July
2008 Newsletter
|
Prof Mark Wahlqvist
AO, MD, FRACP
Immediate Past President
International Union of Nutritional
Science
|
Welcome
to the July edition of the
HEC newsletter
 Rising
fuel and food prices may
compromise your nutritional
status and expand your waistline
High
fructose intake from processed
foods linked to obesity, gout,
hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol
and fatty liver
|
Dr Antigone
Kouris
BSc (Biochem) (Melb), Hons (Nutrition)
(Deakin), Grad Dip Diet (Deakin),
PhD Med Nutrition (Monash)
Honorary
Nutrition Research Fellow,
Monash Asia Institute |
WHAT'S
NEW IN RESEARCH
Rising
fuel and food prices may compromise
your nutritional status and expand your
waistline
"The
Secure and Sustainable Food Systems
for Victoria" report commissioned
by the State Government said food supply
problems were so severe that consumers'
access to affordable, healthy diets
was jeopardised.
The
report by the Victorian Eco-Innovation
Lab (VEIL) at the University of Melbourne
said "As Australian and Victorian
producers struggle with the lack of
water and rising fuel costs, cheaper
imports from international markets are
filling market niches for basic food
products such as fruit and vegetables".
The lead author Kirsten Larsen highlighted
that under current conditions and excessive
debt many producers are ceasing production,
but reduced domestic production capability
could undermine future food security
and that water scarcity will continue
to place pressure on Victorian producers
and drive up the cost of food. She feels
that environmental risks and resource
constraints are already undermining
our ability to increase food production
and are reducing access to healthy,
affordable food. more....
High
fructose processed foods linked to obesity,
gout, hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol
and fatty liver
There has been a "cloud"
over the health benefits of fructose
added to processed foods over the last
few decades. Food manufacturers have
been adding pure fructose to foods in
the quest to lower the glycaemic index
(GI) of the food because fructose does
not affect insulin production therefore
is considered to be a low GI sugar (this
is contrast to glucose which does raise
insulin levels). The food industry have
also been adding fructose in the form
of corn syrup (popular in the United
States) or sucrose (this is half fructose)
to foods, especially low fat/diet foods
to improve flavour. There is emerging
evidence that this may be making the
obesity epidemic even worse, starting
with damage to our liver cells, the
hepatocytes.
The only organ in your body that can
take up fructose is your liver and this
is where the problem begins. In contrast,
glucose can be taken up by every organ
in the body, only 20% of glucose load
ends up at your liver - the rest is
metabolised by muscles, brain, kidneys,
heart etc
more....
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NUTRITION
RESOURCES ON THE WEB
US
National Institutes of Health, Office
of Dietary Supplements - evidence based
information on vitamin and herbal supplements
http://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/Information_About_Individual_Dietary_Supplements.aspx
US
Oregon State University Linus Pauling
Institute - latest research on vitamins
and minerals and food sources
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins.html
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step
Fit - Exercise
or rehab step for fitness & weight
loss more...
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