What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

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200 calories can apparently look like a lot of things. It can be a pat of butter or a bowl full of broccoli. It can be a few gummi bears or a plate of juicy honeydew melon. Think about the vitamins and nutrients in foods and consider that along with their caloric content. What will 200 calories of butter provide to your body to nourish it, to fuel what you like to do?

Muscadine Grapes Fight Inflammation

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Stephen J. Stringer, an Agricultural Research Service geneticist at the Southern Horticultural Laboratory in Poplarville, Miss., is working toward developing new, healthful varieties of muscadine grapes. Muscadines are grown commercially in the southeastern United States, where they are often called scuppernongs and are used primarily in juices, wines, jellies and preserves. Stringer is breeding muscadines with thinner skins, a crisp and melting flesh, high sugar content, and increased concentrations of nutraceuticals, which are chemical compounds found in foods that may prevent disease.

Muscadine grapes are extremely high in antioxidants and compounds that health experts believe fight inflammation and blood clotting, thus translating to healthy heart benefits. Muscadines contain other beneficial compounds, such as gallic and ellagic acids, which are not commonly found in high concentrations in other grape species.

Prostate cancer cholesterol link

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Scientists have produced evidence linking high cholesterol levels to a raised risk of prostate cancer.

The researchers examined data on 1,294 men with prostate cancer, and 1,451 men admitted to hospital with non-cancerous conditions. They found men with prostate cancer were around 50% more likely to have had high cholesterol levels.

Professor Nick James, a cancer specialist at the University of Birmingham, said it was "entirely plausible" that cholesterol was linked to prostate cancer. He said: "There is a lot of circumstantial evidence suggesting that diet is a factor in developing prostate cancer. For instance, the disease is more common in northern European countries, where consumption of animals fats is relatively high.

Chris Hiley, of the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: "Further research is needed to confirm this but in the meantime the health benefits of a varied diet are indisputable. "We encourage men to cut down their intake of fatty foods and red and processed meat, but continue to eat oily fish and a high fibre diet with porridge oats, as well as plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables daily."

A Study of Serum Folate Concentrations

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Folate has emerged as a key nutrient for optimising health. Impaired folate status has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, various types of cancers, and neurocognitive disorders. The study was aimed at examining the distribution and determinants of serum folate concentrations in a healthy adult population in Crete, Greece.

A cross-sectional sample of 486 healthy adults were involved in the study. Inadequate folate levels were present in 6.8% of men and 2.1% of women. Approximately 76% of men and 87% of women did not meet the reference dietary intake for folate.

Crete, once known for the low cardiovascular mortality among adult men in early 1950's, has now increasing rates of cardiovascular disease, a trend that appears to be related to dietary and lifestyle changes that have been taking place during the last decades. The traditional Cretan diet – a variant of the Mediterranean diet – has been gradually abandoned, and current Cretans consume higher amounts of saturated fat, meat, and cheese, and lower amounts of bread, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fibre. Among other consequences, such dietary changes are expected to result in decreased intake of dietary folate and thus, impaired folate status. To date, however, no data are available with regard to the folate status of the adult population in Crete.

In the study it was found that individuals with higher intakes of potatoes, legumes, fruits and/or vegetables – all these foods considered major sources of folate – had significantly decreased risk for low serum folate (below the 1st quartile), compared to those with no consumption. Conversely, higher intakes of cereals and meat products were related to decreased serum folate concentrations. These findings are in accordance with those reported by both cross-sectional and diet-intervention studies, which suggest a positive association between folate status and a dietary pattern characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes and low consumption of refined cereals and meat.

Foods Low on Glycemic Index May Protect Eyes

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People may slash their risks of getting the incurable eye disease macular degeneration (AMD) by more than 60 percent by eating foods low on the glycemic index, nutrition experts report.

Researchers from Tufts and Harvard universities said in April's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that eating plans low on the glycemic index are frequently richer in micronutrients, which are essential for eye health.

In the study, Tufts and Harvard researchers followed the eating plans of more than 525 women 62 and over in a federal health study for 10 years. Chung-Jung Chiu, the chief researcher from Tufts, said women who held their total carbohydrate intake constant were twice as likely to develop an early form of age-related macular degeneration than women whose numbers of carbs were on the low end of the glycemic index. What's more, women who consumed carbs on the high end of the index were 50-percent more likely to develop actual macular degeneration, he added.

The study backs up Dutch research that showed eating plans full of vitamins C and E, zinc and beta-carotene also reduced the risks of age-related macular degeneration by a third.

In the editorial, Mares and Moeller noted that studies link diets low on the glycemic scale to slower development of high blood pressure and heart disease, two risk factors for age-related macular degeneration.

"Diets with a low GI often include plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and milk and few refined grains and sugars," they said.

Pine Nut Oil Boosts Appetite Suppressors Up To 60 Percent For 4 Hours

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In a paper being presented in an American Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology 2006, Alexandra Einerhand reports that "in this randomized, double-blind cross-over trial, the greatest effect was observed after just 30 minutes, with the 18 women reporting a 29% reduction in "desire to eat" and a 36% drop in "prospective food intake" scores.

Vegetables Inhibit Growth Of Prostate Cancer In Mice With Human Tumors

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Chemicals in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, watercress, cabbage and cauliflower, appear to stop human prostate cancer cells from growing in mice by affecting the expression of proteins, says a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute study.

"The contribution of diet and nutrition to cancer risk, prevention and treatment have been a major focus of research in recent years because certain nutrients in vegetables and dietary agents appear to protect the body against diseases such as cancer," said Shivendra Singh, Ph.D., lead investigator and professor of pharmacology and urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Singh's study is based on phytochemicals found in several cruciferous vegetables called isothiocyanates (ITCs), which are generated when vegetables are either cut or chewed.

Microwaving is bad, even a child can see!

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A childs' science fair project shows the results when two plants are watered with microwave-heated water and water heated on a stove. Though this isn't a perfect scientific test of the effects of Microwave heating, it is pretty interesting.

Legume Compounds May Help Cancer Treatment

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The ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research (CILR) screened legumes (plants which obtain useable nitrogen from soil bacteria in their roots) for biological activity and they identified a number of compounds which could potentially prevent the formation of a blood supply to tumours. Without an adequate blood supply tumours stop growing and ultimately can regress.

The anti-cancer molecules are produced by legumes during the early symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria known as rhizobia. Rhizobia induce legumes to form tiny new root organs called "root nodules." The bacteria live in the nodules and provide the plant with useable nitrogen it can convert into proteins.

Legumes comprise the third largest group of flowering plants in the world with more than 18,000 species. Examples of legumes include garden peas, peanuts, clover, lentils, chickpeas and various beans such as soybean and green beans.

Vegetarian Diets Cause Major Weight Loss

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A scientific review in April's Nutrition Reviews shows that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss. Vegetarian populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new review, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.

"Our research reveals that people can enjoy unlimited portions of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight without feeling hungry," says Dr. Berkow, the lead author.

"There is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased calorie burn after meals, meaning plant-based foods are being used more efficiently as fuel for the body, as opposed to being stored as fat," says Dr. Barnard.