Research Abstracts

• Americans still consume one-third of calories from low-nutrient 'tip of the pyramid'

  
  Energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods (EDNP's), which are generally rich in fats, oils and sugars, occupy the very small "tip" of the Food Pyramid used to illustrate America's recommended dietary guidelines

• Early Nutrition In Babies May Have Long Term Effects On The Brain

  
  In a paper in this week's BMJ, Professor Alan Lucas and colleagues from the Medical Research Council Childhood Nutrition Research Centre at the Institute of Child Health, demonstrate for the first time that early nutrition can significantly influence mental ability in later life.

• Omega-3 EFAs kills cancer cells

  
  Fatty acids from fish oils and fatty fish can destroy the power station - the mitochondria- in certain types of cancer cells, making the cells commit suicide.

• Nutrition Therapy Helps Patients Emotionally, Research Shows

  
  People who receive nutrition counseling to help control an illness don't just eat better -- they often feel better emotionally and more in control of their condition, a new study suggests.

• Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent heart disease by improving arterial elasticity

  
  Eating fish benefits those who are at high risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD), and sudden cardiac deaths occur less frequently in those who habitually eat ocean fish, a major source of omega-3 fatty acids.

• Purdue Research Shows Omega-3S Benefit Bone

  
  Add another star to the list of health benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids. Recent Purdue University research shows that they also help bones grow.

• Changing children's diets today could reduce bone problems 70 years from now

  
  Most of us don't look at groups of 10-year-olds and envision them as bone-weary senior citizens, but that's the kind of long-range thinking behind a nutrition intervention program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

• New guidelines focus on fish, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids

  
  Healthy people should eat omega-3 fatty acids from fish and plant sources to protect their hearts, according to updated American Heart Association recommendations published in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

• Nutrition status affects cognitive impairment in the elderly

  
  Old age is often associated with cognitive impairment that can range in severity from mild memory loss to severely debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer disease.

• Significant health benefits of a daily fish meal as part of a weight loss regimen

  
  Among the established health benefits of a diet rich in n-3 fatty acids (found in ocean fish as well as in flaxseed oil) is its protective effect aginst cardiovascular diesease.

• The Role of Healthy Fats in the Diet

  
  Many Americans, in their quest for lean bodies, have drastically reduced their intake of fat while shifting consumption to diets rich in protein or carbohydrates, and sometimes both.