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More fruit and veg benefits
Dr Emma Derbyshire PhD RNutr (Public Health) Nutritional Insight Ltd
We are all aware that eating fruit and veg is good for us. Previous research has shown that eating fruit and veg offers a number of important health benefits, particularly in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD), although there have been some inconsistencies. The authors of this meta-analysis reviewed historic studies to establish whether increased fruit and veg consumption led to a reduction in CHD. This research identified and analysed 23 studies using a total of 937,665 people and 18,047 patients with CHD. Results showed that increasing fruit and veg intake can lead to significant reductions in CHD risk in Western populations but not in Asian populations. In Western populations the risk of CHD was reduced by 12 percent, providing around 477g a day fruit and veg were consumed, by 16 percent if 300g a day of fruit was consumed and by 18 percent if 400g veg a day was eaten. Further research is now necessary to equate this into relevant portion sizes and to further investigate the effect of fruit and veg consumption on coronary heart disease in Asian populations. For more information see: Gan Y et al (2015) International Journal of Cardiology Vol 183 (0) pg129-137.
Latest on vitamin D
Dr Emma Derbyshire is a freelance nutritionist and former senior academic. Her interests include pregnancy and public health. www.nutritionalinsight.co.uk hello@nutritionalinsight.co.uk
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Falls in older people can lead to trauma, hospitalisation, loss of independence and institutionalisation. Existing research into vitamin D status and the likelihood of falls in older people has been inconclusive. In this study, the authors systematically reviewed previously published work and conducted a meta-analysis to find out whether vitamin D blood serum levels were linked to falls in older people. The review identified 18 good quality observational studies. Participant numbers ranging from 80 to 2,957 and age ranges between 63 and 84 years.
NHDmag.com June 2015 - Issue 105
More good news about eggs
Eggs are a simple and easy way of getting protein and essential micronutrients into the diet. Given this, along with their possible satiety and weight management benefits, it is thought that people with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) could benefit from eating these. New research has now looked into this. In this randomised controlled trial, researchers recruited overweight or obese people with either prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes (n=140). Each participant was then randomly allocated high-egg (two eggs daily for six days or the week) or low-egg diet (<two eggs per week) for six weeks. Markers of metabolic health were measured in both groups. Results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, or glycaemic control between the groups. However, the high-egg group did report feeling less hungry and having felt fuller after eating breakfast when compared with the low-egg group. These are interesting findings which imply that high-egg diets could be included safely as part of T2D dietary management. These may also have the added benefit of helping to stave off hunger. For more information see: Fuller N et al (2015) The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol 101 (4) pg705-13.
Results showed that blood serum 25(OH)D levels, a marker of vitamin D status was lower in fallers compared to nonfallers (i.e. tending to be <20ng mL-1). The risk of falls was also lower amongst those with higher serum 25(OH)D levels. The authors concluded that these findings might help to identify groups that would benefit from taking a vitamin D supplement. For more information see: Annweiler C and Beauchet O (2015) Journal of Internal Medicine Vol 277 (1) pg16-44.
