A report which has been backed by the United Kingdom Department of Health shows that teenage girls who eat fewer than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, are at risk of serious disease. The report shows that only one girl out of every 13 eats the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables daily. Eating less than three portions of fruit and vegetables daily could put teenage girls at risk of developing heart disease, cancer, strokes and diabetes later in life.

A particular problem was not eating sufficient foods which contain iron, used by the body to fight infection, and can be found in red meat, some vegetables and nuts. A large number of diets for kids are too high in saturated fat, which can lead to heart disease and strokes later in life. A survey which was carried out on more than 2000 children and adults in the UK discovered that the diet of teenage girls is generally less healthy than teenage boys. The boys eat approximately three portions of fruit and vegetables daily, whereas girls average at 2.7 portions a day.

http://www.mykidshealth.co.uk/poor-diet-of-teenage-girls-could-lead-to-serious-illness-447.html

People who have a common liver disease are more likely to develop colon cancer - the No 2 cancer killer in Hong Kong - a study has shown.

Given the higher chances of developing colorectal cancer, Chinese University researchers recommend that people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease undergo colonoscopy starting from the age of 40.

From 2008 until last year, researchers from the Center for Liver Health at CUHK performed colonoscopies on 380 people aged between 40 and 70 years old. That comprised 199 people having non- alcoholic fatty liver disease and 181 healthy individuals as a control group.

The study found that those with a fatty liver had a 60 percent chance of getting colorectal polyps and were three times more likely to develop cancer.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=113862&sid=33285370&con_type=1&d_str=20110805&fc=7

Eating pulses, brown rice, green vegetables and dried fruit could cut the risk of bowel cancer.

People who consume pulses such as kidney beans or lentils at least three times a week reduce their risk of developing polyps  – small growths in the lining of the bowel which can become cancerous – by a third, researchers say.

Eating brown rice once a week cuts the risk by two fifths, while having cooked green vegetables at least once a day reduces it by a quarter.

The scientists from Loma Linda University in California also found eating dried fruit at least three times a week cuts the risk of developing the growths by a similar amount.

The study is one of the first to look at which specific foods can cut the risk of bowel cancer. It used data from a survey of nearly 3,000 people 25 years ago who were asked how often they ate certain foods.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2022199/Lentils-kidney-beans-cut-bowel-cancer-risk-third.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

(Mark Bittman, nytimes.com)

WHAT will it take to get Americans to change our eating habits? The need is indisputable, since heart disease, diabetes and cancer are all in large part caused by the Standard American Diet. (Yes, it’s SAD.)

Though experts increasingly recommend a diet high in plants and low in animal products and processed foods, ours is quite the opposite, and there’s little disagreement that changing it could improve our health and save tens of millions of lives.

And — not inconsequential during the current struggle over deficits and spending — a sane diet could save tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs.

Yet the food industry appears incapable of marketing healthier foods. And whether its leaders are confused or just stalling doesn’t matter, because the fixes are not really their problem. Their mission is not public health but profit, so they’ll continue to sell the health-damaging food that’s most profitable, until the market or another force skews things otherwise. That “other force” should be the federal government, fulfilling its role as an agent of the public good and establishing a bold national fix.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24bittman.html?_r=1&gw

A fresh look at the medical evidence shows women who eat more fibre are less likely to get breast cancer.

Chinese researchers found those who ate the most of the healthy plant components were 11 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the least.

Their findings don't prove fibre itself lowers cancer risk, however, because women who consume a lot of it might be healthier overall than those who don't.

The results "can identify associations but cannot tell us what will happen if people change their behavior," said John Pierce, a cancer research at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the work.

While earlier research has yielded mixed conclusions on the link between cancer and fibre, it would make scientific sense: According to the Chinese researchers, people who eat high-fibre diets have lower levels of estrogen, which is a risk factor for breast tumours.

So to get more clarity, the researchers combined 10 earlier studies that looked at women's diets and followed them over seven to 18 years to see who developed cancer.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/5358667/Fibre-helps-keep-breast-cancer-at-bay

Now there are more good reasons to drink your beets. According to new research from Exeter University in the UK, beetroot juice could give your workouts a powerful boost.

In the study, professional cyclists who drank about a pint of store-bought beetroot juice before riding in a simulated competition shaved vital seconds off their finish time - which could be crucial in a sport where seconds often make the difference between winning and losing.

Beetroot juice is already touted as a health tonic for enhancing sexual function and digestion, lowering blood pressure, sharpening brain power, increasing energy, and even bolstering stamina.

The performance boost, researchers say, is due to the high levels of nitrates in beetroot juice. While it's not clear how it works, they suspect that when nitrate turns into nitric oxide in the body, it reduces the amount of oxygen required to perform exercise. High concentrations of nitrates are also found in celery, cabbage, and other leafy green vegetables such as spinach and some lettuce.

Previous studies by the university have attempted to uncover the impacts of beetroot juice on physical activity. A study released last summer revealed that beetroot juice enhanced performance in endurance athletes while lowering resting blood pressure. Researchers claimed that beetroot juice could help increase exercise time by 16 percent and in ways that couldn't be achieved by training. Yet the latest research from Exeter went a step further to claim that beetroot juice can be effective in a competitive environment.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/beetroot-juice-bolsters-athletic-performance-study-finds-2306407.html 

Caroline Trapp had already toyed with the idea of becoming a vegetarian by the time she picked up one of Dr. Neal Barnard's books. As founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), he has promoted a plant-based diet and conducted clinical research on its' ability to prevent and reverse heart disease, diabetes and cancer since 1985.

One of his studies found that although the standard American Diabetes Association effectively treats the disease, plant-based, low fat meals dramatically reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels in addition to promoting weight loss.

Barnard has written several books on topics that include reversing diabetes with a diet of grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. His recent book, 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart, promises to boost metabolism, lower cholesterol and dramatically improve health.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110703/LIFE/107030476 

By Stephanie Allmon
sallmon@star-telegram.com

Rocker Sheryl Crow seems more surprised than anyone that she has written a cookbook -- and that it emphasizes healthful, seasonal eating.

Having grown up in the "meat and potatoes" Midwest and later adopting a diet of hotel room-service food and "overcooked catering spreads," she never worried about eating for wellness, she says; after all, she appeared fit and trim, and by all accounts, healthy.

But a breast cancer diagnosis in 2006, at the age of 44, radically changed Crow's thoughts about food.

"My cancer diagnosis screamed 'vulnerable' to me," she writes in the cleverly named If It Makes You Healthy (St. Martin's, $29.99). "Never once in my life had I really considered what I put into my body as having a direct connection to my wellness."

She began working with a nutritionist and hired a personal chef, Chuck White, with whom she co-wrote the cookbook. White, she says, opened her eyes to a new world of colorful fruits and vegetables, cancer-fighting spices and the importance of eating seasonal, organic, sustainable foods. The dishes in the cookbook -- about 125 of them -- are the ones she eats whether she is on the road (blue corn tortilla-crusted red snapper with margarita butter; grilled sweet corn soup with garlic popcorn) or at home in Nashville with her two young sons, Wyatt and Levi (basil and apple marinated chicken; banana bread pudding).

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/28/3185286/sheryl-crows-cancer-diagnosis.html#tvg

A new report says that as many as 20,000 British women could avoid developing the potentially fatal disease each year, if they took more exercise, drank less and ate better.

The World Cancer Research Fund recommends taking half an hour of physical exercise a day, limiting alcohol consumption to just one drink daily and losing weight.

Dr Rachel Thompson, Deputy Head of Science at WCRF, said: “These figures show that we still have a long way to go to raise awareness about what women can do to prevent breast cancer.

“It is very worrying that in the UK there are still tens of thousands of cases of breast cancer which could be prevented every year. Breast cancer can be prevented by cutting down on drinking, being more physically active and carrying less body fat.

“There is convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer. In postmenopausal women there is convincing evidence that body fatness also increases risk and there is evidence that regular physical activity probably reduces the risk of breast cancer.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8499040/Healthy-lifestyle-could-prevent-half-of-breast-cancer-cases.html

Rising food prices not an excuse to not eat your greens

Contrary to the public belief about fruit and vegetable price rise, a charity organization named 'World Cancer Research Fund' revealed that a daily five-a-day diet can be bought for 50p. The charity also revealed that a meal including red cabbage, carrots and tomatoes plus a snack comprising a banana and an apple can cost you as little as 42p.
The research charity conducted a research after learning that people's struggle to buy fruit and vegetables because of decreasing disposable incomes and the high prices of fruit and vegetables. However, it was found that five portions of fruit and vegetables can cost only 42p, even if you purchase them from leading supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's or Asda.

Kate Mendoza, who is the head of education at WCRF says, “We understand that rising food prices mean many people feel they have little option but to buy fewer fruits and vegetables. But while some fruit and vegetables are very expensive, our review shows that this is not the case across the board. Even if you were to only buy fresh produce, there are many where a portion is available for under 10p.”

 http://www.weightworld.co.uk/health-and-diet-news/fruit-and-veg-diet-2236.html