NEWS
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Emma heads Nutritional Insight Ltd, an independent consultancy to industry, government and PR agencies. An avid writer for academic journals and media, her specialist areas are maternal nutrition, child nutrition and functional foods. www.nutritionalinsight.co.uk @DrDerbyshire
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BruceBlaus
Dr Emma Derbyshire Independent Consultant
OSTEOPOROSIS PREVENTION: A WHOLEFOODS APPROACH Osteoporosis is a silent and progressive disease affecting the density and quality of bone which, in turn, increases fracture risk. Figures from the International Osteoporosis Foundation reveal that around one in three women and one in five men are at risk of an osteoporotic fracture with wrist, hip and spine fractures being most common. The underpinning causes of osteoporosis are indeed multifaceted with hormone milieu, genetic and environmental factors all having a role to play. Modifiable lifestyle factors also have a valuable role to play in osteoporosis prevention, where the whole diet can play its own part. A new paper published in EFORT Open Reviews looked at evidence from 20 trials evaluating the role of wholefoods on bone health. Whilst it is well recognised that calcium and vitamin D are important bone nutrients, less is known about the roles that other aspects of the diet can play. Some of the main findings include the following: • Fruit and veg continues to be under consumed, yet also provides important micronutrients and phytochemicals that are useful for bone remodeling. • There is emerging evidence that dried fruits, such as prunes, could help to support bone health, mainly by providing meaningful amounts of vitamin K, manganese, boron, copper and potassium. • It appears that just 50g prunes daily could help to reduce bone breakdown after six months when eaten by postmenopausal women with osteopenia. • Nutrients such as selenium, copper and iron may have roles in bone health too. • We should aim to eat a healthy, varied and balanced diet throughout the lifespan, but especially during sensitive windows of bone turnover. The paper was aimed at orthopaedic surgeons who would like to better understand the role of nutrition in osteoporosis prevention. When taken together, a spectrum of nutrients are needed for bone health, not just calcium and vitamin D. Alongside this, phytonutrients and bioactives in foods also appear to have an increasingly important role to play. So, a wholefoods approach, rather than singling out certain vitamins and minerals, seems to be a more assured way of preventing osteoporosis. For further information, see: Higgs J, Derbyshire E and Styles K (2017). Nutrition and osteoporosis prevention for the orthopaedic surgeon: a wholefoods approach. EFORT Open Reviews 2; pg 300-308.
SUPPLEMENTS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA? It has been shown that certain vitamins and minerals may act as an ‘adjunctive’ (supporting treatment) to antipsychotics, possibly by helping to restore nutritional deficits, lower oxidative stress or altering neurological pathways. Now, a new paper has looked at which supplements, in particular, could be most effective. Data from 18 randomised controlled trials was pooled (832 patients). Results showed that 6
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supplementation with B vitamins helped to significantly reduce psychiatric symptoms more than controls. No effects, however, were seen from antioxidants, minerals or inositol. These are interesting findings indicating that B vitamin supplementation could act as a helpful adjunctive therapy to those diagnosed with schizophrenia. For further information, see: Firth J et al (2017). Psychol Med Vol 47, no 9; pg 1515-27.
NEWS
PRODUCT/INDUSTRY NEWS
LEARN TO LOVE VEG IF YOU ARE BREASTFEEDING We know that what breastfeeding mums eat influences the flavour of the breast milk that she produces. These ‘flavour exposures’, as such, can then modify the infant's acceptance and likeability of similarly flavoured foods. Now, new research takes this a stage further and looks at the timing and duration of flavour exposures. Research carried out at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia randomly allocated 97 mums and their infants to drink vegetable, beet, celery and carrot juices. They started to drink these for one month at two weeks, six weeks or 10 weeks after delivery, or for three months for two weeks after birth. A control group was asked to drink just water and avoid vegetable juices. Later on, when infants were seven to nine months old and foods were being introduced, their likability of certain flavours was assessed. Results showed that even a brief ‘one month’ experience with vegetable flavours in mothers’ milk, starting from two weeks after birth, led to children taking to a carrot-flavour cereal better than others. It was also found that one month of exposure was sufficient and even more effective that three months of veg flavour exposures.
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To book your Company's product news for the next issue of NHD call 01342 824 073 So, even before solid foods are introduced, flavour exposures via breast milk can play a key role in infants’ later likability of similar flavours. New mums should be aware that if they eat veg when they breastfeed, this may help their little ones to do the very same once they start eating solid foods. For further information, see: Mennella JA et al (2017). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol 106, no 1; pg 67-76.
TOMATOES FOR HEART DISEASE A new review in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society has looked at whether tomatoes and related products really can help to reduce heart disease risk. Results from in vitro studies and an evaluation of intervention trials was carried out. In vitro findings showed that carotenoids in tomatoes could help to inhibit oxidation, lower inflammatory markers, prevent tumourigenesis, trigger apoptosis and improve intracellular communication. Results from intervention studies showed that lycopene could help to protect the cardiovascular system by lowering high-density lipoprotein (HDL) inflammation. So, whilst we know that HDL is ‘good cholesterol’, it seems that tomatoes could further help to protect and shield this from inflammation. So, it seems that eating tomatoes appears to be good for HDL cholesterol too. For further information, see: Thies F et al (2017). Proceedings of the Nutrition Society Vol 76; pg 122-29. www.NHDmag.com August/September 2017 - Issue 127
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