As you may have noticed, I have added a "Clusty Cloud" to our blog. This is a service provided by a search engine that I find to be very useful, www.clusty.com. I think it is better than Google in some ways, because it puts the search results into categories so that you waste less time looking at things that do not interest you.
Your assignment is to click on one or more of the words in the "Clusty Cloud" and take a look at the search results. Then, choose a category on the left, and start exploring the sites. Of course, after that, you have to write to me and tell me about what you have found. If you want to see what last year's group wrote, you can go to my previous post from Monday, May 14th, 2007.
I am looking forward to your comments!
17 comments:
Dear teacher! Exploring the sites, I have found interesting this article: “Dietetic guidelines on food and nutrition in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease-evidence from systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (second update, January 2006)”.
This article shows dietary advice to prevent further events in people with existing cardiovascular disease.
The first comment concern the importance of reduction in saturated fat, if followed for a period of at least 2 years, in people with angina or post-MI. It results in a small but potentially important reduction in risk of cardiovascular events. The reduction in fat intake should be permanent to obtain maximum benefit.
Antioxidant vitamin supplements show no protection against illness or death due to CVD. There is no evidence to recommend vitamin E alone or in combination for the secondary prevention of CVD. High dose vitamin E supplementation appears to increase the risk of all cause mortality and should be avoided. Also Beta-carotene supplementation should not be given except in cases of deficiency, as it appears to increase the odds of all cause mortality and cardiovascular death. The most important advice for to improve health of everyone is follow a “Mediterranean diet”. Combination of increasing fruit, wholegrains, pulses, nuts and omega 3 fats, cutting down on saturated fat and partially replacing it by rapeseed or olive oil, with increased emphasis on fresh rather than ready prepared foods may be protective. Finally Multifactorial interventions appear to be more effective at reducing mortality and morbidity in people with cardio-vascular disease than single dietary interventions.
Hi Teacher,
sorry for my delay.
I chose Food Security, through the words in the Clusty Cloud, and I found a link to US EPA. I red some articles about the pollutants in fish and seafood.
EPA underlines the importance of eating fish, described as a source of proteins (Americans thinks proteins are the main compounds to ensure energy and health to human beings, they don’t give the right importance to carboidrates neither to healthy fats, such as omega-3).
But fish’s goodness may be cancelled by the exposition to environmental pollutants: chemical compounds coming from pollution in lakes, rivers, oceans can easily accumulate into fish tissues and be absorbed by human organism, after the ingestion.
Therefore, although seafood are healthy substitute to meat or cheese in our diet, EPA invites U.S. government to protect the general population by advisories to recommend a limited consumption for this kind of foods.
In Italy, we can note the Guidelines to a Healthy Nutrition don’t invite to consume fish as often as possible: they recommend to choose fish and seafood three times a week, because in Italy we must give importance to the trouble of water pollution, too.
Maria Laura Corollaro
matr. 084/025 A.S.
Hi teacher!
My attention has been attracted by this article:"Mediterranean diet, lifestyle factors,and 10-year mortality in elderly european men and women (September,2004)".
Dietary patterns and lifestyle factors are associated with mortality from all causes, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
This study investigated the single and combined effect of mediterranean diet, being physically active, moderate alcohol use, and nonsmoking on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in European elderly apparently healthy men and women from 11 European countries.
This cohort study was conducted between 1988 and 2000.
During this 10-year follow-up, men and women between the ages of 70 and 90 years who had adhered to a Mediterranean diet, were nonsmoking or had stopped smoking more than 15 years ago, were physically active, and used alcohol moderately had less than half the mortality rate from all causes ,CHD,CVD and cancer and mortality from other causes than those who did not.
In conclusion, a mediterranean diet rich in plant foods in combination with nonsmoking ,moderate alcohol consumption, and at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day is associated with a significant lower mortality rate, even in old age.
Hi Teacher!!
Today looking the clusty cloud,I have found interesting this article : "Whole-grain wheat breakfast cereal has a prebiotic effect on the human gut microbiota: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study."
Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between dietary intake of whole grains and the risk of chronic disease.
This may be related to the ability to mediate a prebiotic modulation of gut microbiota. However, no studies have been conducted on the microbiota modulatory capability of whole-grain (WG) cereals.
In the present study, the impact of WG wheat on the human intestinal microbiota compared to wheat bran (WB) was determined.
A double-blind, randomised, crossover study was carried out in thirty-one volunteers who were randomised into two groups and consumed daily 48 g breakfast cereals, either WG or WB, in two 3-week study periods, separated by a 2-week washout period.
Numbers of faecal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (the target genera for prebiotic intake), were significantly higher upon WG ingestion compared with WB.
Ingestion of both breakfast cereals resulted in a significant increase in ferulic acid concentrations in blood but no discernible difference in faeces or urine. No significant differences in faecal SCFA, fasting blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), TAG or HDL-cholesterol were observed upon ingestion of WG compared with WB. However, a significant reduction in TC was observed in volunteers in the top quartile of TC concentrations upon ingestion of either cereal.
No adverse intestinal symptoms were reported and WB ingestion increased stool frequency. Daily consumption of WG wheat exerted a pronounced prebiotic effect on the human gut microbiota composition. This prebiotic activity may contribute towards the beneficial physiological effects of WG wheat.
Hi Teacher!
Navigating on the web site "clusty clood",I have found iteresting an articol about Alzheimer disease:
"Dietary intake of antioxidant and risk of Alzheimer disease".
The objective of this articol is to determine whether dietary intake of antioxidant is related to risk of Alzheimer disease.
The principal antioxidants from the food took in consideration were: beta carotene, flavoniod, vitamin C and vitamin E.
The tipe of study utilizzed is The Rotterdarm study, a population-based, prospective cohort study of the frequency and determinants of neuronal, cardiovascular, locomotor and opthalmologic diseases in elderly persons.
The partecipants of this study were a total of 5395 persons who, at the baseline (1990-1993) wew aged al least 55 years, free of dementia and noninstituzionalized and had reliable dietary assessment.
Partecipants were reexamined in 1993-1994 and 1997-1999 and were continuosily monitored for incident of dementia.
After a mean follow-up of 6 years, 197 partecipants developed dementia, of whom 146 had Alzheimer disease. When adjustement were made for age, sex, alchol intake, education, smoking habits, and use of antioxidative supplemnets, BMI, total energy intake, high intake of vitamin C and vitamin E was associated with lower risk of Alzheimer disease.
Among current smokers, this relationship was most pronounced.
In conclusion, high dietary intake of vitamin C and vitamin E may lower the risk of Alzheimer disease.
Dear teacher,
surfing on the net I found interesting all the articles about pests and crops protection, but I choose an article on the site AGBIOS (www.agbios.com). It is written by Heidi Ledford and published in Nature Publishing Group with the title “Modified toxin helps crops kill resistant insect.”
The Bacillus Thuringiensis toxin is a weapon used against crops pest, especially against butterfly. Bt toxin is usually used in spray but, in the last decade, genetically modified plants can produce Bt toxin themselves. Bt toxin causes holes in larval guts by binding specific receptors found only in insect guts (and for this reason is strongly selective).
Unfortunately the excessive use of those products induces insect to develop resistance and, for this reason, researchers are obliged to found new suitable techniques. Resistance is especially found in Plutella xylostella and Trichoplusia sp. which worms live in vegetables crops.
Mario Soberòn and Alejandra Bravo of University of Mexico have modified Bt toxin so that it can resist the resistance of insect.
The researchers delete a specific region of the toxin and, in this way, toxin don’t need to bind to specific receptors found in insect gut. The tests highlight that one species of insect is one hundred times more susceptible to one form of modified Bt toxin than the natural compound, while another form of modified Bt toxin is able to kill all the resistant species.
Naturally the researchers are obliged to test new Bt toxins in plant cells and in animal cells. Particularly enzymes of plant cell could destroy Bt toxin before its effect on pests.
However some researchers agree to consider this new discover as a new weapon in favour of crops.
As applicant entomologist I consider this discover useful in the fight against pest corps, but I’m sceptic about the manipulation of genes without control. In fact I think that these new transgenic plants had to be improve also in the food chain, that is in reptile, in birds, in fish and in mammalian gut especially. We don’t know the effect of toxin (or other substance) accumulated in the organism …so, attention!
If you want to read this article, you can go on www.agbios.com/static/news/NEWSID_8965.php
Dear teacher, I consider very important the intake of vitamin K by foods. So exploring the web sites, I have read an interesting study entitled: "Vitamin K intake and bone mineral density in women and men" (2003).
This work studied associations between self-reported dietary vitamin K intake and bone mineral density (BMD) of the hip and spine in men and women aged 29-86 years. This Offspring cohort of the Framingham Hearth Study counted 1112 men and 1479 women; BMD was measured at the hip and spine in all the participants. Dietary and supplemental intakes of vitamin K were assessed with the use of a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The primary dietary form of vitamin K is phylloquinone (vitamin K1), which is concentrated in green vegetables and certain plant oils.
Analysis was conducted separately for men and women because factors affecting age-related bone loss are not identical for men and women, and average BMD measures for men are higher than those for women. Measures of BMD were regressed on total phylloquinone intake separately for the men and the women and adjustment for potential confounders like age, BMI, dietary and supplemental intakes of calcium and vitamin D, alcohol intake, energy intake, caffeine intake, physical activity, smoking status, and estrogen use and menopause status among the women, was performed by using multiple regression. Because high phylloquinone intakes are also associated with high green-vegetables intakes, an additional adjustment for dietary intakes of potassium, which is present in fruit and vegetables, was done in a separate analysis.
After all the mean dietary phylloquinone intakes of the man and the women were consistent with intakes reported from the same FFQ in the cohort; dietary phylloquinone intakes were significantly correlated with dietary intakes of vitamin D and calcium in the women. Similar correlations were noted among the men. Higher dietary phylloquinone intakes were associated with higher BMD measures at the hip and spine in the women. These significant associations persisted even after the potential confounders.
In conclusion low dietary vitamin K intake was associated with low BMD and with an increased risk of hip fracture in women; in contrast, there was no associations between dietary vitamin K intake and BMD in men.
Dear teacher,
I took an interest in the relationship between folic acid supplements and plasma homocysteine concentration. This is one of the most important problem of public health in the developed countries: a dietary folate intake of 350 μg/day is recommended in the general adult population, but most persons do not attain this daily amount from diet alone. Moreover a inverse relationship exists between plasma homocysteine concentrations and the folate intake and between plasma homocysteine concentrations and cardiovascular disease.
I found very interesting this research: “A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations”. In the patients whit high plasma homocysteine concentration daily doses of at least 400-500 μg of synthetic folic acid from supplements is recommended.
Folate is contained particularly in fruit, vegetables and cereals, but often this is little bio-availability.
This study showed that a combination of folate-rich and fortified foods is effective as supplementation for lowering plasma homocysteine concentrations.
This result is very interesting: it’s possible replace the supplements with specific diet and this result in the improvement of patient’s quality of life.
A few days ago, precisily 17 days ago, on foodconsumer.org’s website, appeard an interesting article: American people have, in their body, also the phthalates and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. The scientists carried out a test on 35 American persons that come from seven countries. Among them, there are: Alaska, Massashusets, Connecticut and Illinois. In all American peolpe, the phthalates and polybrominated diphenyl ethers are present. These compunds stay in daily and very common items, like: baby bottles, shower curtains, TVs, computers, cosmetics. The researchers confirm this compuonds contribute to cancer, birth defectes and several others problems. The seven states want regulate that compounds use and they want to find a solutions for this problem. I think we’ve joked enough with our body and with our health. Now, we have to inform people about the risk they are exhibit, so they can choose the safety and the health.
P.S. I hope my english is correct!!!!
REFERENCE
http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/Agri_amp_Environ_41/111108162007_Study_Americans_are_polluted_with_common_toxic_chemicals.shtml
Hi Teacher!
Navigating on the web site "clusty clood",I have found interesting an articol about “A high-protein diet increases postprandial but not fasting plasma total homocysteine concentrations: a dietary controlled, crossover trial in healthy volunteers”.
In this study A high plasma concentration of total homocysteine (tHcy) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A high protein intake and hence a high intake of methionine - the sole dietary precursor of homocysteine - may raise plasma tHcy concentrations.
The study was a randomized, dietary controlled, crossover trial conducted in 20 healthy men aged 18–44 y. For 8 d, men consumed a controlled low-protein diet enriched with either a protein supplement [high-protein diet (21% of energy as protein)] or an isocaloric amount of short-chain glucose polymers [low-protein diet (9% of energy as protein)]. After a 13-d washout period, treatments were reversed. On days 1 and 8 of each treatment period, blood was sampled before breakfast (fasting) and throughout the day.
Fasting tHcy concentrations did not differ significantly after the 1-wk high-protein and the 1-wk low-protein diets.
In conclusions: A high-protein diet increases tHcy concentrations throughout the day but does not increase fasting tHcy concentrations.As previously shown, the extent of the tHcy increase is modified by the aminoacid composition of the protein diet.
Hi teacher, before say anything, I want to apologize for my delay. during the last spring (when the others students did the assignments), I was living in a house in Portici with others students and without internet connection.
well, in my first assignment I chose Mental health in the clusty cloud box and I found a lot of articles in wich the scientists affirm that there is a strong link beetween nutrition and mental health.
"We are well aware of the effect of diet upon our physical health.
"But we are only just beginning to understand how the brain as an organ is
influenced by the nutrients it derives from the foods we eat and how diets
have an impact on our mental health."
Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.
These words make us think that the research is plaing an important role in the development of a new kind of food. Soon we can see an explotion of funcional food improving our mental performances.
Giovanna Garofalo
084/22
A.S.
Hi teacher!
First I chose Pyramid and then Food groups.
The first site in order is MyPyramid.gov and I thought it was perfect for me because this site is organized by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), so I believed I can find several interesting informations.
Here on the right I found a link to MyPyramid Plan where you can know the amount of each food group you need daily calculated on your characteristics.
I tried to insert my personal data, but here I had some difficulties: I had to insert it in the US form!
So I searched a site that might help me and I found convertworld.com, very simple to use.
Converted the weight it’s easy but it sounds strange to me: 81 kg are more acceptable than 178 pounds!
After I had some troubles: I must have calculate my height in feet and inches.
Finally I chose my daily physical activity: less than 30 minutes (I know that I have to increase it!).
It was incredible! I read: “The weight you entered is above the healthy range for your height. This may increase your risk for health problems. Some people who are overweight should consider weight loss.”.
I wasn’t scared but I wanted to know how I can gradually move toward a healthier weight.
At this point the site calculated my pyramid plan: this plan is a 2400 calorie food pattern and recommended to me to consume everyday:
8 ounces (225 grams) of grains (bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits), half of this could come from whole grains;
3 cups (or portions) of vegetables, varying colours during the week;
2 cups of fruits;
3 cups of milk and its derivates;
6,5 ounces (185 grams) of meat and beans;
aim for 7 teaspoons of oils a day;
and raise my physical activity to about 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity.
Now I’ve got a mission: follow this plan.
I have been visiting various blogs for my term papers writing research. I have found your blog to be quite useful. Keep updating your blog with valuable information... Regards
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