Archive For The “Health” Category
The anthocyanin-rich nature of strawberries may help improve insulin sensitivity, according to a new study published in the February issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Nutrition. The finding is important because research has shown prolonged insulin resistance (IR) can lead to Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers gave obese adults with insulin resistance a meal high in fat and carbohydrates paired with a beverage that contained freeze-dried whole strawberry powder (equivalent to 3 cups of strawberries) to test the effects of anthocyanins, Subjects who drank the most concentrated versions of the strawberry drink produced less insulin.
Thanks to the strawberry shake, it appeared the body didn’t need much insulin to metabolize their meal. Researchers note that while the exact reason strawberries have this effect remains unclear, it may be that anthocyanins alter insulin signaling at a cellular level.
Strawberries are listed as one of the top ten superfoods to be included in a diabetes meal plan by The American Diabetes Association lists. Low in sugar — but loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins — strawberries are a highly beneficial berry for both diabetics and non-diabetics.
Experts say eating just eight medium-sized strawberries a day may improve heart health, help manage diabetes, support brain health, and reduce the risk of some cancers.
A new study shows that eating a handful of almonds everyday can improve a person’s diet quality which may have numerous lifelong health benefits.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Florida. included 28 parent-child pairs: the parents were instructed to eat 42 grammes of whole almonds each day during the three-week intervention portion of the research period. The children were encouraged to eat 14 grammes of whole almonds or an equivalent amount of almond butter each day.
At the beginning of the 14-week research period the participants’ average Healthy Eating Index scores were 53.7 for the parents as well as children. The Healthy Eating Index is a measure of diet quality that assesses conformance to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
A score below 51 is reflective of a poor diet, a score between 51 and 80 reflects a need for improvement and a score greater than 80 indicates a good diet.
After the study, the average Healthy Eating Index score for parents as well as children increased to an average 61.4.
They increased their Healthy Eating Index component scores for total protein foods and decreased the intake of empty calories.
The results suggest whole food approaches, like adding almonds to one’s diet, may be an achievable way to improve overall public health.
Eating grapes may help protect eye health, according to new research published in the journal Nutrition.
The laboratory study was conducted at the University of Miami, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and showed that a grape‐enriched diet preserved the retina’s structure and function against damaging oxidative stress.
Natural components in grapes that help promote antioxidant activity are thought to contribute to these beneficial effects. The retina is the part of the eye that contains the cells that respond to light, known as photoreceptors. Degeneration of the retina causes progressive photoreceptor death and irreversible vision impairment, including blindness, affecting millions of people in the U.S. Oxidative stress is strongly associated with retinal disease.
Study results showed that the group consuming the grape‐enriched diet maintained retinal thickness, the quantity of photoreceptors, and the amount of photoreceptor activity, despite the oxidative stress insult. Conversely, in the non‐grape consuming group, retinas were damaged, displaying holes and lesions, and with a significant decrease in thickness. Additionally there was a 40% reduction in photoreceptors and significant loss of photoreceptor activity.
“Adding grapes to the diet actually preserved retinal health in the presence of oxidative stress in this study,” said Dr. Abigail Hackam, lead investigator of the study. “These results are very exciting and build on the growing evidence that suggests a very real benefit for grape consumption and eye health.”
Consumers can meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americas for less than $3 per day, according to a new report.The report, The Cost of Satisfying Fruit and Vegetable Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service updated previous estimates of the costs required to meet federal fruit and vegetable recommendations.
“Our analysis shows that individuals on a 2,000-calorie reference diet can purchase a variety of fruits and vegetables satisfying the 2015-20 Dietary Guidelines for Americans for $2.10 to $2.60 per day,” according to the report. This would purchase a pound and an edible cup-equivalent of 156 commonly consumed fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, according to the USDA. The dietary guidelines recommend consumers on a 2,000 calorie diet consume 2 cup-equivalents of fruit and 2.5 cup equivalents of vegetables each day.
Using retail scanner data from 2013, the USDA estimated average prices for 24 fresh fruits and 40 fresh vegetables, and 92 processed fruits and vegetables.
Retail costs of fruits and vegetables vary over time. However, the authors point out the Consumer Price Index shows that fruit and vegetable prices increased by just 4% between 2008 and 2013. This was less than the 8.2% increase for all consumer goods and services in that period. This suggests the relative cost of fruits and vegetables has decreased for consumers.
The USDA said nine of 63 fruits (14%) cost less than 40 cents per cup-equivalent. Watermelon (21 cents), frozen concentrated apple juice (27 cents), and bananas (29 cents) were the least expensive. Twenty-six fruits (41%) cost between 40 and 80 cents per cup-equivalent, according to the USDA. These include apples, 42 cents, oranges, 58 cents, and grapes, 72 cents. Twenty-seven fruits cost more than 80 cents per cup-equivalent, the USDA said, with fresh raspberries ($2.32) and canned cherries ($2.39) at the top of the price range,
Likewise, the USDA said that 16 of 96 vegetables (17%) cost less than 40 cents per cup-equivalent. Potatoes (18 cents), dried pinto beans (19 cents), and dried lentils (20 cents) were least expensive. 58 vegetables (60%) cost between 40 and 80 cents per cup-equivalent, including onions (41 cents), canned tomatoes (50 cents), and broccoli (72 cents), according to the release. 22 vegetables cost more than 80 cents per cup-equivalent, with frozen artichokes $2.55 and fresh asparagus $2.58 are at the high price range.
When it comes to eating vegetables, Americans aren’t doing much better than your average school kid. Only 4 percent meet their daily required consumption of veggies, according to the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance.
The 2015 Report Card by the Alliance has given kids a grade D with vegetable consumption, while the marketing of vegetables has received an F.
But even with the growing popularity of vegetable-forward restaurants and veggie-inspired meals, there is still a lack of vegetables consumed at home. The 2015 Report Card says that the problem is getting worse. The average consumption of vegetables, which excludes fried potatoes, declined by 6 percent during the past five years.
The report offers a reason why this is the case:
“Dinner looks different these days. The growing popularity of convenience items and one-dish meals, such as pizza and sandwiches, has pushed the vegetable side dish off the plate.” the report reads.
When it comes to preparing home meals, the article suggests that parents may not be as strict on making sure their kids have enough vegetables. Elizabeth Pivonka, registered dietitian and president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, explains that parents don’t want to be line cooks and make tailored meals for everyone at home.
“It used to be: This is what we’re eating, so eat it,” Pivonka says.
One third of parents (35 percent) view getting their kids to eat vegetables as a battle, just behind getting them to clean their room and to stop bickering.
American consumers do not need to be concerned about pesticide residues on conventional and organic produce according to an annual report from the USDA.
Over 99 percent of fresh and processed food available to consumers tested below allowable pesticide residue levels, as detailed in the 24th Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Report released recently by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
Only 36 percent of the products sampled through the PDP had residues above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established tolerances.
PDP researchers tested a total of 10,619 samples of fresh and processed fruit and vegetables (8,582 samples). To ensure that the samples were representative of the U.S., researchers collected data in a variety of states throughout different times of the year. The findings support the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, recently released by USDA and the U.S. Department of Health, which encourage consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables.
A 2012 report from CLA demonstrates that crop protection has made healthy food more financially accessible to the American consumer, providing a 47.92 percent savings in overall grocery bills for a family of four in the U.S.1 In addition, increased agricultural production, due to advanced pesticides, has created an additional 1,040,661 jobs generating more than $33 billion in wages, all while decreasing the need for tillage operations, thereby reducing fossil fuel use by 558 million gallons per year.
The PDP was established in 1991 for the purpose of collecting data on pesticide residues found in food. A complete version of the 2014 Annual Summary is available at www.ams.usda.gov/pdp.
Eating green leafy vegetables could reduce the risk of glaucoma, a serious eye disease, by 20 to 30 percent, according to a new study.
The study tracked over 100,000 men and women for nearly 30 years and revealed that the participants who consumed the most green leafy vegetables were less likely to develop glaucoma, which is a primary cause of vision loss and blindness.
These vegetables contain high amounts of dietary nitrate which helps blood circulation. In glaucoma scientists believe there is an impairment of blood flow to the optic nerve, according to Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham, and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Some of the vegetables in the study included various lettuces, like Romaine, as well as kale, mustard or chard greens, as well as cooked and raw spinach. Also included were broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. The benefits were derived mainly from green leafy vegetables, researchers report.
To achieve the benefit, people would need to eat close to two cupfuls of lettuce each day.
According to the Glaucoma Research Society of Canada, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in older North Americans and more than 400,000 Canadians have glaucoma.
Young adults can preserve their heart health decades later by eating fruits and vegetables, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.The study concluded “higher intake of fruits and vegetables during young adulthood was associated with lower odds of prevalent coronary artery calcium after 20 years of follow-up,” according to the article. “Our results reinforce the importance of establishing a high intake of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy dietary pattern early in life.”
Coronary artery calcium is used to measure the atherosclerosis, a disease that hardens arteries is a factor in many types of heart disease, according to a news release from the American Heart Association.
Researchers found that people who ate the most fruits and vegetables at the study’s start had 26% lower odds of developing calcified plaque two decade later, compared with the those who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables, according to data from more than 2,500 study participants.
The research represents the first study to evaluate whether eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults could produce a measurable improvement in heart and blood veseels years later.
“People shouldn’t assume that they can wait until they’re older to eat healthy — our study suggests that what you eat as a young adult may be as important as what you eat as an older adult, ” lead author Michael Miedema, senior consulting cardiologist and clinical investigator at the Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minneapolis, Minn., said in the release.
“Our findings support public health initiatives aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable intake as part of a healthy dietary pattern,” Miedema said. “Further research is needed to determine what other foods impact cardiovascular health in young adults.”
Numerous compounds including vitamin C and beta carotene, as well as several polyphenolic compounds including gallic acid and their larger polymers gallotannins are contained within mangoes that have been linked to anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities.
The absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivatives have not previously been investigated in humans. In a human pilot trial published in the journal of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 11 healthy volunteers between the ages of 21 and 38 years old consumed 400g/day of mango-pulp for 10 days, with blood and urine samples taken on days one and 10 of the study following mango consumption.
Participants refrained from consuming dietary supplements and foods which could be sources of gallic acid such as berries, grapes, and tea for one week prior to the beginning of the study and during the 10 days of mango consumption.
It was first necessary to study how these compounds are metabolized in the body to determine if these polyphenolic compounds have potential benefits to human health at realistic food consumption amounts.
Following 10 days of mango consumption, seven metabolites of gallic acid were identified in the urine of healthy volunteers, and of those two microbial metabolites were found to be significantly more excreted. The presence of gallic acid and pyrogallol metabolites in human urine after the consumption of 400gms of mango indicates the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivative and confirms the bioavailability of these mango-derived metabolites.
The research shows that mangoes have the potential to enhance the diet as a source of gallic acid and gallotannins, which may possess anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.
Source: news-medical.net
A handful of storms that have hit drought-stricken California this winter has put a damper on overall California strawberry shipments to date.
With the week ending March 5, 6.7 million trays of strawberries had been shipped. That was down significantly from the 12.9 million trays shipped at the same time last year. However, this year’s volume for that week was about 1 million trays more than the projected.
Despite the slow shipments in January, volume is increasing fast, particularly out of Oxnard. Those Ventura County loadings should continue until about mid-May.
Ventura County celery, berries, and lettuce shipments – grossing about $4000 to Chicago.
Strawberry Health Benefits Promoted
The California Strawberry Commission is promoting consumption of eight strawberries a day, citing research that finds it may aid cognitive function, among other health benefits.
The MIND diet — short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay — lowered the risk of Alzheimer’s as much as 53% in rigorous adherents and about 35% in those who follow it moderately well, according to a Rush University Medical Center study.
Berries are the only fruit specified for inclusion in the MIND diet, and the study’s authors have noted cognitive benefits from consumption of strawberries and blueberries.
The study results were published last September in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Separately, strawberries and other berries have been named by the American Diabetes Association as among the top 10 superfoods for a diabetes meal plan because of their low-sugar, vitamin, antioxidant and fiber content.
Eight medium strawberries equal about one cup a day and total 45 calories. Vitamin C content per serving exceeds that of oranges, according to the commission, and the fruit provides folate, potassium, three grams of fiber and seven grams of sugar.