Second Form of Vitamin K Linked to Diabetes Prevention
Evidence keeps adding up that vitamin K, one of the lesser-known weapons in the nutrient arsenal, might help combat diabetes. A previous Tufts clinical trial found that supplements of the most common form of the vitamin, K1, found naturally in leafy greens and other vegetables, reduced the risk of insulin resistance in older men, thereby helping to protect against diabetes. Now a Dutch observational study suggests that another form of the vitamin, K2, found in meat, cheese and the Japanese food natto (made from fermented soybeans), may reduce diabetes risk. Researchers followed 38,094 men and women, ages 20-70, for an average 10.3 years, during which 918 cases of type-2 diabetes were diagnosed. While higher vitamin K1 intake was non-significantly associated with a lower risk of diabetes, the biggest connection was seen for K2: With every extra 10 micrograms, risk of diabetes dropped 7%. Vitamin K may be effective against diabetes, Tufts researchers have theorized, by suppressing inflammation. — Diabetes Care

Learn more about vitamin K and how it may protect against diabetes in our free research report.

Rice Krispies to Drop Immunity-Boosting Claims
Kellogg's health claims for its Rice Krispies cereal have officially snapped, crackled and popped. In an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the company said it would drop claims that Rice Krispies "help support your child's immunity" and labeling about added "antioxidants and nutrients that your family needs to help them stay healthy." The settlement expands upon an agreement last July over health claims for another Kellogg brand, Frosted Mini-Wheats, which the company had touted as "clinically shown to improve kids' attentiveness by nearly 20%." Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the FTC, said in a statement, "We expect more from a great American company than making dubious claims — not once, but twice — that its cereals improve children's health." In settling the FTC inquiry, Kellogg promised not to make "claims about any health benefit of any food unless the claims are backed by scientific evidence and not misleading."

What really works — and what doesn't — to strengthen your defenses against colds and flu? Download o

No Health Benefits Found from Choosing Organic Foods
British scientists have again come up empty in their search for evidence that organic foods are healthier than conventional products. Last year, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine reviewed 162 studies and found no proof that organic products are nutritionally superior. Now the same team pored over the scientific literature looking for nutrition-related health benefits from organic foods. Lamenting the "paucity of available data," they identified only a dozen relevant studies. Just one pointed to a possible health benefit from eating organic food: a reduced risk of eczema in infants fed organic dairy products. "The majority of the remaining studies showed no evidence of differences in nutrition-related health outcomes that result from organic or conventionally produced foodstuffs," the review concluded. Reviewers did not, however, take into account possible differences in pesticide residue — a concern about conventionally grown food recently spotlighted by the President's Cancer Panel. — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Check out our previous update on the question of a nutrition edge for organics.

Review Concludes MSG Is Safe, Doesn't Cause Headaches
"Chinese restaurant syndrome" is probably all in your head. The term, coined in a 1968 letter to a medical journal, refers to the notion that glutamate and the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG), popular in Asian cuisine, can trigger headaches. Now, more than 40 years later, scientists at the Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research in Malaysia have concluded from a sweeping survey of the scientific evidence that glutamate and MSG are safe. "Despite a widespread belief that glutamate can elicit asthma, migraine headache and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome," the reviewers write, "there are no consistent clinical data to support this claim. In addition, findings from the clinical literature indicate that there is no consistent evidence to suggest that individuals may be uniquely sensitive to glutamate." The findings are consistent with a recent un-scientific demonstration on the "Food Detectives" TV program in which people unaware they'd been fed MSG-free Chinese food nonetheless reported symptoms when asked if they were sensitive to the food additive. — Appetite

So what foods might actually cause headaches? Take two aspirin and consult our guide to diet and your aching head.

Chile-Pepper Compound May Affect Obesity Proteins
When people trying to lose weight are told to "feel the burn," someday that advice might be referring to the heat of chile peppers. New animal research points to a possible mechanism by which capsaicin, the chemical that gives chile peppers their "heat," could promote weight loss. Korean scientists fattened up two groups of rats, supplementing one group with capsaicin (10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) and giving the control group a saline solution. After nine weeks, the chile-pepper rats exhibited an 8% decrease in body weight compared to the control group. Moreover, levels of 20 proteins were different in the rats given capsaicin. Researchers commented, "Some of these have already been linked to human obesity, suggesting that the newly identified proteins might also have importance in obesity and that they should be further investigated." The possibility that capsaicin might combat weight gain at the protein level is new: Previous studies have found that the chile extract appears to inhibit the growth of fat cells as well as promoting the feeling of fullness and sustained satiety. — Journal of Proteome Research

Read up on the latest in weight control with our collection of nearly 300 articles.