What are traditional crops?

Answer 1

NUTRINET August 2001 Volume 15 Number 4 A bulletin of nutrition, food, and health information Editor: Sybil Woutat 145 FScN, 1334 Eckles Avenue St. Paul, MN 55108 A service of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition University of Minnesota Extension Service The Cholesterol Lowering Effect of Soluble Dietary Fibers: How Effective Are They?.................................................................................. 1 Laura Frieburger = Restaurants: The Chief Target of Foodborne = Illness Lawsuits................................................................................................................... 3 Bill Schafer Traditional crops of American Indians: a key to improving health?........................................................................................... 5 Craig Hassel Women and Heart disease............................................................................................... 8 Craig Hassel
The Cholesterol Lowering Effect of Soluble Dietary Fibers: How Effective Are They? Laura Freiburger, Nutrition graduate student and dietetic intern, University of Minnesota Over the past 20 years, dietary fiber has surfaced as a significant dietary factor involved in the prevention of chronic disease. High fiber intakes are associated with a long list of related health benefits, including lower blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of coronary artery disease, reduced blood pressure, successful weight control, better glycemic control, reduced risk of certain types of cancer, and improved gastrointestinal function (1). However, not all dietary fibers are created equal. Dietary fiber, by definition, refers to a variety of plant substances that are resistant to digestion by human gastrointestinal enzymes (2). Dietary fibers can be grouped into two primary categories depending on their solubility in water. In humans, the structural fibers (lignans, cellulose, and some hemicelluloses) are insoluble, whereas the natural gel-forming fibers (pectins, gums, mucilages, and the remainder of the hemicelluloses) are soluble. The soluble fibers are known as viscous fibers, because of the thick gel that is formed when mixed with water. Since the 1960s, viscous fibers have been found to possess cholesterol-lowering properties. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated that soluble fibers, such as oats, psyllium, pectin, and guar gum, lower total and LDL cholesterol. In contrast, water-insoluble wheat fiber and cellulose have no effect on blood cholesterol levels unless they displace foods supplying saturated fat and cholesterol (2). Epidemiologic studies have also linked high dietary fiber intake with a lower incidence of heart disease (3). Although experimental evidence suggests that soluble fiber lowers cholesterol levels, the mechanism by which this occurs remains unclear. Most studies have shown that the cholesterol-lowering effect is somehow connected with the viscosity of the dietary fiber. In other words, the more viscous the soluble fiber is, the greater cholesterol-lowering effect it appears to have. Evidence does suggest that viscous soluble fibers bind bile acids or cholesterol as they are moving through the intestine (4). The cholesterol-lowering effect of soluble fiber has drawn attention in recent years, as coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be the major cause of death in the United States and in most Western countries. In 1998, CAD was responsible for more than 466,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. There are multiple lifestyle risk factors for CAD, including hypertension, overweight/ obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, diet, diabetes mellitus, and elevated blood cholesterol. Modification of lifestyle factors is essential to prevention. Reductions in total and LDL cholesterol levels resulting from diet and drug therapy have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary events (1). Of course, diet modification is always thought of as the first approach. Increasing dietary fiber, particularly of the soluble type, has been recommended as a safe and practical approach for modest cholesterol reduction. The extent to which soluble fiber can lower cholesterol has been debated for many years, mainly due to the large variations that have resulted in studies. The effects on total blood cholesterol range from -18% to 0% in trials of oat products, from -17% to 3% for psyllium (the type of fiber found in supplements like Metamucil™), from -16 to -5% for pectin, and from -17 to 4% for guar gum (2). Differences in the experimental design of clinical trials can account for some of these variations. It is also possible that certain dietary fibers lower cholesterol more effectively than others. For example, a study comparing the effects of psyllium and pectin-enriched cereals on cholesterol-lowering found the psyllium-enriched cereal to be more effective (2). In addition, clinical trials using oat products have shown that hypercholesterolemic subjects are more responsive than people with normal cholesterol levels (5). The recent FDA approved health claim for two types of soluble fiber--beta-glucan (fiber in oats) and psyllium--has increased interest in the use of soluble fiber to lower blood cholesterol levels. The health claim states that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 3 grams of soluble fiber per day from oats, or 7 grams of soluble fiber per day from psyllium, may decrease the risk of heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels. Whole grain oat cereals and oatmeal generally have 1-2 grams of soluble fiber per serving. Psyllium husk can only be found in dietary supplements, like Metamucil™. One serving of Metamucil™ provides 2.4 grams of soluble fiber. Other food sources of soluble fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. It is recommended to obtain the majority of dietary fiber from foods, rather than from dietary supplements. There are other dietary supplements that contain fiber, but most of these include insoluble fiber, which does not have a cholesterol-lowering effect. The take-home message on soluble fiber is that it does have a modest cholesterol lowering effect. However, this cholesterol-lowering effect is the average of a large group of individuals in numerous studies, and is not the effect on one individual person. Therefore, some individuals may experience a drastic reduction on blood cholesterol when they increase their intake of soluble fiber, and others may see no effect. In most people who have borderline high cholesterol levels, a modest effect could be a 5% decrease in total cholesterol levels. The most effective way to reduce the risk of heart disease by lifestyle modification is to eat a low total and saturated fat diet, exercise most days of the week, and eat foods that are high in soluble dietary fiber. References 1. Anderson JW, Smith BM, Gustafson NJ. Health benefits and practical aspects of high-fiber diets. Am J Clin Nutr 1994 (suppl); 59:1242S-7S. 2. Brown L, Rosner B, Willett WW, Sacks FM. Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 69:30-42. 3. Burkitt DP, Trowell HC. Refined carbohydrate foods and disease: some implications of dietary fiber. London: Academic Press 1975. 4. Anderson JW, Tietyen-Clark JT. Dietary fiber: hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. Am J Gastroenterology 1986; 81:907-19. 5. Anderson JW. Dietary fiber, complex carbohydrate, and coronary artery disease. Can J Cardiol 1995; 11(suppl G):55G-62G.
= Restaurants: The Chief Target of Foodborne Illness Lawsuits = Nearly a third of foodborne lawsuits tracked by ERS from 1988-97 targeted restaurants as the source of the food contamination. The second largest category of defendants was "parent companies." The median award to winning plaintiffs was $25,560, while a few much higher awards raised the mean to $133,280 (in 1998 dollars). Plaintiffs were more likely to win if they could link the illness to a specific pathogen, and more severe illnesses tended to result in higher awards. Both food firms and consumers make food-handling errors that lead to foodborne illness, but the proportion of illnesses due to each is unknown due to data limitations. The legal system provides limited incentives for firms to produce safer food Legal observers suspect that most foodborne illness claims, perhaps as many as 95 percent, are settled confidentially out of court. Analogies with other types of product liability cases suggest that those settled out of court may have the strongest claims, while those that go to trial may have serious disputes about the causation of the illness or the amount of damages to be awarded. With confidential settlements, direct economic signals from the legal system about the costs of producing pathogen-contaminated food are usually restricted to the responsible firm and its insurer. Because jury verdicts find firms responsible for microbial contamination in relatively few cases, the legal system provides only limited feedback to firms about the need for greater food safety. Nonetheless, such firms cannot ignore the potential legal consequences and catastrophic losses of making or distributing contaminated food products that might cause illness or death. The small percentage of foodborne illness lawsuits that are resolved in the public view may indirectly influence the behavior of other firms. This is particularly true for lawsuits that attract adverse media attention. Other firms may decide to increase investments in food safety after observing the economic costs to defendant firms accused of producing contaminated food products that caused illness. For example, an effective, industry-generated, food safety reform occurred after the large 1993 outbreak from hamburgers contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and subsequent litigation. The restaurant chain revamped its food safety program and significantly altered the practices of the fast food industry with respect to meat products. As we are increasingly able to identify the source of a foodborne illness, the power of litigation to shape industry behavior about food safety will increase. Legal incentives probably work better in outbreak situations, less well for sporadic cases Incentives for firms to avoid large outbreaks of foodborne illness are probably stronger than the incentives to avoid isolated, sporadic cases of illness because outbreaks have greater potential to damage firms. Public health authorities are also more likely to become involved in outbreaks, and technological advances have improved the chances that widely scattered cases will be traced back to a source and linked to each other. For example, CDC traced the 1998 listeriosis outbreak (80 illnesses, 21 deaths) to hot dogs and luncheon meats produced and sold by specific companies. According to one attorney experienced in foodborne illness litigation, it is primarily the business disruption and negative publicity of the catastrophic foodborne illness or outbreaks that cost firms money, so it is these extraordinary, non-recurrent illnesses or outbreaks that have the potential to substantively shape corporate behavior. In the rare instances where foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to particular firms, the impact on those firms can be large. For example, the restaurant chain involved in the 1993 E. coliO157:H7 outbreak lost an estimated $160 million in the first 18 months after the outbreak occurred. Class action lawsuits may become more common for outbreaks where many persons have similar, mild illnesses Foodborne illness-and the reasons for litigation-may decrease if firms continue to improve quality control practices to ensure safer food. In contrast, improvements in pathogen detection and identification techniques (including DNA fingerprinting and more rapid microbial tests) may increase the chances that foodborne illnesses (particularly outbreaks) will be detected and linked to specific food products and firms. Several law and consulting firms now specialize in foodborne illness lawsuits. Class action or "mass" lawsuits may be more frequently used in the case of outbreaks resulting in many similar, mild illnesses, particularly as identification and documentation of outbreaks improves, as legal expertise in this area grows, and as media coverage of successful class action suits involving consumer products accumulates. The following tables - 1) Compensation in foodborne illness court cases by severity category, 1988-97, and 2) Defendents in foodborne illness court cases by firm type, 1988-97 - and Figure, Usual incubation period for select foodborne diseases may be viewed at http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/ConsumerFoodSafety/feature.htm . Source: Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 7/17/2001, contact Jean Buzby, jbuzby@ers.usda.gov , for more information. Article reviewed by Bill Schafer, Extension Food Technologist TRADITIONAL CROPS OF AMERICAN INDIANS: A KEY TO IMPROVING HEALTH? At first glance, our food system seems to offer us an overwhelming array of food choices of unparalleled variety. A simple stroll up and down the grocery isles appears as ample confirmation, to say nothing about the many offerings of food service establishments. What more could we, as consumers, want? But dig a little deeper to examine ingredient listings, and the picture becomes different. Wheat, corn, potatoes, soybeans, and sugar account for a lion's share of ingredients in many processed food products, with poultry, beef, pork, and dairy products accounting for most animal-based foods. Over the past 60 years, driven by market forces, efficiency of production, economy of scale, and continued consumer preference for taste and convenience, our food supply has evolved to focus around vast crop monocultures (mostly corn and soybeans) and reduced crop diversity. Food processing technology has developed food products that are convenient, stable, and predictable in taste and quality. Nutrients that were known to be lost through refining processes were added back to many products. In terms of convenience and taste, we now have most of what we want, or thought we wanted, as mainstream American consumers. In fact, many of us now struggle to avoid overindulgence in the very foods we have demanded in the marketplace! The typical American diet is now associated with increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. It is increasingly clear that our dietary patterns are based on a food production system that not only supports the expanding prevalence of dietary-related disease but also compromises the economic and environmental health of our nation. Rural community sustainability, global food security issues, and diet-related chronic diseases have emerged as increasing concerns across the world. These problems are large scale, system level problems that have no single cause/effect solutions. Currently, many biomedical and nutrition researchers have responded to these and other health concerns by looking within foods for specific compounds with potential health benefits (nutraceuticals). This approach uses technology to build more healthful food product alternatives based upon a pharmacologic approach to food. Others advocate an increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products in place of refined convenience foods. These approaches require sound, sensible, and balanced decisions around what foods to eat; a very difficult task in this day and age, especially if you are hungry. Imagine mindful eating at the State Fair! Still other community-based organizations have responded quite differently, seeking to develop alternative food systems based upon different values and assumptions. One example is seed-saving programs within American Indian communities, designed to preserve the genetic biodiversity of seeds, in addition to cultural restoration of the old ways of growing, harvesting, processing, storing, and using these crops. Suffering greatly from diet-related diseases, American Indians are looking to their ancestral heritage for some of the answers to health concerns. This approach is also grounded in a crisis of cultural survival as their traditions - horticultural, religious, culinary, and medicinal - are threatened by the rapid demise of their elderly population, the keepers of indigenous knowledge. Elders are oftentimes the last speakers of traditional languages and serve as the remaining repositories of ancient seeds and the knowledge of their uses. Their knowledge represents what is left of a sophisticated, ancient, indigenous system of understanding relationships between the land, plant varieties, and human and animal health. This system of understanding has significant value in and of itself. It includes perspectives on plant genetics, organic chemistry, pharmacology, food safety,and farming systems, and has historically contributed to scientific advancement, durability of the food system, and viability of communities across the world. A critical factor in the loss of indigenous scientific tradition can be ascribed to the phenomena of the 'lost generation' - Native American children removed from their homes through much of the twentieth century to federal and religious boarding schools that practiced a policy of forced assimilation. These generations were either denied access to their own cultural traditions or taught to reject them as inappropriate. Hence, few elders remain who know the intellectual, scientific, and cultural traditions of their ethnic group. Family seed-saving practices mean that some ancient seed stocks are preserved, but important traditions and knowledge of cultivation, medicinal, food, and ceremonial uses are often lost. I believe that American Indian culture has much to offer those of us who work within the biomedical perspective, particularly when trying to understand the relationship of landscape health to human health. Further, I believe that our land-grant university can and should play a critical role in supporting preservation of this knowledge, not for co-optation for commercial purposes, but to maintain the diversity of intellect, knowledge, and value that it offers. Over the past two years, I have been working with one such group--a localnNetwork of urban American Indians called the Dream of Wild Health. This project is dedicated to preserving knowledge of traditional Indian crops through developing a network of key Indian elders throughout the Upper Midwest and Canada. They have been bequeathed with gifts of squash, corn, bean, and medicine plant seeds by a number of influential elders. The gifts testify to the sincerity, responsibility, and effectiveness of their efforts. As an urban-based project, The Dream of Wild Health has worked hard to steer clear of reservation politics and successfully forward the work of the project. In addition, they believe that it is their duty and obligation to share this knowledge with those who want to learn, regardless of their place in society. One of the goals of the Dream of Wild Health Network is to help to reduce the illness and suffering from diabetes and heart disease. Throughout North America and in the Upper Midwest, American Indians suffer significantly higher rates of diabetes and diseases of the heart than do Americans in general. In 1995, the Bemidji Area IHS Office reported an age-adjusted diabetes mortality rate four-fold higher than that for the general U.S. population. Much of this suffering is related to the foods people eat. Elders have said that the seeds gifted to the Dream of Wild Health Network grown in their traditional and proper ways will, in turn, offer the gift of better health to those who eat these foods. After much consideration, a decision was made that the Dream of Wild Health Network should try to learn more about the health-giving properties of the old food crops now being grown. This past winter, the Network had an opportunity to explore the nutritional value of selected crops. Onieda hominy corn, Arikara squash, and Potowanami beans were chosen for a state-of-the-art nutrient analysis, to be compared with market corn, squash, and beans. The testing included measures of protein quality, along with vitamin, mineral, fiber, and fat content, as well. Although extensive analyses like this can be quite expensive, the testing was arranged at no cost to the Project. The Network is grateful to Dr. Mike Baim and Ms. Ann Diesen, both with Medallion Laboratories, who graciously agreed to conduct the analyses. According to the test results, the Onieda hominy corn was lower in total fat and sodium content compared to market corn, but was more abundant in vitamin B1 (thiamine) and pantothenic acid (another important B vitamin). Arikara squash was higher in fiber, calcium, beta-carotene, vitamin E, magnesium and chromium compared to market squash. Potowanami beans were higher in calcium, iron, magnesium, beta-carotene and niacin than the market beans. Also, the Potowanami beans have much higher total antioxidant capacity than market beans. This finding is important because the latest biomedical research shows that antioxidants may play an important role in cancer, heart disease, and diabetes prevention. While these tests do not yet allow a formal scientific comparison, they do support the assertions of the Elders that the traditional foods, used appropriately, can lead to better health. Examination of these test results will continue with the help of an undergraduate nutrition student from the University of Minnesota. A test plot this year will be devoted to understanding more about traditional growing practices on the nutritional qualities of the old foods. Craig Hassel, Extension Nutritionist
Women and Heart Disease This subject has been receiving some attention, so I thought I would offer a perspective by posing a few questions. Why all the attention? About ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. realized that most of the studies conducted on coronary artery disease (CAD) in the human population had been conducted on men, even though the disease causes just as many deaths in women as it does men. Believing that more research should be focused on CAD in women, the National Institutes of Health has made this topic a priority. As a consequence, the subject of CAD in women has received much attention both in medical publications and the lay press. This heightened awareness, however, should not be misinterpreted as a growing epidemic in women; the overall Death Rate from CAD is approximately the same for men and women. Are women more likely to develop CAD after menopause? Development of CAD in women and men occurs with increasing age. Consequently, the answer is "yes." A point of confusion centers on the belief that women are protected from CAD because of their high estrogen levels. Indeed, the research data supports the conclusion that CAD develops more slowly when estrogen levels are high (death due to CAD in women under the age of 60 is virtually nonexistent). However, when estrogen levels go down after menopause, women begin to develop CAD similarly to men. The result is that women tend to develop the disease later in life than men. Some experts refer to this as evidence of protection. Are women more likely than men to die from a heart attack? Yes, and the answer is related to age. Because women develop CAD later in life than men, they are simply older when the first heart attack strikes. Two-thirds of the female deaths due to CAD occur after the age of 80, whereas two-thirds of the male deaths due to CAD occur before 80. Even though women are more likely than men to die from a heart attack, we should avoid the temptation of claiming that CAD is a greater health risk in women than men. In fact, CAD could be viewed as a greater health risk in men than women because men have heart attacks at an earlier age and tend to survive those heart attacks. Some ethicists have argued that death from a heart attack at age 85 is not something we should try prevent, given that cancer is the next likely cause of death. Granted, the University of Minnesota Extension Service is not in the business of making decisions on these types of ethical issues, but it is important that we keep these issues in perspective. What precautions should women take to reduce their risk of getting CAD? The same risk factors that apply to men are applicable to women: Smoking, hypertension, obesity, and high blood cholesterol are risk factors that both men and women can control. Some physicians believe that women who have undergone early menopause (e.g., hysterectomy) are candidates for estrogen replace therapy, although not all physicians agree. It is wise that women in this category consult their own physicians and possibly get more than one opinion. Is estrogen replacement therapy a wise choice? Several weeks ago, the American Heart Association created headlines when they revised their recommendations regarding estrogen replacement therapy. Recent clinical trials failed to show significant benefits of estrogen therapy on CAD or stroke in women who already have these diseases. AHA advised women to continue to consider the benefits of estrogen therapy for general health issues (including possible benefits toward hot flashes and osteoporosis), but advised against taking estrogen replacement therapy for reasons of reducing CAD risk in women who already are diagnosed with CAD. In general, AHA urges a more cautious approach to considering estrogen replacement therapy in light of the newer findings. For more information, please visit: http://www.americanheart.org/ http://www.americanheart.org/Heart_and_Stroke_A_Z_Guide/estrogen.html Craig Hassel, Extension Nutritionist