Diet and nutrition Archive

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News Briefs

Here's something to think about if you drink a few cups of coffee per day: a Harvard study published online Nov. 16, 2015, by Circulation found that moderate coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of an early death. Researchers evaluated questionnaires answered by people in three large studies (a total of more than 208,000 men and women), over a period of 30 years. The investigators observed that, compared with people who don't drink coffee, those who drank three to five cups of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee per day had a lower risk of death from type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, and suicide. "It could be that certain compounds in coffee, such as chlorogenic acid, may help reduce insulin resistance and inflammation, which are associated with many diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Ming Ding, the study's first author and a doctoral student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. But the study doesn't prove that coffee was responsible for the lower risk of early death. "If you drink a moderate amount of coffee, it is fine to keep your habit. There is not enough evidence that you should drink more coffee for the sake of longer life expectancy," says Dr. Ding.

News Briefs

Want to lose weight? Don't focus on fat. A Harvard analysis published Oct. 30, 2015, in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests that low-fat diets don't work any better than higher-fat diets when it comes to long-term weight loss. Researchers analyzed the data from a total of about 68,000 people in 53 studies that looked at low-fat diets compared with other types of diets, such as higher-fat diets with low carbohydrates. After one year or longer, people on all types of diets had lost and kept off an average of 6 pounds. So how can you lose weight? As we reported in the December 2015 Health Letter, it's not dietary fat that makes you fat; it's the combination of excess calories and too little physical activity. Each gram of fat has nine calories, which is more than in a gram of carbohydrates or proteins, so don't eat too many of them. What should you eat to lose weight? Go for vegetables, fruits, lean meats and fish, fiber, healthy fats (almonds, avocados, salmon), and whole grains. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian about how many calories per day you should eat to lose weight.

Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are essential for good health. That's one reason why a plant-based diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of developing life-threatening diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. And when you pile on the produce, there's less room for the unhealthy foods, too.

Dinner is typically the largest (and latest) meal of the day, and it's a good opportunity to make sure that you meet your daily quota for fruits and vegetables. Here are five easy ways to work more produce into dinner.

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Counting calories is one of the most reliable ways to maintain or lose weight. But it's not always easy to do when you're out and about or pressed for time — and there are plenty of situations (such as a dinner party at a friend's house) that just don't lend themselves well to a "strictly numbers" approach.  

Here are some guidelines to follow when straight calorie counting is impractical.

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Ask the doctor

Q Everything I read in Harvard Men's Health Watch about nutrition says to minimize the amount of red meat in my diet. Would it be best if I just gave it up completely? Or is there a safe amount to eat?

A Numerous studies have observed that consuming red meat is associated with diseases such as heart disease or colon cancer. In fact, the World Health Organization recently classified processed and red meats as cancer-causing substances. In most studies, it does appear that the lower your consumption of red meat, the better your health.

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Ask the doctor

Q. My doctor says the Mediterranean diet is not only good for my health in general, but that it is particularly good for my brain. That got my attention. Anything to it?

A. I think there is. The Mediterranean diet is rich in whole-grain bread, root vegetables, green vegetables, fish, poultry, fruit, and olive oil. It includes relatively little red meat, butter, and other foods rich in saturated fats and trans fats. As is often the case with research into a medical question, not all studies come to the same conclusion. But many studies have found that people who regularly adhere to the Mediterranean diet are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. And many studies also find that people with diets rich in saturated fats (including from red meat and processed meat) and trans fats are more likely to develop dementia of some type, along with other brain disease, particularly strokes.

Yes, you can find convenient fast-cook meals, but you'll have to do your homework.

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Ever notice how nutrition takes a back seat when you're hungry? Packaged and prepared foods somehow don't seem unhealthy when you need a meal in a hurry. But is there such a thing as a nutritious convenience food? "Yes, there are some healthy options out there, but you really have to look for them," says registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Typical convenience foods

Packaged, prepared foods come in several forms: boxed, dry goods such as quick-cook pasta and rice mixes; canned foods, such as soup or ravioli; or frozen foods, such as a single frozen dinner or a "family-sized" lasagna.

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News briefs

Here's another reason to take sweetened drinks out of your diet: a study published online Nov. 2, 2015, by the journal Heart suggests that drinking sweetened beverages each day is linked to an increased risk for heart failure in men. Heart failure is a gradual decline in the heart's ability to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Researchers tracked the dietary information of 42,000 middle-aged or older men in Sweden from 1998 to 2010. They made no distinction between types of drinks or how they were sweetened, whether it was with sugar, fructose, or artificial sweetener. However, coffee, tea, and fruit juice were not included in the study. After excluding potentially influential factors, researchers noted that men who drank at least two daily servings of sweetened drinks had a 23% heightened risk of developing heart failure compared with men who didn't drink sweetened beverages. The study didn't prove that sweetened drinks caused heart failure. In fact, the researchers pointed out that drinking a lot of sweetened beverages is usually an indication of a poor diet, which is a risk factor for heart failure in itself. But they also noted that sweetened drinks are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are risk factors for heart failure, too. Best advice: avoid sweetened beverages or at least limit them to occasional consumption.