appears to be no advantage in terms of neurological development to giving very low birth-weight infants their mother’s milk rather than a formula. Dr Lydia Furman and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, say an analysis adjusting for factors besides feeding shows that maternal milk has no effect on outcomes, but that social risk factors and babies’ individual conditions are associated with neurological impairment.
(Reuters Health Online)
www.reutershealth.com

Heinz acts on health demands

Heinz has cut the salt in its tinned soup range by at least 20 per cent, sugar levels by 10 per cent and fat content by 18 per cent. A can of tomato soup now contains 0.2g of sodium, 4.9g of sugar, and 3g of fat. Heinz?s Robin Walker says, “The updated classic range now contains more ingredients as well as a reduction in salt, sugar and fat content.” The Consumers Association has welcomed the move by Heinz and expressed the hope that the firm will reduce salt across its whole product range.
(BBC News Online)
www.bbc.co.uk