July 2005 Newsletter

Prof Mark Wahlqvist AO, MD, FRACP

Welcome to the July edition of the HEC newsletter. This edition looks at scientific studies published on: obesity and mortality; olive oil and blood pressure; herbs and cooked meat; drug-nutrient interaction website

WHAT'S NEW IN NUTRITION RESEARCH

The health risk associated with being overweight may have been overstated

A recent analysis of deaths in the United States (from their National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) suggests that being overweight may not increase your risk of dying. This finding is contrary to past research. They estimated the numbers of premature deaths linked to weight in the year 2000. The findings were that underweight and seriously obese people have an increased chance of dying compared to normal weight people. Interestingly, however, being overweight, was associated with a slightly lower chance of dying for your age. The impact of obesity on mortality may have decreased over time, perhaps because of improvements in public health and medical care. The authors highlight that body weight may not be such an important risk factor for premature death and that fitness, smoking and saturated fat in your diet may be more significant.

Flegal KM et al. Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight and obesity. Journal of the American Medical Association 2005;293:1861-1867
Mark DH. Deaths attributable to obesity. Journal of the American Medical Association 2005;293:1018-1919

Olive oil may help lower blood pressure

A study from Greece (Psaltopoulou et al) examined whether the Mediterranean diet, as an entity, and olive oil, in particular, reduce arterial blood pressure. The study was based on the Greek arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Of the Greek participants, 20 343 had never received a diagnosis of hypertension and were included in an analysis in which systolic and diastolic blood pressure were statistically regressed with possible predictors of blood pressure, including a 10-point score that reflects adherence to the Mediterranean diet and, alternatively, the score's individual components and olive oil. The statistical analysis showed that adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and olive oil intake, per se, is associated with lower blood pressure.

Sprinkle some herbs on meat before cooking to reduce the formation of cancer causing chemicals

Sprinkling some herbs (e.g rosemary, oregano) on meat before high temperature cooking (like frying, grilling, barbecuing) appears to counteract the formation of potentially dangerous (carcinogenic) compounds, according to a recent study from the US (Kansas State University). This applies to any high protein foods cooked at high temperatures like chicken, fish, pork.
Ideally, meat should be cooked long and slow with little or no burning such as in stews or casseroles. For barbecues, the researcher says wood smoke may be better than charcoal briquettes because earlier studies indicate tree and plant smoke contain antioxidants. Native Americans even used to treat certain illnesses with wood smoke. To find out more, read the Interview with the researcher on the ABC website

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