J Nutrition June, 2010 –See this, longer synopses, and links to published articles at Nutrition investigator .
SUMMARY – Evidence for getting enough choline and selenium, avoiding trans-fats, and eating pistachios is shown. A symposium on Access to Healthy Foods indicates policies would be cost-effective if they make energy-dense food more expensive, and nutrient-dense foods less expensive and more available locally.
SYNOPSES OF ARTICLES THIS MONTH
1. Choline is vital for a healthy brain – Dietary choline deprivation (CD) is associated with behavioral changes,…The results suggest that CD-induced dysfunction in brain mitochondria may be responsible for impairment in cognition and underline that, similar to the liver, the brain also needs an adequate choline supply for its normal functioning.
2. Eating pistachios lowers harmful serum oxidized LDL – Pistachios are high in lutein, β-carotene, and -tocopherol relative to other nuts…This suggests that a heart-healthy diet including pistachios contributes to the decrease in the serum oxidized-LDL concentration through cholesterol-lowering and may provide an added benefit as a result of the antioxidants the pistachios contain.
3. Here is more reason to avoid trans fats – These results demonstrate the role of trans fatty acid intake on the development of key features of metabolic syndrome.
4. Getting the daily value of selenium is necessary for your immune system – The immune-enhancing effects of selenium (Se) supplementation make it a promising complementary and alternative medicine modality for boosting immunity…Overall, these data suggest that dietary Se levels modulate free thiol levels and specific signaling events during CD4+ T cell activation, which influence their proliferation and differentiation.
6. Providing access to healthy food is an important government policy to produce national health – Geographic access to food is an important dimension of food insecurity in the US, because it affects the cost of food that low-income consumers face and the decisions they make about which foods to purchase.
7. Taxing energy-dense foods or subsidizing nutrient-dense foods will help to reduce obesity – Adolescents have poor dietary behaviors and high overweight prevalence. ..Evidence showed that healthful compared with less healthful foods increasingly cost more and that fast food restaurants are increasingly available…Overall, this research implies that pricing interventions of taxes on energy-dense foods such as fast food and/or subsidies to healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables and policy efforts to improve access to supermarkets may help to improve adolescent weight outcomes.
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“the ability to wish or imagine that we can be better is notable. No other species aspires to be more than it is.”???-Michael Gazzaniga
