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April 2009
Red meat and long term health
A recent US study has shown people aged over 50 years that consumed high amounts of red and processed meats had an increased risk of mortality from chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study assessed meat intake in around 500,000 participants at the beginning of the study and compared this with the number of deaths a decade later. More deaths occurred in those who ate the highest amount of meat compared to lower meat consumers. However, in this study, the red meat eaters also tended to be smokers, overweight, less active and have higher intakes of fat, saturated fat and kilojoules, with a lower intake of fruit, vegetables and fibre. All of these are known risk factors for lifestyle related diseases, meaning it’s difficult to attribute the results of this study to differences in meat intake alone. The study also failed to consider that peoples’ eating habits change over time and what people ate in 1995 may have been vastly different from what they ate in 2005, when the study concluded. In addition, red meat in the US tends to be fattier than the lean cuts more commonly consumed in Australia. White meats such as fish, chicken and turkey were not associated with any increase in disease risk.
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Take-home message: Including a small portion (125g raw weight) of lean red meat as part of a balanced eating plan 3-4 times per week makes a useful contribution to iron, vitamin B12, protein, omega-3 and zinc intakes.
Avoiding marbled meats and those with visible fat means you’ll get less saturated fat; always trim any fat off meats before you cook them and serve lean red meat with plenty of light vegetables.
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 | Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, March 2009
Aim for 100 steps a minute for fitness
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Pedometers are a useful tool for monitoring physical activity by recording the number of steps a person takes each day. What they are unable to do however is monitor the pace at which you walk. A new study has now come up with a solution! When using a pedometer, it seems aiming for a pace of 100 steps per minute will ensure the workout is a moderate intensity which is ideal to get the heart rate up and improve physical fitness. For instance, a 30 minute walk at this rate means you would take 3000 steps, around a quarter of the average 10,000 steps recommended daily for good health. The study of 97 healthy adults with an average age of 32 showed men needed to walk at a pace of 92 to 102 steps per minute to achieve a moderately intense workout, while women needed to aim for 91 to 115 steps per minute. |
Take-home message: Investing in a good pedometer, such as the Digi-Walker from FNA, will help make sure you are working out at the ideal intensity to improve your fitness. Simply time the pace at which you walk to assess if you are working at the right intensity. If you don’t have a spare 30 or 60 minutes for a workout, remember you can accumulate several 10 minute sessions throughout the day instead in order to reach your stepping target.
Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, May 2009
Body size perception affects Body Mass Index
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Data from a 13 year study shows that how a woman perceives her own body weight influences her body mass index (BMI) over time. Obese women (those with a BMI over 30) who perceived themselves as obese and felt that their body size was too large gradually lost weight each year, while the women who perceived themselves as normal weight gained weight each year. Results for men did not show the same trend.
The Australian Government has recently launched the ‘Measure Up’ campaign, including print and television advertisements to encourage people to measure their waist size, which is a known predictor of disease risk. |
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Take-home message: How you perceive your body size may be impacting on your weight more than you think. If you are overweight, having your exact weight, body fat and measurements taken by your dietitian may just be the reality check you need to get your weight on track.
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, April 2009
Healthy new sugar?
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CSR sugar has recently released LoGiCane, a low GI sugar that claims to be ‘better for you’. Unlike regular cane sugar, this low GI variety contains phytophenols, naturally occurring chemicals from sugar molasses that make the end-product more resistant to digestion in the body, which means it raises blood glucose levels slowly. LoGiCane has a GI of 50, placing it in the low GI category, compared to regular table sugar which has a slightly higher GI of 58 (making it medium GI). Another new product called CSR Smart is a blended sugar product using the natural stevia plant in addition to sugar cane. Stevia tastes twice as sweet as sugar, meaning you can use half the amount of sugar to achieve the same sweet taste. |
Take-home message: Choosing lower GI carbohydrate foods helps to keep energy levels balanced and control hunger between meals. Lower GI foods such as fruits, sweet potato and corn, grainy and fruit breads, pasta and cous cous are preferable to include in your eating plan rather than low GI foods with added sugars. However if you do have a sweet tooth, substituting your usual sugar with one of these sugar alternatives may make a small difference to your daily sugar and kilojoule intake.
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