September 2005 Newsletter

Prof Mark Wahlqvist AO, MD, FRACP

Welcome to the September edition of the HEC newsletter. This edition looks at scientific studies published on: African Food Cultures; Olive oil and pain; CSIRO total wellbeing diet; Why we should eat a variety of Oils; Free downloadable Seafood brochures; Food labelling of Wholegrains; New Diabetes website

Dr Antigone Kouris-Blazos PhD, Grad Dip Diet, BSc (Hons)

WHAT'S NEW IN NUTRITION RESEARCH

African Food Cultures
My name is Verena Raschke and I am doing my PhD cojointly at University of Vienna (Austria) and Monash University (Australia) with Prof. Elmadfa and HEC's Professor Wahlqvist and Dr Kouris-Blazos.
My project is based on a precious and unique collection of literature and data from East Africa from the 1930s to the 1970s - data includes:anthropology, food intake, nutrient intake, anthropometry, medical assessments, blood tests
and more. I will be placing this fascinating information on the HEC website so anyone interested can find out about how traditional Africans lived (between 1930-1970), what they ate in the past and how this was linked to their health and body composition. Were they healthier on traditional foods or are they healthier now on more 'modern' foods?
A questionnaire will evaluate people's knowledge and opinions about traditional African food cultures.
Please help me with my PhD by completing this short questionnaire - anyone can complete it. The questionnaire is a 'Word' file (click here to open in WORD) which you can complete in word and email back to me: v.raschke@gmx.at

Olive oil, pain and inflammation
A new compound called oleocanthal has been discovered in extra-virgin olive oil that acts the same way as anti-inflammatory drugs (published in the scientific journal Nature, September 2005, Beauchamp et al). It has the same pain relieving qualities as ibuprofen (e.g Nurofen) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This finding does not imply that drinking some oil will cure your headache (50g oil only provides 10% ibuprofen needed for pain relief) however it may partially explain the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. The long-term benefits of low dose of anti-inflammatory compounds like oleocanthal may help protect against cardiovascular events, cancer and even dementia since we now know that these conditions have an inflammatory component to their development. Like ibuprofen, oleocanthal inhibits the activity of the cyclooxygenase enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2. These enzymes are activated as part of the body's inflammatory response to injury and cause pain by stimulating the production of prostaglandins, which irritate nerve endings. Oleocanthal levels are highest in oil from early season olives, newly pressed or extra virgin oil and the olive oils of Sicily and Tuscany - Australian oils have "reasonable levels".
Find out more about olive oil....

CSIRO Total Wellbeing diet (high protein diet)
In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in June 2005 Noakes et al report that women who followed the CSIRO high protein low fat moderate carbohydrate diet for three months lost around 7 kilograms - but the research also showed that those who followed a conventional high-carbohydrate diet lost just as much weight. The CSIRO diet recommends 100 grams of meat at lunch and 200 grams at dinner (which is about double the quantity of meat recommended by other calorie controlled diets) and about 3 serves of cereals/breads a day (which is also less than most conventional diets). The diet consists of: 35g breakfast cereal, 250ml low fat milk, 2 slices wholegrain bread, 2 fruits, 2.5 cups vegetables, 200g diet yoghurt, 3 teaspoons canola oil; 2 glasses wine a week (optional). more....

Why we should eat a variety of oils

Grapeseed oil is a by-product of wine production and is one of the few foods able to raise levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL or high density lipoprotein) and reduce levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL or low density lipoprotein). In a large survey published in 1993 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Nash showed in a sample group of 56 men and women using up to 1.5 ounces (43 g) per day, an amount that one can cook with, grapeseed oil had the ability to raise HDL levels by 13% and reduce LDL levels by 7% in just three weeks. The total cholesterol/HDL ratio was reduced 15.6% and the total LDL/HDL ratio was reduced by 15.3%, which could be significant for those at risk of heart attack. Like olive oil, it is high in antioxidants (e.g procyanadins) but is higher in vitamin E (one tablespoon provides nearly the recommended daily allowance for vitamin E). Unlike olive oil it is very high in the omega 6 fatty acid (linoleic) at levels around 70% (olive oil has only 10%). Grapeseed oil is a good frying oil because it produces the least smoke (i.e it has a high smoke point) and and has the lowest danger of burning among all cooking oils. Sesame oil is rich in vitamin E and possibly useful for lowering cholesterol and unlike other oils contains magnesium, copper, calcium, iron and vitamin B6. Walnut oil has been shown to lower triglycerides which in turn reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. High heat destroys its delicate flavour and so it is sometimes used as an ingredient in salad dressings or pasta sauce. more.....

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NUTRITION RESOURCES ON THE WEB

Seafood brochure - benefits and recipes
New Seafood Brochures produced by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and the Australian Seafood Industry Council (ASIC) in conjunction with HECs Professor Mark Wahlqvist brochure 1 and brochure 2