Fish and Dementia

in this blog, we love fish!

so, any news on the nutritional value of fish (like this one) is simply very welcome!

Why Greek mountain villagers have healthy hearts?

Scientists have pinpointed one reason why people living in isolated villages in Greece may enjoy long and healthy lives.

They found a new genetic variant, common among villagers, which appears to protect the heart by lowering levels of "bad" fats and cholesterol.
Despite a diet rich in animal fat, the people of Mylopotamos in northern Crete do not suffer from cardiovascular disease.
And they really love their cheese.

What's special about these Greek villages?

[read the full report here]

The paper is here 

Sports and Diet

People use say that we are what we eat,or may be not?

But, who influences our food choices?

The is a clear answer: our family!

Our parents lead by example and their choices have huge impact on our diets/lifestyles!
Here is some related research supporting this view.

Coping with Time Pressure and Stress: Consequences for Families’ Food Consumption

Abstract

This study explores the coping strategies that families apply when under time pressure and stress (time stress), and how such strategies affect food consumption at dinnertime. The data were based on photo interviewing methodology with a sample of 12 Norwegian children (ages seven and eight) and their parents. In this case, the children were asked to take photographs during their dinners at home and while shopping for groceries with their parents. The findings show that the most dominant explanation for time stress was the children’s participation in sport activities. In this regard, the families applied several coping strategies, such as skipping dinner and eating snacks instead, consuming convenience food, avoiding preference conflicts, planning for healthy dinners, involving children and grandparents in food preparation, and practising compensatory health beliefs and behaviours. This might be the first study that identifies parents’ use of compensatory health beliefs to justify children’s diets. More specifically, the parents stated that the children’s high activity levels could compensate for unhealthy food consumption. The strategies that were applied had varying influences on the families’ food consumption, depending on the parents’ confidence in cooking and meal-planning skills. It was found that parents with high confidence and skills were more likely to make healthy cooking a priority. Consequently, they served more healthy dishes at dinnertime, compared with other parents. Unlike previous studies, the findings indicate that children’s active lifestyles might not be directly related to healthy diets.

Is healthy food out of reach?

there is some useful food for thought...

can we educate people to eat healthy?
are there any better ways to promote healthy eating than education?

goat cheeses

when it comes to nutritional value and sensory properties, dairy products from sheeps and goats have some unique features.
These features are under investigation by our team in UL. Some exciting news are coming up soon.
Watch this space!

eat fish via...chicken!

Manor Farm becomes the first Irish producer to launch omega 3 chicken.

The new range of omega 3-enriched chicken products is available in Tesco Ireland stores now. It includes 1.5kg whole chicken, fillets and oyster thigh and drumstick products..

the full story is here. 

This is a clever way to improve the nutritional value of chicken. 

Although, a clear link  between omege-3 fatty acids, inflammation and heart health needs to be established.

statins: and the debate goes on

the followers / readers of this blog have been across some info on the "dark" side of statins, i.e. the numerous and severe side-effects that statins have.

Here is another report on this topic.

Remember: the best medicine is your diet! Enjoy fish on the b-b-q!

Ιnvited review: The anti-inflammatory properties of dairy lipids

you can download our paper (up to 5th July) for free by clicking here

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ABSTRACT

Dairy product consumption is often associated with negative effects because of its naturally high levels of saturated fatty acids. However, recent research has shown that dairy lipids possess putative bioactivity against chronic inflammation. Inflammation triggers the onset of several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and cancer. This review discusses the anti-inflammatory properties of dairy lipids found in milk, yogurt, and cheese, and it examines them in relation to their implications for human health: their protective effects and their role in pathology. We also consider the effect of lipid profile alteration in dairy products—by using ruminant dietary strategies to enrich the milk, or by lipid fortification in the products. We critically review the in vivo, in vitro, ex vivo, and epidemiological studies associated with these dairy lipids and their role in various inflammatory conditions. Finally, we discuss some suggestions for future research in the study of bioactive lipids and dairy products, with reference to the novel field of metabolomics and epidemiological studies.

Key words

• inflammation;
• cardiovascular disease;
• lipids;
• dairy

New Paper on ovine and caprine lipids

Ovine and Caprine Lipids Promoting Cardiovascular Health in Milk and Its Derivatives

 Abstract

The purpose of this commentary is to highlight the anti-inflammatory properties of polar lipids present in ovine and caprine milk and its derivatives (i.e. dairy products such as yogurt and cheese). These lipids inhibit the onset of atherosclerosis and thus promote cardiovascular health. We suggest that further research could focus on the elucidation and bioavailability of these lipids.

Keywords

• Ovine
• Caprine
• lipids
• Cardiovascular

= = =

You can read the full paper here

Cheese and CVDs

Cheese > yogurt > milk
the further the fermentation occurs, the higher the nutritional value!

we need to forget "bad lipids"; polar lipids is the key!

This study does agree!

Food Chain: linking carbon footprint and nutritional value

one of the new challenges we face in Food and Environmental Sciences is
to link diet and carbon footprint to food functionality against chronic diseases.

It is a multidisciplinary and really fascinating challenge !

Watch this space :)

Nocebo but not side effects of statins?

 
 

 

This story is very UN-reliable... and the paper of very limited scope.

However, the comments of the readers are Great and really spot on!

Here are some really good ones

 

JENNIFER CARTER

3h ago

8 9

I would suggest that the perceptions of the researchers were affected because they knew they were being funded by Pfizer although they were caused by Pfizer itself.
This seems to have been a very limited study.

scarpia18

3h ago

17 18

Shock horror. Findings from research that received funding from drug maker finds in drug makers favour. Come on people!
 

 

Thespionic

4h ago

13 14

Anyone who has suffered the aching muscles & joints that Statins cause will tell you that it's certainly not in the mind. I ended up on pain killers before ditching Statins completely. They do though effect some but not others. The dosage at one time was overly high and reduced by 50% on health grounds by the med' profession. A survey funded by the drug company that makes them - outrageous!

 

third_eye

5h ago

18 19

What utter, dishonest rubbish! Patients who do not have any knowledge that statins might cause muscular pain complain of pain after taking them. Surely, such blatant commercial hoodwinking must not be allowed. Oh, I forgot, it's an establishment effort.

mc1972

7h ago

11 12

This is a pointless medicine. Cholesterol is a red herring as far as heart attacks are concerned.
 

 

 

Atheroma, Atherosclerosis and Med Diet: the link

Readers of this blog have already come across with plenty studies on the link of atheroma, CVDs and Med Diet.

Atheroma is a mass of yellowish fatty and cellular material that forms in and beneath the inner lining of the arterial walls and its name originates from hulled or crushed grain, especially oats. 
 

Here is some recent research highlighting this link.