Beet Orange Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large navel orange
• 8 large Boston lettuce leaves
• 1-2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Directions

Arrange beets in one layer in steamer.  Cover tightly and set pot over high heat.  When water boils, reduce heat and simmer beets 45 minutes.  Transfer beets to plate and let cool just enough to handle.  Cut tops and root tip off beats.  With your fingers, pull and slide off beet skin.  Cut each beet crosswise into 6 slices.  Grate 2 teaspoons zest from orange and set aside.  Cut off top and bottom of orange.  Setting orange on one of its cut sides on your work surface, slice off peel in strips, letting knife follow the curve of the fruit.  Cut orange crosswise into 8 slices. 

To assemble: Line 4 salad plates with lettuce.  On each plate, arrange 6 beet slices and 2 orange slices on top of lettuce.  Sprinkle each with a quarter of onions. 

For dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together orange and lemon juices, vinegar, salt, and pepper until salt dissolves. Wisk in oil and add zest.  Spoon dressing over the salad.  Serve immediately.

Don’t Fear the Fat

"For 40 years now- saturated fat- found in meat, cheese and other full-fat dairy products- has been one our top nutritional demons."

As a culture, we tend to suffer from the angel-or-devil mindset when it comes to food. For 40 years now- saturated fat- found in meat, cheese and other full-fat dairy products- has been one our top nutritional demons.

The U.S Dietary Guidelines promote limitation of saturated fat because it raises the risk of heart disease.  But after decades of research, a growing number of experts are questioning this link. 

When researchers have tracked people’s saturated fat intake over time and then followed up to see whether higher intake increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, they haven’t found a clear, consistent link.  What is now thought to be a more important indicator of risk is the ratio a person has of LDL to HDL (the good cholesterol). There’s evidence that, compared with carbohydrates, saturated fat can increase HDL and lower fat deposits in the blood called triglycerides, which, in theory, would be protective against heart disease.

Dariush Mozaffarian of the Harvard School of Public Health said, “There were definitely unintended, harmful consequences of the low-fat craze.”  The fat-free boom in the early 1990’s, resulted in many Americans supplementing a low fat diet with lots of carbohydrates. All of the calories from refined grains (fat-free bagels and low-fat cookies…) led lots of folks to gain weight.

According to Mozaffarian, a healthful diet, should include a wide variety of minimally processed, whole foods such as nuts and vegetable and olive oils (which have some saturated fat), as well as fish, fruits, vegetables and small portions of animal products such as yogurt and cheese. (Surprisingly, the health-promoting Mediterranean-style diet has about 45 percent of calories from fat, including small amounts of meat.)

So, if you're still asking the question — is saturated fat good or bad? — the answer, Mozaffarian says, depends on what you're eating instead. He points to another study that found replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates has no benefits.  Also, too many calories from any source, whether it’s fact or carbs can lead to weight gain.  And the extra weight increases the risk for heart disease. 

Honey Offers New Approach to Fighting Antibiotic Resistance

"The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance"

Sweet, delectable honey could be the solution to and growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, researchers say.  Several studies have shown that honey inhibits the formation of biofilms, or communities of slimy-disease causing bacteria. Honey may also disrupt quorum sensing, which weakens bacterial virulence, rendering the bacteria more susceptible to conventional antibiotics. Quorum sensing is the way bacteria communicate with one another, and may be involved in the formation of biofilms.

The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance.  The high sugar concentration in honey gives it an osmotic effect; it draws water from the bacterial cells, dehydrating and killing them.

Honey is effective because it is fulled with polyphenols, or antioxidants. A large number of laboratory and limited clinical studies have confirmed the broad-spectrum antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties of honey.

Ongoing studies are finding that honey has antioxidant properties and is an effective antibacterial. Antibacterial tests have been used to measure honey's activity against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among others.  Additionally, standard antioxidant tests have been used to measure the level of honey’s antioxidant activity.  

The above story is based on materials provided by American Chemical Society (ACS).

Environmental Toxins Increase Parkinson’s Risk

Ambient levels of pesticides combine with genetics to increase Parkinson’s disease risk.

Pesticides have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease (PD) for decades. Epidemiological data consistently shows that there are higher rates of PD in farm workers, rural dwellers and those who have greater pesticide exposure.

In an on-going study called the PEG study, it was found that how one metabolizes pesticides may be more important than exposure itself.  Many other gene mutations have been found to only be relevant when both the genetic variation and exposure to pesticides is present.

Another important thing to note from the PEG study is that exposure to pesticides after 1990, is not associated with increased risk. This may be due to taking better precautionary measures in the workplace as well as at home. It may also be an artifact of the long evolution of toxic neurodegeneration. Likely, it is due to stopping the use of the most toxic ALDH2 inhibiting agent, dieldrin. In the present study, exposure to dieldrin, which is currently banned in all developed countries, raised the risk of developing PD 8-fold in those with exposures at work and home. It is hopeful that futher study will help to shed light on direct causation of PD, and that the more toxic compounds will be identified and removed completely from use. 

Fish Omega-3s Help Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk

High concentrations of serum long-chain omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a recently published Finnish study.

Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly widespread throughout the world, including Finland. Being over-weight is the most significant risk factor in developing the condition. Earlier research has established that weight management, exercise and high serum linoleic acid concentrations are associated with reduced risk of diabetes. 

Findings on how fish consumption or long-chain omega-3 fatty acids affect the risk of diabetes have been highly contradictory.  A protective link has mainly been observed in Asian populations, whereas a similar link has not been observed in European or U.S studies- and some studies have even linked high consumption of fish to increased risk for diabetes.

An ongoing study at the University of Eastern Finland determined the serum omega-3 fatty acid concentrations of 2,212 men between 42 and 60 years of age at the onset of the study, in 1984-89.  During a follow-up of 19.3 years, 422 men were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Serum long-chain omega-3 acid concentrations were used to divide the subjects into four categories.  The risk of men with the highest serum omega-3 fatty acid concentration in devev was 33 percent lower than the risk of men with the lowest concentration.

This study reinforced the connection between fish consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes and backs the notion that a well balanced diet should include at least two meals of fish per week, preferably fatty fish such at salmon, rainbow trout, anchovy, sardine, and mackerel. 

For more info visit www.uef.fi/en/home.

Too Much Sugar Leads to Heart Disease

According to a new study, high sugar consumption may increase risk for cardiovascular disease.  

Researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (involving 31,147 people with 831 deaths from heart disease) in their analysis. From 2005 to 2010, 71% of study participants consumed more than 10% of their day’s calories from added sugar; about one in 10 adults in the study consumed over 25% of calories from added sugar. 

In considering mortality, it was found that those who took in 10-25% of their daily calories from added sugar, were at greater risk of dying from heart disease than those who took in less than 10%.  If more than 25% of the day’s calories came from added sugar, the risk of dying from heart disease nearly tripled.

Probiotics Trigger Weight Loss in Women

"According to new data, women may experience weight-loss benefits from taking a daily probiotic."

 A recent study based on previous research showing that intestinal flora of obese individuals is different than those of a healthy weight.  Researchers hypothesized that resetting obese individuals’ flora balance with Probiotics could promote healthy bacteria and spur weight loss.

In the double-blind experiment, 125 overweight men and women were given either two capsules of

probiotic, Labctobacillus rhamnosus or a placebo daily. All the participants followed a restricted calorie diet for 12 weeks; followed by a diet designed to maintain their current weight for another 12 weeks.

After the initial 12-week period, women taking the placebo had lost an average of 5.7 pounds, while the women taking the Probiotics lost an average of 9.7 pounds. There was no difference in average weight loss for the men in the study. The reason for this is still under investigation. It may be a question of dosage, or it may be that the study period was too short.

During the maintenance period, women in the placebo group did not lose any more weight.  Those taking the Probiotics, however, lost an additional 2 plus pounds, for a total average weight loss of 11.4 pounds over 24 weeks. Additionally, the probiotic consuming women experienced a drop in the appetite-regulating hormone leptin, as well as reduction in intestinal bacteria associated with obesity.