News summary

Diet and child behaviour linked

US researchers believe children who have a poor diet are more likely to become aggressive and anti-social. A study at the University of Southern California indicates that a lack of zinc, iron, vitamin B and protein in the first three years lead to bad behaviour later. The researchers examined the development of more than 1,000 children in Mauritius over 14 years. They found that the more malnourished the children, the worse the results. Report co-author Adrian Raine says, “There’s more to anti-social behaviour than nutrition, but we argue that it is an important missing link. Biology is not destiny, we can change the biological disposition to anti-social and aggressive behaviour.”
(BBC News Online)
www.bbc.co.uk

Information on food and cancer

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), a charity committed to cancer prevention, has published a list of the 20 foods most effective at preventing cancer. It says eating more vegetables and fruit is the second-most effective way to reduce the risk, after not smoking. The foods it identifies are vegetables, fruit, nuts, oily fish and whole grains, the familiar list that the WCRF says “stand out in the nutritional crowd”. Meanwhile, the Royal Marsden Hospital in London is to publish a book next year called Cancer: The Power of Food. This will be the first time Britain’s premier cancer-healing institution has offered advice to the public on cancer prevention. Written by the hospital’s chief dietician, Clare Shaw, the book will contain recipes and advice on weight-loss regimes.
(The Independent)
www.independent.co.uk

Advantages of low glycaemic indices

A diet rich in carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index is better than a conventional diet for reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to research in the US. Mark Pereira, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, says, “Carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index are absorbed through the small intestine and converted to blood sugar at a much slower rate than high glycaemic, resulting in a more stable blood sugar and much less insulin being produced.” He adds that this would help prevent or control diabetes. Study subjects on a low-glycaemic diet achieved better improvement in blood pressure and blood fats, and their resting metabolic rate did not drop as much as it did for those on a low-fat diet.
(HealthScout)
www.healthscout.com