Fat in your diet likely to give you colon cancer!

New genetic evidence could strengthen the link between the role of dietary fats with colon cancer progression. 

Because this cancer occurs in the digestive tract, scientists have often considered important links to diet. Now new evidence verifies a connection to dietary fats, such as those found in processed meats, butter, beef and pork fat, shortening, and margarine. Dr. Raymond DuBois, of Arizona State University, has identified a molecule, called peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPAR delta), which, when deleted in mice with colon cancer, stopped the progression of tumor growth.
The study was published in the April 21 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The DuBois research team has been in pursuit of uncovering the links between inflammation and colon cancer for the past two decades. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.

Diet and cancer
Known risks for colorectal cancers — tumors affecting the colon and the rectum are commonly grouped together as they affect the digestive tract — include family history, inflammatory bowel disease, smoking, and type 2 diabetes.
Foods high in saturated fats may also increase risk and so general advice to help you avoid colorectal cancer is to focus on your diet. Recent, large studies, for instance, suggest that fiber, especially from whole grains, may lower colorectal cancer risk. Doctors also recommend you limit your intake of red and processed meats, eat more vegetables and fruits, watch your weight (especially watch for gains around the midsection), avoid excessive alcohol and get recommended levels of calcium and vitamin D, which may work together to prevent these cancers.

The facts about fat

There are numerous types of fat. Your body makes its own fat from taking in excess calories. Some fats are found in foods from plants and animals and are known as dietary fat. Dietary fat is a macronutrients, along with protein and carbohydrates, that provide energy for your body. Fat is essential to your health because it supports a number of your body's functions. Some vitamins, for instance, must have fat to dissolve and nourish your body.
But there is a dark side to fat. Fat is high in calories and small amounts can add up quickly. If you eat more calories than you need, you will gain weight. Excess weight is inked to poor health.
Research about the possible harms and benefits of dietary fat is always evolving. And a growing body of research suggests that when it comes to dietary fat, you should focus on eating healthy fats and avoiding unhealthy fats. Simply stated, fat is made up of varying amounts of fatty acids. It's the type and amount of fatty acid found in food that determines the effect of the fat on your health.

Harmful dietary fat

There are two main types of potentially harmful dietary fat — fat that is mostly saturated and fat that contains trans fat:

• Saturated fat. This is a type of fat that comes mainly from animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. Saturated fat may also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer.
• Trans fat. This is a type of fat that occurs naturally in some foods in small amounts. But most trans fats are made from oils through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. By partially hydrogenating oils, they become easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than do naturally occurring oils. Research studies show that these partially hydrogenated trans fats can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. This can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Most fats that have a high percentage of saturated fat or that contain trans fat are solid at room temperature. Because of this, they're typically referred to as solid fats. They include beef fat, pork fat, butter, shortening and stick margarine.

Healthier dietary fat

The types of potentially helpful dietary fat are mostly unsaturated:

• Monounsaturated fat. This is a type of fat found in a variety of foods and oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Research also shows that MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.
• Polyunsaturated fat. This is a type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Omega-3 fatty acids. One type of polyunsaturated fat is made up of mainly omega-3 fatty acids and may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3, found in some types of fatty fish, appears to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. It may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels. There are plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. However, the body doesn't convert it and use it as well as omega-3 from fish.

Foods made up mostly of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil and corn oil. Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed (ground), oils (canola, flaxseed, soybean), and nuts and other seeds (walnuts, butternuts and sunflower).

Tips for choosing foods with the best types of dietary fat

So now that you know which types of dietary fat are healthy or unhealthy, and how much to include, how do you adjust your diet to meet dietary guidelines?
First, focus on reducing foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Then emphasize food choices that include plenty of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). But a word of caution — don't go overboard even on healthy fats. All fats, including the healthy ones, are high in calories. So consume MUFA-rich and PUFA-rich foods instead of other fatty foods, not in addition to them.
Here are some tips to help you make over the fat in your diet:

• Use the Nutrition Facts label when selecting foods. Read food labels and look for the amount of trans fat listed. By law a serving of food containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat can be labeled as 0 grams. Therefore, it is important to also check ingredient lists for the term "partially hydrogenated." It's best to avoid foods that contain trans fat and those that have been partially hydrogenated.
• Prepare fish, such as salmon and mackerel, instead of meat at least twice a week to get a source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Limit sizes to 4 ounces of cooked seafood a serving, and bake or broil seafood instead of frying.
• Use liquid vegetable oil instead of solid fats. For example, saute with olive oil instead of butter, and use canola oil when baking.
• Use olive oil in salad dressings and marinades.
• Use egg substitutes instead of whole eggs when possible.
• Select milk and dairy products that are low in fat.

Sources: http://www.eurekalert.org/, http://www.medicaldaily.com/, http://www.mayoclinic.org/

Strawberry extract protects skin against UV rays

Strawberries and cream have long been a winning combination. But according to new scientific research, these two fabled constituents of summer could also come together in a more useful way - by protecting us from harmful UV rays.
The fruit has been discovered to work well against sunburn - and could be used to create more effective suntan lotions.

 "We have verified the protecting effect of strawberry extract against damage to skins cells caused by UVA rays," said Maurizio Battino, researcher at the Universita Politecnica delle Marche in Italy, who led the joint Spanish and Italian study. UVA and UVB are two types of ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun, which penetrate the earth's atmosphere. They cause premature aging or wrinkling of the skin. Other damaging effects are cataracts, weakening of the immune system, and skin cancer, the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry reported.

The study
The research involved preparing human skin cell cultures and added strawberry extract in different concentrations. Using ultraviolet light, the samples were then exposed to a dose "equivalent to 90 minutes of midday summer sun in the French Riviera."
Data confirm that the strawberry extract, especially at a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml, had photoprotective properties in those skin cell cultures exposed to UVA radiation. It also increased cell survival and viability and decreased damage in the DNA.

"These aspects are of great importance as they provide protection for cell lines subject to conditions that can provoke cancer and other skin-related inflammatory and degenerative illnesses," said Battino. He said the results recognised that this was the "first step in determining the beneficial effects of strawberries in our diet or as a possible compound source for 'food integrators' or cosmetics for instance."

But what molecules give strawberries their photoprotective properties? Scientists suspect that it could be the anthocyanins, which are pigments that give leaves, flowers and fruits their red colour. Analyses have confirmed that extracts are rich in such substances.
"These compounds have important anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tumour properties and are capable of modulating enzymatic processes," explained another of the authors, Sara Tulipani from the University of Barcelona. She said: "At the moment the results act as the basis for future studies evaluating the ‘bioavailability’ and ‘bioactivity’ of anthocyanins in the dermis and epidermis layers of the human skin, whether by adding them to formulations for external use or by ingesting the fruit itself."

How Food Texture Affects Your Calorie Intake

Creamy butter or ice cream versus a crunchy granola bar: a new study suggests that the texture of foods influences people’s dieting choices.

“We studied the link between how a food feels in your mouth and the amount we eat, the types of food we choose, and how many calories we think we are consuming,” wrote study authors Dipayan Biswas and Courtney Szocs, both from the University of South Florida, and others.

The study

In one experiment, participants were asked to sample foods that had soft, smooth, hard or rough textures and then estimate their calorie amounts.

In another test, volunteers were asked to watch and rate a number of television ads, thinking that was the test. But they were also given cups with bite-sized brownies as a “thank you” for their time. Half of the participants were also asked about the amount of calories in the brownies.

Some of the participants received softer-textured brownies while the other half got crunchier brownies. People who had been asked about the calories in the brownies which forced them to focus on caloric intake — ate more of the crunchy brownies than soft. On the other hand, those whose minds weren’t focused on calories tended to eat more of the soft brownies, the investigators found.

The researchers believe this is due to "oral haptics–calorie estimation," which is the relationship between how much you chew a food and how you perceive the calories. The more you chew, the fewer calories you believe a food has.

Bottom line

As a general rule most people would agree that raw veggies, i.e. a hard food, are low in calories. But maybe the reason you find it difficult to put down your fork (or spoon) down when eating mashed potatoes or ice cream isn’t only the taste that does it, but also the texture.

Interesting, but not all soft foods are high in calories. For example, oatmeal and yogurt are excellent meal choices. Similarly, not all hard foods are low in calories—pretzels, rock candy, and licorice all come to mind for me. As a general rule, though, people eat slower when consuming hard foods, which could lead to less consumption and fewer calories by default.

Really, this area of research needs to be further explored. As the study authors conclude, "Understanding how the texture of food can influence calorie perceptions, food choice, and consumption amount can help nudge consumers towards making healthier choices."

Compound in spinach may help people feel "fuller" and eat less

Mom was right when she said to eat spinach to be healthier and now researchers in Sweden find an extract from the green plants may make people thinner.
Professor Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson at Lund University in Sweden said thylakoid, a compound in spinach and other green leaves, slows down food digestion and therefore makes people feel fuller.

How it works
Erlanson-Albertsson and colleagues said thylakoids are believed to slow down fat digestion, meaning the whole intestine has time to get involved. Once food enters the distal intestine, satiety hormones are released and sent up to the brain, telling people they are full. However, processed food tends to only utilize the upper intestine, so the key hormones are not released.
"I like to say our intestines are unemployed," Erlanson-Albertsson said in a statement.

Thylakoids are essentially small pouches located in the chloroplasts of green leaves that have the ability to trigger satiety signals in us. However, eating spinach fresh as is doesn’t necessarily release the thylakoids. First, it must be crushed, filtrated, and centrifuged, which would release the compounds from the cells, turning it into a natural water extract of sorts. "Our bodies can't break it down from fresh spinach directly," the university said. It may be time to make some spinach smoothies --find a recipe below.

The findings
In her research, Erlanson-Albertsson discovered that when humans were given a shot of the spinach water extract in the morning, they experienced less hunger and fewer food cravings throughout the day. The participants who received the shot had higher satiety hormones in their blood, in addition to more stable blood glucose levels.
In another Swedish study conducted by Dr. Rickard Kohnke at the Department of Experimental Medicine at Lund University, eleven health participants were given a high-fat meal. Some of the pesto sandwiches contained thylakoids, and some did not. According to the results, the people who had eaten the pesto sandwiches containing thylakoids showed a reduction in ghrelin, which is an appetite signaling hormone. There was also an increase in leptin, another satiety signal, and lower insulin levels. What this showed was that thylakoids were able to suppress people’s appetites for longer, which could be useful for those who are trying to lose weight while battling constant hunger pangs.

Popeye’s super-food
Erlanson-Albertsson said the powerful effect of thylakoids couldn't be traced to just one active ingredient. "It contains hundreds of substances -- galactolipids, proteins, vitamin A, E, K, antioxidants, beta-carotene, lutein, and so on," she said.

Interestingly enough, though Popeye made healthy foods popular and spinach sales rise, spinach nutrition facts - based off during the early 1900s - were not entirely accurate. In the late 1800s, a German chemist by the name of Erich von Wolf incorrectly wrote down the amount of iron in spinach in his notes. He recorded that spinach had 35 milligrams of iron per 100-gram serving, when it really only has 3.5 milligrams. This tiny decimal misplacement led to the belief that spinach was the top super-food for almost 70 years, and it’s how Popeye’s favorite food came to be.
Even though the amount of iron spinach contains is much lower than previously believed, it’s still highly rich in antioxidants and nutrients. One cup of spinach contains only 27 calories, but it is made up of protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and folate. Magnesium assists in maintaining heart rhythm, a solid immune system, and blood pressure along with muscle and nerve function. Spinach has also been shown to lower blood pressure, improve bone health as well as skin and hair.

Do you want your food to taste better ? Put on the right music

Comfort foods get even more comforting if you eat them with the right kind of musical ambiance, according to a new study on the effects of different background music on the taste of foods. Similar earlier research showed genres of music can also elicit different emotions and some foods can be more enjoyed with emotions.

The recent study has taken one more step ahead and tries to find out how the music can affect the perception of food.
“Little has been known about the influence of background music genre on food perception,” explained Han-Seok Seo of the University of Arkansas. “Most of the studies investigating influences of background music have focused on eating and shopping behaviors.” 

Seo is the co-author of the study that is published in the Appetite journal. He mentioned in the paper when German or French music was played in a wine store, it was seen wines from the same country outsold other.

The study
Seo and his team rearranged one music piece (Air on the G string) into four different genres: classical, jazz, hip-hop and rock. Each version was arranged as a solo performance and with multiple performers. A total of 99 study participants were seated in individual sensory booths and given headphones. Each participant listened to either the solo performances or the group performances of all four genres of music. At 45 seconds into each song, the participants were presented with either chocolate or bell pepper and asked to rate the flavor and intensity of the food from 0 (extremely unpleasant or weak) to 15 (extremely pleasant) or strong.

Among their findings was the discovery that jazz made the chocolate taste measurably better and hip hop did not. The same effect wasn't seen on the bell peppers. Classical music didn't change the participants' impressions at all.

But Seo cautions restauranteurs from rushing to switch music stations.
“This study showed that background music genre can modulate flavor pleasantness and overall acceptability of chocolate,” Seo explained.

They also found that the background music-induced food perception varies by music performer, type of food, consumers’ demographics, experience and culture. “Thus, to strengthen the current findings, further studies with diverse musical and food stimuli must be conducted.”

Bottom line
The study underscores how much more there is to eating than just putting food in your mouth. “When we eat it is clearly not only the palate that determines what we eat and how much we eat,” said Thomas Hummel of Technische Universität in Dresden, Germany. “The acoustic environment also plays a big role, it let's us eat faster, leaves us hungrier, changes the pleasantness of foods, turns regular food into something special. I also can imagine that this may change the depth of our social contacts.”

Sources: http://news.discovery.com/, http://www.thealmagest.com/, http://www.reuters.com/

Eating rice boosts diet quality, reduces body weight

Want to improve your diet? Just add white or brown rice to your daily meal. Eating rice can boost diet quality, reduce body weight and improve markers for health, a new study has found.

The study
In a study published online in the journal Food and Nutrition Sciences, lead author Theresa Nicklas, DrPH, of Baylor College of Medicine, analyzed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey datasets from 2005-2010 and evaluated the association of rice consumption with overall diet quality and key nutrient intakes in a nationally representative sample of 14,386 U.S. adults.

"Our results show that adults who eat rice had diets more consistent with what is recommended in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and they showed higher amounts of potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber while eating less saturated fat and added sugars," said Nicklas. "Eating rice is also associated with eating more servings of fruit, vegetables, meat and beans," she added.

The truth about rice
Americans enjoy some 27 pounds of enriched white and brown rice per person per year with the majority (70%) of rice consumption coming from enriched white rice. Americans eat a variety of grain-based foods, but rice stands out because it is eaten primarily as an intact grain that is naturally sodium free and has only a trace amount of fat, with no saturated fat. Consumers can control adding fat, salt and flavors at their discretion.

This research builds on two previously published studies that showed the positive contribution of rice to diet quality. A 2009 observational study found that rice eaters consumed significantly less fat and saturated fat and consumed more iron, potassium, fiber, meat, vegetables and grains.
A follow-up study in 2010 included children in the study group and further confirmed that rice consumption was associated with greater intake of a range of healthier foods and nutrients. The majority of rice consumed is white rice, indicating that rice, when consumed with other foods, such as fruit, vegetables, meat and beans, can provide valuable nutrients and boasts beneficial effects on consumer diets.

In addition to the positive results in cross-sectional studies linking rice consumption with healthier diets, a human clinical trial found that having white or brown rice at a meal increased satiety and feelings of fullness more than a calorically equivalent glucose solution control.

Considering the cross-sectional and clinical findings, both enriched white rice and whole grain brown rice should be recommended as part of a healthy diet. 

Rice is a nutrient-rich carbohydrate
Rice is a quality carbohydrate. Rice is a naturally nutritious grain that provides about 100 calories per half-cup cooked serving and is naturally free of gluten. Brown rice is a 100% whole grain food and white rice is enriched with important nutrients, including folic acid and iron. 

Both enriched white rice and whole grain brown rice are considered nutrient-rich quality complex carbohydrates and can be part of a sustainable, plant-based diet that promotes optimal health.

Enriched white rice contributes more than 15 vitamins and minerals, including folate and other B vitamins, iron and zinc to the diet. Brown rice is slightly higher in dietary fiber, magnesium and phosphorus, but lower in B vitamins and iron than enriched, fortified white rice. Rice is naturally low in sodium and cholesterol free and contains traces of fat and no saturated or trans fats.

The research was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, and it was funded in part by The Rice Foundation.

How To Make Grilled Meats Better And Healthier - A Beer Marinade

Rather than simply enjoying a good beer alongside the BBQ this summer, we should be using our cans to marinade the meat, scientists have said.
As well as adding some extra taste, basting the meat in beer before it hits the grill reduces the chance of potentially cancerous chemicals being formed during cooking, researchers suggest. They say pilsner and black beer are most effective, halving the amount of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which have been linked to colorectal cancer.

The study
To carry out the study, researchers marinated pork for four hours (by which time chemical reactions on the surface of the meat had stopped) in three different types of beer - lager, non-alcoholic lager and a black beer.
The meat was then cooked to well done on a charcoal grill.
The results found that all of the beers reduced the levels of eight types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a chemical linked with cancer which forms when meat is cooked at very high temperatures.
The black beer proved most effective, cutting the levels by more than half, the researchers said. The non-alcoholic beer was the least effective, although it did still reduce levels.

Bottom line
“Thus, the intake of beer marinated meat can be a suitable mitigation strategy,” the team concluded, suggesting that the antioxidants in the beer make the surface of the meat resistant to PAHs.

Past studies have shown an association between consumption of grilled meats and a high incidence of colorectal cancer.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are substances that can form when meats are cooked at very high temperatures, like on a backyard grill. And high levels of PAHs, which are also in cigarette smoke and car exhaust, are associated with cancers in laboratory animals, although it's uncertain if that's true for people. Nevertheless, the European Union Commission Regulation has established the most suitable indicators for the occurrence and carcinogenic potency of PAHs in food and attributed maximum levels for these compounds in foods. Beer, wine or tea marinades can reduce the levels of some potential carcinogens in cooked meat, but little was known about how different beer marinades affect PAH levels, until now. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.