Healthy Eating Patterns Increase Survival Rates in Older Adults

A newly published study supports the idea that a relatively low-fat, plant-based diet increases quality of life and survival in older adults.

A report published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association concluded that eating healthy food really does increase survival in older adults.

Researchers analyzed data from 2,582 participants in The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Participants were American adults aged 70 to 79 upon enrollment. Dietary questionnaires completed during the second year after enrollment were used to identify 6 predominant dietary patterns: high-fat dairy products, meat, fried foods and alcohol, breakfast cereal, refined grains, sweets and desserts, and healthy foods. The healthy foods diet was characterized by a higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables, and reduced consumption of meat, fried foods, sweets, high-calorie drinks and added fat.

During the follow-up period of up to 10 years, 739 deaths occurred in the study group. Those whose diets consisted of healthy food had a significantly lower risk of dying than those whose diets were dominated by high-fat dairy products (ice cream, cheese, whole milk), meat, fried foods and alcohol, sweets, and other desserts. Researchers found a 40 percent greater risk of dying among those who consumed relatively higher amounts of high-fat dairy products, and a 37 percent greater risk for those whose diets were characterized by a lot of sweets.

This study's findings are consistent with current guidelines to consume relatively high amounts of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and low-fat dairy products. Diets that follow this pattern appear to be associated with superior nutritional status, improved quality of life, and higher rates of survival in older adults.

Anderson AL, et al. Dietary Patterns and Survival of Older Adults. 2011. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 11(1):84-91.

Meal Replacements Better Than Standard Diets for Weight Loss in Diabetics

New research shows portion-controlled meal replacement diets as more effective than standard diets at both initial weight loss and long-term weight maintenance in type 2 diabetics.

A recent study published in Diabetes Education compared the efficacy of a portion-controlled meal replacement diet (PCD) to a standard diet (SD) based on American Diabetes Association recommendations in achieving and maintaining weight loss.

Participants included 119 overweight men and women with type 2 diabetes and a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 40. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two diets (PCD or SD) that contained 75% of predicted energy needs. The diets were then followed by a maintenance phase of one year.

Weight loss at 34 weeks and weight maintenance at 86 weeks was significantly better on PCD versus SD. Approximately 40% of the PCD participants lost at least 5% of their initial weight compared with only 12% of those on the standard diet. Significant improvements in biochemical and metabolic measures were observed at 34 weeks in both groups. The ease and self-reported adherence to the diet were greater in the PCD group throughout the study.

In this study, a diet using portion-controlled meal replacements resulted in significantly greater initial weight loss and less regain after one year of maintenance than a standard, self-selected, food-based diet. As PCDs may help obese patients with type 2 diabetes adhere to a weight control program, diabetes educators should consider recommending them as part of a comprehensive approach to weight control.

Recommended healthy diet USANA RESET

Cheskin LJ, et al. Efficacy of meal replacements versus a standard food-based diet for weight loss in type 2 diabetes: a controlled clinical trial. 2008. Diabetes Educ 34(1):118-27

High Glycemic Load Diets Increase Risk of Age-Related Hearing Loss

In a recent study of adults over 50 years old, those with a high glycemic load diet had a significantly increased risk of age-related hearing loss.

Age-related hearing loss is a common disability in older adults, and nutrition may play a role in the development of this condition. Carbohydrate nutrition is thought to possibly relate to age-related hearing loss.

In a recent issue of the Journal of Nutrition, researchers sought to determine the association between glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) and age-related hearing loss.

Hearing loss was measured in 2956 participants aged 50 years or older enrolled in the Blue Mountains Hearing Study. Food frequency questionnaires were used to document intakes of carbohydrates, sugar, starch, cereal and total fiber. Australian GI values were used to calculate average GI and GL values of the diets.

A higher average dietary GI was associated with a 59% increased prevalence of any hearing loss. Participants in the highest 25% of average dietary GL intake compared with those in the lowest 25% had a 76% greater risk of developing hearing loss. Higher carbohydrate and sugar intakes were also associated with occurrence of hearing loss.

In this study group, a high-GL diet was a predictor of hearing loss, as was higher intake of total carbohydrates. It is possible that prolonged high blood glucose levels after a meal may be an underlying biological mechanism in the development of age-related hearing loss.

Gopinath B, et al. Dietary Glycemic Load Is a Predictor of Age-Related Hearing Loss in Older Adults. 2010. J Nutr 140(12):2207-12.

High Protein, Low-Glycemic Diets Better at Maintaining Weight Loss

New research shows that a low-glycemic diet relatively high in protein is more effective at weight maintenance than a low-protein, high-glycemic diet.

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that a diet relatively high in protein and low in refined carbohydrates (low-glycemic) is more successful than other diets at maintaining weight loss.

Researchers enrolled overweight adults from eight European countries who had lost at least 8% of their initial body weight with a low-calorie diet. Participants were randomly assigned to one of five diets to prevent weight regain over a 26-week period: a low-protein and low-GI (glycemic index) diet, a low-protein and high-GI diet, a high-protein and low-GI diet, a high-protein and high-GI diet, or a control diet based on the current European dietary recommendations. The high protein diet provided 25 percent of calories in the form of protein, while the low protein diet consisted of 13 percent protein.

Five hundred forty-eight subjects completed six months on the assigned diets. In the analysis of participants who completed the study, only the low-protein/high-GI diet was associated with subsequent significant weight regain (1.67 kg, or 3.6 lbs) by the end of the dietary intervention. Weight regain was less in those who consumed high protein compared to low protein and in low-GI diets compared to high-GI diets. High-GI foods include white flour, white rice, and other refined carbohydrates.

This study shows that a modest increase in protein content and a modest reduction in glycemic index can lead to an improvement in compliance and maintenance of weight loss.

Larsen TM, et al. Diets with High or Low Protein Content and Glycemic Index for Weight-Loss Maintenance. 2010. N Engl J Med 363:2102-13.