AJCN Dec, 2010 -DETAILS–
1. Too much or too little folate is hazardous; comments on autism statistics – The ability of increased preconception and prenatal intake of folic acid to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) is one of the greatest success stories in the prevention of birth defects and childhood disabilities. It ranks with rubella vaccine and Rho(D) immune globulin treatment (RhoGAM), which is used for prevention of injury from Rh incompatibility, in the preventive pediatrics hall of fame. Yet there is little certainty about the mechanism of action or whether such administration increases or decreases the incidence of any other disorders of infancy, childhood, or early adult life. In the debates about fortification of foods with folic acid, concerns have been raised by some Internet postings that too much folic acid may be detrimental, but there is little if any evidence of harm. By 2001 there were growing claims that the incidence of autism was increasing dramatically, although there is evidence that much or all of this increase is related to diagnostic substitution of autism for mental retardation for severe disabilities and growing awareness and readiness to apply a diagnosis in milder cases. Although it is clear that ≥3–4-fold more children are given a diagnosis of autism in North America and Europe today than was the case in the 1970s (4), it remains unclear as to whether there is a true change in the incidence of autism phenotypes from 1970 to the present or whether this is completely an artifact of diagnostic practices rather than of any true change in patient phenotypes.

2. Skipping breakfast is detrimental to your heart – participants who skipped breakfast in both childhood and adulthood had a larger waist circumference and higher fasting insulin, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol concentrations.

3. Vitamin D helps prevent diabetes – Conclusions: Vitamin D and Parathyroid hormone concentrations were independently associated with whole-body insulin sensitivity in a cohort of healthy women, which suggested that these variables may influence insulin sensitivity through independent mechanisms.

4. Brain, heart and kidneys burn most calories per weight – Age-adjusted resting metabolic rate (how fast a tissue burns calories) for adults aged >50 y were 194 for liver, 233 for brain, 426 for heart and kidneys, 12.6 for skeletal muscle, 4.4 for adipose tissue, and 11.6 for residuals. [Note muscles burn calories 3 times faster than fat even when you are not working out, so exercise is great to prevent obesity.]

5. Too much iron causes harmful bacteria to flourish in the intestines – Anemic African children carry an unfavorable ratio of fecal enterobacteria to bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, which is increased by iron fortification. Thus, iron fortification in this population produces a potentially more pathogenic gut microbiota profile, and this profile is associated with increased gut inflammation.

6A. Mediterranean and DASH diets are best for the New Year – The traditional Mediterranean diet is characterized by high intakes of fruit, vegetables, fish, and whole grains; moderate amounts of alcohol and dairy products; and low amounts of red or processed meats and sweets (1). Higher intake of whole grains may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer…. On the other hand, high red or processed meat intake has been associated consistently with a higher risk of colorectal cancer (4). Conclusion: Adherence to the DASH diet (which involves higher intakes of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables; moderate amounts of low-fat dairy; and lower amounts of red or processed meats, desserts, and sweetened beverages) was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. B. Premenopausal women lower heart disease risk on Mediterranean diet – Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with lower LPO and higher ascorbic acid concentrations. These results confirm that decreased LPO is a plausible mechanism linking a Mediterranean diet to reduced cardiovascular disease risk. C. Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced weight gain – Conclusions: Adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern is significantly associated with reduced weight gain. This dietary pattern can be recommended to slow down age-related weight gain.

7. Vitamin D deficiency in children correlates with obesity – Consider a vitamin D supplement for you and your kids in 2011! Background: Cross-sectional studies have indicated that vitamin D serostatus is inversely associated with adiposity. Design: We quantified plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in baseline samples of a randomly selected group of 479 schoolchildren aged 5–12 y …Conclusion: Vitamin D serostatus was inversely associated with the development of adiposity in school-age children.

8. Saturated fat (butter) intake correlates with hip fracture risk – Risk increased 31%. Polyunsaturated (vegetable oil) and monounsaturated (olive oil) may decrease fracture risk.

9. White rice raises risk of diabetes – Conclusions: Elevated intake of white rice is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Japanese women. The finding that is suggestive of a positive association of rice intake in physically inactive men deserves further investigation.

10. Sweet taste receptor mutation on chromosome 1may make some people crave sweets – Conclusion: Our findings show that a genetic variation in TAS1R2 affects habitual consumption of sugars and may contribute to interindividual differences in changing behaviors in response to dietary counseling.

11. Quercetin may be as good or better than resveratrol! – Background: Quercetin and trans-resveratrol (trans-RSV) are plant polyphenols reported to reduce inflammation or insulin resistance associated with obesity. Quercetin is a major flavonol abundantly found in plant products such as capers, lovage, apples, onions, and grapes that possesses antioxidative and antiinflammatory properties…Conclusion: These data suggest that quercetin is equally or more effective than trans-RSV in attenuating TNF-α–mediated inflammation and insulin resistance in primary human adipocytes.

– Roc, Nutrition Investigator

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