Breastfeeding found to be tied to kids’ intelligence
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A new prospective cohort study performed in Massachusetts examined the relationship between breastfeeding duration and child’s cognition at ages three and seven years. Study included 1,312 pregnant women from April 22, 1999 to July 31, 2002 and followed their children up to age of seven years. At age three, children who were breastfed for longer time period did better on language test. At age seven, children who were breastfed for longer time period did much better on intelligence tests which included reading and writing. Breastfeeding also has other benefits including lowering risk of eczema, ear and stomach infections in young children. A question was raised on whether mother’s intellectual level played a role in children’s intelligence, but this study showed the association of breastfeeding with intellectual development while controlling those parameters. How often do you discuss the length of breastfeeding with patients who are new mothers?
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New Surprising Findings on The Long Terms Effects of Vigorous Exercise.
Exercise is one of the most suggested recommendations to sick and healthy individuals. A recent study published in the European Heart Journal evaluated 53,000 race participants between 1989 and 1999. They found that athletes who finished more marathons had a bigger risk of hospitalization with arrhythmias. What are your typical recommendations to patients about the type and amount of exercise they should include in their lives?
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Effects of Resveratrol on Exercising
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Resveratrol is the antioxidant found in red grapes used to make red wine. According to the new research resveratrol is found to block the health benefits of exercise in older men. The study was done on 27 healthy men that were nonsmokers and around 65 years of age. Resveratrol was found to offset the positive effects of exercise on blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body’s capacity to transport and use oxygen. There were previous animal studies reporting that resveratrol may improve the benefits of exercise on heart health and diabetes. What do you commonly recommend resveratrol for to your patients? How satisfied are you with the effectiveness?
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Milk Is It Just Food or Is There More To The Story?
Milk is in the headlines today with new striking findings. A recent review unfolds how milk can be linked to a variety of illnesses. Researchers stated that milk nutrients and exosomes (protein complexes) activate mTORC1, a processthat promotes postnatal growth and transfers species-specific programs. This is highly beneficial for infants, but problems arise when large amounts of cow milk consumed during adolescence and adulthood causing unnecessary growth. How would these finding affect your daily intake of milk and recommendation to patients?
For more information see Nutrition Journal.
Eating breakfast is associated with lower risk of heart disease
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We’ve all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and a recent study published in the journal Circulation re-affirms this saying. This prospective cohort study enrolled 26,902 American men without heart disease or cancer from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and eating habits were assessed using a questionnaire every 4 years. During 16 years of follow-up, 1,527 men developed heart disease and men who did not eat breakfast had a 27% increased risk of heart disease. It is important to note that many other confounders can increase risk of heart disease and further research is needed to confirm the findings of this study. How often do you skip breakfast? Will the results of this study change your eating habits?
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Foods that beat the heat
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Heat wave may have passed where you live but it is still summertime. Foods that keep you cool during the summertime are: raspberries, red bell peppers, tomatoes, oranges, peaches, and strawberries. Raspberries provide fiber which will lower colon cancer risk as well as provide better overall health. Red bell peppers contain vitamin C in large amounts and they are good source for vitamin A and folate. Tomatoes are great for you as they contain vitamin C and lycopene. Oranges are good source of vitamin C, fiber, potassium and calcium. Peaches are great antioxidants giving protection against disease and also a good source of vitamin C and fiber. Strawberries are a great source of fiber and only contain 50 calories per cup. These are some foods recommended by nutritional experts to keep you cool as well as nourish your body. What foods would you recommend to your patients to beat the heat?
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Soy Consumption Won’t Prevent Reoccurrence of Prostate Cancer
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A study was performed to observe the effects of soy after surgical removal of prostate. Study included 177 men in which some were assigned to drink powdered soy protein drink and the others to drink placebo beverage daily for two years. Study was stopped early since there was no benefit seen with soy. There was no significant difference seen in reoccurrence of prostate cancer between these two groups, but there were no adverse effects found associated with soy either. What are your general thoughts on soy consumption and what groups of patients do you currently recommend soy to?
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Poor Fetal Growth and Maternal Smoking Has an Important Effect on Young Men’s Testicular Health in His Adult Life
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A team in Australia looked at 423 men aged 22 and 23 years old born to mothers between 1989 and 1991. The study measured testicular volume, semen quality, hormone production and body fat composition in these men. Looking at the results, the team found that one out of six men had sperm characteristics below normal such as low sperm volume, low sperm count and less sperm motility. Researchers found that smoking during pregnancy was associated with a lower sperm production. This study generated a new hypothesis of the possibility of men’s sperm count being related to what happens in the womb. After knowing about the effects of maternal smoking on young men’s testicular health, how would that change your counseling?
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New Meta-Analysis Evaluating Fiber-Rich Grains effect on common disease states
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A recent analysis evaluated an association between fiber and reduced disease risk using 28 studies on diabetes, 33 studies on cardiovascular disease and 19 studies on obesity. Researchers found that people consuming fiber-rich diet had 18 to 40 percent reduced risk of developing diabetes compared to people who did not eat high amounts of fiber. Less stroke risk and death from cardiovascular disease was also tied with high fiber intake. Eating more fiber-rich grains was also associated with a small but significant weight loss. Although, the study found a benefit with fiber-rich diet, an amount of fiber is yet to be determined. Based on all the data out there, how much fiber do you recommend your patients to consume daily?
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