Todays Newsbites

An expert committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which included Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, Gershoff Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Executive Editor of Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, recently reviewed the scientific evidence in order to update the official U.S. and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for sodium and potassium.

When it comes to health, further research supports the notion that steadily losing weight over time (and keeping it off) is more important than losing weight quickly.

Frequent fried food intake was associated with a higher risk of death among U.S. women, according to a study recently published in The British Medical Journal (BMJ).

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine published recent research that a higher intake of ultra-processed foods, such as packaged snacks, desserts, sugary drinks, processed meats, and ready-made meals, was associated with higher death risk among middle-aged adults in France.

The American Journal of Ophthalmology recently published results from a cohort study which found that consumption of fish, fruit, and vegetables in amounts generally consistent with international recommendations for the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was associated with lower risk of AMD.

New research published in the journal Nutrients found that adopting, abandoning, and then readopting a healthy eating pattern, such as the DASH diet or Mediterranean-style diet, can still lead to a reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

The journal The Lancet recently published a report that collected and pooled data from 185 prospective observational studies and 58 clinical trials on dietary fiber intake and human health.

As reported in the journal Neurology, a recent study found that highest consistent intakes of fruits and vegetables, compared to lowest intakes, were linked to better self-reported cognitive function at older ages. Over a 20-year period, 27,842 U.S. men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study completed five detailed dietary questionnaires as well as two subjective cognitive function questionnaires.

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study that found high-dose vitamin D supplementation provided no protective benefit with regard to risk of developing either cancer or cardiovascular disease.

A recent study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, determined that isolated flavanols did not have a beneficial impact on systolic blood pressure and other cardiometabolic markers.