Food and Nutrition

(Reuters) - In a taste of things to come, food scientists say they have cooked up a way of using nanotechnology to make low-fat or fat-free foods just as appetizing and satisfying as their full-fat fellows.

- Nanotechnology -- which, among other things, may be used to alter when, how and where in our bodies food is digested.
- "We are unpicking the mechanisms of digestion used to break them down so we can design fats in a rational way that are digested more slowly."
- The European Commission has set up a research project called NanoLyse aimed at devising ways of detecting and measuring nano technology in foods.

"These particles could be hazardous and we need to know more about their effects both in the body and in the environment," -- "Since these particles are very small, they can...enter cells or even the nucleus of a cell if they have the right characteristics."

CNN's Monita Rajpal reports on a study that examines the effects of eating or denying certain food groups.

- People talking their experience with the Atkin's diet.
- A high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet resulted in higher mortality rates.
- Low-carbohydrate diet that were high in protein, tofu, and legumes showed lower rates of mortality and cardiovascular diseases.
- If your protein is coming from just meat then you are not getting all the nutrients you need including things like fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Josh Levs interviews food safety expert Caroline Smith DeWaal about how to protect the nation's food supply.

Prevention magazine's Courtenay Smith has tips on how to feed your brain the right foods to help avoid age-related memory loss.
- Greens, cruciferous vegetables powerful brain protectors reduced bran age of women 1-2 years.
- Whole grains oats and brown rice keeps your blood sugar steady, brain relies on blood glucose.
- Dark chocolate 70% coco linked to better brain health.
- Nuts, foods high in vitamin E like nuts reduced Alzheimer's risk by 67%.
- Fish, Omega-3, people with higher levels of DHA in their blood reduced risk of Alzheimer's by 40%.
- Curcumin, turmeric curcuma and curry, is anti-inflammatory and has been shown to clear away Alzheimer's disease causing proteins.

Connect The World looks at food served at schools around the world as part of its focus on childhood obesity.

- The 1/3 who reported the highest vitamin E intake from food were 25% less likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, over the next decade.
- Food sources of vitamin E include wheat germ, nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts, vegetable oils such as sunflower and safflower oils, and some green vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli.

Doctors believe nearly 3 million Americans could be living with celiac disease without knowing it.
- Vast majority of Americans may not know
- Gluten wheat barley and rye are off the menu
- Symptoms diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal pain, and infertility

More than half of the oil 2.9-3.2 million barrels, 70-79%, is still in the gulf as microscopic droplets underneath the surface and sea floor according to the Georgia group.

- Benzene a x1000 times higher than allowed in the mud of Louisiana marshes. 
- The small Plankton, bacteria , that are taken up by the oysters, that are taken up by the shrimp, and eventually work their way up the food chain.

A new report suggests that relatively low-level exposure to common pesticides, probably from reidues on foods, doubles children's risk of developing ADHD.
- Study links Ognanophosphate Pesticides in common foods to ADHD, may affect functioning of nervous system.
- 28% of frozen blue berries, 25% of straberries there was residue of oganophosphate.

- symptoms of B12 deficiency include fatigue, mental changes, anemia and nerve damage known as neuropathy.
- all these symptoms can easily be misdiagnosed as being due to diabetes.
- an estimated 246 million people have diabetes -- rates are expected to rise -- type 2 diabetes linked to poor diet, lack of exercise.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports on a new report that finds nuts are good for the heart in many ways.

Children exposed to higher levels of a type of pesticide found in trace amounts on commercially grown fruit and vegetables are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children with less exposure, a nationwide study suggests.

- Oatmeal from scratch increases the nutrition and reduces or removes additives such as sodium and sugar.
- Note: Large Flake are best and oatmeal also reduces inflammation (see Dr Gupta video on food and inflammation)

- Access sugar in processed foods decrease good cholesterol HDL and increase triglycerides which can be a lethal combination

- The less sugar added to foods for typical people, the better are their blood-fat profiles and the lower are their cardiovascular risks.
- Lower added-sugar consumption linked to better levels of good cholesterol.

- A 2005 study found that Americans get more antioxidants from coffee than anywhere else
- "Polyphenols or flavonoids, the type of antioxidants found in coffee, are also found in other foods and drinks, like tea, red wine, and chocolate. All three have been proven to moderately help brain function"

Researchers found that replacing the bacteria in mouse intestines with human gut flora decreased the amount of fat absorbed by the gut.
- After 12 weeks, volunteers had lost an average of 1kg and scans revealed that they had lost 4.6% of their “bad”, visceral fat, which surrounds internal organs and is implicated in metabolic syndrome, and 3.3% of their subcutaneous fat.
- The milk drunk by half of the group was enriched with lactobacillus gasseri.

- There's no doubt that sugar clearly affects the brain like cocaine, morphine, and nicotine.
- 4 criteria for addiction; Binging, withdrawal, cravings, cross sensitization with other drugs of abuse.
- Addiction is driving obesity.

"We believe that a healthier future for all people and our planet means a more successful future for PepsiCo," said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo CEO.
- Pepsi said it plans a reduction of 25% the average sodium per serving in major global food brands in key markets by 2015.
- reduce the average saturated fat per serving by 15% by 2020.
- reduce the average sugar per serving in key global beverage brands by 25% by 2020.

The surprisingly high sodium levels in common foods underscore the importance of reading nutrition labels.