News summary

New type of fat

Scientists at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found a possible explanation for the beneficial effect of eating oily fish by sufferers of conditions including arthritis. They have identified a new class of fats – resolvins – which can control inflammation, and which are derived from omega-3 fatty acids. The researchers say a fish-heavy diet works best when combined with low doses of aspirin, which appears to stimulate the production of resolvins.
BBC News Online

How Atkins works?

Scientists at Temple University in US say the Atkins diet is successful at helping people lose weight is due to the fact that curbing carbohydrate consumption reduces overall appetite. They conclude from the results of a study of 10 obese patients with type 2 diabetes that the weight loss seen in low-carbohydrate diets is not caused by changes in metabolism, as has been suggested.
The Independent

Green tea and cancer protection

A chemical extracted from green tea could be used in new drugs to fight cancer, according to British and Spanish researchers. They say polyphenol EGCG inhibits cancer cell growth, even at the concentrations that might be found in someone drinking two or three cups of green tea a day. EGCG binds to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) – an enzyme targeted by current anti-cancer drugs – preventing it from triggering the manufacture of new DNA in tumour cells. Researcher Dr Jose Neptuno Rodriguez-Lopez says EGCG should have less marked side-effects than methotrexate, a drug that works in a similar way, on healthy cells.
BBC News Online

Diet as a cancer defence

A scientist at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute in the US says a carcinogen called DMBA, which is found in some cooked foods as well as cigarette smoke and motor exhaust, causes mammalian tumours to develop twice as often in obese rats as in thin ones. Reza Hakkak, a professor of dietetics and nutrition at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is researching the role of the diet in preventing specific diseases, in particular breast and colon cancers. He says. “Food is the cheapest way to prevent diseases.”
The Washington Post Online

Additive may prevent consequences of poor diet

It appears that a common food additive can be used to prevent a high-fat diet from causing the development of insulin resistance. Dr Wallace Yokoyama, of the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, says the relationship between with fat intake and insulin resistance is affected by the rapid ingestion of large amounts of saturated fat. It seems that HPMC - a form of soluble cellulose used as a thickener in a range of processed foods – slows the absorption of dietary fats, preventing cellular damage that can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.
Reuters Health Online

Acrylamide claim

US and Swedish researchers says acrylamide does not increase the risk of developing breast cancer. The substance, which is found in some baked and fried foods, had been described as a possible carcinogen by the WHO. But after recent research scientists at Harvard School of Public Health and the Karolinska Institute say they have found no evidence of an association between acrylamide consumption and the risk of breast cancer.
BBC News Online

Risks of supplementation

Research suggests that large doses of vitamin E may increase the risk of heart failure in people with diabetes or blocked arteries. Dr Eva Lonn, who led a study at McMaster University in the US into the protective effects against cancer and heart attacks of vitamin E supplementation, says the heart failure finding was unexpected and should prompt more research. Dr Lonn speculates that high doses may disturb the balance of beneficial naturally occurring antioxidants.
CNN Online

Atkins UK at risk?

An administrator is likely to be appointed to Atkins Nutritionals UK after lower-than-expected sales of its dietary products. Jeremy Willmont, of chartered accountants Moore Stephens, who is expected to be named for the post, says, “[Atkins Nutritionals UK] are in the process of making an approach to the High Court for an administrator to be appointed.” A decision to close the firm could leave manufacturers of its products being owed large sums. An un-namde member of staff says, “The trouble was they tried to grow too quickly but their sales never reached the levels they expected and competitors have done a much better job.”
BBC News Online