Diverticular disease is a disease of the colon that is characterized by outpocketings (diverticula) of the colonic mucosa. This disease can lead to further complications such as diverticulitis (infection of the diverticula), bleeding or perforations of the colon, and intestinal obstruction. This disease is often associated with diets that are low in fiber and high in red meat. Using European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) data, researchers at Oxford followed 47,033 U.K. adults (including 15,459 vegetarians) for more than 11 years, to examine the associations of vegetarianism and the intake of dietary fiber with the risk of diverticular disease. The study concluded that consuming a vegetarian diet and high intake of dietary fiber were both associated with a lower risk of admission to hospital or death from diverticular disease.
British Medical Journal. June 2011; 343:d4131 [Crowe F et al.]
In a 12-week randomized trial, 89 women with Metabolic Syndrome were divided into two groups, one consuming a Mediterranean-style low-glycemic-load diet and the other receiving the same diet with the addition of a “medical food” containing phytosterols, soy protein, hops and acacia. At the end of the trial, researchers at the University of Connecticut noted that both groups had similar decreases in waist circumference, blood pressure and plasma triglycerides. Cholesterol levels also improved in both groups, though slightly more in the Med Diet + medical food group.
Journal of Clinical Lipidology, May-June 2011; 5(3):188-96. Epub 2011 Mar 11.
Italian researchers at the University of Piemonte Orientale studied the diets of 96 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, before and after these young people and their families attended training with a dietitian on how to follow a traditional Mediterranean Diet. After six months, the children’s dietary lipids and cholesterol improved, while fiber consumption increased.
Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, May 27, 2011 [Epub ahead of print]
High sodium intake is associated with higher blood pressure. This study, from Loyola University in Chicago, examined 2,704 individuals from Nigeria, Jamaica, and the United States, with evaluated blood pressure and sodium levels. The individuals’ ages ranged from 31-48 and 55% were women. Sodium levels decreased from West to East: highest in the U.S., mid-range in Jamaica, and lowest in Nigeria where we find little added sodium in the foods. High blood pressure follows the same pattern: highest in the U.S., mid-range in Jamaica, and lowest in Nigeria. The standard American diet, containing foods higher in sodium, is associated with a higher risk of abnormal blood pressure than traditional diets.
Journal of Human Hypertension, 2011 May 19. (Tayo et al.)
Dutch researchers conducted an assessment of dietary patterns of Chinese immigrants to Canada. Following immigration, some positive changes occurred, such as increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and less deep-fat frying. However, immigrants also reported increased portion sizes, increased frequency of dining out, and increased consumption of convenience foods.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2011 May 18; 8:42 (Rosenmöller et al.)
Researchers from Loma Linda University in California investigated the relationship between diet type and prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome, a condition characterized by the presence of various risk factors (HDL cholesterol, serum triglycerides, blood glucose, blood pressure, and waist circumference). The researchers found that a vegetarian diet pattern was associated with the lowest prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome. Vegetarians were also less likely to have most of the individual risk factors.
Diabetes Care. 2011 May;34:1225-1227. (Rizzo et al.)
It has been well documented that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is significantly lower in vegetarians as compared to non-vegetarians. It has also been documented that vegetarian diets can help treat type 2 diabetes. Scientists at Charles University in Prague hypothesized that vegetarian diets treat type 2 diabetes through a combination of total weight loss, reduction in visceral fat, and reduction in fasting blood glucose. They conducted a 24-week randomized, open study of 74 patients to compare the effects of two diets – conventional and vegetarian , both with the same number of restricted calories – on insulin resistance, volume of visceral fat and plasma markers of oxidative stress. The study found that the vegetarian diet had a greater capacity to improve insulin sensitivity as compared to an omnivorous control diet.
Diabetic Medicine. May 2011; 28:549-559 [Kahleova H et al.]
The American Society for Nutrition brought together researchers to review the evidence regarding the health benefits associated with whole grains. Current scientific evidence indicates that whole grains play an important role in lowering the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also contribute to body weight management and gastrointestinal health.
Journal of Nutrition, May 2011;141(5):1011S-22S. Epub March 30, 2011
In a cross-over study conducted at the UK’s University of Surrey, researchers asked 14 healthy normal-weight adults to consume either two whole grain rolls (totaling 48g of whole wheat) or two control rolls with their normal diets. While researchers did not find the decrease in appetite they had been seeking, they were surprised to find a significant decrease in the subjects’ systolic blood pressure during the three weeks they ate the whole wheat rolls, and an increase in systolic pressure during the white-bread phase of the trial.
British Journal of Nutrition, April 18, 2011: 1-4 [Epub ahead of print]
It has been shown that vegetarians have lower dietary intakes of creatine, and while the body synthesizes creatine, vegetarians have shown lower levels of muscle creatine than omnivores. Researchers from the University of Swansea and the London Ambulance Service conducted an intervention study on 121 college females, 70 of whom were either vegans or vegetarians. The participants were randomly assigned to either take a creatine supplement or a placebo before completing a series of cognition tests. While there was no significant difference in cognitive functioning between vegetarians and omnivores at baseline, the authors found that creatine supplementation improved memory in vegetarians but not in omnivores. Because this is one of the first studies to examine the role of creatine in cognitive functioning, further examination is warranted.
British Journal of Nutrition. 2011 Apr;105(7):1100-1105. (Benton and Donohoe)
Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences carried out two cross-over studies in which subjects were asked to rate their hunger, satiety, and desire to eat during an eight-hour period following consumption of various isocaloric grain foods at breakfast. All forms of whole rye – rye bread with milled or whole kernels, and milled rye porridge – provided greater satiety than the control refined wheat bread, but the unmilled kernels held hunger at bay the longest.
Nutrition Journal, April 11, 2011; 10:31
Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is a common food in parts of India. Scientists at Sri Venkateswara University in that country studied its health benefits in diabetic rats, and concluded that the millet produced a “significant fall (70%) in blood glucose” while having no such effect in normal rats. Diabetic rats fed millet also showed significantly lower levels of triglycerides, and total/LDL/VLDLcholesterol, while exhibiting an increase in HDL cholesterol.
Pathophysiology. April 2011; 18(2): 159-65 [Epub Sept 23, 2010]
