We’re not bitter anymore
Curcumin may combat muscle soreness post-exercise
Review indicates budget benefits of supplement use in community and care homes
FDF produces gluten labelling guide for manufacturers
Brits say gluten is the hardest intolerance to live with
We’re not bitter anymore
Fruit and vegetables are increasingly having their tart and bitter flavours bred out of them as growers aim to please the ever-sweeter British palate. As a result, we are rapidly turning fruit and veg into junk food.
That’s the warning from science journalist Marta Zaraska. Writing in New Scientist she explains that the compounds in fruit and vegetables that create bitter notes on the palate are the very ones that offer the most useful health benefits. “When scientists talk about the healthiness of green tea, dark chocolate, red wine or broccoli, much of what they are talking about is due to bitter chemicals called phytonutrients,” she writes.
In large doses phytonutrients are toxic, but in small doses they confer a host of health benefits. Zaraska cites the example of the white grapefruit – once dominant in greengrocers, but now largely replaced by sweeter pink or red varieties. The most prominent phytonutrient in white grapefruit is ultra-bitter naringin, which has anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory properties – it’s also been shown to have cancer-inhibiting properties. Pink and red grapefruits contain substantially less naringin.
Zaraska says that many scientists believe the food industry has a responsibility to preserve phytonutrient sources in our food supply. Unfortunately the food industry usually says it is simply responding to customer demands.
Curcumin may combat muscle soreness post-exercise
A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology has found that 5g of curcumin taken orally can reduce pain post-exercise and may enhance performance.
The trial, by scientists from the Australian Institute of Sport along with Massey University and SportsMed Canterbury in New Zealand, set out to estimate the effects of curcumin supplementation versus placebo on single-leg press single-leg jump performance and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following unaccustomed heavy exercise.
The 17 men who took part in the trial were randomly assigned either curcumin (2.5g twice daily) or a placebo to take from two days before to three days after performing the exercise.
Measurements were made at baseline, and zero, 24 and 48 hours after exercise regarding limb pain, muscle swelling, single-leg jump height, and serum markers of muscle damage and inflammation.
The researchers found that the supplement group experienced moderate to large reduction in pain associated with DOMS as well as reduced levels of serum markers of muscle damage and inflammation. “These findings provide the first empirical evidence to support the possibility of using curcumin to prevent and combat DOMS associated with heavy exercise,” they wrote.
They concluded: “Oral curcumin likely reduces pain associated with DOMS with some evidence for enhanced recovery of muscle performance. Further study is required on mechanisms and translational effects on sport or vocational performance.”
Review indicates budget benefits of supplement use in community and care homes
A recent review of 19 international studies has looked into the economic consequences of using standard nutritional supplements within care homes and the community, concluding that the majority of the studies showed supplement use as being cost-effective.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, states: “This review of studies, mainly of randomised controlled clinical trials, suggests that the use of standard ONS in the community, with or without additional use in hospital, produces an overall net cost saving favouring the ONS group … These cost outcomes were associated with clinically relevant benefits such as improved quality of life, reduced infections, reduced minor post-operative complications, reduced falls, and functional limitations.”
Malnutrition is a common clinical and public health problem, said the researchers, and at a given point in time, more than 97% of it exists outside hospital. “It not only produces a burden to the individuals concerned such as delayed recovery from illness, more complications and increased dependency on others, but also to the services and the public providing health and social care support.”
According to the charitable organization BAPEN, public expenditure on disease-related malnutrition in the UK in 2007 is estimated at over £13 billion per annum.
The researchers, from the University of Southampton, Trinity College in Ireland, Sapienza University in Rome and Charité Universitätsmedizin in Germany, found that the direct contribution of ONS to total expenditure in the community studies was small, but their potential beneficial impact on the budget was large. For example, hospitalisation, which dominated the expenditure, was markedly reduced by 16.5%.
They concluded that there is a need for prospective studies designed to examine primary economic outcomes.
FDF produces gluten labelling guide for manufacturers
The Food & Drink Federation (FDF) has launched a new best practice guide to support manufacturers on the labelling of food products containing gluten.
Gluten Labelling Best Practice: How to label pre-packaged foods which include cereals containing glutenaims to help manufacturers adhere to the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation – which in December 2014 changed the way allergen information is provided and emphasised on pre-packaged foods – and provide consumers with clear and consistent allergens labelling.
The guide was developed in collaboration with Coeliac UK, Anaphylaxis Campaign and the British Retail Consortium and illustrates examples of the usual as well as some of the more challenging labelling situations of foods containing gluten, as well as covering claims for gluten-free foods. Special consideration is also given to oats and wheat.
“As consumers are increasingly seeking clear information about various allergenic ingredients within the foods they purchase, it is important that food manufacturers provide labels that are legally compliant and make it easier for consumers to find and understand allergen information so they can make safer food choices,” said Barbara Gallani, director of regulation, science & health at the FDF. “By following a best-practice approach, we hope that this new guide will help manufacturers of all sizes make informed labelling decisions with regard to cereals containing gluten.”
CEO for Coeliac UK, Sarah Sleet, commented: “The charity supports the new best practice guidance for the industry and the introduction of an approach to limit the use of ‘may contain gluten’ statements on packaged foods which will be welcomed by everyone with coeliac disease.”
Brits say gluten is the hardest intolerance to live with
New research into those with allergies and intolerances has found that 26% say gluten is the hardest allergy or intolerance to live with.
The respondents to the survey by Udi’s Gluten Free cited that most problems occur in restaurants and friends who still give them foods they can’t eat.
The research revealed that dairy (23%) and nut (18%) were close contenders in the most hard to live with allergies and intolerances, whilst being a vegetarian (5%) and having an allergy to shellfish (3%), in comparison, were easier to deal with.
Even in light of the recent introduction of the EU’s Food Information Regulation rules for restaurants, a third (32%), claim that there’s still a struggle when choosing what to eat with gluten-free options remaining limited. In addition, according to the Royal Society for Public Health which conducted a mystery dining investigation, many restaurants aren’t complying to the new regs.
“Despite supermarkets shelves piled high with gluten-free options, there still remains an underlying problem with restaurants and friends who don’t understand or know how to cater for those leading a gluten-free life,” explains Holly Wales, product development director, at Udi’s Gluten Free.
“With allergies and intolerances on the rise, the fact that people are fearing going to a restaurant, to a friend’s house or debating whether to go abroad or not is extremely worrying and more needs to be done. We know that there is still a lack of understanding regarding coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.”
No comments yet.