Whole Life Times: Body Talk

July 2007 | Healthy Living

Body Talk

By Liz Barker

Cut the cold cuts

Time to switch your deli order to tuna. Piling on the cured meats — including cold cuts, along with bacon and sausage — may increase your risk for the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. In a recent Columbia University study of more than 7,000 adults, researchers found that those who ate cured meats 14 times or more each month had nearly double the odds of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when compared to those who never ate cured meats.

The study’s authors say nitrates are to blame. Once they’re added to meat products (as a preservative, anti-microbial agent and color fixative), nitrates “generate reactive nitrogen species that may cause damage to the lungs, producing structural changes resembling emphysema,” warns lead study author Rui Jiang, M.D.

Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are two common forms of COPD, predicted by the National Institutes of Health to become the country’s third leading cause of death by 2020.

Fire up the blender

Smoothies are groovy, but a gooey blender drink with a kick might pack even more antioxidant power. Adding alcohol to strawberries and blackberries can rev up their free-radical-scavenging activity, according to new research from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Just in time for fruity-cocktail season, scientists from Thailand’s Kasetsart University made their discovery while trying to come up with strategies for keeping berries fresh during storage. After treating the fruit with ethanol, the research team conducted lab tests and found increased activity in antioxidant compounds such as anthocyanins. Known to give berries their lovely color, anthocyanins may help guard against inflammation, keep the blood vessels strong and preserve eyesight.

Grow your own

The best way to get kids to eat their veggies: Let them grow their own. In surveying about 1,600 parents in rural Missouri, a Saint Louis University study found that pre-school children who were almost always served homegrown produce were more than twice as likely to eat their five fruit and vegetable servings daily as those who rarely or never had homegrown produce. Kids who got their greens fresh from the garden were also more likely to prefer fruits and veggies to other foods.

Lead study author Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., dubs the homegrown approach a “winning and low-cost strategy to improve the nutrition of our children at a time when the pediatric obesity is an epidemic problem.” And even if you don’t have the space for a full-fledged garden, you can still harvest your own veggies: Hung from a hook on your deck or balcony, Topsy-Turvy Planters (topsyturvys.com) can grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash and herbs, while Dr. John’s Mini Gardens (drjohns.com.au) feature 10-inch stacked trays for planting broccoli, leeks, spinach, celery and other good greens.

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