Dietary patterns Archive

There's a lot you can do to improve your outcome if you're taking an active surveillance approach to your diagnosis.

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About 90% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer have the localized kind, which means the cancer is confined to the prostate gland. And for many, a reasonable approach is active surveillance, in which men choose to monitor their cancer instead of going straight into invasive treatments, such as surgery or radiation therapy.

Active surveillance includes a doctor visit about every six months, most often with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal exam.

In the journals

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An observational study has shown an association between eating vegetable nitrates, found in green leafy vegetables and beets, and a lower risk of developing an early stage of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of permanent vision loss among Americans ages 60 and older. The results were published online Oct. 17, 2018, by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Researchers studied the eating habits of more than 2,000 adults ages 49 and older over a 15-year period and compared them with diagnoses of AMD among the group. They found that people who ate 100 to 142 milligrams (mg) of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69 mg of vegetable nitrates daily.

In the journals

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A high-protein breakfast may help curb your appetite later in the day, suggests a small study in the October 2018 Journal of Dairy Science.

Researchers assigned 32 healthy adults to eat a breakfast containing two servings of a high-carbohydrate cereal, with either 1 cup of commercial milk that contained 12.4 grams of protein, or 1 cup of milk mixed with a whole-milk protein concentrate or a whey protein powder that boosted protein intake to 28 grams. The participants then had their blood sugar levels measured.

Beans, peas, and peanuts are high in protein but lower in saturated fat than red meat.

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Looking for a quick way to improve your diet? Try swapping some of your regular servings of red meat with legumes.

"People will ask me, is red meat bad for me? And my answer is, compared to what? Compared to sugar, no. Compared to legumes, yes. That's where I think legumes come in. They are especially beneficial if they can replace red meat," says Dr. Meir Stampfer, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Research we're watching

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and nuts, may help women over 40 reduce the risk of stroke, according to a study published in the journal Stroke.

The study enrolled more than 20,000 adults, ages 40 to 77, who were asked to record what they ate in a seven-day diet diary. Researchers then compared their diet and their stroke risk over a 17-year period.

Research we're watching

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While yogurt is often billed as a nutritious food, high in probiotics and calcium, these creamy treats are also often loaded with sugar, according to a study in the online journal BMJ Open.

The study looked at 900 yogurt products in five major supermarket chains in the United Kingdom. Only 9% qualified as low in sugar, according to government guidelines, which called for a maximum of 5 grams of sugar per 100-gram serving. Organic yogurts, which many people think of as a healthier option, had some of the highest average sugar content (13.1 grams per 100-gram serving) among the various yogurt types, followed by 10.8 grams per serving in yogurts aimed at children and 5 grams among Greek and natural yogurt products.

Give tools that will encourage recipients to prepare and enjoy fresh, healthy meals and treats.

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You know what they say about gifts: it's the thought that counts. And why not focus that thought on a healthy diet? Inspire healthy eating with gadgets that are affordable and easy to use. Keep the recipient's dietary needs, dexterity, and physical ability in mind as you shop. Here are some fun ideas to get you started.

A stem stripper (cost: about $5) is a flat utensil with a number of stem-sized holes in it. It strips leaves from stems in seconds. You simply insert the stem of a leafy vegetable or herb (like kale, Swiss chard, or rosemary) into the hole that matches the stem's diameter. Pull the stem through the hole, and the leaves fall away. Then toss the remaining stem. "This might be helpful if you have trouble chewing, if you wear dentures, or you find vegetables or herbs hard to chop or pull apart," says registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

When it comes to carbohydrates, quality and quantity matter — just as with everything else you eat.

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These days, low-carb diets are more popular than ever. But this weight-loss strategy is hardly new. It began in the 1960s with the Atkins diet, followed by the South Beach, paleo, and keto diets. All of these diets — which swap carbohydrates for protein or fat — can help some people lose weight, at least over the short term.

But as is true for most diets that require you to avoid many popular foods, low-carb diets are often hard to maintain over the long haul. And if you do keep your carb intake low, the long-term effects on your heart and overall health remain something of a mystery so far. But a new study provides some clues.