Today's NewsBites

The US leads the world in introducing lowsodium products— with food giant Kraft recently announcing it will cut the sodium in all its North American products by an average 10% over the next few years. But low-sodium foods aren’t high on consumers’ shopping lists, according to a new report from Packaged Facts market research. From 2005 to 2009, US companies launched 762 food products or non-alcoholic beverages with a reducedor no-sodium claim—five times the number of the next-highest nation, Japan.…

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A new Dutch study, released at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, offers yet another reason to make sure you're getting enough vitamin D: In research on 1,300 men and women age 65 and older, those with low blood levels of the "sunshine vitamin" were about 40% more likely to have metabolic syndrome. A complex of conditions such as hypertension, obesity and poor insulin metabolism, metabolic syndrome is linked to greater danger of diabetes and heart disease. Overall, almost half the seniors tested had low blood levels of vitamin D, and 37% suffered from metabolic syndrome. Those with levels of vitamin D lower than 50 nanomoles per liter were more likely to have metabolic syndrome. The connection is plausible, the scientists said, because vitamin D deficiency has previously been linked to insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion. — Endocrine Society …

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Current Articles

Chocolate, which has been getting a lot of good press lately, took a hit recently in its long-standing reputa-tion for improving your mood. It’s not clear if chocolate combats depression, according to a new study in Archives of Internal Medicine, or if the sweet treat actually contributes to the problem.…

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After age 70, a few extra pounds may not be so bad. New Australian research adds to the evidence suggesting that the rules about weight and health are different for older people— and that Body Mass Index (BMI) isn’t a perfect tool. The study of 9,240 men and women ages 70 to 75 found that being overweight was associated with a 13% lower risk of mortality from all causes. Normal-weight and obese participants had a similar, slightly higher risk of death from all causes.…

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When it comes to women’s heart health, all carbohydrates are not created equal: Consuming too many “carbs” that quickly boost blood sugar may raise women’s risk of heart disease, according to a new Italian study.…

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Ask Tufts Experts

 

Besides being kosher for religious purposes, what’s the difference between kosher salt and other salt?

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I enjoyed your Special Report on “Food and Your Mood” (January 2010), but wanted to know more about serotonin. Is it true that eating foods high in tryptophan boosts serotonin levels? What about supplements sold as “mood enhancers” that are related to tryptophan?

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Given the recent reports about bacterial contamination in nuts, does it make sense to heat nuts to a certain temperature before eating? This works for eggs and meat, why not nuts?

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High-protein diets make kidneys work harder—an issue for the more than 20 million Americans who have chronic kidney disease but don’t know it.

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