USDA Says Obese People Can Lower Infection Risk With Grapes

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More than one-third of adults in the U.S. are obese. This translates to 78.6 million people suffering from obesity in the country alone. Obesity has become an epidemic in the U.S. and even in developing countries. Obesity is associated with different kinds of diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension to name a few. Moreover, obese individuals also have a higher risk of developing different types of infection that can further lower their immunity.

 

The Benefits of Grapes for Obese People

Obesity robs people from living quality lives. But with simple lifestyle changes, overweight people may be able to improve their conditions. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revealed that eating grapes can help people with obesity problems by decreasing harmful fats in their bloodstream that are associated with heart disease. The regular consumption of grapes can help lower the risk of infection for their overall health improvement.

But what makes grapes beneficial to the body? According to a molecular biologist, Susan Zunino from the Agricultural Research Service, grapes contains high amounts of phytochemicals. These are compounds naturally found in fruits like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  These phytochemicals have positive effects on the body such as improving the condition of the immune system in people who suffer from obesity.

Grapes are one of the fruits with the highest levels of antioxidants like vitamin C, manganese, carotenoids, resveratrol, and stilbenes. Both the seeds and skins of grapes have a high concentration of antioxidants, so eating the whole fruit is necessary for capturing all of the antioxidants.

There are a lot of pro-inflammatory molecules also known as free radicals in our bodies and eating phytochemical-rich fruits can help lower the production of such particles. These include the interleukins and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). The ability of grapes to reduce inflammatory allows the body to heal itself naturally.

 

Study Shows the Power of Antioxidant-Rich Foods

Hospital documentation suggests that obese people have higher chances of developing viral or bacterial infection after surgery. In fact, 35% of Americans who sought hospitalization developed some infection after their hospital stay.

The study proved that the power of grapes in treating obese patients is simply remarkable. Researchers divided the participants into two groups and gave the participants a mixture of grape powder and water while the other group received nothing but a placebo for three weeks.

Based on the blood samples obtained from the participants, those who drank the grape mixture have better blood lipid profile, inflammation markers, and immune system compared to those who have taken the placebo mixture. Consumption of grapes lowers the concentration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) which is also dubbed as the bad cholesterol and is associated with heart disease. Another remarkable thing about eating grapes is that it can stimulate the production of cytokines which are proteins that help fight off the infection in the body.

While consuming fruits like grapes can lower inflammation in the body, further studies need to be conducted to understand the mechanisms behind why the consumption of grapes can have beneficial effects on patients suffering from obesity.

Inspired by ars.usda.gov

NPR Report: Dairy Fat Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

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If you love to eat cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products, then this article is for you.  A new study revealed that the consumption of dairy fats that are found in cheese, yogurt, and milk have protective effects against Type 2 diabetes.

Published in the journal Circulation and cited in the website NPR, the study reviewed the blood samples of adult participants to measure the biomarkers for dairy fat. The study started during the late 1980s and over the next twenty years, researchers tracked down the same people and determined who developed diabetes.

Interestingly, the study showed that individuals who consume most dairy fat in their diet have a 50% lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those who consumed less to no dairy fat at all. The lead author, Dariush Mozaffarian from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, noted that this study debunks the idea that eating saturated fat–those found in dairy products–is harmful to the body.

 

Health Benefits of Dairy Fat

Research published in the European Journal of Nutrition indicates that the consumption of full dairy fat is good for controlling weight gain than the consumption of low-fat dairy. Low obesity risk also means a lowered risk for type 2 diabetes. But how can a high-calorie food be useful in controlling weight? Experts noted that not all calories are equal and drinking full fat milk can make people feel satiated sooner and for a longer time thus making an individual eat less with a longer time duration in between meals.

Another important characteristic of full-fat dairy milk is that the fatty acids found in milk play a paramount role in gene expression as well as hormone regulation. This means that the acids can crank up how much energy the body burns. The fats found in dairy foods also contain a lot of complex micro and macro nutrients.  Full-fat milk contains 62% saturated fat, 30% monosaturated fat, 4% polyunsaturated fat and 4% naturally occurring trans fatty acids. It also contains linoleic acid.

The study noted that drinking full fat milk is not only effective in controlling weight among adults but also children. In fact, children who have a higher intake of whole milk do not gain much weight over time compared to those who consume skim or non-fat dairy products.

 

Moderation is Still the Key to Good Health

While the consumption of dairy fat, according to the NPR article, can reduce the risk of developing diabetes, heart diseases, and obesity, this does not mean that you should gorge on milk or put butter on everything that you eat. Remember that too much of a good thing is also bad.  It is important that you also consume foods that are high in fiber such as fruits and vegetables as they are critical for digestion and further helps manage the blood sugar levels in the body. Combining milk, fruits, and vegetables increases your chances of having better health.

So the next time you want to drink milk or eat cheese, ditch the low-fat ones so that you can get the full benefits of dairy fat.

Inspired by npr.org/thesalt

Highly Processed Carbs Impact Cancer Risk

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Highly processed carbs are seen as the leading cause of weight gain as well as many other health problems.  A recent study shows that cutting out processed carbohydrates can decrease the risk of cancer. With several researchers led by Ph.D. student and author, Nour Makarem, from New York University suggested that the consumption of sugary drinks as well as eating highly processed foods can increase the chances of developing prostate cancer. The researchers also noted that eating healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes can also reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by at least two-thirds. The findings of the study were presented at the American Society for Nutrition Scientific Session and Annual Meeting in 2016 in San Diego, California.

 

Why Are Highly Processed Carbs Linked to Cancer?

The research involved collection of data from 1970 and participants provided detailed information about the food that they eat. The researchers categorized the food sources of the participants according to their glycemic load (GL) and glycemic index (GI). The GI is used to measure the rise of blood sugar levels after eating a particular type of food while the GL measures the amount and quality of carbohydrates present in a given food item. But how does carbohydrate link to cancer?

Results show that there is a strong link between cancer and the consumption of highly processed carbohydrates. Consumption of food high in GL has 88% more risk of developing prostate cancer. This is a stark contrast to the consumption of low GI foods that have 67% lower risk of developing breast cancer.

People are at a higher danger of developing cancer when they consume highly processed foods like burgers, pizza, deli-meat sandwiches, sugary drinks and so on. In fact, an average American consumes a lot of sugar from the beverages that they drink. Thus, they are at risk of developing diabetes, obesity, and other inflammatory diseases. Since cancer is a type of inflammatory disease, there is also a higher chance for people to get cancer if they continue to eat unhealthy carbs. Moreover, new evidence suggests that cancer cells feed on sugar and what do you think highly processed carbs have in them? You got it! It’s sugar.

 

Healthy Carbohydrates

fruits and vegetables healthy carbsThe researchers have noticed that people, particularly women, whose total calorie intake is made up of high amounts of healthy carbohydrates have a lowered risk for breast cancer. This is the reason why a lot of medical health experts promote the consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

What matters is for people to consume the right type of carbohydrate-rich foods. Moreover, it is also important to avoid consuming added sugars in beverages. The thing is you need to learn how to feed your body with the right foods to prevent many health problems.

Let food be your solution to fixing your health. Instead of eating a lot of highly processed carbs, it is crucial that you choose your food wisely so that you can avoid health problems and live an overall healthy life. So the next time you are tempted to drink soda, remember you are increasing your chances for cancer.

Inspired by medicalnewstoday.com

Focus on Healthy Foods for Heart Health

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Do you know that your eating habits affect your heart health? Studies suggest that the diet of older adults can influence the development of heart attacks, strokes, and many other diseases. Lead researcher from the Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand, Dr. Ralph Stewart, noted that eating healthy foods can provide protective benefits to the body. But this does not mean avoiding unhealthy foods altogether. The study suggests that while eating healthy foods can give more health benefits, consumption of unhealthy foods in moderation do not seem to cause any harm to the body.

 

Balance Healthy and Unhealthy Foods

heart health eating healthy foodsMost people grew up hearing the traditional dietary advice of avoiding unhealthy foods altogether. Recently, researchers have found out that what is more important to the human body is eating healthier foods more, than avoiding unhealthy food. In fact, with our current lifestyles, most of us do not eat a lot of healthy foods. Eating too much unhealthy as compared to healthy foods can tip off the balance in our diet, resulting in negative health repercussions.

To conduct the study, the researchers asked more than 15,000 participants from 39 countries to complete a questionnaire. All participants had symptoms of heart diseases and had the average age of 67-years-old. Participants were asked the kinds of foods that they ate and how many times they have consumed the food items within a week.

In this regard, those who followed the Mediterranean diet (those who consume the most amounts of healthy foods) should have shown better health. Unfortunately, 7%  more of those who adhered to this diet suffered a stroke or heart attack compared to those who did not strictly follow the Mediterranean diet.

This does not mean, however, that people should just eat unhealthy food without restriction. Eating a balanced amount of healthy and unhealthy food is important. Researchers also suggest that eating unhealthy foods on some occasions, as a treat, is appropriate to retain good health.

 

Divided Consensus Amongst Experts

heart health healthy foods research studyWhile the researchers from the Auckland City Hospital believe that the body can still be healthy by eating both healthy and unhealthy foods, many nutritionists disagree. Many experts believe that eating healthy foods is the only link to better health.

For example, the Mediterranean diet is all about eating yogurt, hummus, olive oil, garlic, fish, nuts, fruits, salads and other natural foods. In contrast with a Western diet that is characterized by eating big portions of food and a high intake of red meat, processed carbohydrates, and deep fried foods, people who follow the Mediterranean diet, have a lower risk of getting an autoimmune disease, heart disease, obesity, cancer, mental disorder, and diabetes.

Eating unhealthy and healthy foods together will discredit the positive effects of the latter. Many researchers noted that to get the full health benefits, eating a healthy diet is the only way to go. Unhealthy foods may be eaten but only on rare occasions. Unfortunately, nothing in any research shows the serving sizes of unhealthy and healthy foods that should be consumed by an average individual. The findings are still skewed with the lack of diet data.

Inspired by consumer.healthday.com

FDA Approves Folic Acid Fortification Corn Masa Flour

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Folic acid or folate is a type of B vitamin that is needed by pregnant women. It has essential functions in the development of the neural tubes to the brain and spinal cord of the fetus to develop properly. Eating folate-rich food is imperative not only for pregnant women but women in general. Consumption of 400mg of folic acid daily is enough to prevent the progression of neural tube defects. There are many sources of folic acid and it is important for women to eat a generous serving of these foods like lentils, spinach, broccoli, eggs and fortified grains and pasta.

Neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly are estimated to occur in 3,000 pregnancies in the United States every year. It is caused by minimal to no intake of folic acid. This is the reason why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed on the fortification of food as an effective means of addressing micronutrient deficiencies.

Folic Acid Fortification to Help Hispanic American Women

Mandatory fortification of grains started in 1998, but despite this, there is a significant number of Hispanic children who suffer from this condition. Thus, one of the ways to diminish the inconsistency is to fortify the corn masa flour to improve the total consumption of folic acid among Hispanic women.

Corn masa flour is a primary component of Spanish dough that is made from cooking corn and alkali and grinding them. It is a staple food for many Latin Americans particularly those from Central America and Mexico. This type of flour has a wide variety of uses such as making tortillas, taco shells, tamales and corn chips. While corn masa flour is high in providing the necessary carbohydrates and energy for the body, it does not contain B vitamins. You would have to eat other foods that contain folic acid to get your daily intake.

Several types of research showed that Hispanic women have a lower intake of folate than non-Hispanic women.  As such, the US FDA has approved the fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid. Manufacturers of the corn flour should add up to 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of masa flour. Increasing the consumption of folic acid in enriched corn masa flour is helpful in reducing the incidence of neural tube defects especially among populations wherein corn flour is a staple in their diet.

Studies showed that fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid can increase the daily intake of said nutrient in Hispanic women by as much as 20% which is higher compared to the normal consumption of only 4%. This also reduces the need for Hispanic women to take daily synthetic supplements as they can get their folate from staple food sources.

The addition of folic acid on corn masa flour was done after conducting a scientific safety review to ensure that adding the micronutrient is safe for the general populace. FDA also evaluated dietary exposure, toxicology data as well as other relevant information to make sure that corn flour enriched with folic acid is not only effective in preventing NTD but also safe.

Inspired by medicalnewstoday.com

Coffee May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk

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For many years, people have thought that drinking a lot of coffee is dangerous to the body. If you love drinking coffee, then you will be happy with this news. Researchers from the National Israeli Cancer Control Center noted that drinking coffee may lower your colon cancer risk by as much as 50%. Whether you drink decaf or regular coffee, there is no difference when it comes to its health benefits.

The Research Says Antioxidants Are King

So what makes coffee very beneficial in lowering colon cancer risk? Senior researcher of the study, Dr. Gad Rennert, noted that coffee has high antioxidant properties that are released during the roasting process. The research studied more than 5,100 colon cancer patients in northern Israel, comprised both of women and men. The patients were then compared to more than 4,000 individuals who do not have any trace of colon cancer.
During the study, participants reported the amount of coffee that they drank as well as the types of coffee. Moreover, the participants also reported any risk factors such as diet, family history, smoking, and physical activity. However, Dr. Rennert indicated that drinking coffee does not lower the possibility of colon cancer, but is associated with reduced risk. This means that people who drink coffee every day are found to have fewer risks for developing colon cancer. The mechanism is still a mystery to date.

How Much Coffee Should You Drink?

How much coffee is good for the body? The researchers found out that drinking one to two cups of coffee daily is linked to a 26% reduction in colon cancer risk. For people who drank more than two cups of coffee, the risk was lowered to 50%.  The type of coffee does not affect the health benefits thus whether you drink decaf, espresso, instant, or filtered coffee, the benefits are the same.

What Do Other Studies Say About Coffee and Colon Cancer Connection?

Dr. Andrew Chan from the Harvard Medical School in Boston noted that there is a lot of evidence that supports the association of coffee and low colon cancer risk. What most studies lack is to identify the specific protective agents in coffee that can lower the risk for colon cancer. But what is most interesting is that studying the effects of coffee can also lead to clues on how colon cancer develops.

Similar studies have shown the same results. According to Susan Gapstur from the American Cancer Society, the studies that included the collection of information regarding the diet of the participants revealed that there is no significant value when it comes to lowering the risk of colon cancer. This means that non-coffee drinkers can also have reduced a risk of colon cancer based on the type of diet that they enjoy.

Colon cancer risk is very high especially now that people live very unhealthy lifestyles. The news that coffee can lower the risk is very exciting especially for individuals who love to drink coffee. Tomorrow afternoon when you start to yawn, don’t worry about drinking that third cup of coffee, because it might just save your colon one day.

Inspired by consumer.healthday.com

What’s Next for Probiotics in Sports Nutrition?

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There is a high demand for healthy beverages all over the world, which has given rise to probiotics, cold-pressed, organic, and plant-based beverages. This is the reason why food and beverage manufacturers have started developing sports nutrition drinks that are not only natural but also contain probiotic ingredients to attract a new market of health-conscious athletes and individuals.

Defining Probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria that are good for the digestive system. In fact, we naturally have probiotics inside us.  The gut is where millions of bacteria live and if the population of your gut microflora is made up of good bacteria, you reap the benefits by having proper digestion as well as a healthy well-being.

So why should you drink probiotics if you already have them inside your body? Unfortunately, abusive lifestyles such as being stressed and eating processed foods can affect the number of good bacteria in your body. Moreover, if you have been taking antibiotics, your good bacteria are also eradicated as antibiotics are not selective when it comes to killing bacteria in the body. Adding probiotics to your diet is an excellent way to replace the population of good bacteria in your body.

Adding Probiotics in Sports Nutrition

Probiotics are already found in many fermented products that we consume. These include sauerkraut, vinegar, kimchi, yogurt, and many others. But many market innovators want to add probiotics to boost foods that do not traditionally contain them.

The use of probiotics as a primary ingredient in sports nutrition is becoming a popular trend and is expected to reach a global market value of $46.55 billion in the next four years.  For instance, companies like Ingredion, GoodBelly, and NextFoods Inc. are aiming to tap into the sports drink market by improving their product using probiotics. Soon, many companies will also join this trend and will create probiotic product lines that are not only limited to beverages but also protein bars and snacks.

The Rising Demand of Probiotics

In a recent survey conducted by Ganeden, it was noted that 70% of the consumers are open to consuming probiotics in food instead of supplements. The respondents also mentioned that they are willing to pay more for healthy foods especially those containing probiotics.

More and more people are becoming health conscious. They are aware and picky when it comes to what they are eating. People are now interested in looking for food that can give them more health benefits. The increasing demand for healthy and functional foods is the reason why food and beverage manufacturers are developing ways to incorporate probiotics into their products.

For now, probiotics are seen primarily as a potential ingredient for sports drinks, but manufacturers are innovating for the future use of probiotics in fruit beverages, baking mixes, granola bars and much more. It is forecasted that probiotics are set to make appearances in different types of products not only in sports nutrition but also in functional day to day products.

Inspired by fooddive.com

Low Levels of Vitamin B12 in the Brain Could be Linked to Mental Decline

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Vitamin B12 is not one of the headline supplements that you would expect to see when you pick up a nutritional magazine. Nutritionists and health experts have always had their suspicions on the link between the lack of Vitamin B12 intakes in the brain and conditions like dementia and mental decline. Multiple studies that have been carried out in the past to try to understand the linkage better.

But first, a little more about Vitamin B12. It is not among the most abundant of vitamins in the world. It is commonly found in a bacteria that happens to be very common in soil. We find natural forms on vitamin B12 in red meat, salmon, milk, eggs, leafy greens, beets, and almonds. There are other ways of getting vitamin B12. One of them is through synthetic supplements. It is not clear how much of the vitamin you should have to avert the risks that are closely associated with its deficiency. Some experts advise about 1,000 micrograms a week, and there are others that advise up to 250 micrograms a day. This translates to upwards of about 2,500 micrograms per week.

Vitamin B12 in the Blood vs. the Brain

It is important to note that the amount of Vitamin B12 in the blood is not parallel to the sum in the brain. The uptake process is what matters. In a recent study reported in the PLOS ONE journal, scientists were able to pinpoint the link between low Vitamin B12 levels in the brain to autism, schizophrenia, and old age dementia. The same study goes ahead to suggest that some other neurological diseases could be caused by the reduced uptake of Vitamin B12 from the blood stream. There have been other studies that have attempted to look for connections between this and other vitamin deficiencies to certain brain disorders.

While there is yet a definitive study that zeros in on these particular shortcomings, there have been other risks that have been directly associated with extreme vitamin deficiencies. These risks include depression, memory loss, mental decline, and even pregnancy complications. Vitamin B12 is critical for the formation of red blood cells and is also closely associated with the functioning of the central nervous system. Hence its importance in the body.

Inspired by oregonlive.com

Adding Natural Sources of Vitamin B12 to Your New Products

So, we are now wondering how we will formulate products with more vitamin B12? You could use synthetic vitamins with low bioavailability or you could use natural vitamins from whole food sources. NutriFusion is the leader in whole food nutrient fortification from fruits and vegetables. Our stabilization method enables food processors and consumer packaged food companies to add highly bioavailable nutrients to their products. If you are interested in learning more, please visit your respective category below.