How do people who want to maintain a fit lifestyle make sure they don’t blow their goals out the window at their favorite eatery?

This month the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior decided to find out. The study, which included 35 healthy women age 40 to 59 who ate an average of 5.6 times a week were assigned to attend six weekly sessions that focused on education and mindful eating meditations designed to help people consume less fat and fewer calories while eating out and prevent weight gain. The study included a group that did not take part in this experiment.

So, how did it turn out?

The women who were taught all about portion size and mindful eating when eating out ended up eating fewer calories and also consumed less fat in comparison to the control group. These women also lost weight, 3.7 pounds of average, according to the study.

This study proves the key to maintaining an even losing weight while eating out is knowing the facts about calories and portion control.

Luckily, a lot of restaurants are jumping on the education bandwagon by letting their patrons know how many calories they are consuming in the menus. When this information is not available, people need to make sure they take time out to learn the key principles highlighted in this study – eat being mindful of portion size and calories. Only then many will be able to unlock the secret to long-time success when it comes to weight loss.

A study published in the Jan. 3, 2012 issue of the research journal Annals of Internal Medicine suggests chiropractic spinal manipulation is more effective than over-the-counter and prescription medication for relieving acute neck pain.Spinal manipulative therapy was more effective than medication in both the short and long term.

The study involved 272 adults ages 18-65 with neck pain of two to 12 weeks’ duration. Spinal manipulation was provided courtesy of a doctor of chiropractic.Instead of chiropractic care, some patients in the study group received medication as monitored by a licensed medical physician. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (aspirin), or both served as the first line of pharmacological therapy. With patients who did not respond to or could not tolerate these drugs, narcotic medications and muscle relaxants were prescribed.

“Participants who received medication seemed to fare worse, with a consistently higher use of pain medications for neck pain throughout the trial’s observational period,” said the study authors. In other words, chiropractic was a much better choice than medication for neck pain.

Interestingly enough, a third group of patients who received home exercise advice instead of chiropractic care or medication also fared better than the medication group during the study period. That means two forms of conservative, drug-free care – both of which are commonly provided by doctors of chiropractic – were more effective than over-the-counter and/or prescription drugs.

The moral of the story? The next time you or someone you know is suffering from neck pain, don’t turn to the medicine cabinet or a medical doctor; turn to your doctor of chiropractic.

In a new study published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers investigated the long-term effect of fish oil supplementation and strength training on the muscle strength and capacity of older women.

The participants included 45 women with an average age of 64 years that were assigned randomly to one of 3 groups. One group performed strength training only (ST group) for 90 days, the other groups performed the same strength-training program and received fish oil supplementation (2 g/day) for 90 days (ST90 group) or for 150 d (ST150 group) The ST150 group was supplemented 60 days before training. Muscle strength and functional capacity were evaluated before and after the training period.

No differences in the pre-training period were found between groups for any of the variables. The peak muscle strength for all muscles (knee flexor and extensor, plantar and dorsiflexor) increased from pre- to posttraining in all groups. However, the effect was greater in the ST90 and ST150 groups than in the ST group. A measure of muscle activation was also improved between the pre- and post-training periods only in the supplemented groups.  Chair-rising performance in the fish oil groups was better than in the ST group.

The current study showed that fish oil supplementation in addition to strength training resulted in greater improvements in muscle strength and function than strength training alone.

Cintia LN Rodacki et al. Fish-oil supplementation enhances the effects of strength training in elderly women. First published January  4, 2012, doi: 10.3945/​ajcn.111.021915 Am J Clin Nutr February 2012 ajcn.021915.

New recommendations are simplified and include the following: Balancing Calories – enjoy your food, but eat less, and avoid oversized portions; Foods to Increase – make half your plate vegetables, make at least half your grains whole grains, and switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk; Foods to Reduce – compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers, and drink water instead of sugary drinks.

The recommendations seem simple enough and common sense.  However, according to NPD, a leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information, there is a vast difference between the new federal dietary guidelines and what typical American’s are actually consuming.  NPD’s food and beverage market research finds that for the average consumer, only two percent of their days (about 7 days a year) come close to resembling the USDA’s MyPlate.

Using NPD’s National Eating Trends^® (NET^®) research, MyPlate days were calculated based on consumers who, on the same day, achieved at least 70 percent of the daily recommended intake for dairy, fruit, grains, proteins and vegetables. It was also discovered that even when consumers did achieve a MyPlate day, they were very likely to have consumed more than three meals to do so.

The analysts noted that there is clearly a need for consumers to change their eating habits, especially in light of the fact that more than 65 percent of adults are classified as overweight or obese.

Ongoing research has shown that consumers are generally aware of what constitutes a healthy diet, but what they know and what they do when it comes to eating are often different.  The take home message, is that everyone should be enjoying their meals but eating less while still adhering to healthy nutritional guidelines.

The NPD Group/National Eating Trends® (NET®); 5 Years Ending Feb 2011

Published: November 28, 2011

Yvetta Fedorova

Ilsa Katz was 85 when her daughter, Vivian Atkins, first noticed that her mother was becoming increasingly confused.

“She couldn’t remember names, where she’d been or what she’d done that day,” Ms. Atkins recalled in an interview. “Initially, I was not too worried. I thought it was part of normal aging. But over time, the confusion and memory problems became more severe and more frequent.”

Her mother couldn’t remember the names of close relatives or what day it was. She thought she was going to work or needed to go downtown, which she never did. And she was often agitated.

A workup at a memory clinic resulted in a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s disease, and Ms. Katz was prescribed Aricept, which Ms. Atkins said seemed to make matters worse. But the clinic also tested Ms. Katz’s blood level of vitamin B12. It was well below normal, and her doctor thought that could be contributing to her symptoms.

Weekly B12 injections were begun. “Soon afterward, she became less agitated, less confused and her memory was much better,” said Ms. Atkins. “I felt I had my mother back, and she feels a lot better, too.”

Now 87, Ms. Katz still lives alone in Manhattan and feels well enough to refuse outside assistance.

Still, her daughter wondered, “Why aren’t B12 levels checked routinely, particularly in older people?”

It is an important question. As we age, our ability to absorb B12 from food declines, and often so does our consumption of foods rich in this vitamin. A B12 deficiency can creep up without warning and cause a host of confusing symptoms that are likely to be misdiagnosed or ascribed to aging.

A Vital Nutrient

B12 is an essential vitamin with roles throughout the body. It is needed for the development and maintenance of a healthy nervous system, the production of DNA and formation of red blood cells.

A severe B12 deficiency results in anemia, which can be picked up by an ordinary blood test. But the less dramatic symptoms of a B12 deficiency may include muscle weakness, fatigue, shakiness, unsteady gait, incontinence, low blood pressure, depression and other mood disorders, and cognitive problems like poor memory.

Labs differ in what they consider normal, but most authorities say a deficiency occurs when B12 levels in adults fall below 250 picograms per milliliter of blood serum. Like all B vitamins, B12 is water-soluble, but the body stores extra B12 in the liver and other tissues. Even if dietary sources are inadequate for some time, a serum deficiency may not show up for years.

If the amount of B12 in storage is low to begin with, a deficiency can develop within a year, even more quickly in infants.

Recommended dietary amounts of B12 vary: 2.4 micrograms daily for those age 14 and older, 2.6 micrograms for pregnant women and 2.8 micrograms for nursing women. Barring circumstances that impair B12 absorption, these are levels easily obtained from a well-balanced diet containing animal protein.

In its natural form, B12 is present in significant amounts only in animal foods, most prominently in liver (83 micrograms in a 3.5-ounce serving). Good food sources include other red meats, turkey, fish and shellfish. Lesser amounts of the vitamin are present in dairy products, eggs and chicken.

Those at Risk

Natural plant sources are meager at best in B12, and the vitamin is poorly absorbed from them. Many strict vegetarians and all vegans, as well as infants they breast-feed, must consume supplements or fortified breakfast cereals to get adequate amounts.

Certain organisms, like the bacterium Spirulina and some algae, contain a pseudo-B12 that the body cannot use but may result in a false reading of a normal B12 level on a blood test. Despite claims to the contrary, laver, a seaweed, and barley grass are not reliable sources of B12.

In animal foods, B12 is combined with protein and must be released by stomach acid and an enzyme to be absorbed. Thus, chronic users of acid-suppressing drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium, as well as ulcer medications like Pepcid and Tagamet, are at risk of developing a B12 deficiency and often require a daily B12 supplement.

Stomach acid levels decline with age. As many as 30 percent of older people may lack sufficient stomach acid to absorb adequate amounts of B12 from natural sources. Therefore, regular consumption of fortified foods or supplementation with 25 to 100 micrograms of B12 daily is recommended for people over 50.

Synthetic B12, found in supplements and fortified foods, does not depend on stomach acid to be absorbed. But whether natural or synthetic, only some of the B12 consumed gets into the body. Treatment to correct a B12 deficiency typically involves much larger doses than the body actually requires.

Free B12 from both natural and synthetic sources must be combined with a substance in the stomach called intrinsic factor to be absorbed through the gut. This factor is lacking in people with an autoimmune disorder called pernicious anemia; the resulting vitamin deficiency is commonly treated with injections of B12.

Although most doctors are quick to recommend injections to correct a B12 deficiency, considerable evidence indicates that, in large enough doses, sublingual (under-the-tongue) tablets or skin patches of B12 may work as well as injections for people with absorption problems, even for those with pernicious anemia.

Most often, a daily supplement of 2,000 micrograms is recommended for about a month, then lowered to 1,000 micrograms daily for another month, then lowered again to 1,000 micrograms weekly. Sublingual B12 or B12 patches, or even B12 lollipops, can be helpful for people who require a supplement but cannot swallow pills.

Others at risk of developing a B12 deficiency include heavy drinkers (alcohol diminishes B12 absorption), those who have had stomach surgery for weight loss or ulcers, and people who take aminosalicylic acid (for inflammatory bowel disease or tuberculosis) or the diabetes drug metformin (sold as Glucophage and other brands). Patients who take the anticonvulsants phenytoin, phenobarbital or primidone are also at risk.

Large doses of folic acid can mask a B12 deficiency and cause permanent neurological damage if normal levels of B12 are not maintained. Supplements of potassium impair B12 absorption in some people.

Although a B12 deficiency can raise blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, supplements of B12 have not reduced cardiovascular risk.

And while high homocysteine levels are linked to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, lowering them with B12 supplements has not been shown to improve cognitive function. However, in one study, among women with a poor dietary intake of B12, supplements of the vitamin significantly slowed the rate of cognitive decline.

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Researchers recently sought to quantify the effects of omega-3 supplementation on arterial stiffness.  A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that omega-3’s may influence heart health by reducing stiffness of the arteries.

A total of 550 participants were included in pooled results of 10 trials investigating the effects of omega-3 supplementation on arterial stiffness.   Trials ranged from 6 weeks to 2 years, and supplemental dosages of combined EPA and DHA varied between 640 mg to 3000 mg.  The study participants included healthy men and those with various cardiovascular conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Two methods of measurement were used: four studies used pulse wave velocity (PWV) and six used a method known as arterial compliance.

The research revealed that supplementation of omega-3’s was statistically significant in effectively improving both PWV and arterial compliance.  Using pulse wave velocity, arterial stiffness was reduced by an average of 33% while arterial compliance suggested a 48% reduction.  Changes in arterial stiffness were reported after factoring in any changes to blood pressure, heart rate, or body mass index.

This study is the first of its kind to assess effects of omega-3 supplementation on arterial stiffness.

Although further research is needed to determine the optimal dosages of EPA and DHA, the present research supports the idea that fish oil may reduce arterial stiffness accounting for some of its purported cardiovascular benefits.

Matthew P. Pase, Natalie A. Grima and Jerome Sarris Do long-chain n-3 fatty acids reduce arterial stiffness? A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Nutrition, Available on CJO 2011 doi:10.1017/S0007114511002819

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY TAKING SOME OMEGA 3s, PLEASE PICK SOME UP NEXT TIME YOU ARE AT THE CLINIC.

A new meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that increased fiber intake may significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Ten prospective studies of the effect of fiber on breast cancer risk were analyzed in the study, which included a total of 712,195 women.  Fiber intake was estimated from dietary questionnaire responses.  A total of 16,848 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed among the study follow-up periods, which ranged from 4.3 to 18 years.

Of the ten studies included in the meta-analysis, eight of them found a lower risk of breast cancer associated with greater fiber intake.  Subjects whose intake of fiber was among the highest 20 percent of participants averaged an 11 percent lower risk of the disease compared to those whose intake was among the lowest 20 percent.  In addition, the dose-response analysis showed that the risk of breast cancer decreased significantly, by 7% for every 10 gram/day increment of dietary fiber intake.

The researchers propose that fiber intake may provide protection by decreasing circulating estrogen by inhibiting reabsorption of estrogens in the gut and increasing the excretion of estrogens in the feces.  Dietary fiber also may play in the control of insulin resistance and insulin-like growth factors, which are known to be risk factors for breast cancer and type 2 diabetes.

This study provides evidence of a significant inverse dose-response association between dietary fiber intake and risk of breast cancer, the most common cancer in women. Since average dietary fiber intake in Western countries is 15 grams/day or less, only about half of the recommended amount, these findings have important public health implications.

1.  Skipping Meals

2.  Eating things that are not specified on the Ideal Protein Protocol

3.  Constipation

4.  Exercising