The Learning Blog

Phase two of The International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), a European  study, reported in the June issue of Thorax that children who adhered to a Meditteranean diet high in fish, fruits, and vegetables had a lower risk of asthma in childhood.

However, these findings which are consistent with previous studies do not establish a causal relationship between children’s food choices and the risk of having asthma.

The researchers explained that because of the presence of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in the Mediterranean diet especially in fish, these substances have anti-inflammatory properties that counter-balance the effects of pro-allergic activities of the T-helper cells. Also, the high intake of fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, is found to lower the risk of asthma in adults.

References:

What Kids Eat is Tied to Asthma

Effect of Diet on Asthma and Allergic Sensitization in the International Study on Allergies and Asthma in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Two. (Abstract)

There are sometimes claims that coffee may do harm, that it may increase the propensity to cardiovascular disease, but there is no evidence for this. The message is that people may drink coffee safely. Coffee from this point of view may actually be of benefit, as well as reducing the risk of getting diabetes – although the reduction is small. – Dr. Lars Ryden, European Society of Cardiology

An analysis of 18 studies involving almost 460,000 patients by Australian researchers from the George Institute for International Health, Sydney said that drinking coffee (decaf and otherwise) and tea may help prevent the development of diabetes.

The study found a significant inverse relationship of coffee consumption and diabetes risk by 7%. Gender, geographic location, or the method of diagnosis or self-report does not seem to affect the result.

Those who drank 3 to 4 cups of decaf coffee per day cuts their diabetes risk by 1/3 (33%) compared to those who drink 2 or less.

The researchers explained that the protective effects noted in coffee and tea may not be solely due to caffeine but also as a unified effect of this and other helpful substances such as magnesium, lignans, and chlorogenic acids.

Lignans are plant-based chemical compounds found also in fruits, cereals, and flaxseeds. It is considered as a phytoestrogen. Chlorogenic acids are naturally-occurring compounds of coffee known to be as an antioxidant and which controls the release of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal.

Analysis of seven studies also found that taking 3 to 4 cups of tea a day also lowers the risk of diabetes by 1/5 (20%). Catechins from tea limits the production of glucose in the intestinal tract. Additionally, green tea protects the pancreas’ beta cells from damage. Beta cells manufacture the hormone insulin for glucose metabolism, the lack of this in quantity or function causes Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

However, the study authors cautions that more studies are needed due to (1) a possible “small-study bias” leading to an overestimate of the results and (2) coffee and tea effects are possibly age-dependent.

Source: Tea, Coffee Seem to Protect from Diabetes from MedPage Today.

In the Philippines, July is always celebrated as Nutrition Month through a Presidential Decree 491 signed by the late President Ferdinand Marcos. Filipinos from remote villages to the urban centers around the country, are encouraged to eat a healthy diet. Much of the celebration I see is usually at the end of July when students, teachers, and school officials celebrate the end of Nutrition Month with a fiesta-like atmosphere. Children and their parents are encouraged to bring Filipino native foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, to school and have those shared to everyone. More »

A study (abstract), published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, from Georgia State University reported that a high-fructose diet affected the long-term memories of rats.

The goal of the study was to test the hypothesis that a high-fructose diet would impair hippocampal-dependent memory. More »

Remember the first Spiderman movie when the character played by actor Willem Dafoe was experimenting a gaseous chemical that can enhance endurance and strength? Well, that storyline may be partially true if the study by researchers from the  University of South Carolina would have us to believe. The study is published in the August 2009 issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

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A cousin of mine sent this slideshow featuring a 43-year-old British photographer named Carl Warner. His creative mind made use lots of vegetables, fruits, and many others as his props.

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SELECT (Selenium and vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial) is a US-based study investigating  the effects  of vitamin E and selenium and their effects on the prevention of prostate cancer. However, after an average of 5 years, the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committee decided to stop the trial because results showed that there was no real benefit.

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