Tag Archives: Nutrition

93% Of Brits Rightly Believe That Problems With Sight Can Affect Wellbeing: Experts Share Nutrition Advice To Help Support Eye Health

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As one of the five senses, vision is pivotal to a happy and comfortable life. But eye-opening new 2024 data, part of a new report tracking the UK’s eye nutrition knowledge and habits – SEEING SENSE: The Nation’s Eye Health Knowledge And The Impact Of Diet1 and commissioned by MacuShield,[2] – has raised concerns around the nation’s eye health dietetics. The same MacuShield report also brings to light how much importance Brits place on their eyesight and their perceived negative impacts of poor eye health.

The report data found that a high 93% of Brits1 believe that a problem with sight can affect other areas of wellbeing. Nearly three quarters (73%) say sight problems lead to headaches, 67% report stress or anxiety, 54% say mood or mental wellbeing issues and 40% say increased risk of falls.[3]

Optometrist Francesca Marchetti and co-author of the new MacuShield report says: “The nation clearly knows the dreadful impact of poor eyesight. In fact, the MacuShield report data has revealed how 28% of Brits admit that vision is their most ‘important area of health’ and 84% believe that their vision deteriorating would impact their everyday lives.”[4]

But, according to the New MacuShield report: “SEEING SENSE: The Nation’s Eye Health Knowledge And The Impact Of Diet,” despite 63% of Brits saying a good diet can support eye health,[5] only 9% admit to actually eating a healthy diet.[6] What’s more, 42% are unaware how to eat to support their eye health[7] and 10% wrongly believe there is nothing you can do to support eye health.[8]

Clinical Nutritionist and co-author of the new MacuShield report, Suzie Sawyer explains: “There has been a slight improvement in some areas of the nation’s knowledge; when MacuShield shared the same data in 2023, 12% of respondents said they didn’t believe it was possible to help support eye health.”[9]

But more needs to be done. 

Public Health Nutritionist and one of the MacuShield report co-authors, Dr Emma Derbyshire notes: “We need to ensure that our diets contain the correct nutrients from a young age. Leaving it too late can have a big negative impact on eye health. The latest data from MacuShield has already found  that 70% of respondents admit that they’ve noticed their eyes deteriorating with age[10] and a high 91% of Brits would be more likely to look after their eye health if they thought they were losing their vision, rather than putting practices in place all the time to keep their eyes healthy.”[11]

“Dietary advice is extremely valuable, but it can only work if people are able to follow it,” adds Dr Emma Derbyshire, noting further, “Only a third (33%) of adults aged 19 to 64 are achieving their 5-A-Day of fruit and vegetables, according to the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS[12]), meaning two thirds of the nation could be short of nutrients including essential vitamins and minerals for eye health. But bridging gaps with the appropriate targeted eye supplements maybe worth considering alongside a healthy diet with at least 5 fruit and vegetables a day as well as following a healthy lifestyle.” 

Knowing our eyes

 The macula is part of the retina right at the back of the eye. “It is only about 5 mm across, but it is responsible for our central vision, most of our colour vision and the fine detail of what we see,” adds Francesca Marchetti. The macula has a very high concentration of photoreceptor cells – the cells that detect light. 

Francesca Marchetti explains: “The macula is the most sensitive part of the retina and gives us sharp central vision essential for activities like reading and driving. The pit or depression within the macula, called the fovea, provides the greatest visual acuity.”

The Macular Pigment

Francesca Marchetti notes further: “Most people don’t know that the macula has a pigment – the macular pigment – which looks like a yellow spot at the back of the eye. This macular pigment is composed of three macular carotenoids – lutein, meso-zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin. The highest concentrations of macular pigment and hence of the three macular carotenoids are found in the fovea.”

Nutrition Know How

Speaking of the three macular carotenoids – lutein, meso-zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin – Public Health Nutritionist Dr Emma Derbyshire says: “When it comes to knowing a little about lutein, meso-zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin, our knowledge of these macular carotenoids is sparce. In the latest MacuShield eye tracker data detailed in the new report: SEEING SENSE: The Nation’s Eye Health Knowledge And The Impact Of Diet – only 19% of people know what lutein is.[13]

“But the foods that pack in the highest amounts of these nutrients aren’t being eaten regularly by us Brits. Just 46% of people eat nutrient-dense green vegetables such as kale weekly, 13% eat it daily and 10% never do.”

Suzie Sawyer adds: “The macular carotenoids are found in vegetables and fruit, in particular dark green vegetables and orange and yellow fruit and vegetables. Meso-zeaxanthin is found in some fish and seafood, such as trout and shrimp.”

 All the products in the MacuShield range2 contain LMZ3 – a nutrient blend of the three macular carotenoids: lutein (10 milligrams (mg), meso-zeaxanthin (10 mg) zeaxanthin (2mg).  

Omega 3 DHA is another beneficial nutrient for vision. We need 250 mg daily for beneficial effect for maintaining vision. Oily fish such as sardines and mackerel  provide this nutrient but just 40% of Brits eat oily fish twice a month and 18% just a few times a year![14]

Other vitamins and minerals also play a key role in eye health by helping to protect the eye tissues from oxidative damage linked to blue light (such as sun and digital screen) exposure. These nutrients include vitamin C, E, B2 and the minerals zinc and copper.[15]

Zinc is involved in retinal function[16] as it helps contribute to the maintenance of normal vision, while vitamin B2 supports eye health and is important to help maintain opacity and clarity of the lens which contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.[17] Foods such as berries, citrus fruits, vegetable oils, sweet potatoes, liver, kidneys, red meat and dairy products offer these nutrients.

“It is worrying that around 20% of people haven’t heard of vitamin C[18] and 33% don’t know what zinc is,”[19] notes Dr Emma Derbyshire. 

Bridging Gaps 

In the UK, too many of us are not getting the key nutrients we need that help support our eye health nutrition needs. In fact, two thirds of the nation could be short of nutrients including essential vitamins and minerals for their eye health because of failing to consume  5-A-Day of fruit and vegetables. That’s according to data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS[20]; aged 19 to 64).

Bridging gaps with the appropriate targeted eye supplements such as those in the MacuShield range[21] maybe worth considering alongside a healthy diet with at least 5 fruit and vegetables a day as well as following a healthy lifestyle. 

New MacuShield Original+ Omega 3™ contains a blend of all three macular carotenoids – lutein, meso-zeaxanthin, and zeaxanthin. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, the same supplement also includes vitamin B2 and a daily dose of 250mg of DHA – which each help to maintain normal vision with just one capsule daily.[22]

Dr Emma Derbyshire notes further: “The UK’s NHS recommends that  everyone eats one portion of oily fish (140g) a week[23] but, the government’s NDNS data has found that among 11 to 18-year-olds, oily fish intake is 21g weekly and in adults is only 56g weekly,[24] so many of us are not only short of vital nutrients like vitamin B2 and Zinc according to the government’s nutrition survey (NDNS), but also omega 3.” 

Francesca Marchetti says: “For those people struggling to get their five fruit and vegetables into their daily diets, there’s another way to help top up the eye nutrient levels and bridge dietary gaps – and that’s taking a targeted eye health supplement, together with a healthy lifestyle makes good eye health sense to me.

“Let’s take action now to help support our vision down the line as we age.”

Alzheimer’s disease – prevention is better than cure – and safer and cheaper

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By Patrick Holford, Food for the Brain 

Preventing Alzheimer’s is easy, but it is being ignored!

Everybody wants a cure for Alzheimer’s. The medical industry has spent around $100 billion searching for one and, so far, come up relatively empty-handed with over thirty failed drug trials. Yet a simple to administer, cheap test could predict Alzheimer’s and allow preventative measures – saving the NHS over £60million a year. 

The focus to date has been on drugs that lower two of the chemical compounds associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia in general – amyloid and p-tau, a pair of messed up proteins that can lead to plaques in the brain and tangled nerves. There is a third compound – an amino acid called homocysteine, that becomes toxic if you have too much, that the drug industry and the Alzheimer’s charities don’t talk about, for reasons that will become clear.

Predicting Alzheimer’s

The actual clinical measures that are used to diagnose Alzheimer’s are a decline in cognitive function and shrinkage of the central area of the brain called the medial temporal lobe. Both changes in cognitive function and brain shrinkage can be picked up thirty years before a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is made.  

Current study

So now a £10 million study is underway to see if a blood test for p-tau, or amyloid, will ‘predict’ if you are more likely to develop the disease and there are plans for a major program to identify those at risk so they can be treated as early as possible.  This sounds sensible but there are serious drawbacks. To begin with not everyone with raised p-tau or amyloid go on to develop Alzheimer’s. 

Drawbacks and side-effects

This means, as a recent article in the New York Times entitled, ‘Apparently healthy but diagnosed with Alzheimer’s,’ pointed out, people without a diagnosis or no brain scan showing shrinkage, could well be offered new drug treatments that are, so far, only marginally better than placebos but have awful adverse effects. 

These include brain bleeding or swelling which has occurred in more than one in four participants in the last two drug trials and resulted in seven deaths. Medical agencies in the US, EU and UK are reluctant to licence their use but are under a lot of pressure to do so. 

So thousands of desperate people with early stage Alzheimer’s or cognitive decline, hoping for a cure, are queuing up to join these drug trials because they perceive these drugs, that so far come with little or no benefit plus highly unpalatable side effects, are a better alternative than doing nothing.

The research

But are there really no alternatives? Well, none that patients are routinely told about. They involve changes in diet and lifestyle, that are very likely to improve your overall health, including that of your brain, and very unlikely to cause damaging side effects. 

Almost all money for research, pledged by governments and raised by Alzheimer’s charities, is going in the direction of drug treatments. Alzheimer’s Research UK’s (ARUK) website says, “we exist for a cure”. Yet, most of the money is going toward amyloid and p-tau related research, neither of which has been established as causal. In other words, high levels may just be a consequence of the disease process.

Homocysteine

The same is not true for raised blood levels of homocysteine. If levels rise in the brain, it shrinks faster and cognitive abilities decline. If it goes down, they improve, and brain shrinkage slows. This means that it is causing the damage and so would logically be a target for treatment. The only way to do it, however, is with high dose B vitamins (B6, B12 and folate). Several gold standard, placebo-controlled trials have found this to be very safe and effective. But this approach is not patentable and so yields nothing like a drug profit.

But the benefits of treating homocysteine don’t stop there. It is a much better biomarker of risk for Alzheimer’s than plaque and p-tau both because it is more easily measured and more safely lowered. And when it is lowered, unlike those two, it actually improves cognitive function and slows brain shrinkage by as much as two thirds. It also helps to stop p-tau formation.

Routine checks save £60million a year

Routinely checking homocysteine levels could prevent thousands of cases. Just doing this “could save costs to the UK economy of approximately £60 million per year,” says Dr Apostolos Tsiachristas, Associate Professor in Health Economics at the University of Oxford. His research also estimated it would promote healthy longevity, adding 14 years to life expectancy. 

About half of people over 65 have a homocysteine level above 11mcmol/l, which is where it starts to become damaging. 

Supporting studies

In one study a third of those treated ended the study with no clinical dementia rating, meaning they could no longer be diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Those with sufficient omega-3 DHA, which is the most important structural fat in the brain, had 73% less brain shrinkage compared to placebo when given the B vitamin treatment. In contrast, in the last anti-amyloid treatment trial, brain shrinkage accelerated by about a fifth in those getting the drug, compared to placebo and not one person achieved a clinical dementia rating of zero.

It should be clear by now, after decades of scientific research that amyloid plaque is not a cause of Alzheimer’s, but a consequence. The same is likely to be true for p-tau tangles.

As an analogy consider your teeth. Is plaque the cause of tooth decay?  Sure, flossing your teeth and getting the plaque scraped off by the dental hygienist helps, but what causes the plaque? The answer is a bad diet – in this case, one high in sugar and low in fibre. Despite fifty years of research there is no ‘cure’ for tooth decay, but it can be prevented. The same concept applies to Alzheimer’s, which is as preventable as tooth decay with the right diet and nutrition and lifestyle – which also happens to include less sugar and more fibre.

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Alzheimer’s Prevention

How preventable is Alzheimer’s? It accounts for two thirds of dementia cases. The most conservative figure is 40%. More optimistic estimates say around 80%. Since only one in a hundred cases is caused by genes Alzheimer’s may be entirely preventable in those 99% who do not have the rare causative genes and act early enough to optimise all diet and lifestyle factors. It is not an inevitable consequence of the ageing process as evidenced by the fact that the majority of people don’t get it.

Why the difference in figures? 

Why the difference in figures? It’s all to do with what is or isn’t included in prevention studies. The most widely used review for dementia prevention in the UK is the 2020 report of the Lancet Commission, authored by Professor Gill Livingston. Both this and the first edition in 2017 failed to even mention homocysteine, despite being repeatedly sent all the evidence of the undeniable beneficial effects of homocysteine-lowering B vitamins by the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) at the University, headed by former Deputy Head of Medical Science, Professor David Smith.

This is a major and damaging error and has led to the widespread belief that B vitamin supplements are not part of the usual list of preventive actions. But it should be corrected, especially considering that a US National Institutes of Health study attributes 22% of the risk of Alzheimer’s to raised homocysteine. Also, the best study of all, looking at 396 studies in total, published in 2020, concluded: ‘Homocysteine-lowering treatment seems the most promising intervention for Alzheimer’s disease prevention.’ 

Other prevention studies you may have read are possibly based on data from the UK Biobank. This major research data bank also ignores homocysteine, not for any malevolent reason but simply because it wasn’t measured when it was enrolling people. So, one of the single biggest risk factors and arguably the simplest to change, is repeatedly ignored.

Given that a conservative half of Alzheimer’s cases could be prevented, shouldn’t half the available research money be spent on prevention? This certainly doesn’t happen at the moment. Of the three leading charities, two spend nothing on prevention. ARUK claim to spend 5% but none of this goes towards B vitamins or other brain-friendly nutrients such as omega-3 or vitamin D. They too ignore homocysteine, and the beneficial effects of lowering in with B vitamins, as first shown in a 2010 Oxford University study they actually helped fund!

Prevention studies are almost always going to under-estimate (never over-estimate) the power of prevention due to excluding risk factors, but also because they largely ignore the ‘1+1=3’ compounding impact of interactive risk factors. B vitamins, for example, don’t work without sufficient omega-3 and omega-3 oils don’t work in people with raised homocysteine, because of a lack of B vitamins. This has been shown in four trials – in the UK, Holland, Sweden and China. The combination of B vitamins given to people sufficient in omega-3 DHA improved the reduction in brain shrinkage from 53% to 73%. Pollution exposure is a risk factor but, in those with lower homocysteine this effect is much reduced. Poor sleep is a risk factor, but less so in those who exercise. 

For the past five years leading UK researchers led by neurologist Professor Peter Garrard, who is the Director of the dementia research group in the St George’s, University of London Neuroscience Research Section, have tried to get funding to test the most promising combination – B vitamins and omega-3 – to no avail. Such a trial is badly needed and would cost of a fraction of that being spent on amyloid or p-tau.

So, what if a person does everything right – enough B vitamins to keep homocysteine low, sufficient omega-3, low sugar, high fibre diet, enough vitamin D (Alzheimer’s is four times less likely in those with sufficient vitamin D), and an active physical, intellectual and social lifestyle, plus good sleep and not too much stress? 

The only ongoing study and database, the COGNITION Biobank, that assesses all these risk factors as well as including blood tests of four critical biomarkers, homocysteine, omega-3 index, vitamin D and HBA1c, which measures glucose control, is being run by the charity foodforthebrain.org. It describes itself as ‘citizen science’ because anyone can get involved doing a free online Cognitive Function Test, filling in a questionnaire about their diet, lifestyle and medical history, and sending in a blood sample from a home test kit. 

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So far, over 400,000 people have been tested. But, unlike the £10 million trial, funded by the People’s Lottery, the Gates Foundation, ARUK and the Alzheimer’s Society, it gets no funding. It is literally funded by the citizen scientists who chip in £50 a year and pay for their own tests. Their message is simple: prevention is better than cure – don’t jump.

To test yourself visit www.foodforthebrain.org.  To find out more about prevention visit www.alzheimersprevention.info 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patrick Holford is a Nutrition and Mental Health expert & Founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, VitaminC4Covid, and the charitable Food for the Brain Foundation, where he directs their Alzheimer’s prevention project, including Alzheimer’s Prevention Day. Patrick reads hundreds of studies a year assimilating the latest health breakthroughs and turning them into practical advice to make it easy for everyone to live a healthy life. He is author of 46 health books translated into over 30 languages. www.alzheimersprevention.infoand https://foodforthebrain.org/ 

References:

These are key papers regarding stated facts in this article.

New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/health/alzheimers-amyloid-diagnosis.html

Homocysteine and p-tau: https://foodforthebrain.org/the-p-tau-delusion/

Donanemab review in the British medical Journal: BMJ 2023;382:p1852 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p1852; 

Telegraph reports 7 deaths and brain shrinkage: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/19/alzheimers-drugs-shrink-brain-scientists-warn/

Health economics of B vitamins: Tsiachristas A, Smith AD. B-vitamins are potentially a cost-effective population health strategy to tackle dementia: Too good to be true? Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2016 Aug 11;2(3):156-161. doi: 10.1016/j.trci.2016.07.002. PMID: 29067302; PMCID: PMC5651357.

Omega-3 and B vitamin interactions and studies: Smith AD, Jernerén F, Refsum H. ω-3 fatty acids and their interactions. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Apr 6;113(4):775-778. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab013. PMID: 33711096.

Less brain shrinkage and cognitive decline with B vitamins and sufficient omega-3: Jernerén F, Elshorbagy AK, Oulhaj A, Smith SM, Refsum H, Smith AD. Brain atrophy in cognitively impaired elderly: the importance of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids and B vitamin status in a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Jul;102(1):215-21. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.103283. Epub 2015 Apr 15. PMID: 25877495; see also  Oulhaj A, Jernerén F, Refsum H, Smith AD, de Jager CA. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status Enhances the Prevention of Cognitive Decline by B Vitamins in Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;50(2):547-57. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150777. PMID: 26757190; PMCID: PMC4927899.

NIH Alzheimer’s prevention review: Beydoun MA, Beydoun HA, Gamaldo AA, Teel A, Zonderman AB, Wang Y. Epidemiologic studies of modifiable factors associated with cognition and dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2014 Jun 24;14:643. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-643. PMID: 24962204; PMCID: PMC4099157.

Meta-analysis of 396 studies favouring homocysteine-lowering B vitamin treatment: Prof Yu study Yu JT, Xu W, Tan CC, Andrieu S, Suckling J, Evangelou E, Pan A, Zhang C, Jia J, Feng L, Kua EH, Wang YJ, Wang HF, Tan MS, Li JQ, Hou XH, Wan Y, Tan L, Mok V, Tan L, Dong Q, Touchon J, Gauthier S, Aisen PS, Vellas B. Evidence-based prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of 243 observational prospective studies and 153 randomised controlled trials. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2020 Nov;91(11):1201-1209. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2019-321913. Epub 2020 Jul 20. PMID: 32690803; PMCID: PMC7569385.

THE RIGHT DRIED FRUIT SNACKS CAN FILL NUTRITION GAPS, REPORT REVEALS.

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Fruit Bowl pic Sadly, it appears that the five-a-day health message is failing and we are falling short of the latest guidance on fibre, according to a new report. So maybe it’s time to rethink healthy-eating messages and look for fresh strategies to ensure children, in particular, eat their five-a-day and hit the fibre targets. A review just published in the journal of Complete Nutrition suggests one simple step would be to swap a sugary snack for dried fruit or a fruit-based snack, which doesn’t seem like rocket science . Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist, mum and one of the report authors agrees: “Putting the new UK fibre guidance into practice will not be easy. This is why brands like Fruit Bowl have looked at how children in particular can increase their fibre and indeed their fruit and vegetable needs. They have just introduced the new Picked and Pressed range which provides a natural source of fibre and counts as one of our five-a-day. So, simple changes such as replacing one item of confectionary with a fruit-based snack such as Picked and Pressed will provide an immediate benefit in terms in increased fibre consumption.” It seems to Frost Magazine, and one of the high points of the Fruit Bowl snack is that it has no added sugar, which seems to be a bugbear in many lunchboxes. As well as fruit in the snacks, there is milled flaxseed which is rich in fibre, and doesn’t overlay the flavour of the fruit. The Picked and Pressed Bars are available in three flavours, strawberry, orange and apple and pear. And for the grown up, only 60 calories per bar. Can't be bad. Fruit Bowl® Fruit Bites (RRP £2.00 for a pack of 4 individually wrapped 19g packs of Bites)Sadly, it appears that the five-a-day health message is failing and we are falling short of the latest guidance on fibre, according to a new report.

 

So maybe it’s time to rethink healthy-eating messages and look for fresh strategies to ensure children, in particular, eat their five-a-day and hit the fibre targets.

 

A review just published in the journal of Complete Nutrition suggests one simple step would be to swap a sugary snack for dried fruit or a fruit-based snack, which doesn’t seem like rocket science .

 

Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist, mum and one of the report authors agrees: “Putting the new UK fibre guidance into practice will not be easy. This is why brands like Fruit Bowl have looked at how children in particular can increase their fibre and indeed their fruit and vegetable needs.

 

They have just introduced the new Picked and Pressed range which provides a natural source of fibre and counts as one of our five-a-day. So, simple changes such as replacing one item of confectionary with a fruit-based snack such as Picked and Pressed will provide an immediate benefit in terms in increased fibre consumption.”

 

It seems to Frost Magazine, and one of the high points of the Fruit Bowl snack is that it has no added sugar, which seems to be a bugbear in many lunchboxes.

 

As well as fruit in the snacks,  there is milled flaxseed which is rich in fibre, and doesn’t overlay the flavour of the fruit.

 

The Picked and Pressed Bars are available in three flavours, strawberry, orange and apple and pear. And for the grown up, only 60 calories per bar. Can’t be bad.

 

Fruit Bowl® Fruit Bites (RRP £2.00 for a pack of 4 individually wrapped 19g packs of Bites)

 

 

Power through the New Year with Whitworths Shots

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So January’s finally over and how many of those resolutions have you stuck to thus far? In a study conducted by leading healthy snack brand Whitworths, nearly 10 million Brits wave goodbye to their diet plans as we enter into the month of February due to faltering willpower. So what is the solution and how do we claw back our start of year “New Year, New Me” mindset?

Frost had the pleasure of experiencing a workout of a very different kind hosted by the brains behind Whitworths called The Willpower Workout. The workout is the foundations of what will help us to turn our healthy eating patterns into habits. So why do so many of us struggle to keep and maintain healthy eating patterns? The study showed that the population is set to lose willpower due to things like boredom of healthy food, with 26% of us claiming a lack of low calorie snacks are easily available, 19% feeling down about the bad weather and 9% of us a lack of sleep Karen Cox, Brand Controller at Whitworths comments; “As a brand that promotes healthy snacking, we believe that working on maintaining willpower is the key to succeeding in losing weight. Our ‘Willpower Workout’, which launched this month, is a little different to classes you’ll find in your local gym – featuring experts in the fields of hypnotherapy and sleep therapy as well as fitness and nutrition.”  

Want to have a go…? Check out this video to try the very first and exclusive Willpower Workout.

So who are Whitworths? They are the brain-child of the award-winning shots range, not the alcoholic kind ahem, but the kind that will give you a satisfying and healthy snack boost throughout your day. In this day and age where the demand for healthy-snacks is through the roof, Whitworths are committed to providing us with something a lot tastier than your average rice cake or salad. Whitworths Shots have it all covered with eight incredible flavours to choose from;

Berry and White Chocolate Shot: An indulgent mix of cranberries, extra juicy, plump and large Chilean flame raisins and creamy white chocolate pieces (93 calories per pack)

Toffee Pecan Shot: A sweet and satisfying collection of juicy sultanas, dried chopped dates, toffee pieces and crunchy pecan nuts (99 calories per pack)

Fruity Biscuit Shot: A fruity blend of sunshine sultanas, cranberries and rich white chocolate-coated shortcake biscuits (93 calories per pack)

Orange and Chocolate Seed Shot: A classic mix of orange flavour cranberries, golden, succulent raisins, milk chocolate-coated and natural pumpkin seeds (95 calories per pack)

Raisin and Chocolate Shot: Plump golden and crimson raisins paired with rich dark chocolate balls make this the perfect simple-but-satisfying treat (91 calories per pack)

Blueberry and Seed Shot: A delicious juicy jumble of raisins, pumpkin seeds, yogurt-coated sunflower seeds and dried blueberries (98 calories per pack)

Cranberry and Almond Shot: A super-saintly mix of juicy, succulent crimson raisins, little jewel cranberries and toasted, crunchy almond slices with no added refined sugar (97 calories per pack)

Apricot and Seed Shot: A ‘clean eating’ blend of chopped, tender apricots, tangy cranberries, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds with no added refined sugar (88 calories per pack)

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All at under 100 Cals per shot. So turn your healthy eating patterns into habits with Whitworths Willpower Workouts and let us know how you get on. Remember, it only takes 21 days to make a habit.

Shots are available now in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Superdrug and WHSmith from 49p per pack.

https://www.facebook.com/WhitworthsUK/
www.whitworths.co.uk

New Study Highlights Crucial Role of Red Meat in Plugging The Nutrition Gap

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Millions of people in the UK are putting their health at risk because of inadequate intakes of vital vitamins and minerals, a new study has revealed. But the research also highlights just how important the role of red meat is in the diet in helping to cover this nutrition gap.

 

Meat has been a staple part of the human diet since the dawn of mankind, but in recent years there has been some debate over whether too much red meat can raise the risk of health problems. Now a team of researchers has studied the issue of meat in the diet to help gauge just how important it is for a healthy mind and body – as well as the crucial nutrients that red meat in the diet brings.

 

The latest study found that data from dietary surveys indicates that UK diets for people of all ages can be worryingly low in nutrients normally found in meat, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium. The researchers say that integrating red meat into diets across the age spectrum, from infanthood to old age, may help to narrow the present gap between vitamin and mineral intakes and recommended levels. In addition, there is emerging evidence that nutrients commonly found in red meat may play a role in supporting cognitive function, immune health and addressing iron deficiency.

 

Independent dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton, together with Emma Derbyshire, Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition, Manchester Metropolitan University and Prof Robert Pickard, Emeritus Professor of Neurobiology, University of Cardiff, studied data from 103 previous scientific research papers. Many of the previous studies drew from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) – now an annual rolling programme which provides a valuable insight into the nutritional quality of modern diets. The new paper – entitled Micronutrient challenges across the age spectrum: Is there a role for meat in the diet? – is just published in the British Nutrition Foundation’s Nutrition Bulletin.1

 

The role of red meat in the diet

Red meat – defined as beef, veal, pork and lamb, which is fresh, minced or frozen – is a source of high quality protein and important micronutrients. Beef and lamb are classed as a ‘rich source’ – more than 30% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) – of vitamin B3 (niacin), B12 (cyanocobalamin) and zinc. It is also a ‘source’ – 15% or more of the RDA – of iron, potassium and phosphorous. Pork is also a ‘rich source’ of vitamin B1 (thiamin). Meat, particularly from grass-fed animals, can be a valuable source of long chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as omega 3 fatty acids. Research shows that these fatty acids support normal foetal development as well as help lower the risk of inflammatory conditions, depression and dementia in later life. Red meat is also an important source of haem iron – a type that is readily absorbed – and data shows that average iron intakes in the UK are inadequate, especially among females in general and during pregnancy.

 

UK nutrition – the seven ages of mankind

 

  • Infants and pre-school children – studies show that diets in this age group are low in vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, zinc.
  • Pre-pubescent children – diets were found to be low in vitamin A, magnesium, iron and zinc. Boys tended to have higher intakes of iron and thiamin than girls.
  • Teenagers (13 to 18 years) – diets are low in many key nutrients – including vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium.
  • Adults of reproductive age (19-50 years) – diets, particularly for females, fall short in magnesium and iron, as well as zinc, selenium and potassium.
  • Pregnancy and lactation – Women on average fail to get enough calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine, selenium and potassium and vitamin D.
  • Middle-age and older age (50 years and above) – while this group have better quality diets, there are still shortfalls in intakes of magnesium, zinc and potassium.
  • Older-age (75 years and beyond) – data shows that in adults aged over 85, intakes of magnesium, zinc and potassium are below the recommended nutrient intake.

 

How meat affects health – latest investigations

While some studies have linked high levels of meat consumption with health issues, the evidence is inconsistent and the research varies in its quality – for instance one paper that found a link between meat and obesity included pies and pastries as well as lean cuts of meat. Indeed, other research found that lean meat consumption does not impact on risk of chronic disease. Chemicals called heterocyclic amines may be produced when meat is cooked or charred and these have been linked with an increased cancer risk. However, there is also evidence that meat contains nutrients with anticancer properties, such as LC n-3 PUFA, conjugated linoleic acids, vitamins B6, B12, D and selenium. In addition, older studies may not be so relevant today as the fat content of meat has reduced considerably over the past few decades as a result of changes in breeding and animal feeding practices.

 

In terms of heart health, a study showed that eating red meat (lamb) three times a week had no effect on low-density-lipoprotein levels – the so-called bad cholesterol – or triglycerides, both factors for cardiovascular disease, when compared to white meat. In another study of patients with high cholesterol levels, those who ate red meat every day were found to have fewer markers for heart disease. Studies have indicated that meat protein could help delay or reduce the gradual loss of muscle mass – a condition known as sarcopenia. Diet when younger may play a part in mental ability when older – data from a Chinese study found that adults aged 50 years and over who ate meat in childhood had improved memory recall. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) – made up independent experts and which provides advice to the Department of Health – recommends that adults should consume a balanced diet with up to 70g of lean red meat per day and up to 500g per week.

 

Independent dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton, who led the study, says: “Meat has long played a central role in the human diet and is now recognised as an important source of high-quality protein and essential micronutrients. The research indicates that even in developed countries such as the UK, with a plentiful food supply, there is evidence of under-consumption of key vitamins and minerals which support long-term health. It is notable that many of these are present in red meat, such as iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, selenium, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

 

“Integrating red meat into diets across the age spectrum, from infanthood to old age, may help to narrow the present gap between intakes and recommendations. In addition, there is emerging evidence that nutrients commonly found in red meat may play a role in supporting cognitive function, immune health, and addressing iron deficiency. While concerns have been raised about the potential impact of meat on the risk of chronic disease, there is little evidence and may be triggered by meat cooking methods or other dietary factors.

 

“Moderate amounts of lean red meat provide a wide range of important nutrients, without substantially increasing intakes of energy and saturated fat. When consumed in moderate amounts as part of a balanced diet, lean meat is unlikely to increase the risk of chronic disease yet provides an important source of micronutrients. In addition, people who eat lean meat regularly tend to eat more vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products and have a higher intake of nutrients overall, suggesting that inclusion of red meat does not displace other important foods.”

 

Dr Ruxton adds: “Meat had a central role in the diet of early man and continues to do so in modern times. When eaten as part of a balanced diet, red meat represents an important source of protein and essential nutrients, which may contribute towards improving diet quality from weaning to old age. Recommended intakes for red meat – up to 500g cooked weight per week – would appear to be safe and most UK adults are within this range.”

What To Eat When You’re Pregnant And Vegetarian | Book Review

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pregnancy, health, diet, food, what to eat, vegetarian, The phrase, ‘You are what you eat’, is never truer than when pregnant. In fact, both you and your baby are what you eat. If you are vegetarian, or just want to cut down on meat, then this book calls itself the ‘complete guide to healthy eating’. We put it to the test.

This book is an excellent guide. It has a handy reference of vegetarian-safe food and drink, checklists for pregnancy and post-conception, guidelines on caffeine and alcohol, tips on handling morning sickness, how to achieve a healthy weight, and then lose it again, advice on getting enough nutrients, advice on allergy-proofing your baby, food that affects a babies development and what you should eat when breastfeeding. Phew. That is quite a lot of information.

With its menu plans and tips for planning meals, the wealth of information in this book is vast. It even has graphs of how much you should weigh and what food you should eat, it makes a complicated time easy, at least when it comes to nutrition. I also thought the chapter on getting enough iron and avoiding anaemia is great for any mother-to-be. The common complaints during pregnancy and how to deal with them is great too. It covers most health complaints that occur in pregnancy.

What to Eat When You’re Pregnant and Vegetarian: The Complete Guide to Healthy Eating is a great book. A must buy if you are planning to get pregnant or already are.

The role of red meat in the diet

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Fresh_meatThe role of red meat in the diet

A government dietary surveys continue to demonstrate that diets in the UK, whatever our age, are worryingly low in some nutrients commonly found in meat, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium. Meat has been a staple part of the human diet since the dawn of mankind and a new review[1] just published, has found that including lean red meat in diets across the age spectrum, from infanthood to old age, may help to narrow the present gap between vitamin and mineral intakes and recommended levels. In addition, the evidence suggests that nutrients commonly found in red meat play a role in supporting cognitive function, immune health and addressing iron deficiency.

 

Red meat – defined as beef, veal, pork and lamb, which is fresh, minced or frozen – is a source of high quality protein and important micronutrients. Beef and lamb are classed as a ‘rich source’ – i.e. more than 30% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) – of niacin, vitamin B12 and zinc. It is also a ‘source’ – i.e. 15% or more of the RDA – of iron, potassium and phosphorous. Pork is a ‘rich source’ of vitamin B1 (thiamin). Meat, particularly from grass-fed animals, can be a valuable source of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids, also found in oily fish, support normal foetal development as well as helping to lower the risk of inflammatory conditions, depression and dementia in later life. Red meat is an important source of haem iron – the type that is most readily absorbed – while survey data show that average iron intakes in the UK are worryingly low in some groups such as young children, teenagers and pregnant women.

 

 

GETTING THE FACTS RIGHT:

 

In response to a study on vegetarian diets published yesterday2, independent dietician and member of the Meat Advisory Panel (MAP) Dr Carrie Ruxton comments: “This study looked at different groups of Seventh Day Adventists in the US using questionnaires, noting that those with vegetarian diets lived slightly longer than those consuming meat. However, there were several problems with the study. Firstly, vegetarians had a lower body mass index and were less likely to smoke or drink alcohol than non-vegetarians. Secondly, little attempt was made to account for other dietary variables which could affect mortality risk. It was reported that the vegetarians had high vitamin C and fibre intakes, which could certainly impact on health. Thus, the simple presence or absence of meat is an unlikely reason for the differences in mortality rates, given the large differences in smoking, body mass index, alcohol intake, vitamin C and fibre.

 

“The study also points out that differences in mortality between vegetarians and meat eaters have not been shown in European studies, for example the large European Prospective

Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Oxford (EPIC Oxford) cohort study of 47,254 participants[2]. Thus, the US study is not relevant for the UK where intakes of red meat are lower. There is no reason why a moderate amount of red meat, as recommended by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and consumed as part of a balanced diet, should not be seen as beneficial for health and wellbeing.

 

Red meat contains highly bioavailable nutrients, particularly zinc and iron, which are less available from a vegetarian diet. Given the low dietary intakes of some nutrients within the UK population, adults should continue to consume a balanced diet with up to 70g of lean red meat per day and up to 500g per week as recommended by SACN”.

 

DID YOU KNOW? Meat and heart health: In a cohort study among over 51,000 people, meat consumption up to ~100 g/day, was not associated with increased mortality from ischemic heart disease, stroke or total cardiovascular disease among either men or women.[3]

 

In summary, lean red meat plays an important part in a balanced diet. Red meat supplies key nutrients which can be lacking in the diets of some sub -groups of the UK population.  Evidence indicates that consumption of red meat in recommended amounts does not have a deleterious effect on lipid levels, a risk factor for heart disease. Lean red meat can make a positive contribution to bridging the dietary gap that exists in the diets of some people in the UK.

 

THE FACTS: UK nutrition – the seven ages of mankind: 1

 

  • Infants and pre-school children – studies show that diets in this age group are low in vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, zinc.
  • Pre-pubescent children – diets were found to be low in vitamin A, magnesium, iron and zinc. Boys tended to have higher intakes of iron and thiamin than girls.
  • Teenagers (13 to 18 years) – diets are low in many key nutrients – including vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium.
  • Adults of reproductive age (19-50 years) – diets, particularly for females, fall short in magnesium and iron, as well as zinc, selenium and potassium.
  • Pregnancy and lactation – Women on average fail to get enough calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine, selenium and potassium and vitamin D.
  • Middle-age and older age (50 years and above) – while this group have better quality diets, there are still shortfalls in intakes of magnesium, zinc and potassium.
  • Older-age (75 years and beyond) – data shows that in adults aged over 85, intakes of magnesium, zinc and potassium are below the recommended nutrient intake.

Seb Morgan’s Fitness Column, I’M BACK

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Hey All

Well here I go.

Sorry I’d gone, but I’m back.

Well hello faithful Frost magazine readers.

Most of you won’t know me, thats my fault. Last year Catherine accepted me as Frost’s very own health and fitness columnist.

I did write some articles, that I am proud of too as I’m not really great at writing, but then I sort of…vanished.

 

Well I want to explain where I have been and why.

I joined the army, the reserves in fact and in truth the Parachute Regiment Reserves.

It was 6 hard, disgusting, painful, agonising months that made me open my eyes and realise more about myself than anything ever has done before, and I’ve seen a lot.

 

The training was the hardest things I have physically done. The mental learning curve was a giant mountain and the limits I had to go to were endless.

I was in more than physical and mental agony, my insides felt like they where dying.

That is the only way i can put it, I died, I went to hell and out the back door to a place they don’t tell you about.

 

I thought I could explain it but no matter how many graphical words I use it’s just impossible.

You won’t understand what it feels like to tab, to be on your 4th stag in the pitch black night in the dam cold, freezing cold and you will not understand the emotions you go through on the log race.

But what you may understand is quitting. I mean it’s so easy. So simple to do.

When you have had enough or it hurts too much you just say “no more, I am down and out of here”, get up walk away and grab a cuppa.

 

The hard work isn’t “to keep going” it is to keep going when it can so easily be ended.

I mean, have you ever started something, a hobby, a run, or fat loss project and

stick with it? Or did you quit, walk away because it was too hard and then think months later, “damn, it would be over by now and I’d be better for it.”

 

What I am trying to say is, if it is worth doing, of course its going to be hard, even painful but it is worth doing because at the end the feeling you will get is something you will have never felt if you didn’t stay with it.

I promise, when I got that maroon machine I shed some tears and of all the things I have done nothing has made me feel like that.

 

So stick with it, endure and if you want to quit just think, why did you start.

 

So I will keep going and writing articles about health, fitness and nutrition and you can read them here and also….Tuh-dah! My website, Facebook and Twitter and YouTube account.

 

Yep I have created an exciting training company called Kettlebell Strength and you can catch up with us at www.kettlebellstrength.co.uk where you can find links to our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages so please go, have a look, follow, like, subscribe and get in touch.

 

I would be great to get to know you.

 

P.S. I have made a healthy and lush banana cake and will put a video up soon for you guys.

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