Yogurt for your health!

Using data from EPIC-Norfolk study, a large European study on nutrition and disease, researchers O'Connor, Luben, and Wareham recently found an interesting effect of yogurt consumption: lowered diabetes risk. This study was published in the European journal, Diabetologia, and included data from 4000 participants originally in the EPIC-Norfolk study. The participants noted their food consumption in a diary and also followed up with the researchers for 11 years to assess health outcomes.

Although total dairy consumption didn't end up affecting development of diabetes, the consumption of low-fat (<3.9% fat) fermented foods, especially yogurt, lowered the risk of diabetes by 28%! Specifically, participants seemed to benefit from eating an average of 4 standard 125g yogurt pots a week. Researchers hypothesize that these benefits are attributed to a certain types of vitamin K and probiotic bacteria in fermented products.

It should be noted, however, that it's not certain if yogurt itself caused the lower diabetes risk, or if those who ate yogurt were already healthier to begin with. Nonetheless, there seems to be increasing evidence on the many benefits of yogurt and low-fat dairy products.

Take home message: 
1) Yogurt consumption may lower the risk of diabetes, among other well-recognized benefits. So the next time you crave a little snack, consider substituting yogurt for your chips!

2) When considering food choices, it's important to not just look at the major food groups, but also at the subtypes within each food group (in this case, low-fat fermented dairy).



Sources:

1.

O’Connor L, Luben R, Wareham N. Dietary dairy product intake and incident type 2 diabetes: a prospective study using dietary data from a 7-day food diary. Diabetologia. 2014 Jan 7; 

A1C: Predicting Diabetes in High-Risk Individuals

There are many known risk factors for diabetes: age, family history, weight, high cholesterol, and even race. In fact, many people are living with what is called "pre-diabetes", in which there are many risk factors present and blood glucose is higher than usual (but not high enough to be considered diabetes). It's important to be able to screen which of these individuals are at high risk for diabetes. Currently, some of the most recommended screening tests include the fasting blood glucose test and the oral glucose tolerance test; though accurate, these can be expensive and inconvenient.

A recent study by Lerner et al. shows that HbA1C, a value which indicates average blood sugar levels over months, can help to determine risk of developing diabetes. In over 10,000 patients, it was shown that an HbA1C value over 5.5% led to increased risk of developing diabetes over the next 5-8 years, with risk doubling for every A1C increase of 0.5%.

Currently, an A1C greater than 6.5% is considered diabetic, but the World Health Organization says that there is not enough evidence to interpret values below 6.5%. This study, on the other hand, supports the notion that perhaps A1C can serve as an efficient and easy screening tool, and that people with slightly elevated A1C (above 5.5%) may be at higher risk for diabetes. However, it must be noted that the majority of the 10,000 participants was already overweight, so using A1C as a screening tool may be most applicable to individuals who already have diabetes risk factors.



Sources:

1.

Lerner N, Shani M, Vinker S. Predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus using haemoglobin A1c: A community-based historic cohort study. European Journal of General Practice. 2013 Nov 29;1–7.

2.

American Diabetes Association. Screening for Diabetes. Dia Care. 2002 Jan 1;25:s21–s24. 

Maintain your weight: What to eat?

Through a large-scale study which took place in 8 different European countries, scientists tested what kind of diet to have when trying to prevent weight gain after losing weight. 1208 overweight adults were screened, of which 938 adults underwent a low-calorie diet to lose body weight. Of these, 773 adults made it to the "next round" and were randomized to one of five different types of diets:

1) High-protein, high-glycemic index
2) High-protein, low-glycemic index
3) Low-protein, high-glycemic index
4) Low-protein, low-glycemic index
5) Control (the "recommended" food balance of each respective country)

Results showed that option 2 (slightly higher protein, slightly lower glycemic index) helped in maintaining weight loss. Meanwhile, participants in option 3 (low protein, high glycemic index) tended to regain their weight. Maybe this will give you some ideas as to how to balance your nutrition during and after weight loss.

However, it should be noted that less than half the initial sample completed the study, meaning that perhaps the people who remained in the study are different from the ones who dropped out, and are not accurate representation of the real population.


Food for thought: 
It's not just about losing weight - how will you maintain it?


*Low Glycemic foods include: most fruits, wheats, oats, barley, beans, nuts, seeds
*High Protein Foods include: Turkey/Chicken, lean meats, beans, egg whites, yoghurts, nuts, seeds



Source:

1.

Larsen TM, Dalskov S-M, van Baak M, Jebb SA, Papadaki A, Pfeiffer AFH, et al. Diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index for weight-loss maintenance. N. Engl. J. Med. 2010 Nov 25;363(22):2102–13. 

Omega 3: A Miracle Compound

There's a lot of buzz out there on Omega 3 fatty acids right now: we see it in supplement pills, healthy food labels, and even orange juice cartons. This "miracle compound", found in seafoods and certain plant oils, supposedly helps with cognitive ability, heart disease prevention and stroke recovery, inflammation, arthritis, and the list goes on. Although the American Heart Association, Health Canada, and World Health Organization all agree that intake of Omega 3 promotes health, there is not a lot of strong research evidence out there on the optimal intake amount, long-term safety, and molecular mechanisms; in fact, there's even some contradictory evidence as to whether Omega 3 is actually that great for you.

Researchers at the Oregon State University may have just added a new piece to the puzzle. By analyzing liver metabolites in mice after they were treated with DHA (a compound from the Omega 3 family), researchers found that Omega 3 affects a broader range of molecular pathways than previously thought, helping with sugar, amino acid, and vitamin metabolism. In fact, this study even suggests that Omega 3 may be beneficial for individuals with fatty liver disease, reducing inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidative stress. Although shedding promising light onto the molecular benefits of Omega 3, this study was done in mice, meaning that more research is needed for these results to translate to humans.

There seems to be a lot of promise in Omega 3, but there are also some concerns about the health consequences of consuming too much seafood and fish oils. So before you buy yourself a truckload of Omega 3 pills (read: put your wallet on a diet) or schedule daily all-you-can-eat-sushi (read: gluttony), ask your doctor if Omega 3 supplements are right for you!



Sources:

1.

Government of Canada HC. Prenatal Nutrition Guidelines for Health Professionals: Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids [Health Canada, 2009] [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2014 Jan 31]. Available from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/nutrition/omega3-eng.php

2.

Kris-Etherton PM, Harris WS, Appel LJ. Fish Consumption, Fish Oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Cardiovascular Disease. Circulation. 2002 Nov 19;106(21):2747–57.

3.

Depner CM, Traber MG, Bobe G, Kensicki E, Bohren KM, Milne G, et al. A Metabolomic Analysis of Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Mediated Attenuation of Western Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in LDLR-/- Mice. PLoS ONE. 2013 Dec 17;8(12):e83756.