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The Health Research Page - Page 1
Product Information: Health and Nutrition - The Grain Research Pages - Research Reports
On this site you will find health oriented information dealing with the benefits of grain foods and other current food issues that may have impact on a health conscious consumer. If you know of any other information that should be added, please contact us via email at; info@caima.net |
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Links to research and treatment to cardiovascular diseases |
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57 MILLION ITALIANS CAN'T BE WRONG 10/7/2003
Defying Atkins: Italy's Pasta Consumption High, Obesity Low
Several fad diet book authors have made a pretty penny in recent years by villainizing pasta and bread, blaming these and other carbohydrate foods for America's overweight woes. What has changed since Italian divas Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren were famous for their hour-glass figures and their passion for pasta? Loren's claim was "everything you see, I owe to spaghetti." These former stars of the movie screen and a host of other pasta-loving Italians still have a positive story to tell. Italy is the number one country for pasta consumption. Citizens there consume an estimated 62 pounds of pasta per capita versus an estimated 14 pounds in the United States. At the same time, Italy's incidence of obesity is only 37 percent, compared to 61 percent in the United States. Said differently, Italians eat four times as much pasta and are far less likely to be overweight. Pasta is not fattening. On the contrary, a 1/2 cup serving of cooked pasta contains a mere 99 calories and less than a half gram of fat. If you eat a typical serving of cooked spaghetti, this will probably provide two or three of the recommended servings of complex carbohydrates and still contain less than 300 calories.
It's the Calories, Not the Carbs
Calories, not carbohydrate foods, are to blame for America's weight problem. Simply put, we eat too much and exercise too little. Since the 1950s, average daily consumption for an American adult has increased by 500 calories. The average American consumes 2,750 calories per day, far beyond the 2,200 calories recommended for most children, teenage girls, active women and sedentary men. Bigger isn't always better.
Super-sized portions and too much of the three "Ns" (Nickelodeon, Netscape and Nintendo) have expanded our waistlines. The surgeon general recommends moderate physical activity for children every day for at least 60 minutes, while only 25 percent of school-aged children get 30 minutes of daily exercise.
Most nutritionists agree the keys to healthy eating are balance, variety and moderation. There are no bad foods, only bad diets. Achieving fitness is possible (without the health risks associated with some carbo-phobic diets) by following the proven, sound principles of the Food Guide Pyramid and increasing physical activity.
Here are some supporting facts: • An analysis of 107 research studies reported in the April 9, 2003, Journal of the American Medical Association, “Efficacy and Safety of Low-Carbohydrate Diets,” concluded that "among published studies, participant weight loss while using low-carbohydrate diets was principally associated with decreased caloric intake and increased diet duration, but not with reduced carbohydrate content.” The analysis study did not answer the questions as to the safety or long-term success of low-carbohydrate diets. • A study of four diets published in Preventive Cardiology (2002) by Richard Fleming found a high carbohydrate diet to be most effective. The study included a total of 100 people over a year's time. It was controlled for calories and exercise. Values for weight, total cholesterol, low-density cholesterol (LDL), high-density cholesterol (HDL), triglycerides, and homocysteine were take at the start of the study, at four months, at eight months and at one year. The caloric range was between 1,300 and 2,200 calories per day. Fat ranged from 10 percent of calories to 65 percent, carbohydrates from 10 percent to 75 percent, and protein from 15 percent to 30 percent. All four groups lost weight, with hose on the highest carbohydrate diet (75 percent) having the greatest weight loss. Despite weight loss, the high-fat diet increased every cardiovascular risk factor monitored. The longer the diet was followed, the worse the effects became.
• A June 2002 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cataloged the advantages of a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. The study is based on food intake data from just over 10,000 adults across the United States. Participants on high-carbohydrate diets consumed 300 fewer calories per day than those on very low-carbohydrate diets. Adults who ate high-carbohydrate diets were more likely to be in the normal weight range, with the lowest average body mass index. High-carbohydrate diets were indicated to be more nutritious than low-carbohydrate diets, providing greater intake of vitamins A, C, carotene and folate, and the minerals calcium, magnesium and iron.
• The recent National Academy of Sciences Macronutrient Report recommended that 45 to 65 percent of calories be in the form of carbohydrates. The April release of the World Health Organization report recommended over 55 percent of calories come from carbohydrates.
President's Choice(R) Too Good To Be True(TM) products fit portfolio diet TORONTO, July 23, 2003 - Loblaw Companies Limited is pleased to announce that the company's President's Choice(R) Too Good To Be True(TM) product line played a key role in a Canadian study illustrating that a vegetarian diet composed of specific plant foods can lower cholesterol as effectively as a drug treatment. The study, published in the July 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, used a large component of President's Choice(R) Too Good To Be True(TM) products to compare subjects on a special diet of almonds, soy proteins, viscous fibre or high-fibre foods (oats, barley and a special margarine with plant sterols found in leafy green vegetables and vegetable oils), to subjects taking lovastatin - a cholesterol reducing drug.
The study's lead author David Jenkins, a professor at University of Toronto's Department of Nutritional Sciences and director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital, and other researchers, found that the special diet lowered levels of LDL cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol known to cause clogging in coronary arteries, in subjects by almost 29 per cent, compared to 30.9 per cent in subjects taking lovastatin.
"We are extremely pleased with these findings," said Geoffrey Wilson, Loblaw's vice-president of industry and investor relations. "Loblaw has been a long-time supporter of nutritional research and has been collaborating with Dr. Jenkins over the past 12 years to incorporate specific nutrients and ingredients that demonstrate potential health benefits into our Too Good To Be True(TM) products". The President's Choice(R) Too Good To Be True(TM) product line of specialty foods originated in 1991 to satisfy Dr. Jenkins' requirements for a National Institutes of Health (U.S.A.) funded study. The aim of this study was to lower serum cholesterol using dietary fibre (results published New England Journal of Medicine 1993). The Too Good To Be True(TM) line now has over 120 products (and growing) all developed to specific nutritional criteria to promote good health. They are available across the country at a variety of Loblaw Companies' Limited Retail Stores such as Loblaws, Fortinos, Zehrs, Provigo, Atlantic Superstores, and The Real Canadian Superstore. "Loblaw believes strongly in the research that Dr. Jenkins and his team are doing," said Wilson. "For the past 25 years, Dr. Jenkins has been researching the role of diet in disease prevention and treatment, particularly in relation to heart disease and diabetes. This research is integral in ensuring that we develop products that contribute to the health of all Canadians."
About Loblaw Companies Limited Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's largest food distributor, with operations in every province. Loblaw is also one of the largest private sector employers in Canada, employing over 122,000 full-time and part-time employees. The company is deeply committed to providing products and services to meet a broad range of consumer needs. Loblaw Companies Limited also strives to continually expand the retail experience and build customer loyalty by providing convenience, variety and a range of fresh offerings to suit the lifestyles of busy Canadians. Note to editors/reporters: The following President's Choice(R) Too Good To Be True(TM) documents are available upon request:
Portfolio Diet Nutritional Information
- Fast and Nutritious Recipes - Heart Healthy 7-Day Meal Planner - Soy 7-Day Meal Planner - Product List -30- For further information: Geoffrey H. Wilson, Loblaw Companies Limited, Vice-president, Industry and Investor Relations, (416) 922-8500
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