Health and Nutrition News: October

Every month, I like to make a collection of news stories that revolve around the field of Food Science, Human Nutrition, Vegetarianism, and other Health News. These are studies or reports that are not only super interesting, but also really work to open my mind and remind me that these fields are constantly evolving and finding new information. Click on the links for more info! 

  

There is yet more news on how eating healthy can benefit people! The study released by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) found that in those who were undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer, patients assigned to a program of exercise, nutritional counseling with protein supplementation and relaxation exercises before the actual operation recovered much more quickly afterwards. This type of surgery is known to have a huge reduction in mobility, but the results were amazing: prehabilitation patients walked an average of 23.2 meters farther than they did prior to the surgery, while rehabilitation-only patients actually saw a mobility reduction, walking an average of 21.8 meters less.

A hormone has become the center of focus for those who develop weight-loss drugs. Said hormone works by directly targeting the brain and triggering activity in the nervous system, obesity researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. A hormone encourages the activity of brown adipose tissue (the kind that creates energy via burning fat).

The University of East Anglia has found a link between eating citrus fruits, drinking tea, and having lower ovarian cancer risk. The study of 171,940 women (25-55 years old) took place for more than three decades, and found that those who consume flavonols (found in tea, red wine, apples and grapes) and flavanones (found in citrus fruit and juices) were less likely to develop the disease.

 

Although the amount of trans fats that Americans eat has decreased, a new release from the American Heart Association asserts that we are still eating too many. Americans are eating less trans and saturated fats compared to thirty years ago, but we are still eating these bad fats more than what's recommended for good cardiovascular health. Remember to watch those trans fats, folks! (It is important to note, however, that the study was largely conducted in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and therefore may not represent the entire population). 

 

Sunshine could relieve some asthma symptoms! According to the American Friends of Tel Aviv University, "The Vitamin D levels of 307,900 people were measured between 2008 and 2012. Researchers also took into account key predictors of asthma, such as obesity, smoking, and other chronic diseases. Of some 21,000 asthma patients in Israel studied, those with a Vitamin D deficiency were 25 percent more likely than other asthmatics to have had at least one flare-up in the recent past" (Science Daily quote). Vitamin D can be naturally synthesized by getting some rays, or obtained through a vitamin form (although Vitamin D can cause toxicity, so make sure to not take too much!)  

 

Eating breakfast, particularly those high in protein, has been shown to increase the chemical that is associated with feelings of reward in young adults' brains, according to the University of Missouri-Columbia. This is a huge step in fighting against food cravings and overeating later in the day, particularly for such a vulnerable group (young adults' rates of obesity have quadrupled in the past three decades). 

 

These are articles that I find fascinating. If you want to keep up on more news, I suggest going to ScienceDaily, BBC News Health, and EatRight.org. The next news update will at the end of November.