AJCN Mar, 2011 -DETAILS–

FEATURE: Telomere shortening is key control in declining human health. Nutrition investigator’s former student who is an expert in telomere research sent a commentary with a recent article in Nature (17 Feb 2011 pg 359-65) showing how telomere shortening is responsible for chronic disease in humans. See Nutrition Investigator commentary and references on maintaining telomere length (antioxidants, exercise, multivitamins, avoiding chronic stress).

STAYING HEALTHY 1. Young girls need at least 750 IU of vitamin D daily – For many decades, the vitamin D requirements for almost all pediatric populations were clear: either spend some time in the sun or obtain 400 IU daily from diet or a supplement…Since then, we have reconsidered the definition of dietary requirements and have added new terms to our nutrition policy statements. Depending on the definition, it is readily possible to find sources in the popular and medical literature advocating that children need as little as 10 min/d in the sun and no supplemental vitamin D to several thousand units of supplemental vitamin D daily. Almost every source claims authority and expertise, which leads to confusion and sharp disagreement about what really is required for health. (Link to latest Institute of Medicine Recommendation of about 800 IU daily) Link to Nutrition Investigator sources justifying 1-2,000 IU daily)

2. 3 servings of fish weekly reduce the risk of stroke – Compared with women in the lowest quintile of fish consumption (<1.0 serving of fish/wk), the multivariable RR of total stroke for women in the highest quintile (>3.0 servings of fish/wk) was 0.84.

3. High salt meal prevents arterial function – Sixteen healthy, normotensive subjects received a meal with added salt (HSM; 65 mmol Na) and a control low-salt meal…An HSM, which reflects the typical amount of salt consumed in a commonly eaten meal, can significantly suppress brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation within 30 min.

4. High sodium found primarily in certain foods – Data were available for 44,372 food products. The largest contributors to sodium purchases were table salt (23%), processed meat (18%), bread and bakery products (13%), dairy products (12%), and sauces and spreads (11%). More than one-third of sodium purchased (37%) was accounted for by 5 food categories: bacon, bread, milk, cheese, and sauces.

5. GREEN TEA, NOT BLACK TEA seems most effective for heart benefit – We searched PUBMED and EMBASE databases for studies conducted from 1966 through November 2009…Our data do not support a protective role of black tea against CAD (coronary artery disease). The limited data available on green tea support a tentative association of green tea consumption with a reduced risk of CAD.

6. Mediterranean diet slows cognitive decline – The Mediterranean dietary pattern as captured by the MedDiet scoring system may reduce the rate of cognitive decline with older age.

7. Dairy intake increases risk of death and heart disease in women – The role of dairy product consumption in mortality generally appeared to be neutral in men. In women, dairy fat intake was associated with slightly increased all-cause and IHD mortality.

8. Low vitamin D in utero lowers fetal muscle mass and increases insulin resistance

SLOWING DISEASE 9. MUFAs (monounsaturated fats like olive oil) are much safer than saturated fats (butter) – MUFAs postprandially buffered β cell hyperactivity and insulin intolerance relative to SFAs in subjects with high fasting triglyceride concentrations.

10. Chronic cough is often caused by vitamin B12 deficiency

11. Prostate cancer development slowed by zinc – These results suggest that high dietary intake of zinc is associated with lower prostate cancer–specific mortality after diagnosis

12. PUFAs and omega-3s reduce polycystic ovary syndrome in young women

MAINTAINING WEIGHT 13. Dietary saturated fat causes weight gain – The question of whether dietary fat plays a role in the risk of obesity has produced a divergence of opinions. Some argue that dietary fat plays an important role in whether people readily become fat (1), and others feel that it is unimportant (2). Whether fat plays a role or not, a chronic positive imbalance of calories over time is the primary cause of excess storage of body fat. ..There is abundant evidence that sugar-sweetened beverages through their caloric content or the fructose that they provide to the body are involved in both obesity and the risk of diabetes, gout, and heart disease (5). ..Those assigned to the low-fat diet had a modest, but highly significant, reduction of 1.91 kg after 1 y compared with a loss of 0.19 kg in the control group.

14. Obese women may have more difficulty beginning breast feeding, but then they do fine.

– Roc, Nutrition Investigator

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