Strong evidence indicates that sugar-sweetened soft drinks contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. The Nurses’ Health Study explored this connection by following the health of more than 90,000 women for eight years. Results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that the nurses who said they had one or more servings a day of a sugar-sweetened soft drink or fruit punch were nearly twice as likely to have developed type 2 diabetes during the study than those who rarely had these beverages.

To learn more about the effect of diet on health, why not come along to a Cooking for Health Course, held throughout the year in Somerset UK.

The use of antipsychotic medication for the prevention of psychotic disorders is controversial. Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may be beneficial in a range of psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia. Given that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are generally beneficial to health and without clinically relevant adverse effects, their preventive use in psychosis is of considerable interest.

Previous studies have found low levels of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in people with schizophrenia, and some scientists have suggested that problems with fatty acid metabolism could play a role in the development of the disorder. However, studies looking at the effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in people with schizophrenia have so far been inconclusive. Types of omega-3 fatty acids are found in oily fish, certain vegetable oils and in fish oil capsules.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted between 2004 and 2007 in the psychosis detection unit of a large public hospital in Vienna, Austria.

The aim was to determine whether omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the rate of progression to first-episode psychotic disorder in adolescents and young adults aged 13 to 25 years with subthreshold psychosis.

Eighty-one individuals at ultra-high risk of psychotic disorder participated in the trial. These participants had at least one of the following risk factors for psychosis:

• low levels of psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, suspiciousness, or conceptual disorganisation measured on a standard scale),

• transient psychosis, i.e. lasted less than a week and resolved without antipsychotic medication, or

• having either a schizotypal personality disorder or a first-degree relative (such as a mother, father, sister or brother) who had psychosis, plus the participant experienced a significant reduction in ability to function in the last year.

A 12-week intervention period of 1.2 g per day omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids or placebo was followed by a 40-week monitoring period; the total study period was 12 months.

Researchers monitored how much of their supplements the participants took by monitoring the number of pills they had left and by taking blood samples. The placebo pill contained coconut oil (which does not contain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) and an equivalent amount of vitamin E to the fish oil capsules, plus 1% fish oil to make the taste of the capsules similar.

Seventy-six of 81 participants (93.8%) completed the intervention. By the end of the study (12 months), 2 of 41 individuals (4.9%) in the omega-3 group and 11 of 40 (27.5%) in the placebo group had transitioned to psychotic disorder (P = .007). The difference between the groups in the cumulative risk of progression to full-threshold psychosis was 22.6% (95% confidence interval, 4.8-40.4).

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids also significantly reduced positive symptoms (P = .01), negative symptoms (P = .02), and general symptoms (P = .01) and improved functioning (P = .002) compared with placebo.

The incidence of adverse effects did not differ between the treatment groups.

The researchers concluded that:

a 12-week intervention with omega-3 significantly reduced the transition rate to psychosis and led to significant symptomatic and functional improvements during the entire follow-up period (12 months)

This small study does seem to suggest that, at least in the short term, fish oil supplementation could prevent young people at high risk from progressing to psychotic illness. However, while the study was robust in its design it was too short to say whether the illnesses were prevented completely or just delayed.

Psychotic illnesses are serious conditions and if fish oils can be confirmed to prevent or delay their development in susceptible individuals this would be a very important finding. However, it will require larger, long-term studies to know if this is the case.

To learn more about the effects of what we eat on our mental health, why not come along to a Cooking for Health course on “Food and Emotions“, taught by nutrition consultant Dr Jane Philpott.

Harry Patch lived to 111 years old

A recent paper by Professor David Leon, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in the International Journal of Epidemiology reports that Western Europeans are living longer than ever before despite concerns about obesity and health problems.  Average life expectancy in Western Europe is now six to eight years higher than in the 1970s.

The report used mortality data from the WHO Health for All Database and the Human Mortality Database, and its findings are likely to be reliable.

Data from 2007 indicate that average life expectancy for the UK was 80 years (for males 77.9 and women, 82), compared with 78 in the US.

The report also discusses life expectancy in Eastern Europe.  Between 1970 and the end of the 1980s, life expectancy in eastern European countries stagnated or declined, but after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, life expectancy started to rapidly rise in the countries of the CEE (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia).  This rise is still continuing but on a “parallel trajectory to Western Europe” that makes it difficult to close the gap between east and west.

Russia and the Baltic states have seen a decline in life expectancy that is only recently being reversed.  Russia in particular has had some dramatic fluctuations in recent years – its life expectancy in 2008 was just 68 years (men 61.8 and women 74.2) – the same age as 40 years previously.  Prior to this, Russia also saw a sharp decline in life expectancy between 1990 and 1994, when male life expectancy fell by six years to a low of 57 years.

The report discusses the possible causes of the trends in different countries.

The decline in cardiovascular disease is seen as an important contributor to the rise in life expectancy in Western Europe. According to the author,

Deaths from cardiovascular disease in the UK have seen some of the largest and most rapid falls of any Western European country, partly due to improvements in treatment as well as reductions in smoking and other risk factors.

The fact that US life expectancy lags behind the UK, he says, underlines that

GDP and health care expenditure per capita are not good predictors of population health within high income countries.

The rises in life expectancy seen in central Europe since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 reportedly illustrate that mortality can fluctuate rapidly in response to social, political and economic change.

The study’s author believes that the dramatic fluctuations in life expectancy in Russia are associated with the “stress and chaos” after the collapse of communism, as well as high rates of alcoholism. The recent upward trend in life expectancy in Russia and the Baltic states is probably due to recent reductions in alcohol-related deaths, rather than overall health improvements.

Here in Somerset, we are celebrating the lives of twenty of our centenarians in a new book – Somerset Centenarians – to be published this month.

To learn more about the secrets of a long and healthy life, why not come along to a Cooking for Health Course on Eating for Healthy Longevity, run by nutrition consultant Dr Jane Philpott throughout the year in Somerset, UK.

Okinawa has a higher proportion of centenarians than anywhere on the planet  – more than four times that of the UK.  Not only this, but they remain healthy and active into advanced old age.  Compared with people of the same age in the UK, Okinawan elders have an 80 per cent lower risk of heart disease, stroke, breast and prostate cancer, a 50 per cent lower risk of other cancers, including colon, ovarian and lymphoma, a 50 per cent lower rate of hip fracture, and a 30 to 40 per cent lower incidence of dementia.                                               

So what are their secrets? 

Secret #1 is maintain a positive, optimistic attitude.  Okinawans believe that everything in life works itself out in the long run.  With this attitude, there is no need to worry.  They intentionally live a calm, peaceful life with little stress.  When they work, it is at their own pace, rather than putting pressure on themselves to get things done in a hurry.  Experts believe this relaxed way of being is vital for health. 

Secret #2 is cultivate strong relationships.  Okinawans often meet with friends and family just to chat, laugh or offer support to one another.  Endless studies have shown that people are healthier when they have good relationships and an active, positive social life. 

Secret #3 is eat a very healthy diet.  It is considered especially important that the traditional Okinawa diet is both simple and wholesome.  It consists mainly of plant food – whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds – that are high in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, and fish that is rich in protein and omega-3 oils. They also eat less food than the average in countries such as the UK and USA and have a cultural tradition called hara hachi bu, which means eat until 80 per cent full.  Eating a natural unprocessed diet, low in sugar, saturated fat and salt, greatly reduces their risk of health problems related to overweight and obesity.

 Secret # 4 is lead an active life. Most Okinawans are physically active. They walk everywhere, work in their gardens, dance and practice traditional martial arts like tai chi. 

Secret # 5 is refrain from bad habits. There are very few older Okinawans who smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol

To learn how to cook using the dietary principles of the Okinawans, please come to a Cooking for Health Course, held throughout the year in Somerset, UK.

So what are the most important factors driving consumer food choices in the eating out market?

Recent surveys by the Food Standards Agency (4) and leading market research organizations (3), as well as sales data from supermarkets (5), indicate that health consciousness has moved right to the top of the consumer agenda. There is growing evidence that consumers are beginning to give health similar priority to price and value for money when deciding what to eat. 

Worldwide, more than 60 percent of deaths are caused by chronic diseases (6), thus almost everyone knows someone who has suffered from cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.  Public awareness of the key role played by diet in the development of many of these diseases is increasing.  People are therefore concerned about the amount of calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar they are consuming.  As eating out becomes more common, the nutritional quality of the eating out diet is starting to receive scrutiny.

Latest figures show that 11 percent of total energy intake comes from eating out (1).  This number would be substantially higher if alcohol consumption were included.  The eating out diet has more fat and less carbohydrate than the household diet. 

Several consumer surveys conducted in the UK and the USA between 2006 and 2009 point to a growing demand for healthier menu items and a frustration at this need not being met (3) (7) (8) (9).  In one UK survey conducted by Consumer Focus (10), 94 percent of respondents indicated a desire for increased availability of healthier food when eating out.  At the same time, Datamonitor reported that 35 percent of European consumers cannot find healthier menu items when dining out (8).  On top of this, consumers are beginning to request more information about the provenance of their food and its nutritional content (11). 

Supermarkets have already reacted to this trend and implemented front of pack ‘traffic light labelling’ to provide consumers with information on the content of major nutrients and on whether the item is relatively healthy (green) or unhealthy (amber or red).  In 2009, Sainsbury’s reported a dramatic shift in purchasing patterns as a consequence of introducing such labels.  Sales of healthier items increased by 40 to 97 percent, whilst those of less healthy items decreased by 30 to 40 percent (5).

The National Restaurant Association reported that 60 percent of US consumers are aware of calorie information when making menu choices and 25 percent use this information to influence their choices (12).  A study published by Stanford University in January 2010 looked at the impact of mandatory calorie labelling in Starbucks in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.  They found that calorie posting led to a 6 percent reduction in calories per transaction.  This was entirely related to food choices and did not affect beverage consumption.  Interestingly, in Starbucks outlets within 50m of a competitor, the calorie posting led to an increase in Starbucks’ revenue (13).

In the UK, the FSA started working with 18 large catering businesses in 2009 to provide voluntary labelling of calorie content of menu items; the outcome of this is still being evaluated.

So the evidence suggests that today’s eating out consumers are cost-conscious, health-conscious and ethically-conscious.  The successful catering business will capitalise on these trends and create value by delivering what the consumer wants.

The good news is that making small and simple changes to menus to reduce content of calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar can enhance both health and profit margins.  Training courses are available to provide information and practical suggestions about how this can be achieved (14).

For example, there is plenty of scope to reduce portion size and reduce costs and food wastage.  The latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey published in February 2010 shows that average intake of protein is almost double that of the guideline intake (15).  Protein content of dishes can thus be reduced, thereby reducing cost.  Likewise, a number of businesses have reported increased margins as a result of reducing fat content of their menu items.

As life expectancy of the burgeoning world population continues to rise along with the incidence of overweight and obesity, the number of people with chronic diseases will increase.  There is also an increase in the number of the “worried well”.  Health consciousness is likely to intensify and caterers who provide healthier menu choices will position themselves to generate healthier businesses.

For further information and practical suggestions for providing healthier menu items, please come to a Healthier Catering Training Course in the UK.  Suitable for caterers and for professionals involved in encouraging healthy eating in the population.

Works Cited

1. DEFRA. Food Statistics Pocketbook. 2009.

2. Mintel. Eating Out Review. 2009.

3. Allegra Strategies. Review. 2009.

4. Food Standards Agency. Quarterly Public Attitudes Tracker. December 2009.

5. Sainsbury’s. Effect of food labelling on food purchasing choices. 2009.

6. World Health Organisation. World Health Report. 2002.

7. Nestle Professional. 2010.

8. Datamonitor. Workplace consumption: targeting a captive audience. 2005.

9. Aramark (NYSE, RMK) Dining Styles. Research presented to clinical researchers and health professionals at the 2006 NAASO Obesity Summit in Boston October 22-24. 2006.

10. Consumer Focus. s.l. : www.consumerfocus.org, 2006.

11. Food Standards Agency. June 2008.

12. National Restaurant Association. 2008.

13. Bollinger, B., Leslie, P. and Sorenson, A. Calorie posting in chain restaurants. s.l. : Stanford University, www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/StarbucksCaloriePostingStudy.pdf, January 2010.

14. Philpott, J.K. Healthier Catering Training Courses. s.l. : www.cookingforhealth-uk.com/healthier-catering.php.

15. Food Standards Agency and Department of Health. National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Headline results from Year 1 of the Rolling Programme 2008-2009. s.l. : FSA and DoH, February 2010.

Like many issues associated with nutrition, this is a dangerous over-simplification, rather like the “all fat is bad” message. We now know that carbohydrates, the staple of most diets, are neither all good nor all bad. Some kinds promote health whilst others, when eaten often and in large quantities, actually increase the risk for obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and some cancers. 

Easily digested carbohydrates from white bread, white rice, white pasta, biscuits, cakes, pastries, sugary drinks and other highly processed foods may indeed contribute to weight gain and interfere with weight loss. Whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and other sources of intact carbohydrates do just the opposite – they promote good health. 

Blanket dismissal of carbohydrates is thus misleading as they are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function. The brain, for example, is totally reliant on carbohydrates to power its activity – 40 per cent of the carbohydrates we consume are used to provide glucose for the brain. The best sources of carbohydrates – fruits, vegetables and whole grains – also deliver essential vitamins and minerals, fibre and a rich array of protective phytonutrients.

For optimal health, obtain your grains intact from foods such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, and other possibly unfamiliar grains like quinoa, whole oats, millet, buckwheat and bulgur. Until recently, you could only buy whole-grain products in organic or non-traditional stores. Today they are available in most mainstream supermarkets. Here are some suggestions for adding more good carbohydrates to your diet:

• Start the day with whole grains. If you like hot cereals, try porridge made from whole oats, quinoa or brown rice. If you are a cold cereal person, look for muesli or one that lists whole wheat, whole oats, or other whole grain first on the ingredient list. Have fresh or dried fruit with your cereal.
• Use whole grain breads or crackers for lunch or snacks. Check the label to make sure that whole wheat or another whole grain is the first ingredient listed. Oatcakes with hummus (made from chickpeas) are an excellent ‘good carb’ snack.
• Reduce intake of potatoes. Instead, try brown rice or even “newer” grains like quinoa, millet, or hulled barley with your dinner.
• Exchange ‘white’ foods for ‘brown’ foods. Brown rice usually needs to be cooked for longer than white rice. If the whole grain products are too chewy for you, look for those that are made with half whole-wheat flour and half white flour.
• Beans, nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables. Beans are an excellent source of slowly digested carbohydrates as well as a great source of protein. Try adding them to casseroles and soups. Aim to eat 5 to 10 portions of vegetables and fruit per day.

To learn how to cook with wholegrains like quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice and millet, as well as a wide range of fruit and vegetables, please come along to a Cooking for Health Course, held throughout the year in Somerset, UK.

Close to highways and population centres, there is apparently no escape from the Big Macs, fries, 710-calorie salads and super-sized vats of coke.  

Is anywhere sacred, wondered Von Worley?

“For maximum McSparseness, we look westward, towards the deepest, darkest holes in our map: the barren deserts of central Nevada, the arid hills of southeastern Oregon, the rugged wilderness of Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains, and the conspicuous well of blackness on the high plains of northwestern South Dakota.  There, in a patch of rolling grassland, loosely hemmed in by Bismarck, Dickinson, Pierre, and the greater Rapid City-Spearfish-Sturgis metropolitan area, we find our answer.  Between the tiny Dakotan hamlets of Meadow and Glad Valley lies the McFarthest Spot: 107 miles distant from the nearest McDonald’s, as the crow flies, and 145 miles by car!”

Yesterday, Britain’s Telegraph Newspaper reported that America’s Fast Food Temple is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in France by opening its 1,142^nd Gallic outlet a few yards from the Louvre Museum.

“This is the last straw,” said one art historian working at the Louvre, who declined to be named. “This is the pinnacle of exhausting consumerism, deficient gastronomy and very unpleasant odours in the context of a museum.”

This echoes the sentiment of many in France who view “McDo” as the Trojan horse of globalisation and the scourge of local produce and long lunches.

Despite this, statistics suggest the battle of Le Big Macs has already been lost. France has become McDonald’s biggest market in the world outside of the US, according to the chain. While business in traditional brasseries and bistros is in freefall, the fast food group opened 30 new outlets last year in France and welcomed 450 million customers – up 11 per cent on the previous year.

British people will either be horrified or reassured to know that despite the comparatively tiny size of our islands, we still find room for an artery-busting 1,250 McDonald’s outlets.

Is it any wonder we have an obesity crisis?

If you want to protect your health for the long-term and minimise the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, please come and learn how to cook with natural unprocessed ingredients at a Cooking for Health course, run throughout the year in Somerset, UK.

“Obesity is obviously a tremendous public health concern,”

write authors Brent McFerran, Darren W. Dahl (both University of British Columbia), Gavan J. Fitzsimons (Duke University), and Andrea C. Morales (Arizona State University).

“We decided to investigate how someone’s size and food choices could influence how much the people around them eat.”

Researchers recruited 210 college students to participate in a study that was ostensibly about movie watching. The participants were told they would be paired with another student taking part in the study. The other student was actually a member of the research team whose natural build was thin (size 0, 105 pounds). But at times this same researcher donned an “obesity prosthesis,” which made her appear to be a size 16 and 180 pounds.

All of the students were offered snacks while viewing film clips. The undercover researcher was served first, and helped herself to either a large or small serving before the student participant was offered the same bowl of food. In all cases, the amount of food the students accepted was influenced by the portion size chosen by the undercover researcher, regardless of her size.

“Most participants took a portion similar to what the researcher served herself,” the authors explain. “However, it is clear that how much food each person took, and how much they ate depended on whether their companion was thin or obese.”

Participants tended to mimic the thin companion’s portion sizes. But when they presumed the researcher to be obese, the participants adjusted the amounts they ate.

“This indicates that people are influenced, even without being aware of it, by other people’s portion choices,” the authors write.

“Our findings indicate that the size of the person you dine with matters much less than the size of the meal they order,” the authors write. “If a heavy-set colleague eats a lot, you are likely to adjust your behaviour and eat less. But a thin friend who eats a lot may lead you to eat more than you normally would.”

For information about how to manage your weight naturally and how to cook delicious meals that help you to maintain a healthy weight, please come along to a Cooking for Health Course, held throughout the year in Somerset, UK.

A new paper in the journal Public Health Nutrition describes analysis of chickens sold in 2004-2008 compared to historical data.  

Samples were obtained randomly between 2004 and 2008 from UK supermarkets, farm shops and a football club. The amount of chicken fat was estimated by emulsification and chloroform/methanol extraction. 

First the content of omega 3 DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) has fallen to less than a third of the value in 1970s. Secondly, the fat content of the chicken carcass has risen; now providing about three times the calories compared to protein. Such chickens are no longer a protein rich food but a fat rich food. Thirdly, the organic chickens we analysed were little better.
 
The explanation is simple; namely that they are fed largely on cereals and whether organic or not, the cereals contain little omega 3 fatty acids. The value of the omega 3 DHA is that it is preferentially utilised for the brain and vital organs. Traditionally, chicken meat and hens eggs would have been valuable land sources of omega 3 DHA. Fully free range chickens would get the omega 3 from the green foods (grass, leaves and small animals that eat plants). However, feed hoppers maintained full 24 hours a day with omega 3 deficient food destroys the incentive of the birds to search for such foods even if they are allowed out of doors.  
 
In addition, the denial of exercise and again 24 hour availability of energy dense and omega 3 deficient food in the broiler system provides exactly the recipe for weight gain which means fat gain. Genetic selection for fast weight gain makes that situation worse. The biochemical analysis of the meat of the birds is not only consistent with the loss of omega 3 and increase in fat, but also the lack of exercise and the selection for fast weight gain which exacerbates the loss of omega 3.
 
As the omega 3 DHA is important for the brain, its growth and function, it is worth asking how much would it cost to get the same amount of DHA from a 1Kg chicken today. You would need to eat about 4 chickens at a cost of £12 which at the same time would be associated with 5,000 calories of fat. Not a good idea.

Many scientists consider that the rise in mental ill health is due to the loss of omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA in the diet.

For further information about the role of omega 3 oils in mental health and practical tuition in cooking healthy meals rich in essential fatty acids, please come along to a Cooking for Health Course, held throughout the year in Somerset.

“How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it clearly is not just calories in and calories out,” said Fred Turek, professor of neurobiology and physiology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology. “We think some factors are under circadian control. Better timing of meals, which would require a change in behaviour, could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity.” 

The findings could have implications for developing strategies to combat obesity in humans, as more than 300 million adults worldwide are obese, including more than a third of American adults and a quarter of UK adults. 

“One of our research interests is shift workers, who tend to be overweight,” said lead author Deanna M. Arble, a doctoral student in Turek’s lab. “Their schedules force them to eat at times that conflict with their natural body rhythms. This was one piece of evidence that got us thinking — eating at the wrong time of day might be contributing to weight gain. So we started our investigation with this experiment.” 

Simply modifying the time of feeding alone can greatly affect body weight, the researchers found. Mice that were fed a high-fat diet during normal sleeping hours gained significantly more weight (a 48 percent weight increase over their baseline) than mice eating the same type and amount of food during naturally wakeful hours (a 20 percent increase over their baseline). There was no statistical difference between the two groups regarding caloric intake or the amount of activity. 

Over a period of six weeks, both groups of mice were allowed to eat as much high-fat diet as they wanted during their daily 12-hour feeding phase. Much like many humans, mice prefer high-fat food. Since mice are nocturnal, the 12-hour feeding phase was during the day for those fed during normal sleeping hours and during the night for those fed during naturally wakeful hours. Food was not provided during the other 12 hours of their day. 

Our circadian clock, or biological timing system, governs our daily cycles of feeding, activity and sleep, with respect to external dark and light cycles. Recent studies have found the body’s internal clock also regulates energy use, suggesting the timing of meals may matter in the balance between caloric intake and expenditure.

Please click here to learn more about the ideal time to eat. 

To learn more about Managing Your Weight Naturally, please come to a Cooking for Health Course, held throughout the year in Somerset, UK.