HEALTH & WELLNESS: Dairy May Lower Blood Pressure, CVD Risk

FORMULATING FOODS

Formulating Foods explores the latest health and nutrition news and research—as well as the latest ingredient and food application innovations—to determine what consumers want (and need) from the food and beverage products they consume, and how industry can make it happen

Dairy May Lower Blood Pressure, CVD Risk

Rachel Adams

September 15, 2014 - Blog

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New research suggests that milk consumption and dairy may play a beneficial role in heart health by lowering blood pressure in those who suffer from hypertension.

Globally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims 17 million lives each year, while complications from high blood pressure take an additional 9.4 million.

Dairy products offer a wide array of health benefits, based on the application. Milk is fortified with vitamin D, and also provides calcium, magnesium and other key nutrients, while yogurts often provide probiotics—which can improve cholesterol and provide additional health benefits. See the FoodTech Toolbox Gallery: Probiotics in Foods and Beverages for a closer look.

The new research—which studied the association between milk and risk for hypertension and CVD—was presented by Sabita S. Soedamah-Muthu, Ph.D., from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, during the the 12th Euro Fed Lipid Congress in Montpellier, France, on Sept. 15.

Soedamah-Muthu explained that, based on nine studies with 57,256 individuals and 15,367 cases of hypertension, the analysis revealed that as total dairy, low-fat dairy and milk (just over two cups a day) consumption increased, the risk for high blood pressure decreased. Milk intake was not statistically significantly associated with risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and total mortality.

"These meta-analyses indicate that there is a link between increasing the number of glasses of milk a day and a lower incidence of hypertension," Soedamah-Muthu said.

The findings are further supported by research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2014, which showed that the addition of four servings of nonfat dairy per day to a routine diet lowered blood pressure in middle-aged and older adults.
"The results of this diverse session lay the groundwork for future investigations into the overall impact dairy may have on public health," said Cindy Schweitzer, Ph.D., C.F.S., technical director, Global Dairy Platform. "It appears that dairy's nutrient-rich package may have a positive impact on health, development and performance in more ways than previously expected."

Pitaya: The Exotic Fruit with Health Benefits

Pitaya: 

The Exotic 

Fruit with Health

Benefits

Yellow Pitaya is available to fruit wholesalers by BRANDAID Food Inc. on a fly-in program out of Bogata, Columbia.  Contact bmacdonald@brandaidfood.com

Written by: Kimberly Snyder

Whenever I hear someone refer to superfoods as only rare and expensive items, often available in powders and tinctures, I always roll my eyes. Please. To me, superfoods are abundant everywhere. My definition of superfoods are that they are whole plant foods that have numerous health benefits, and include a whole array of phytonutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. “Superfoods” have powerful healing qualities and should be a core staple of our daily diet… but once again, they are abundant everywhere. To me, spinach is a superfood. So are kale, lemons, sunflower seeds, etc. They do not have to come from across the world.

All that being said, I still like to talk about “exotic” fruits as well, which too can fall into the superfoods category. By exotic, they may grow in some far off places resides the US, but I guess it mostly means that they look a whole lot different than typical oranges and apples. It can be fun to mix different plant foods into your diet, and it is also good to get a wide range. I was thinking about this one in particular, Pitaya, aka dragon fruit, because I saw it here in Los Angeles. Seeing it reminded me of also eating it in Thailand, where I would get it (along with a bounty of other Asian fruit) at the street markets practically every day I was there.

It is one weird looking and oddly beautiful fruit. On the outside, Pitaya has a deep pinkish red color (although one variety of the fruit is golden yellow) with green scaly leaves. On the inside (the part you eat) you will find flesh ranging from white to deep red spotted with small seeds.

Dragon Fruit Nutrition

Grown in California, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia, Pitaya is the fruit of a cactus plant. Nutrition for the dragon fruit includes:

• 60 calories per 100 gram serving
• 1 gram of fiber per serving
• 9 grams of carbohydrates per serving
• The fruit’s edible seeds contain heart healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Studies show dragon fruit is a significant source of antioxidants, which can prevent free radical damage that can lead to premature aging and disease.
• The fruit is high in many important micronutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, and vitamin A.

Pitaya Health Benefits

There are interesting studies featuring this exotic fruit, which show that  pitaya may have other health benefits, as well.

• One study showed that dragon fruit had a notable impact on oxidative stress and aortic stiffness in diabetic rats, suggesting the fruit may be beneficial at preventing complications associated with diabetes.
• The same study indicates regular consumption of dragon fruit may lower the risks of developing heart disease and developing high blood pressure.
• Dragon fruit is high in antioxidants. Studies show that antioxidants may be effective at lowering risk of certain types of cancer.
• The seeds contain omega-3 fats. A great deal of research shows that omega-3 fatty acids can fight inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
• Because of its nutritional makeup, including antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fiber, pitaya is a beauty-enhancing fruit.

Eating Pitaya

Because pitaya is a fruit, it moves very rapidly through your digestive system. In The Beauty Detox Solution, I recommend eating fruit first thing in the day or on an empty stomach so your body can make the most of the beneficial nutrients and enzymes. You don’t want fruit to get stuck beyond a heavier food, where it can begin to ferment in your system and create toxins. This same rule goes for dragon fruit.

You can eat pitaya alone, or you can include it in delicious smoothies.

Pitaya Smoothie

• Flesh of one dragon fruit
• 1 cup banana
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1″ ginger nub water

You can also eat the pitaya by itself. To prepare a pitaya:

1. Cut the fruit in half, lengthwise.
2. Using a large spoon, scoop out the pitaya’s flesh.
3. Trim away any extra inedible skin.
4. Cut into cubes and eat or use in smoothies or fruit salads.

Taste and Texture

Dragon fruit has a pretty mild taste, especially in contrast to its rather extreme looks! It is similar to melon in its taste and texture, and it’s not too sweet. The flavor is quite delicate with pear-like notes. If you buy a pink-fleshed pitaya, your smoothies will have a vibrant, beautiful color.

Where to Buy

I’ve seen dragon fruit in the produce aisle at many grocery stores. You can also find it at Whole Foods, in produce stands, or in its dried form at many natural food stores. I recommend buying organic dragon fruit and reading dried fruit labels to ensure no sugar or chemicals have been added.

HEALTH ALERT: Diet Beverages Aid Weight Loss - The real facts!

Diet Beverages Aid Weight Loss

Lynn Kuntz

May 29, 2014 - Blogs

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A new, multi-center, clinical study conducted simultaneously by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education, Philadelphia found that drinking diet beverages helps people lose weight. This was the first prospective, randomized clinical trial that directly examined water and diet beverages in relation to weight loss during a behavioral weight loss program. The study (“The Effects of Water and Non-Nutritive Sweetened Beverages on Weight Loss During a 12-week Weight Loss Treatment Program." J. Petersis, et al) to be published in the June issue of Obesity, the journal of The Obesity Society. Funding was provided by the American Beverage Association and the study design was peer‐reviewed and posted on clinicaltrials.gov.

The study followed two groups—one allowed to drink diet, teas and flavored waters, and another who acted as a control group that drank water only. Other than the beverage, both groups followed an identical diet and exercise program during the 12-week study. The result? Diet soda drinkers lost four lbs. more on average than the people who drank water (13 lbs. for diet-soda drinkers vs. 9 lbs. for those drinking water only.) More than half of the people in the diet beverage group—64 percent — lost at least five percent of their body weight, compared with only 43 percent of the water-only control group.

It seems like common sense that zero-calorie beverages would not increase weight, and in fact help people lose weight, leading one to believe that a study like this was not exactly groundbreaking. However, most studies compared sugar-sweetened beverages and non-caloric sweetened beverages—and logically found that consuming sugary drinks sugar added more weight to the subjects.

But in the last several years, critics of artificial sweeteners have pointed to research that finds a correlation with high-intensity sweeteners in diet beverages with increased body weight (as BMI). They claim that they can cause weight gain by stimulating the appetite and creating a heightened craving for sugar as the brain expects a sugar dose based on the taste, but does not receive the expected caloric satiation. These sweeteners also triggerinsulin release—or not—which could encourage weight gain. (Of course the same effects—if they occur—would also be expected with “natural" sweeteners such as stevia or monkfruit.) Still, as they say correlation is not causation and this study was designed to prove or disprove the theory that diet drinks encouraged weight gain.

“There’s so much misinformation about diet beverages that isn’t based on studies designed to test cause and effect, especially on the internet," said John C. Peters, PhD, co-author of the study and the chief strategy officer of the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. “This research allows dieters to feel confident that low and no-calorie sweetened beverages can play an important and helpful role as part of an effective and comprehensive weight loss strategy."

Not only did the diet beverage group lose more weight than the control group, they also reported feeling significantly less hungry. In addition, testing showed they had significantly greater improvements in serum levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and a significant reduction in serum triglycerides.

Based on the design of this study the researchers were unable to pinpoint the mechanism for the greater weight loss in the sweetened beverage group, citing the need for further testing. The researchers concluded “These results strongly suggest that NNS beverages can be part of an effective weight loss strategy and individuals who desire to consume them should not be discouraged from doing so because of concerns that they will undermine short-term weight loss efforts."

This study cast doubt on the conclusions of several widely published studies finding negative relationships between diet soft drink consumption and health, including one presented in March at  American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session that found an association between cardiovascular problems and self-reported diet-beverage consumption in healthy postmenopausal women who drink two or more diet drinks a day. However, “We only found an association, so we can’t say that diet drinks cause these problems," Ankur Vyas, M.D., fellow, Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and the lead investigator of the study said, adding that there may be other factors about people who drink more diet drinks that could explain the connection.

In this environment, including the constantly reinforced fear of artificial by natural- food activists, corporate-conspiracy theorists and marketers of alternative competitive sweeteners (Unnatural chemicals! Corporate plots! See the CNN comment section on this report for a microcosm.), the soft drink industry has seen a precipitous drop in zero-calorie soda sales, about 7% over the past year. Meanwhile the market for “flavored waters" is on the rise, including such products as Talking Rain’s Sparkling ICE, a fizzy drink made with artificial sweeteners and colors, which the company expected to reach $400 million in annual sales by the end of 2013. Or, as we like to call that type of product in our house—“diet pop" (or diet soda when we are attempting to hide our Midwestern roots).
If you’re developing products in this challenging, confusing market, a look at “Navigating the Landscape of Sweetener Formulations" a Report on the FoodTechToolbox website might be helpful before plotting your sugar-reduction strategies. But, be forewarned: It doesn’t explain the growing consumer preference for orange-colored sweetened, flavored fizzy water in a single-serve bottle vs. an orange-colored sweetened, flavored fizzy water in a can. Strictly speaking that solution falls under psychology, not food science.

HEALTH ALERT: HEALTH CANADA ACCEPTS FLAXSEED HEALTH CLAIM

HEALTH CANADA ACCEPTS FLAXSEED HEALTH CLAIM

Published February 5, 2014 in Food Product Design

Posted in News, Flax, Nuts and Seeds, Cholesterol, Heart Health, Healthy, Healthy Foods, Nutrition, Diet,Fats/Oils, Fatty Acids, Omega-3s, Fiber, Label Claims, Labeling, International, Regulatory, Bakery / Cereal, Bakery, Cereal, Cookies, Snack Foods, Cardiovascular

WINNIPEG, Manitoba—Health Canada recently accepted the Flax Council of Canada's health claim linking ground whole flaxseed to cholesterol lowering, a major risk factor for heart disease.

“Now food manufacturers will be able to clearly state on labels the relationship between flax consumption and a reduction of cholesterol. This health claim will help encourage the development  and demand for products containing flax," said Eric Fridfinnson, board chair, Manitoba Flax Growers Association.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provided guidance on the science and the regulatory pathway to substantiate the ability of flax to lower blood cholesterol—the daily consumption of five tablespoons (40 grams) of ground flaxseed can help reduce cholesterol levels.

Flax contains omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and other nutritional benefits, and is available as whole seed and ground whole seed. Grinding or milling the seeds makes the nutrients more available. Flaxseed can be incorporated into many foods, including muffins, cookies, snack foods and casseroles.

“This is a proud achievement as Canada is the first country in the world to allow a health-related claim for flaxseed for use on food labels. This claim is one of only a dozen deemed to meet the rigorous scientific criteria established by Health Canada," said William Hill, president, Flax Council of Canada.
In recent research, flaxseed was also shown to lower blood pressure. Adding flaxseed to the diet of patients with hypertension helped significantly lower blood pressure and reduced their incidence of heart attack and stroke by 50%

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