News summary

Parental example and persistence needed

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, in the US, say parents are not sufficiently persistent when it comes to increasing the scope of their children’s diet. According to Dr Julie Lumeng children may need to be presented with a given food as many as 15 times before they will develop a liking for it, in addition to which it appears that youngsters learn to like foods they see others eating. She points out also that the use of certain foods as a reward may encourage picky eating.
Reuters Health Online

Diabetes may be affected by grandparents’ diet

Research in animals suggests that children may be at increased risk of diabetes if their grandmothers had a poor diet while pregnant and breastfeeding. Scientists at the University of Texas say insulin resistance may be developed across two generations. Professor Peter Nathanielsz says, “These new findings stretch the unwanted consequences of poor nutrition across generations. They offers us important clues about the origins of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.” Granddaughters appear to be particularly vulnerable; the effect is less pronounced in grandsons. However, boys seem to be more affected if their mothers failed to get sufficient nutrients when they were being breastfed.
BBC News Online

Ignorance about breastfeeding

The National Childbirth Trust says many women do not appreciate that the benefits of breastfeeding are immediate. In its survey the NCT found that nine out of 10 women did not know that breastfeeding for just one month has a lasting impact on health during the first 14 years of a child’s life. Almost half of those questioned were unaware that breastfeeding also reduces the risk of osteoporosis and ovarian cancer of in the mother.
BBC News Online

Food endorsement – new rules

Major charities involved in fighting cancer and heart disease could lose millions of pounds a year under proposals to prohibit them from endorsing foods. The move is part of a general reform of rules regarding the way food manufacturers and retailers make health claims for thousands of products. The European Commission says consumers are often misled by confusing or unproven health claims about foods, and wants to see each claim scientifically proven. However, one of its recommendations is that charities be barred from endorsing foods, and at present commercial deals with supermarkets are a major source of funds for charities.
The Independent

Living on sunlight?

A German scientist claims to have eaten nothing for four years, and to get all his energy from sunlight. Dr Michael Werner, a cancer researcher, says he drinks only water mixed with a small amount of fruit juice. In his book, Living through the Energy of Light, he says he cannot explain what he has experienced on a scientific level but says “perhaps just a little bit of faith is all that is needed”. Dr Helmut Oberritter, head of the German society for nutrition, says, “It is not possible to live on what one gets from fruit juice alone. There are lots of vital proteins and fats that are missing. Obviously this case needs a lot more investigating if we are to explain it.”
Ananova

Tax on takeaways

The authorities in the US city of Detroit want to introduce a “fast food tax” in an effort to curb the city’s financial deficit. The mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, proposes the tax, of 2 per cent, simply to raise money and not as an influence on eating habits, but, says his spokesman James Canning, “We always hope that Detroit citizens will become a little bit healthier in one way or another.” The definition of a fast-food restaurant, for the purposes of the levy, has not been defined but Mr Canning said it is likely to include any outlet where customers pay for their food in advance. Opponents claim the measure will discriminate against lower income groups, who most regularly eat at fast-food outlets.
BBC News Online

High fat and high carbs in diabetes

The findings of a study in the US indicate that eating pizza can affect diabetics’ blood sugar for up to 8 hours, and suggest that people with type 1 diabetes need a slow and steady dose of insulin to maintain their glucose levels after a high-fat and high-carbohydrate meal. Researchers at Penn State University have found that and his colleagues found that a dose of insulin extended over 8 hours is the most effective at keeping blood sugar under control. Dr Robert Gabbay points out that other high-fat foods that are rich in carbohydrates likely have the same effect as pizza. “These types of foods affect your blood sugar many hours longer than one would expect,” he says.
Reuters Health Online

Low fat and diabetes

Increased consumption of low-fat dairy foods reduces men’s chance of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr Hyon Choi says each additional daily serving is associated with a drop of 9 per cent drop in the risk. Dr Choi’s team says the mechanism responsible for the association is unclear, but they suggest that electrolytes including calcium and magnesium may reduce the risk of insulin resistance syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Med Page Today

Kidneys “benefit from moderate alcohol”

Moderate alcohol consumption – defined as “about one drink” a day – may prevent the decline of kidney function in men, says researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. In an analysis of patient blood samples and questionnaires collected from more than 11,000 men, the researchers found that men who consume at least seven drinks per week are at 30 per cent less risk of elevated levels of creatinine in the blood, than men who have one or no drink per week. Dr Tobias Kurth, of the hospital’s Division of Aging, says, “This is the first study to show a consistent reduction in the risk of chronic kidney disease with light to moderate drinking. Given the new findings that traditional cardiovascular risk factors are associated with kidney disease, the data is not surprising. This study may be broadening our knowledge of alcohol and disease prevention.”
HealthScout

Racial differences in bone health

Differing rates of hypertension and bone fragility between the races my in part be explained by study results showing that black and white teenage girls’ bodies deal with salt and calcium differently. Research at Purdue University in Indiana indicates that blacks on a high-salt diet retain more sodium than whites, but that too much salt reduces bone density in both races. White girls lose more calcium in urine than black girls, but in both races calcium loss is increased by a high-salt diet. Calcium is a building block for bones. A lack of calcium can cause osteoporosis, a bone-loss disease that costs Americans $14 billion US a year in health care. Lead researcher Dr Connie Weaver stresses the importance of calcium and says, “The higher your salt intake, the more trouble you’re going to be in, more so for your bones if you’re white and for hypertension if you’re black.”
CNN Online