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Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets and heart disease
Pergamon
Food and Chemical Toxicology 35 (1997) 735-738
Information Section ABSTRACTSFROM THE LITERATURE These abstracts are taken from a sectionof the BIBRA Bulletin, a current-awarenessjournal compiled by the lnforn~ltion & AdvisorySectionofBIBRAInternational.This unique monthlydigestof health and safety developments informs its readers of the toxicological issues that may affect product acceptability in chemical and nutritional areas, new and proposed regulatory activities and current thinking on f~,turelegislation,worldwide.The BIBRA Bulletin is availableon subscription. Further information c~mbe obtained from the Information & Advisory Sectionat BIBRAInternational (tel. +44 (0)181-652 1000; fax +44 (0)181-661 7029).
Low-fat, high-cq:rbohydrate diets and heart disease
Cereal-induced anaphylaxls following exercise
US investigators have questioned the wisdom of recommending to postmenopausal women a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to reduce the risk of cardiovascular dise*se. 10 healthy elderly women were assigned randomly to receive for 3 weeks a diet containing (as a % of total energy) either 60% carbohydrate and 2S% fat, or 40% carbohydrate and 45% fat. They were then switched to the other diet for a further 3 weeks. Of the two regimens, the low-fat, high-carbokydrate diet produced changes in insulin metabolism and blood lipid profile that were more closely matched to those previously linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease (Jeppesen J. et aL, American Journal of Clinical Nutritmn 1997, 65, 1027).
Investigators from Finland report on five patients who had experienced severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) when they exercised shortly after eating cereals. Wheat, rye, barley and oats, particularly their ethanol-soluble protein fractions, were found to be allergenic using skin-prick and immunological tests. Over the following 3 years the patients kept to a gluten-free diet or avoided eating prior to exercise (particularly cereal-containing products) and suffered no severe reactions (Varjonen E. et aL, Clinical and Ext~rimental Allergy 1997, 27, 162).
Caffeine and the heart A number of indical:ors of heart function were altered in a group of 12 young volunteers given an oral dose of 5 mg caffeine/kg body weight in a fruit punch. The heart h-'~l not returned to normal 4.5 hours following the caffeine treatment. The "data suggest the importance of further investigation into t~e effects of caffeine on patients with known heart disease" (Bender A.M. et al., American ]ournal of C.ardiology 1997, 79, 696).
Allergy to jackfrult A 30-year-old man with a history of adverse reactions to apple, peach and celery experienced itching and burning of the mouth and throat after eating jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia). He gave a marked reaction to ~he fruit in a skin prick test, and blood tests confirmed the presence of specific antibodies to jackfruit in his serum (Wiithrich B. et aL, Allergy 1997, 52, 428).
Vitamln E and immune function Improvements in immune function have been reported among a group of healthy elderly US citizenstaking vitamin E supplements for at least 4 months. The volunteers, each about 70 years old, were assigned to receive 60, 200 or 800 mg vitamin E (asdl-a-tocopherol)/day,or a placebo, for 235 days. The lower closewas chosen "to represent twice the US recommended daily allowance'. The study was successfullycompleted by 78 of the initiallychosen 88 subjects.The most beneficial effectson the immune system (increaseddelayedtype hypersensitivity skin and antibody responses) were observed in the 20 volunteers receiving the 200 rag/day dose (Meydani S.N. et al., Journal of the American MedicalAssociation 1997, 277, 1380).
The role of folate In colon cancer Folic acid, possibly through its effect on methionine metabolism, is thought to influence the development of colorectal cancer. A 12-year US study of 202 male colon cancer patients, matched by age and smoking habits with 326 controls, suggested that men with two copies of a particular mutation in a gene for an enzyme important in
0278-6915/97/$17.0() + 0.00 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain
Food and Chemical Toxicology 35 (1997) 735-738
Information Section ABSTRACTSFROM THE LITERATURE These abstracts are taken from a sectionof the BIBRA Bulletin, a current-awarenessjournal compiled by the lnforn~ltion & AdvisorySectionofBIBRAInternational.This unique monthlydigestof health and safety developments informs its readers of the toxicological issues that may affect product acceptability in chemical and nutritional areas, new and proposed regulatory activities and current thinking on f~,turelegislation,worldwide.The BIBRA Bulletin is availableon subscription. Further information c~mbe obtained from the Information & Advisory Sectionat BIBRAInternational (tel. +44 (0)181-652 1000; fax +44 (0)181-661 7029).
Low-fat, high-cq:rbohydrate diets and heart disease
Cereal-induced anaphylaxls following exercise
US investigators have questioned the wisdom of recommending to postmenopausal women a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to reduce the risk of cardiovascular dise*se. 10 healthy elderly women were assigned randomly to receive for 3 weeks a diet containing (as a % of total energy) either 60% carbohydrate and 2S% fat, or 40% carbohydrate and 45% fat. They were then switched to the other diet for a further 3 weeks. Of the two regimens, the low-fat, high-carbokydrate diet produced changes in insulin metabolism and blood lipid profile that were more closely matched to those previously linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease (Jeppesen J. et aL, American Journal of Clinical Nutritmn 1997, 65, 1027).
Investigators from Finland report on five patients who had experienced severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) when they exercised shortly after eating cereals. Wheat, rye, barley and oats, particularly their ethanol-soluble protein fractions, were found to be allergenic using skin-prick and immunological tests. Over the following 3 years the patients kept to a gluten-free diet or avoided eating prior to exercise (particularly cereal-containing products) and suffered no severe reactions (Varjonen E. et aL, Clinical and Ext~rimental Allergy 1997, 27, 162).
Caffeine and the heart A number of indical:ors of heart function were altered in a group of 12 young volunteers given an oral dose of 5 mg caffeine/kg body weight in a fruit punch. The heart h-'~l not returned to normal 4.5 hours following the caffeine treatment. The "data suggest the importance of further investigation into t~e effects of caffeine on patients with known heart disease" (Bender A.M. et al., American ]ournal of C.ardiology 1997, 79, 696).
Allergy to jackfrult A 30-year-old man with a history of adverse reactions to apple, peach and celery experienced itching and burning of the mouth and throat after eating jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia). He gave a marked reaction to ~he fruit in a skin prick test, and blood tests confirmed the presence of specific antibodies to jackfruit in his serum (Wiithrich B. et aL, Allergy 1997, 52, 428).
Vitamln E and immune function Improvements in immune function have been reported among a group of healthy elderly US citizenstaking vitamin E supplements for at least 4 months. The volunteers, each about 70 years old, were assigned to receive 60, 200 or 800 mg vitamin E (asdl-a-tocopherol)/day,or a placebo, for 235 days. The lower closewas chosen "to represent twice the US recommended daily allowance'. The study was successfullycompleted by 78 of the initiallychosen 88 subjects.The most beneficial effectson the immune system (increaseddelayedtype hypersensitivity skin and antibody responses) were observed in the 20 volunteers receiving the 200 rag/day dose (Meydani S.N. et al., Journal of the American MedicalAssociation 1997, 277, 1380).
The role of folate In colon cancer Folic acid, possibly through its effect on methionine metabolism, is thought to influence the development of colorectal cancer. A 12-year US study of 202 male colon cancer patients, matched by age and smoking habits with 326 controls, suggested that men with two copies of a particular mutation in a gene for an enzyme important in
0278-6915/97/$17.0() + 0.00 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain