news Europe to harmonise nutrient


recommendations At present, dietary recommendations vary between countries, creat- ing a lack of consistency. This can be confusing for policymakers, health professionals, industry and the general public.


EURRECA, a new network of excel- lence, has now been established to help address this problem. Funded by the European Commission, the network will explore the justifications underpinning different nutrient recom- mendations in each country. In a recent survey, EURRECA sent questionnaires to key scientific experts


Heart disease risk unaffected by wholegrains


A new study carried out at News- castle University has investigated whether switching refined grains with wholegrains could help to improve cardiovascular health. More than 300 participants, who habitually ate less than 30g/day of wholegrains, were randomly allo- cated to three groups: 1) a control group, 2) 60g wholegrains for 16 weeks or 3) 60g wholegrains for eight weeks and 120g for eight weeks. Blood samples were taken at base- line and at eight and 16 weeks dur- ing the study.


Wholegrain intake was had no significant effect on blood glucose, lipid levels or other indicators of heart health. It is possible that the length of the study was too short. Larger and longer randomised stud- ies are needed to establish whether wholegrain foods can help to im- prove cardiovascular health. For more information


see:Brownlee IA et al (2010) British Journal of Nutrition 104(1), pg 125-34.


to establish how recommendations for vitamin A and D were established across 22 different European countries. Some countries developed their own recommendations, while others based their guidelines on other countries. This seems to have led to inconsistent nutri- tion guidelines in European. It was concluded that new Europe- an guidelines need to be established which would be based on up-to-date scientific evidence. Further work will now take place.


Cavelaars AEJM et al (2010) Euro- pean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 64, pp S19-30.


Snacking associated with lower obesity risk in teens


A new study has now examined whether snacking patterns can be linked to rates of overweight/obe- sity in US adolescents.


Snacking habits of almost 6,000 teenagers were studied using data from the American 1999- 2004 National Health and Nutri- tion Examination Survey and were compared against body weight figures. Scientists found that teen- agers who snacked most often had a lower body weight and abdominal circumference, espe- cially those consuming more than four snacks a day. These findings suggest that snack- ing could help to regulate the body weight of teenagers, perhaps by influencing appetite or blood sugar control. However, if this strategy were to be promoted, the focus should be on lower energy dense, low GI, nutrient-rich snacks. For more information see: Keast DR et al (2010) American Journal of Clinical [Epub ahead of print].


Need a career change? NHD


dieteticJOBS.co.uk 4 NHDmag.com Aug/Sept '10 - issue 57 Latest on pregnancy


Increasingly, the composition of gut bacteria has been related to a range of health outcomes. Now, a new study has examined whether gut bacteria is related to markers of health in pregnant women. Faecal and blood samples were


taken from 34 healthy weight women and 16 overweight women who were 24 weeks into pregnancy. It was found that the composition of gut bacteria varied with bodyweight. For example, overweight women had higher levels of Staphylococcus bacteria in their faecal samples which, in turn, was related to increased blood choles- terol levels. Differences in gut bacteria between lean and obese individuals have been reported by other human and animal studies. However, it is not clear whether the gut bacteria com- position influences the risk of obesity, or vice versa.


Another study measured vitamin D status in nearly 4,000 women in early pregnancy and related this to preg- nancy outcomes. Women categorised as ‘vitamin D deficient’ (serum vitamin D


reported that supplementing women with vitamin D during pregnancy may help to prevent hypocalcaemia and rickets in infancy. The UK is the only country (out of 31) that does not recommend additional vitamin D in women of reproductive age. Indeed, there are no Dietary Reference Values for vitamin D for women unless they are pregnant, lactating or elderly. Given recent evidence suggesting that pregnant women tend to have a poor vitamin D status, there may be a case for reviewing the situation. For more information see: Santa- cruz A et al (2010) British Journal of Nutrition 104(1), pg 83-92; Leffelaar ER et al (2010) British Journal of Nutrition 104 (1), pg 108-17 and Hyppönen et al (2010) British Journal of Nutrition [Epub ahead of print].


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