News You Can Use
Olive Oil Fights Breast Cancer
Adding as little as 10 teaspoons of olive oil to your daily diet could help protect women against breast cancer, Spanish researchers say.
The findings, published in the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), show that olive oil mounts a multi-pronged attack on cancer tumours, stunting their growth, driving their cells to implode and protecting against potentially cancerous damage to DNA.
“This study is ground-breaking because it shows that olive oil and a Mediterranean diet affect our bodies in a far more significant way than previously believed," FASEB editor-in-chief Gerald Weissmann said.
Britain's Daily Mail newspaper said Spanish scientists from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona conducted experiments on rats, which showed that olive oil thwarts a gene driving the growth of breast tumours. It also protects DNA from damage that can lead to cancer.
The researchers recommended women add 50 ml — about 10 teaspoons — of high quality, extra-virgin olive oil to their daily diets and warned only long-term use would give results.
The new findings bolster evidence of the benefits of a "Mediterranean diet" — one that is high in fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts, whole grains and healthy fats such as those in olive oil, while low in red meat and dairy products. Read full article.
Source: Toronto Sun by QMI Agency
A new study suggests that following the heart healthy Mediterranean diet can promote heart function even in men who are genetically predisposed to poor heart health.
According to the study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, adopting a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with a higher heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of the time interval between an individual's daily heart beats.
Higher HRV reflects good autonomic function of the heart, revealing that the organ has a higher capacity to adjust to the possible challenges and variations. Lower HRV, on the other hand, is a risk factor for coronary artery disease.
The more an individual's diet resembles a Mediterranean-style diet, the higher would be his/her HRV, the study found.
"This means that the autonomic system controlling someone's heart rate works better in people who eat a diet similar to a Mediterranean diet," concluded lead researcher Jun Dai, stressing that following such a diet can lower the risk of developing heart disease despite one's genetic makeup.
Source: PressTV
Kids' Diet Linked to Asthma Risk
Eating a Mediterranean diet -- one high in fruits, fish, and vegetables and low in saturated fat -- is associated with a reduced likelihood of asthma in children, a large observational study reaffirmed.
When the researchers looked at how often certain foods were eaten, they found that the odds of ever having asthma were lower among those who consumed fruit, raw green vegetables, and cooked vegetables at least three times a week. Read the full article here.
Source: ABC News/Health
Mediterranean Diet Helps Protect Aging Brain
Eating a Mediterranean diet may help keep your brain healthy as you age, according to an ongoing study at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Rather than asking people to avoid certain foods, the study found data that "adults over age 65 should look to include more olive oil, legumes, nuts, and seeds in their diet in order to improve their recall times and other cognitive skills, such as identifying symbols and numbers," studay author Dr.Tangney said.
The study included 4,000 adults aged 65 and older who were given a series of tests to examine their cognitive (or thinking) skills every three years over a 15-year period. Those who scored highest in following a Mediterranean diet were least likely to suffer cognitive decline, the study authors found.
Source: Health Day; American Society for Nutrition, news releas
Mediterranean diet tied to fertility treatment success
Women all over the world struggle with conception, for various reasons. However, new findings point to a possible role for diet in fertility treatment success.
Researchers in the Netherlands found that among 161 couples undergoing fertility treatment at their center, women whose eating habits most closely matched the traditional Mediterranean diet were 40 percent more likely to become pregnant than those with the least Mediterranean-like diets. The researchers did not assess pregnancy outcomes, so the diet's relationship to the ultimate success of fertility treatment is not clear. But "this is the first step," Steegers-Theunissen said.
One potential reason adhering to a Mediterranean Diet positively affects fertility treatment is the high intake of vegetable oils in the Mediterranean diet.
The omega-6 fatty acids in these oils, the researchers note, are precursors to hormone-like substances in the body called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins, in turn, are involved in the menstrual cycle, ovulation and pregnancy maintenance.
In addition, the study found that women who most closely adhered to the Mediterranean diet had higher levels of vitamin B6 -- higher than both women whose diets were least Mediterranean-like and those who scored high on the health-conscious diet. (Read full article)
SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility, online March 2, 2010.
Mediterranean Diet May Help Keep you Smarter
Reading, writing and researching can bulk up your brain, but did you know that your diet could make you smarter? Eating a Mediterranean-style diet -- one rich in olive oil, whole grains, fish and fruit -- may protect aging brains from damage linked to cognitive problems, a new study finds.
Dr. Nikolas Scarmeas, an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, and his colleagues have already shown that a Mediterranean diet could help lower the risk for Alzheimer's disease and might lengthen the life of those who have the disease. In his latest study, he may have found out why.
After studying a group of male and female participants averaging 80 years of age, he determined that those who most closely followed the Mediterranean Diet had fewer incidents of stroke and brain infarcts – tissue that have died because of reduced or cut-off blood supply. Those who adhered to the Mediterranean Diet to the highest degree lowered their risk of such damage by to 36%. (Read Full Article)
Omega-3 May Reduce Risk of Dental Disease
You are told to brush, floss, and rinse every day, but has your dentist told you to consume more Omega 3 fatty acids lately? He should, according the latest study from Japan comparing levels of omega-3 fatty acids and the prevalence of dental diseases.
“People with low DHA intake had an approximately 1.5 times higher incidence rate ratio of periodontal disease progression,” wrote the researchers.
How is this possible? Omega-3 fatty acids of marine and plant origin were found to have strong anti-bacterial activity against a range of oral pathogens, according to findings published in Molecular Oral Microbiology. They believe this is related to the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids. “In periodontal diseases, bacteria trigger inflammatory host responses that cause destruction of the alveolar bone and periodontal connective tissue,” explained the researchers.
The Mediterranean Diet features ingredients rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as fish, nuts, legumes and vegetables. This pattern of eating is already known to protect against certain kinds of cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. Now there is one more reason to try it. (Read Full Article)
Mediterranean Diet Protects Eye Health
Did you know you could eat your way towards a better view? According to a study from the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), eating a Mediterranean style diet can safeguard your eyesight as you get older. The study found that people who consume at least 100 milliliters of olive oil a week are almost 50 per cent less likely to develop macular degeneration than those who eat less than 1 milliliter per week.
The report’s author, Dr Elaine Chong said olive oil contains a number of protective elements that contribute to eye health. “A diet rich in olive oil and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids such as oily fish varieties like salmon and tuna, and nuts may help protect your eyes against diseases such as [macular degeneration].”
Macular degeneration of the eyes is an aggressive disease with little known treatment options. Knowing that following the Mediterranean Diet may help prevent this condition from ever occurring is crucial for the fight against this disease. (Read Full Article)
Fish Oil Protects Against Cellular Aging
A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps keep the DNA of heart patients from unraveling, which may help explain why fish oil is so beneficial after a heart attack, U.S. researchers said Tuesday. "Cardiologists have known for a long time now that omega-3 fish oil seems to be beneficial for patients with coronary heart disease," said Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far of the University of California, San Francisco, whose study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"A number of studies over the last 20 years or so have shown that after patients have had a heart attack, taking fish oil through diet or supplements is able to reduce the risk of a subsequent heart attack or death from coronary heart disease," Farzaneh-Far said in a telephone interview. What has not been clear is why fish oil is so beneficial.
"In this study, we decided to look at a new mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids might work," Farzaneh-Far said.
The team focused on telomere length -- the length of protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that carry DNA.Fraying or shortening of these protective caps can lead to premature aging and cancer, a new
understanding of aging that helped Elizabeth Blackburn and the two other Americans win the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Farzaneh-Far and colleagues measured the length of telomeres in blood cells in 608 heart attack patients to see if there was any association between the levels of omega-3 fatty acids and the change in telomere length over time."We found a very clear association that increasing levels of the amount of omega-3 fish oil in the blood was associated with a decrease in the rate of biological aging," Farzaneh-Far said.
Those with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids had the longest telomeres, while patients with low levels of the compounds had shorter telomeres, he said. None of the patients were given supplements and the team did not collect dietary information, so it is not clear just how much fish oil it took to have an effect. While fish oil is a primary source of omega-3 fattyacids, they are also found in walnuts, flaxseed oil and leafy green vegetables.
The findings offer a biological explanation for why fish oil helps heart patients. It may be that omega-3 fatty acids counteract oxidative stress -- a cell-damaging chemical reaction that can shorten telomeres, Farzaneh-Far said. Or it may be that fish oil increases the production of telomerase -- an enzyme that lengthens and repairs shortened telomeres."Both of those mechanisms have to be proven," he said. Farzaneh-Far said the team only studied the effects of fish oil and cellular aging in heart patients, so it is not clear if the association would hold true in healthy people."There is no reason to think that it wouldn't. But we haven't shown that," he said.
Rueters: By Julie Steenhuysen Article courtesy of Copyright © 2010 Yahoo!
Mediterranean Diet Protects Against Stomach Cancer
"The results add to the evidence for the role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing cancer risk and add further support for the need to continue to promote the Mediterranean diet in areas where it is disappearing," Dr. Carlos A. Gonzalez of the Catalan Institute for Oncology in Barcelona and his colleagues say.
The traditional diets of Greece, Italy and other Mediterranean countries have many health benefits, they point out in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, including protection against cancer. But there is less information on how eating this way might influence risk of specific cancer types. Gonzalez and his team looked at gastric cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death worldwide.
To investigate whether diet might be protective against the disease, the researchers analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study on 485,044 men and women 35 to 70 years old from 10 European countries.
All had been given a score on an 18-point scale based on how closely their diet adhered to the Mediterranean ideal of being rich in fruit, vegetables, legumes, fish, cereals and olive oil, with a relatively low intake of red meat and dairy products.
During nine years of follow-up, 449 of the study participants developed gastric cancer. People with the highest relative Mediterranean diet scores were 33 percent less likely to develop the disease than people whose eating patterns were furthest from the Mediterranean ideal. Gastric cancer risk fell 5 percent for every one-point increase in a person's Mediterranean diet score.
Just 23 percent of people diagnosed with gastric cancer will survive for five years, the researchers note. "Therefore, identifying dietary recommendations that can help reduce incidence is important for the effective management of this cancer," they conclude.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online December 9, 2009.
The Mediterranean lifestyle isn’t just about healthy, aromatic and flavorful foods and ingredients; it’s also about sharing them in the company of others and relaxing over meals. In the Mediterranean region, food isn’t eaten quickly as a side thought while doing something else. Rather, meals are savored and this act alone is revered as a fundamental part of the peoples’ heritage.
Many people who live in the Mediterranean region do not overeat, and the rate of eating could be the reason why. While eating, specific hormones are released into the gut to signal to the brain when the stomach full and when to stop eating. This fact led a group of researchers in Athens to ask: If we eat our meals quickly, does that mean the signaling hormones are released quickly, too?
They conducted a study where volunteers ate 300 milliliters (about 1.25 cups) of ice cream at different rates. Before and after the ice cream was eaten, blood levels of glucose, insulin, lipids and gut hormones were measured. They found that volunteers who took 30 minutes to finish the ice cream had higher concentrations of the gut hormones that specifically signal fullness to the brain.
This may mean that one way for us to stop overeating and, as a result, reduce our chances of obesity, is to slow down and calmly enjoy meals – one bite at a time.
Alexander Kokkinos, Carel W. le Roux, Kleopatra Alexiadou, et al.
Eating Slowly Increases the Postprandial Response of the Anorexigenic Gut Hormones, Peptide YY and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., Rapid Electronic Publication first published on Oct 29, 2009 as doi:doi:10.1210/jc.2009-1018
Reduce Your Risk of Developing Metabolic Syndrome
A team from two universities in Greece investigated the association of eating a Mediterranean diet and the relationship of liver enzymes to metabolic syndrome. It has been proposed that elevated levels of liver enzymes in the blood not only indicates liver damage, but also might point to a correlation with metabolic syndrome. The team aimed to find if eating a Mediterranean diet would show lower liver enzyme ratios, thus a lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
The ATTICA study is a health and nutrition survey carried out in the Attica region of Greece where Athens is a major city. Participants for the study were randomly sampled from the National Statistical Service (census of 2001). Out of those selected, 3,042 men and women (18-89 years old) agreed to participate.
Blood samples were collected and the ratios of liver enzymes in the serum were recorded. Volunteers then filled out a food-frequency questionnaire. The level of adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet pattern was measured using the Mediterranean Diet Score, a scoring system that considers 11 main components of the Mediterranean diet and assigns a score, 0-5, based on the frequency the specific components are eaten. A high Mediterranean Diet Score has been associated with a lower likelihood of having metabolic syndrome.
The researchers found that the participants who had the highest Mediterranean Diet Scores had lower liver enzyme ratios than those who did not follow a Mediterranean-type diet. They concluded that participants who ate a Mediterranean-type diet might be at a reduced risk for metabolic syndrome.
Natalia Tzima; Christos Pitsavos; Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos; Christina Chrysohoou; Evangelos Polychronopoulos; John Skoumas; Christodoulos Stefanadis. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Moderates the Association of Aminotransferases with the Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome; the ATTICA Study. Published: 10/21/2009. BioMed Central.
Research has repeatedly shown that adopting a Mediterranean-type diet pattern can aid in weight loss and weight management. Recently, a research team from the Second University of Naples reported that people with type-2 diabetes who followed a Mediterranean-type diet pattern not only lost significant amounts of weight, but also reduced their need for anti-hyperglycemic drug therapy.
The team recruited 215 overweight volunteers with newly diagnosed type-2 diabetes and randomly assigned them to consume either a Mediterranean-type diet or a low-fat diet (less than 30% of total calories from fat). After four years, the data show that the group assigned the Mediterranean-type diet had greater weight loss and larger reduction in body mass index than the group assigned a low-fat diet. The data also show that after the four-year period, only 44% of participants in the Mediterranean-type diet group required anti-hyperglycemic drug therapy, compared to 70% in the low-fat diet group.
The researchers added that consuming monounsaturated fats, found in olive products, nuts, legumes and some vegetables, is thought to increase insulin sensitivity and may explain the link between consuming the Mediterranean-type diet and the reduced need for anti-hyperglycemic drug treatment.
K. Esposito, M.I. Maiorino, M. Ciotola, C. Di Palo, et al. Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes - A Randomized Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. Volume 151; 306-314.
Omega-3 fatty acids, members of the polyunsaturated fat class, are an essential nutrient for humans. From acting as an anti-inflammatory to helping reduce the risk of heart disease, to assisting in improving brain development in the prenatal state and possibly slowing down the onset of dementia, omega-3 fatty acids are required by our cells in order for them to function normally.
Omega-6 fatty acids, also essential polyunsaturated fats, are used by the body in conjunction with omega-3s. There is a growing body of research suggesting that a higher ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids in the diet may have a counteractive effect on their benefits. The current dietary recommendation is to eat a diet that consists of 2-4 times more omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in order for the two to work together effectively. The Mediterranean diet is a great example of balancing omega-6 with omega-3 fatty acids, as it provides a liberal amount of whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and olive oil and a very low amount of meat, which is high in omega-6.
A recent study from the Middle East suggests that a healthy balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids may even improve the quality and function of male reproductive cells. Researchers measured levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the blood plasma and spermatozoa in 78 fertile men and 82 men who were infertile due to defective spermatozoa production. They looked at the levels of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in general, then at the ratios of omega-6 to omega-3.
They found that the fertile men had higher blood and sperm levels of omega-3 fatty acids than the infertile men, while the infertile men had a higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the blood. This suggests that the composition of the fatty acids in sperm membranes may help to determine their physiological traits.
Safarinejad M, Hosseini S, et al. Relationship of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids with semen characteristics, and anti-oxidant status of seminal plasma: A comparison between fertile and infertile men. Clinical Nutrition. Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2009.07.008