Food & Nutrition News Clips 

• Scientists now believe that the risk of cerebral palsy can be reduced by a maternal diet during pregnancy that is rich in fish, and low in meat. The preventive affect of fish has been attributed to its long-chain, highly unsaturated fatty acids that are thought to be particularly important for brain development. 

• Excessive intake of animal protein is thought to promote osteoporosis, and vegetarians tend to have stronger bones than meat eaters. However, according to a study of vegan Taiwanese women, too little protein may also cause the low bone densities found in osteoporosis. Bone mineralization requires adequate protein intake, since protein is used in the synthesis of bone-matrix proteins. 

• Diets rich in antioxidants have been shown to protect against several disorders, and, now, preventing lung damage can be added to the list. A new study found that the difference in lung function between people who consume above-average amounts of four major antioxidants, and those who consume lower than average amounts, is nearly equal to the difference between nonsmokers and people who have smoked a pack a day for ten years. 

• The liquid Ensure drink is touted by its manufacturer as "complete and balanced nutrition, but the Center for Science in the Public Interest describes it as "a largely useless baby formula for seniors—a mixture of sugar, oil, water and protein, plus vitamins and minerals." Ensure is far from complete nutrition, it says, lacking both the fiber and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables that may prevent cancer. 

• Asians suffer fewer cancers than Americans, particularly those of the breast, colon and prostate, and this anticancer advantage is attributed to their high-soy diet. Biochemists have finally discovered the mechanism by which genistein, a substance found in soybeans, suppresses the growth of cancerous cells—it causes them to starve so that they wither and die. Genistein has no negative effect, however, on normal cells. 

• A Ventura, California man, who is also a devout Hindu, is suing Taco Bell for serving him a beef burrito instead of a bean burrito. The man was so shook up after biting into the cow-containing meal, that he had to see his psychiatrist, and plans to travel to India to undergo purification. 

Based on information in: British Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 79, p. 407, 1998; Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, May 1998; Science News, 5-2-98; Nutrition Action Healthletter, May 1998; New Scientist, 3-14-98; The Animals' Agenda, Mar/Apr 1998