J Nutrition December, 2005

[dairy products may aid major weight loss but will require lots of time] Dorothy Teegarden
The Influence of Dairy Product Consumption on Body Composition
J. Nutr. 2005 135: 2749-2752

Recent epidemiologic research suggests that dairy product intake or its components (calcium, vitamin D, and amount or source of protein) are associated with lower body weight or body fat. ..If dairy products or their components have an effect on altering fat mass, it is likely to be a small change that may have a substantial effect on the incidence of obesity over time.

[how grape skins-red wine, grapes and juice-prevent heart disease and arthritis] Beobyi Lee and Sung-Kwon Moon Resveratrol Inhibits TNF-–Induced Proliferation and Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells J. Nutr. 2005 135: 2767-2773.

Resveratrol (RV), a polyphenolic substance found in grape skin, was suggested to play a role in preventing the development of atherosclerotic disease. ..Collectively, these results suggest that RV inhibits cell proliferation, G1 to S phase cell-cycle progress, and MMP-9 expression through the transcription factors NF-B and AP-1 in TNF-–induced VSMC. [note metalloproteinases are involved in cartilage breakdown leading to arthritis]

[give kids good meals regularly-THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS AND SOCIETY] Diana F. Jyoti, Edward A. Frongillo, and Sonya J. Jones Food Insecurity Affects School Children’s Academic Performance, Weight Gain, and Social Skills J. Nutr. 2005 135: 2831-2839

Food insecurity has been associated with diverse developmental consequences for U.S. children primarily from cross-sectional studies. We used longitudinal data to investigate how food insecurity over time related to changes in reading and mathematics test performance, weight and BMI, and social skills in children. Data were from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, a prospective sample of 21,000 nationally representative children entering kindergarten in 1998 and followed through 3rd grade…food insecurity was predictive of poor developmental trajectories in children before controlling for other variables. Food insecurity thus serves as an important marker for identifying children who fare worse in terms of subsequent development. In all models with controls, food insecurity was associated with outcomes, and associations differed by gender. This study provides the strongest empirical evidence to date that food insecurity is linked to specific developmental consequences for children, and that these consequences may be both nutritional and nonnutritional.

[soy intake reduces plaque in arteries] Michael R. Adams et al, Soy Protein Containing Isoflavones Reduces the Size of Atherosclerotic Plaques without Affecting Coronary Artery Reactivity in Adult Male Monkeys J. Nutr. 2005 135: 2852-2856

The cardiovascular effects of dietary soy on men or adult male experimental animals have received little attention…The results indicate that long-term consumption of soy protein containing a modest amount of isoflavones inhibits the early progression of coronary artery atherosclerosis without affecting endothelium-dependent or -independent arterial function.

[post-menopause fat intake increases breast cancer] Chisato Nagata et al, Fat Intake Is Associated with Serum Estrogen and Androgen Concentrations in Postmenopausal Japanese Women J. Nutr. 2005 135: 2862-2865

A reduction in fat intake has been associated with decreased estrogen levels in dietary intervention studies. ..These data suggest that a high intake of fat is associated with higher serum levels of estrone and DHEAS in postmenopausal women.[which increases the risk of breast cancer]

[Green tea reduces skin cancer] Sudheer K. Mantena et al, Orally Administered Green Tea Polyphenols Prevent Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Skin Cancer in Mice through Activation of Cytotoxic T Cells and Inhibition of Angiogenesis in Tumors J. Nutr. 2005 135: 2871-2877

Green tea polyphenols (GTPs) show promise as anticarcinogenic agents and may prevent the development of solar UV radiation–induced skin cancer…Taken together, these data suggest that in mice, administration of GTPs affects several biomarkers that are involved in UV-carcinogenesis, including inhibition of angiogenic factors and recruitment of cytotoxic T cells in the tumor microenvironment.

Supplement: International Conference on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer:

Vay Liang W. Go et al, Review of the International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer, 2005
J. Nutr. 2005 135: 2925S-2926S

Nearly 400 people attended the annual International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer sponsored by the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund International (AICR/WCRF),4 held July 14–15, 2005, in Washington, DC. .. Evidence linking food, nutrition, and physical activity to the risk of developing cancer will be obtained from 17 systematic literature reviews (SLRs) of >20 cancer sites and a literature review of cancer survivor research… The conference’s keynote address focused on the need to develop a comprehensive framework for studying how the many genetic and epigenetic influences present across an individual’s lifetime factor into the cancer process. This framework, called the life-course approach to cancer, is concerned with critical stages during growth and development that serve as checkpoints, when nutrition and related factors can modulate structure and function at the cellular and tissue levels in ways that increase or decrease risk. Variable methylation and demethylation of DNA is one such process that can be programmed in utero via small changes in maternal diet. Understanding how this and other critical factors such as rate of growth, body composition, and lifestyle interact to influence cancer risk within and across generations is an important area of research…

Note the key words in titles of Key Presentations Linked Here
Integrating the Ideas of Life Course across Cellular, Individual, and Population Levels in Cancer Causation

Genetic and Epigenetic Interactions between Folate and Aging in Carcinogenesis

Synergy among Phytochemicals within Crucifers: Does It Translate into Chemoprotection?

Green Tea Polyphenol (EGCG) Affects Gene Expression of Breast Cancer Cells Transformed by the Carcinogen DMBA

Redox-Sensitive Transcription Factors as Prime Targets for Chemoprevention with Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidative Phytochemicals

Impact of Physical Activity on Intestinal Cancer Development in Mice

Nutrient-Gene Interaction: Metabolic Genotype-Phenotype Relationship