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Ultra-processed foods linked to type 2 diabetes risk

Researchers have discovered that people who eat more ultra-processed foods (UPF) are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The team from UCL investigated the relationship between the degree of food processing and type 2 diabetes risk, including which kinds of UPFs were most high-risk. They analysed UPF intake and health outcomes for 311,892 individuals from eight European countries over 10.9 years on average, during which time 14,236 people developed type 2 diabetes.

They found that every 10 per cent increase in the amount of UPFs in a person’s diet is linked with a 17 per cent increase in type 2 diabetes risk, but this risk can be lowered by consuming fewer processed foods instead.

The highest risk UPF groups were savoury snacks, animal-based products such as processed meats, ready meals, and sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages.

The study was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe in collaboration with experts at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London.

Professor Marc Gunter, an author of the study from Imperial College London and one of the coordinators of the EPIC study, said: "The findings from this study add to the growing body of research that links consumption of UPF with higher risk of certain chronic diseases including obesity, cardiometabolic diseases and some cancers. While such a study cannot determine causal relationships, it does suggest that reducing consumption of some UPFs and replacing them with unprocessed, whole foods, might lower risk of type 2 diabetes."

Daily walk could increase life expectancy

A daily 10-minute brisk walk could increase the life expectancy of inactive men and women over the age of 60, a new study has revealed.

Researchers from the University of Leicester analysed data from 40,953 women (with an average age of 61.9 years) and 30,820 men (with an average age of 63.1). The participants’ levels of physical activity had been measured and were then analysed to provide life expectancy statistics.

Professor of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Health at the University of Leicester, Tom Yates, said: "In this large sample size we observed that for an inactive 60-year-old, adding the equivalent of a daily 10-minute brisk walk was linked to an average of 0.9 extra years lived for women and 1.4 years for inactive men. Adding a daily 30-minute brisk walk was linked to an extra 1.4 years lived in women and 2.5 years in men."

The findings were published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science.

Did you know?

Watercress has been named the healthiest food in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), watercress is the most nutrient-dense fruit or vegetable, beating the likes of spinach and kale. This green powerhouse is high in vitamins K, C and A, calcium, potassium and magnesium, plus disease-fighting antioxidants.

Health benefits of sunshine may outweigh the risks

The health benefits of spending time in the sun could outweigh the risks for people living in areas with limited sunshine, a new study has proposed.

University of Edinburgh scientists used genetic and health information from the UK BioBank to examine the UV exposure of 395,000 people across the UK. They used people’s geographical locations to calculate their average annual exposure to solar energy and, separately, whether they used sunbeds.

Living in locations with higher UV levels, for example Cornwall, was associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer – 19 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively – than living in areas with lower UV levels, such as Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Those with a higher estimated UV exposure had a slightly increased risk of being diagnosed with melanoma – a type of skin cancer – but their risk of dying from the condition was not raised. The team have cautioned that measures should still be taken to protect the skin when UV levels are high, to prevent sunburn and the development of skin cancer. The study was published in the journal Health and Place.

Study finds protective benefits of blackcurrant on bone health

A new study has found that blackcurrant has a protective effect against loss of bone density in postmenopausal women.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut published their findings in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.

The study group included 40 peri- and early post-menopausal participants between the ages of 45 and 60, each of whom took a daily dose of 392mg of blackcurrant powder for six months. They were randomly assigned to either take one capsule, two capsules, or a placebo.

The results showed that the supplements prevented the loss of whole-body bone mineral density. The group that took two capsules actually showed overall increases in bone mineral density at the end of the six-month trial period.

The researchers found that the supplements increased a particular type of gut bacteria which they believe could be driving the protective effects on bone health. The study is especially important for peri- and early post-menopausal women who are at risk of developing osteoporosis.

Study reveals most effective strategy for IBS

A new study has revealed that a diet low in sugar and starch is just as effective for IBS as the widely recommended FODMAP diet. Furthermore, the study participants lost more weight and had fewer sugar cravings when following the starch and sucrose-reduced diet (SSRD) compared to FODMAP.

The researchers, from Lund University in Sweden, wanted to find out how SSRD compared to the FODMAP diet. FODMAP is a stricter, more regulated diet where lists of foods that are allowed/not allowed must be consistently followed. This diet also excludes gluten and lactose.

The study group included 155 patients with IBS who were randomly allocated to follow either SSRD or Low FODMAP for four weeks. In both groups, regardless of diet, IBS symptoms improved in 75-80 per cent of the patients. In addition, weight loss after four weeks was greater in the SSRD group. Sugar cravings also decreased the most in this group.

The study was published in the scientific journal, Nutrients.

"MIND" diet may reduce cognitive impairment risk

People whose diet more closely resembles the "MIND" diet may have a lower risk of cognitive impairment, a new study has revealed.

The MIND diet is a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. It includes green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and collard greens along with other vegetables. It recommends whole grains, olive oil, poultry, fish, beans and nuts. It prioritises berries over other fruits and recommends one or more servings of fish per week.

The study, from the he University of Cincinnati in Ohio, involved 14,145 people with an average age of 64 who were followed for an average of 10 years. The participants’ were then divided into low, middle and high groups according to how closely their eating patterns matched the MIND diet. Their thinking and memory skills were measured at the beginning and end of the study. After adjusting for factors such as age, high blood pressure and diabetes, researchers found people in the high group had a 4 per cent decreased risk of cognitive impairment compared to those in the low group. The findings were published in the online issue of the journal Neurology®.

Low-impact yoga and exercise may help urinary incontinence

Older women who are experiencing issues with urinary incontinence may benefit from regular, low-impact exercise such as yoga, a new study suggests.

The research, led by scientists at Stanford Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco, focused on a group of 240 women aged from 45 to 90, with a mean age of 62.

Over a 12-week period, 121 of the women followed a yoga programme in which they learned poses intended to strengthen the pelvic floor, via two 90-minute sessions per week. The 119 women in the control group spent an equal amount of time in exercise classes, but their classes focused on nonspecific stretching and strengthening exercises that did not engage the pelvic floor.

After 12 weeks, the yoga group had about 65 per cent fewer episodes of incontinence. The women in the control group doing stretching and strengthening exercises experienced a similar benefit over the same time period. The benefits are on par with the effects of medications used to address incontinence, the researchers said.

The study’s senior author, Leslee Subak, MD said: “I’m impressed that exercise did so well and impressed that yoga did so well. One of the take-home messages from this study is ‘Be active!’” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.