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Good Nutrition Advice

... and the importance of natural health care

"When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When

diet is correct, medicine is of no need."

- Ayurvedic Proverb

Low Gi Diet Produces Weight Loss in Mice

AS a general rule, scientists, doctors and dieticians subscribe to the view that when it comes to weight management, ‘a calorie is a calorie’. Essentially, this means that if weight loss is the aim, we need to consume fewer calories than we burn, and as long as we do, then the form that these calories come in is irrelevant. However, new evidence is showing the type of calories (irrespective of the number of calories we consume) we ingest may influence weight control.

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One recent mouse study found that a low-carb diet brought about a similar level of weight loss similar to that seen in mice eating a standard diet of significantly lower energy content.

More recently, another mouse study suggests that not all types of calories are created equal when it comes to effects that relate to body weight. In this study, mice were fed with diets of either high or low-GI (fast or slow sugar-releasing nature respectively) [1]. In each case, the mice were fed the same number of calories.

Feeding the mice the high-GI was found to down-regulate fat burning (fat oxidation) in the body compared to the low-GI diet. This difference was noted as early as three weeks after the experiment started. And as time went on, this effect appeared to contribute to other differences as well, namely higher body fat levels, as well as levels of fat in the liver.
Now, remember, the number of calories fed to these mice was the same. So, any differences between groups were the result of the dietary composition. Basically, the higher GI diet was found to reduce the metabolism of fat and lead to increased levels of fatness. It should perhaps be borne in mind that higher GI foods tend to cause more insulin secretion than lower-GI ones. This is relevant, as insulin has effects which impair fat metabolism while encouraging fat manufacturing by the body.

References:
1. Klaus IF, et al. Impairment of fat oxidation under high vs low glycemic index diet occurs prior to the development of an obese pehnotype. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 24 Nov 2009 [epub ahead of print]

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Heterocyclic amines

Meat Link to Prostrate Cancer

EATING large amounts of red and processed meats may be linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer, researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The authors followed 175,343 men in the United States who were 50-71 years old from 1995 until 2003. They recorded the participants’ meat consumption, including the type of meat they ate and how they cooked it, and monitored their iron levels, nitrite/nitrate intake and the number of prostate cancer diagnoses.

By the end of the study, 10,313 developed prostate cancer, of which 419 died.

After adjusting for various factors known to increase the risk of prostate cancer, the authors found that men who ate the most red meat were 12 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer and 33 percent more likely to develop advanced prostate cancer than those who ate the least amount.

Processed meat was also linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer. However, the authors noted that red processed meats (like hot dogs and bacon) were linked to a greater cancer risk than white processed meats (like turkey sandwich meat).

Grilling was the only cooking method that was linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer. It has been suggested that cancer risk may be increased by compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are formed when meat (especially red meat) is cooked at high temperatures.

When heated, the amino acids, sugars and creatinine are converted into HCAs and PAHs, which have been linked to various cancers, including stomach, colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancers, in humans.
Nitrate intake was also correlated with an increased risk of the disease. Nitrates are preservatives that are added to processed and cured meats such as cold cuts and bacon. The preservatives have been associated with cancer-causing chemicals called nitrosamines.

This study supports growing evidence that too much meat may be unhealthy. Earlier studies suggest that red or processed meat may increase the risk of colon cancer and death (particularly from cancer and heart disease) and may be linked to age-related macular degeneration. Red meat also contains high amounts of saturated fats, which have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease.

Some other dietary changes may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. For instance, eating fewer dairy products that are high in fat (like ice cream, cheese and sour cream) may be beneficial.