There is nothing more demoralizing than a small but adequate income.
Edmund Wilson (1895-1972)
- Table of Contents:
- Some Vegetable Cooking Methods are Better Than Others
- Probiotics may ease anxiety
- Diet May Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer
- Antioxidants Influence Sperm Quality
- Another Study Shows No Link between Dairy & Weight Loss
Some vegetable cooking methods may be better than others to maintain anti-oxidant levels
Some vegetable cooking methods may be better than others when it comes to maintaining beneficial antioxidant levels, according to a new study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists. Results showed that, depending on the vegetable, cooking on a flat metal surface with no oil (griddling) and microwave cooking maintained the highest antioxidant levels.Fruits and vegetables are considered to be the major contributors of nutritional antioxidants, which may prevent cancer and other diseases. Because of their high antioxidant levels and low-calorie content, consumers are encouraged to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Researchers at the University of Murcia and the University of Complutense in Spain examined how various cooking methods affected antioxidant activity by analyzing six cooking methods with 20 vegetables. The six cooking methods were boiling, pressure-cooking, baking, microwaving, griddling and frying. Their findings showed the following:
• The highest antioxidant loss was observed in cauliflower after boiling and microwaving, peas after boiling, and zucchini after boiling and frying.
• Green beans, beets, and garlic were found to keep their antioxidant levels after most cooking treatments.
• The vegetables that increased their antioxidant levels after all cooking methods were green beans (except green beans after boiling), celery and carrots.
• Artichoke was the only vegetable that kept its high antioxidant level during all the cooking methods.
Griddle- and microwave-cooking helped maintain the highest levels of antioxidants, produced the lowest losses while “pressure-cooking and boiling [led] to the greatest losses,” says lead researcher A. M. Jiménez-Monreal. “In short, water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables.”
To receive a copy of the study please contact Jeannie Houchins at jhouchins@ift.org
Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is a nonprofit scientific society with more than 20,000 individual members working in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. IFT serves as a conduit for multidisciplinary science thought leadership, championing the use of sound science through knowledge sharing, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.IFT.org
Probiotics may ease anxiety
Supplements of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota may ease symptoms of anxiety in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), according to new research funded by Yakult.
Two months of supplementation with the bacterial strain from a sachet was associated with a decrease in anxiety symptoms, according to findings published in the open-access journal Gut Pathogens.
“These results lend further support to the presence of a gut-brain interface, one that may be mediated by microbes that reside or pass through the intestinal tract,” wrote the authors, led by Venket Rao from the University of Toronto.
The researchers admitted the research was preliminary and raises many questions regarding the mechanism of action. “The results of the present study should be viewed simply as a stimulus for further research,” they added.
The study was described as ‘interesting’ by probiotic expert Professor Gregor Reid from the Canadian R&D Centre for Probiotics at the Lawson Health Research Institute, and The University of Western Ontario. He also agreed that the study raises many questions.
“Do the gut microbiota (and probiotics) influence energy levels (which our own studies of HIV patients indicates is true) and by doing so is there an indirect effect on the brain and perception of how we feel? Do probiotics cause direct gut to brain signaling or indirectly via alterations in the overall microbiota that influence serotonin uptake? The latter seems unlikely as depression per se was not altered,” Prof Reid told NutraIngredients.com.
More of this story: Probiotics may ease anxiety: pilot study
Gut Pathogens 2009, 1:6
“A randomized, double-blind,placebo-controlled pilot study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome”Authors: A.V. Rao, A.C. Bested, T.M. Beaulne, M.A. Katzman, C. Iorio, J.M. Berardi, A.C. Logan
http://www.gutpathogens.com/content/pdf/1757-4749-1-6.pdf
Diet May Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer
A new review published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics assessed whether certain modifications in diet have a beneficial effect on the prevention of prostate cancer.
Results suggest that a diet low in fat and red meat and high in fruits and vegetables is beneficial in preventing and treating prostate cancer.
Robert W.-L. Ma and K. Chapman conducted an evidence-based review of dietary recommendations in the prevention of prostate cancer as well as in the management of patients with prostate cancer.
The researchers found that a diet low in fat, high in vegetables and fruit, and avoiding high energy intake, excessive meat, and excessive dairy products and calcium intake may be helpful in preventing prostate cancer, and for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Specifically, consumption of tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, green tea, and vitamins, including Vitamin E and selenium, seemed to propose a decreased risk of prostate cancer. Consumption of highly processed or charcoaled meats, dairy products, and fats seemed to be correlated with prostate cancer.
“Although not conclusive, results suggest that general dietary modification has a beneficial effect on the prevention of prostate cancer,” the authors conclude. “In patients with prostate cancer, dietary therapy allows patients to be an active participant in their treatment.”
Antioxidants Influence Sperm Quality
Low antioxidant intake is associated with low reproductive capacity in semen, according to a new study carried out in two infertility centers in Alicante and Murcia, Spain.
The study, part of continuing research on the topic, is published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility
“Our previous research study, published in March, showed that men who eat large amounts of meat and full fat dairy products have lower seminal quality than those who eat more fruit, vegetables and reduced fat dairy products,” Jaime Mendiola, lead author of the article and a researcher at the University of Murcia, told SINC. “In this study, we have found that people who consume more fruits and vegetables are ingesting more antioxidants, and this is the important point.”
The experts have spent the past four years analyzing the link between dietary habits or workplace exposure to contaminants and the quality of semen among men attending fertility clinics.
The objective was to find out whether a higher or lower intake of vitamins, which act as antioxidants, could affect semen quality. These molecules, which are present in foods such as citrus fruits, peppers, and spinach, work by lowering the level of oxidative stress that can affect semen quality and improve sperm concentration parameters as well as sperm mobility and morphology.
The study was carried out among 61 men, 30 of whom had reproductive problems, while the remaining 31 acted as controls.
“We saw that, among the couples with fertility problems coming to the clinic, the men with good semen quality ate more vegetables and fruit (more vitamins, folic acid and fiber and less proteins and fats) than those men with low seminal quality,” Mendiola said.
“A healthy diet is not only a good way of avoiding illness, but could also have an impact on improving seminal quality. What we still do not understand is the difference between taking these vitamins naturally and in the form of supplements. In the studies we are going to carry out in the United States (where the consumption of vitamins in tablet form is very common) we will be looking at the role of supplements,” Mendiola said.
In the countries of northern Europe, such as Denmark, 40 percent of young men have seminal quality that is below recommended levels for fertility.
“The Danish experts are studying the issue, because it is very worrying. Lifestyle habits could be closely related to seminal quality and human fertility parameters. In addition, emphasis has been placed in recent years on the significance of babies being exposed to toxins and pollutants (pesticides, xenoestrogens, etc.) while in the womb, which could also compromise their future reproductive capacity when they grow to be adults.”
Another Study Shows No Link between Dairy & Weight Loss
Another study has shown that dairy products have no effect on metabolism or weight control. The Swiss study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and funded by Nestlé, tested the hypothesis that boosting calcium intake promotes weight loss, at least in people who are not already getting adequate calcium. Participants took either a 400-milligram dairy calcium supplement or a placebo twice a day for five weeks. Neither treatment had any significant effect on resting energy expenditure or body weight.
The dairy industry has spent millions of dollars on marketing campaigns promoting the dairy–weight loss hypothesis, but this notion has not held up in clinical trials.
Bortolotti M, Rudelle S, Schneiter P, et al. Dairy calcium supplementation in overweight or obese persons: its effect on markers of fat metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;88(4):877-885.
Lanou A, Barnard ND. The dairy and weight loss hypothesis: an evaluation of the clinical trials. Nutr Rev. 2008;66:272-279.
Selected segments are reproduced from:
Dr. Mercola’s excellent website: http://www.mercola.com/index.htm
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine http://www.pcrm.org
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