Diet and nutrition Archive

Asparagus is often available year-round. But spring is the peak season for this popular vegetable, with April being the prime month. In the market, look for bright green stalks with firm, tight tips (which may have a purplish cast).

If you notice that your urine smells a bit unpleasant after you eat asparagus, you're definitely not alone. The odor comes from sulfur-containing chemicals that form when your body metabolizes asparagusic acid, a compound found in the vegetable. Not everyone notices this phenomenon, however, either because they metabolize the chemical differently or because of an inherited inability to perceive the smell.

Research we're watching

A study published October 2017 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who regularly skip breakfast may have more arterial plaque than those who don't. Researchers used ultrasound to scan the arteries of more than 4,000 adults in Spain who were categorized into three groups: those who ate a heavy breakfast, those who ate a light breakfast, and those who ate no breakfast at all. They found that nearly 75% of those who regularly skipped breakfast had signs of plaque buildup in their arteries, compared with only 57% of people who reported eating a big breakfast every day and 64% who ate a small meal in the morning.

It's not clear why this was the case, although the authors noted that the people in the study who skipped breakfast were more likely to be obese and to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes. However, even when the researchers adjusted for those factors, the differences in arterial plaque levels between the groups persist.

Salt is essential to the body. The sodium in salt helps transmit nerve impulses and contract muscle fibers. It also works with potassium to balance fluid levels in in the body. But you need only a tiny amount of salt to do this — less than one-tenth of a teaspoon per day. The average American gets nearly 20 times that much.

The body can generally rid itself of excess sodium. In some people, though, consuming extra sodium makes the body hold on to water. This increases the amount of fluid flowing through blood vessels, which can increase blood pressure.

Drinking a few cups a day seems to be safe for most people. But evidence that coffee protects your heart is pretty weak.

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Java junkies may have perked up after hearing that drinking coffee may lower heart disease risk. But are there grounds to support this claim?

In recent years, researchers have observed that people who drink about three cups of coffee daily may be slightly less likely to develop heart disease or to die from it than people who avoid the aromatic brew. A review article in the Nov. 22, 2017, issue of The BMJ that included nearly 300 studies on the health effects of coffee came to a similar conclusion. However, as the authors point out, their findings can't prove cause and effect. In the absence of long-term, randomized trials that assign people to drink coffee or not, it's impossible to say whether the popular drink (or some other factor) led to the lower heart risk.

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As some artichoke aficionados know, anything you eat or drink right after eating this unique vegetable tastes sweeter than usual. Artichokes contain chlorogenic acid and cynarin, which partially inhibit the sweet receptors on your tongue. Whatever you eat or drink right afterwards washes off the compounds, fooling your brain into perceiving sweetness that isn't actually there. Try serving an artichoke alongside another vegetable you find less palatable, and alternate bites!

Cynarin also seems to increase the liver's production of bile, which helps remove cholesterol from the body.

On call

Q. I have read that vitamin K supplements can help prevent heart disease. Should I take them?

A. Vitamin K — which is found in high levels in green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce — plays a role in helping the body make blood clotting proteins. Although some observational studies have suggested a heart benefit from diets high in vitamin K, studies of supplements have not shown a protective effect.

News briefs

Here's some encouraging news about how many sugary drinks we're guzzling in the United States: an observational study led by Harvard researchers, published online Nov. 14, 2017, by Obesity, suggests that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages fell significantly between 2004 and 2014. Researchers looked at data collected from more than 18,000 children and teens and more than 27,000 adults ages 20 or older. Every two years, people were asked about the kinds of drinks they'd had in the previous 24 hours, such as soda or juice. About 60% of kids and 50% of adults reported drinking a sugary beverage on any given day in 2014, down from 80% of kids and about 62% of adults in 2004. The percentage of adults ages 60 or older who reported drinking a sugary beverage on any given day dropped from 46% in 2004 to 39% in 2014. While the declines are a step in the right direction, consumption of these drinks was still highest among those at higher risk for obesity, such as African American and Hispanic participants (across all age groups). Remember: the average can of soda has about 40 grams of added sugar, far more than the American Heart Association's recommended limit of 24 grams of added sugar per day for women, and 36 grams per day for men. Consuming too much added sugar is associated with weight gain and an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes and a heart attack.

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Despite their striking colors — ruby red, golden yellow, and even candy-striped — beets aren't exactly the most popular vegetable on the block. But what if you make them sound more enticing? It turns out that people may eat more "dynamite chili and tangy lime-seasoned beets" than plain old "beets."

In a study done at a Stanford University cafeteria, researchers found that people ate about 25% more vegetables if the selections were described in indulgent terms rather than basic or healthy terms (such as "lighter-choice beets with no added sugar") even though all the dishes were prepared exactly the same way. Other examples of indulgently named veggie dishes included "zesty ginger-turmeric sweet potatoes" and "sweet sizzlin' green beans and crispy shallots." So if you're hoping to entice friends or family to try beets (or other vegetables), add some appealing adjectives to the description.

In the journals

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Eating nuts has been linked with a lower risk of heart disease. Now, the largest study to date on the subject suggests that regular consumption, and not any specific nut, offers the greatest benefit. The research, published online Nov. 13, 2017, by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology looked at more than 210,000 people who shared information on their eating habits and health over a 32-year period.

The results showed that those who ate nuts — such as peanuts or tree nuts like walnuts, almonds, and cashews — on a daily basis had a much lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease or coronary artery disease compared with people who rarely or never ate nuts.