Health Front
News that's good for you
October 2009
Reprinted with permission from Taste For Life

Folic acid: do you need more?
Eat your folate
Enjoy tea . . .
But don't forget joe
Label savvy
Active kids = healhty kids
Right stuff for fall sports
The germiest room in your house

Folic acid: do you need more?

Health authorities have long advised that all women of childbearing age take 400 micrograms of folic acid (the supplemental form of folate) daily. This is important even if you’re not trying to conceive, since half of all pregnancies are unplanned.

Without sufficient levels of this B vitamin, devastating birth defects like spina bifida can occur between the 2lst and 27th days after conception—when many women don’t yet realize they’re pregnant. Prior to supplementation and fortification of foods with folic acid, the risk of these neural tube defects was one in 1,000 pregnancies. Fortification and supplementation of folic acid in prenatal vitamins has significantly lowered that figure to five in 10,000 births.

And that’s not all. One study analyzing close to 35,000 pregnancies finds that women who take folic acid supplements for at least a year before conception cut the risk of premature delivery in half. Plus the incidence of very early preemies, the babies least likely to survive, fell even more.

selected sources

• “Diet and Deprivation in Pregnancy" by P. Haggarty et al., Br J Nutr, 8/17/09
• An Evidence-Based Approach to Vitamins and Minerals by Jane Higdon, PhD ($59.95, Thieme, 2003

Eat your folate

While taking folic acid is wise, it’s also important to increase folate in your diet.

Enjoy tea . . .

It may keep you young. Antiaging researchers have linked DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes (called telomeres) to longer life. Antioxidants in black and green teas seem to protect telomeres from oxidative damage during aging. And people who drink, on average, three cups of tea a day have longer telomeres—corresponding to about five more years of life, researchers say—than people who average only a quarter cup of tea every day.

selected source

• "Tea Consumers May Have Younger Biological Age" by Stephen Daniells, www.nutraingredients-usa.com, 8/25/09

But don't forget joe

Women who drink two to three cups of coffee daily have an almost 20 percent lower risk for strokes than those who drink less than one cup a month. Previous research has also linked drinking coffee to lower risk for diabetes. So enjoy that cup (and more) of joe!

selected source

• "High Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Stroke Risk for Women" by Todd Neale, www.medpagetoday.com, 2/17/09

Label savvy

Why read labels? To make healthy food choices and add specific nutrients to their diets, say American consumers. A recent survey of over 4,000 shoppers finds them checking to see if the health claims made on the front of packages agree with additional information on the back and side panels. And parents read labels to see if foods and beverages are right for their kids.

Even though consumers are pressed for time and scan labels quickly, the majority say they’re trying to eat healthier than they did in the past.

selected source

• "Food Label Habits to Improve Nutrition: Survey," www.nutraingredients-usa.com, 8/25/09

Active kids = healthy kids

To prevent overweight and obesity, kids need to do what they like best: Play outdoors. Research among 5- to 10-year-olds shows that combining two days of flexibility, resistance, and track and field activities with one day of nutrition education significantly improves body composition, cardiovascular fitness, and dietary habits in school-aged children—even when 60 percent of them are already at unhealthy weights.

If your school district’s budget is too tight for after-school sports, make sure your kids have time to play outdoors. And join them! The short bursts of physical activity expended in outdoor play are effective in maintaining a healthy weight—and reducing body fat.

selected sources

• “Influence of Bouts of Physical Activity on Overweight in Youth" by A. E. Mark and I. Janssen, Am J Prev Med, 5/09
• "Reducing Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity" by R. Topp et al., West J Nurs R, 5/19/09
• “Reinforcing Value of Interval and Continuous Physical Activity in Children" by J. E. Barkley et al., Physiol Behav, 4/16/0

Right stuff for all sports

Even in cool weather, it’s critical to keep active kids hydrated. Also make sure your budding athletes get plenty of foods rich in iron. Bran cereal with raisins is an excellent source of iron, while legumes (especially lentils and kidney beans) are good sources. Chicken and fish are beneficial, too.

After-school sports often interfere with dinner routines, though. Make sure your kids—and those cheering them on—get healthy meals-to-go from the deli section of your favorite store. “With guidance from parents and coaches, young athletes can find high-carbohydrate, low-fat foods in most aisles of the store,” says Brooke de Lench, founder of www.youthsportsparents.com.

selected sources

• Home Team Advantage by Brooke de Lench ($14.95, Collins, 2006)
• “Pediatric Sports Nutrition: An Update" by D. Nemet and A. Eliakim, Curr Opin Nutr Metab Care, 5/09

The germiest room in your house

Home may be where the heart is. But it’s also where 65 percent of colds and more than half of foodborne illnesses get their start. The grungiest room is the kitchen, and the most germ-filled piece of equipment there is the kitchen sponge.

To protect you and your family from bacteria, E. coli, salmonella, and viruses lurking in your sponges, dip them in one-half teaspoon bleach dissolved in one gallon of water. “This is the best and cheapest germicide money can buy,” Phillip Tierno, PhD, author of The Secret Life of Germs, told WebMD. For less than the penny it costs to make a bleach solution, you can regularly disinfect your countertops, cutting boards, and sponges.

selected source

• "6 Daily Habits That May Make You Sick" by Lisa Zamosky, www.webmd.com, 5/15/09