Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD
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Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis · Dec 2001
Frequent nut intake and risk of death from coronary heart disease and all causes in postmenopausal women: the Iowa Women's Health Study.
Recent epidemiological studies suggest that there is an inverse association between the frequent consumption of nuts and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), and clinical investigations suggest that diets high in nuts may reduce serum cholesterol levels. This study assessed whether the risk of death due to CHD and all causes is reduced in postmenopausal women who frequently consume nuts. ⋯ Frequent nut consumption may offer postmenopausal women modest protection against the risk of death from all causes and CHD.
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Over the last few years, weight loss has been recognised as a key factor in the control and prevention of coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, cardiorespiratory failure and other chronic degenerative diseases. It has been shown that even a modest loss of 5% of initial body weight can reduce, eliminate or prevent these disorders in a large proportion of overweight patients. The early benefits of weight loss can be explained by the direct effects of a low calorie diet, but the long-term effects can only partially be attributed to diet, physical exercise or behavioural modifications. ⋯ These complications include cholelithiasis and the subsequent risk of cholecystitis, lean body mass loss and a stable decrease in energy expenditure with a high probability of regaining weight (weight cycling syndrome). In conclusion, a large number of obese patients may be sensitive to a modest weight loss even without the achievement of ideal body weight. Sustained moderate weight loss by itself is definitely beneficial in obesity (especially "malignant" and "morbid" obesity), but also in diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, cardiorespiratory diseases and other chronic degenerative diseases associated with any degree of excess body fat.
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Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis · Aug 2001
Perspectives for food research and European collaboration in the European Research Area and the new Framework Programme.
Since 1987, successive framework programmes have contributed to strengthen European food research through the establishment of networks between research institutions, universities and companies from various European countries. In the FAIR programme (1994-1998), 118 research projects comprising nearly 1,000 participants from the European Union and Associated States have been supported in the food area with a European funding of about [symbol: see text] 108 million. Within the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources programme (1998-2002), food research is mostly supported within the key action 'food, nutrition and health' with a budget of [symbol: see text] 290 million. ⋯ One of the seven priority areas, entitled 'food safety and health risks', is intended to help establish the integrated scientific and technological bases needed to develop a system of production and distribution of safe and healthy food and control food-related risks, relying in particular on biotechnology tools, as well as health risks associated with environmental changes. A total budget of [symbol: see text] 600 million is proposed for this priority. In the priority areas, the new framework programme will work mainly by supporting the development of cooperation within networks of excellence bringing together the best research capabilities in Europe's regions to conduct common research programmes and integrated projects involving public and private partners, with clearly stated scientific and technological objectives.
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Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis · Jun 2001
ReviewVisceral obesity and the metabolic syndrome: effects of weight loss.
A large body of experimental and epidemiological evidence has established an association between visceral obesity and the metabolic syndrome, which retains its power throughout the spectrum of adiposity and is still clinically meaningful in severe obesity. The association may be due to an overload of liver free fatty acids (FFA) produced by the high lipolytic activity of omental fat. A substantial improvement in all aspects of the metabolic syndrome with only a moderate degree of weight loss has been observed in a large number of randomised controlled studies and can also be obtained in severe obesity, despite the fact that the patients remain obese. ⋯ The results of some studies suggest that the favourable metabolic changes observed in obese patients with weight loss may be directly attributable to a reduction in visceral fat, and other studies have recently shown that a rapid and preferential reduction in visceral fat mass occurs during the first phase of weight loss in morbidly obese patients possibly as a result of sympathetic nervous system activation. It is therefore possible that the apparent dissociation between weight loss and metabolic improvement is partially due to a difference in the responsiveness of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue to energy restriction: i.e. the fact that the metabolic profile of patients with visceral obesity may substantially improve after the loss of only a few kilograms of body weight could be related to a greater relative reduction in the amount of visceral rather than other fat. In this respect, the characteristically high rate of visceral fat mobilisation can also be seen as a good target for interventions aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk factors.
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The food industry is a critical factor in any potentially successful long-term strategy to prevent obesity. By producing new products low in energy density and improving the nutritional quality (and reducing the energy content) of existing products, as well as through advances in responsible marketing and labeling, the food industry can provide foods that enable consumers to achieve lower energy intakes without going short of essential nutrients. ⋯ Caterers and retailers are yet another important cog in the wheel for progress in obesity prevention. Intensive collaboration between all these players will only be attained if obesity prevention is given the priority it deserves in future public health planning.