A research study conducted as part of an academic research program at the University of North Dakota has found evidence that when drinks with added sugar are consumed alongside meals that contain a large amount of protein, the body’s metabolism becomes less efficient. This triggers the body to increase the amount of fat it creates and stores, which leads to increased weight gain and can result in someone becoming overweight or obese.

The study, published in a journal called BioMed Central, used a metabolic chamber to evaluate participants over 2, 24-hour study visits. A metabolic chamber is an airtight room that allows researchers to quantify how the volunteers’ bodies are using the nutrients they consume. The key metrics evaluated in this case were oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and urinary nitrogen excretion.

Each participant ate the exact same foods throughout their testing days; one day consisted of foods with a 15% protein content, the other a 30% protein content. Each meal they consumed was accompanied by either a drink sweetened with sugar, or an artificially-sweetened drink. After a participant consumed a protein rich meal along-side a sugary drink, their fat use and diet-induced thermogenesis decreased by an amount greater than the other combinations of drinks and meals.

As always it is important to not only consider the individual food items you are consuming, but also the sum of these items.

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A revision of four major studies of the health benefits of coconut oil by the American Heart Association (AHA) has revealed that it may not be the cure-all some health gurus make it out to be. The AHA has released a presidential advisory that saturated fats, contained in coconut oil, are not a healthy fat and should be avoided. Coconut oil is reported as being 82% saturated fat, and can raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) by as much as items like butter, palm oil or beef fat. High levels of LDL are a major link to cardiovascular disease and stroke risk. There ha been plenty of conflicting and controversial research done on this subject recently, and there are many opinions on the health effects of saturated fats.

 

 

Registered Canadian dietitian Cheryl Strachan supports the new claims by the AHA, stating “The hype is way ahead of the evidence. If you look on the internet, you’ll see it’s a cure for everything from Alzheimer’s disease to heart disease. But the evidence to support that is just not there.” Of course, coconut oil does not need to be avoided completely but enjoyed in moderation. Items such as olive oil and canola oil are much healthier for day-to-day usage.

According to a recent poll, it was found that 72% of Americans believe coconut oil is considered a healthy fat. Researchers believe that coconut oil is just another health craze born from a “kernel of truth,” and made publicly popular by internet culture.

To read the full article on coconut oil, click here.

An American study released near the end of last year has brought forward evidence that cases of dementia in the U.S. have been dropping since 2002. This drop of 3% translates to around 1.5 million fewer cases of dementia in the United States among people aged 65 or older. According to the “Key Points” of the study, “Increasing educational attainment and better control of cardiovascular risk factors may have contributed to the improvement, but the full set of social, behavioral, and medical factors contributing to the improvement is still uncertain.”

So what do these findings mean for Canada? Being a developed country and having a similar population to the nation the study was conducted in could lead some to believe Canada has been experiencing a similar phenomenon. But as Carmela Tartaglia from the University of Toronto says, it may not be so simple: “The total number of people with dementia is still rising. That’s a function of age, and more and more people are living longer. There’s no doubt that it will be a very expensive problem. The annual cost of caring for dementia patients in Canada today is about $10 billion, and we expect that will rise to more than $16 billion by 2031. So we really need a more targeted approach.”

There are a couple of ways you can help to reduce your risk of serious cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The first is keeping to a regular exercise regimen. Aerobic exercise has proven to be the most effective form of exercise for reducing risk. Examples of this type of exercise include jogging, biking, swimming, walking and hiking. Other forms of exercise such as weight training and stretching also have their benefits.

The second method to reduce your risk is to follow a dietary pattern recommended by epidemiological studies, such as the MIND diet researched in 2015. Many of these diet patterns are based on what is known as the “Mediterranean Diet,” that is characterized by a high consumption of vegetables and olive oil, and a moderate consumption of proteins. These styles of nutrition consumption are often associated with slower cognitive decline.

For the full article, click here.

For the full study results showing a reduced prevalence of dementia in the U.S., click here.

One year ago, a new and never before seen tax was introduced in Berkeley, California. The tax targets sugary soft drinks by adding an extra 10% to the pre-tax price, also measured as one extra penny for every fluid ounce. The average can of cola is 12 cents more expensive, while the price of a two litre bottle has increased by 68 cents. It is well known that high consumption of sugary drinks can lead to adverse health effects, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The desired effect of this tax is to reduce the amount of sugar the population is consuming, especially children and young adults.

A recent study has shown that this tax is making positive changes, as sales of sugary drinks in Berkeley have dropped by 10% since the tax’s inception, while sales in the region not effected by tax rose by just under 7%. Berkeley is a city known for its wealthy and educated population, so this may also be a factor in the consumption drop. Researchers cannot confirm a direct correlation, but over this past year the sale of bottled water has risen 15%.

Canada is also working on instituting a sugar tax of their own. A study released recently by the University of Waterloo estimates that a 20% tax on companies that make sugary drinks could save the lives of more than 13,000 people over the next 25 years. This would also amount to $11.5 billion in health care savings, and generate $43 billion in revenue for the government.

“We know Canadians – including our children – are consuming too much sugar and sugary drinks in particular are harming our health. These products are not essential groceries, providing little to no nutritional value, and a levy is one proven way to reduce consumption and support healthy living initiatives,” says Mary Lewis of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

To read more about the Berkeley tax, click here. For more about how this issue may affect Canadians, click here.

The Canadian Community Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada has revealed that Canadian consumption of tobacco is decreasing. Over the past year, the number of Canadians aged 12 or older who smoked either daily or occasionally has dropped by 0.4%, from 18.1% to 17.7%. This is encouraging progress, considering that in the year 2000-01 this percentage was much higher at 26%.

The negative effects of smoking have been widely advertised. Most people are aware of its links to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and many other health conditions. The World Health Organization predicts that there will be 8 million deaths related to smoking per year by 2030.

“These decreases in smoking prevalence are encouraging, but an enormous amount of work remains to be done,” said Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). The CCS is one of the main advocates for modifying cigarette packaging to become more plain and generic. The idea is to reduce brand identification and incentive to purchase tobacco products. A similar campaign in Australia has shown that this method can have a positive effect and reduce smoking.

To learn more about this topic, click here.