Diet Bytes June 2005

By Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Not a patch on low GI meals

While the Glycaemic Index or GI diet continues to take the UK by storm, a company called Indigo Health has jumped on the bandwagon and launched a ‘GI patch’. Just like a nicotine patch, it looks like a plaster and is worn on the skin. It contains an ingredient called 5-HTP or 5-hydroxytryptophan, a derivative of the amino acid (protein building block) tryptophan.

When you wear the patch, 5-HTP is absorbed through the skin into the blood where it’s transported to the brain. Once there, it’s converted into a chemical called serotonin, high levels of which have been linked to boosting mood, increasing tolerance to pain, treating insomnia and reducing appetite and cravings.

According to the manufacturer, the patches help to keep serotonin levels high in people following a GI diet, which in turn helps to prevent cravings for sugary carbs that result in binge eating! A pack of 30 patches costs £19.99.

Weight Loss Resources says…

This product seems to ignore the fact that GI diets work by causing fewer carb cravings in the first place – low GI foods help to prevent the lows in blood sugar levels that leave us feeling hungry, tired and in need of a sugary snack to pick us up again!

Meanwhile, more research is needed to prove the effectiveness of 5-HTP in helping to prevent carb cravings, especially when it’s administered in the form of a patch. Added to this, protein-rich foods such as chicken, fish, beef and dairy products are naturally rich in the amino acid tryptophan (which the body uses to make 5-HTP). It’s far easier, cheaper and tastier to boost levels by eating more of these foods.

Rather than forking out for this product, we suggest you save the £s in your purse and lose the lbs from your waistline by focussing on eating a healthy, balanced diet that’s based on fibre-rich, starchy foods, five fruit and veg, low-fat dairy products and lean, protein-rich foods.

Staying slim helps beat dementia in later life

A ground-breaking study published in the British Medical Journal has shown for the first time that being obese or overweight in middle age increases the risk of dementia in later life.

Researchers studied more than 10,000 people aged 40 to 45 in the 1960’s and 1970’s and followed them up until 1994. They found that obese people (BMI over 30) were 74 percent more likely to suffer with dementia than normal weight people. Overweight people (BMI 25.1-30) were 35 percent more likely to have dementia.

The researchers suggest that fatness may directly affect the breakdown of neurons – cells that transmit nerve impulses – in the brain, although it’s unclear quite how it does this. The authors say, “If these results can be obtained elsewhere, perhaps treatment of obesity might reduce the risk of dementia.”

Weight Loss Resources says…

It’s clear than more research needs to be carried out before any definite conclusions can be made, but this new study shows yet another potential reason for reaching – and staying at – a suitable weight for our height.

Beat cholesterol by vegging out

New research from Stanford University in America shows we can double the cholesterol-lowering effects of a low-fat diet by eating more veggies. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, gave 120 adults with raised cholesterol, a standard low-fat diet or a low-fat diet containing considerably more vegetables, pulses and wholegrains. Within four weeks, both diets had lowered total cholesterol and LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol. But while the standard low-fat diet produced, on average, a 4.6 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol, the diet with extra veg achieved, on average, a 9.4 percent decrease.

Weight Loss Resources says…

Here’s yet another reason to eat five different fruit and veg each day! Most vegetables are low in fat and calories and high in fibre, making them a great choice if you’re trying to lose weight or look after the health of your heart. They’re also packed with a range of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals – naturally-occurring plant compounds – that help to keep us healthy and prevent problems such as heart disease, cancer, eye conditions and even wrinkles!

Fighting fit or fighting fat?

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that carrying a few extra pounds might not be as harmful as we think. Scientists have analysed recent data looking at people’s weights and their risk of dying. They discovered that people who were overweight (Body Mass Index or BMI of 25-29.9) actually had a lower risk of dying early than those people who were a normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9). In fact, 87,000 fewer people in the overweight category died! But it’s not good to be obese (BMI over 30) – there were almost 112,000 more deaths than expected in obese people. Perhaps most surprising, was the fact that being underweight (BMI under 18.5) caused almost 34,000 extra deaths!

Weight Loss Resources says…

It might sound like a good excuse to forget about losing those excess pounds, but health experts suggest the figures need to be interpreted with caution. So many studies show that being overweight increases the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and osteoporosis and it would be naïve to ignore them. WLR recommends you aim to achieve a ‘normal weight’ BMI of 18.5-24.9 – you’ll find your current BMI by clicking on ‘goals and results’.

New illegal dye found in food

Earlier this year, hundreds of products were removed from our supermarkets and restaurants after health experts found they were contaminated with an illegal red dye called Sudan 1. Now it appears history is repeating itself!

This month, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued warnings over Para Red, another chemical dye that’s illegally been found in a range of products. Once again, the culprits are contaminated spices, which have been used as an ingredient in a range of products, including cooking sauces, pâtés, pizzas and crisps. At the time of writing, 69 products had been recalled.

This new illegal dye scare has left health experts and consumers reeling in shock. Para Red, which is chemically similar to Sudan 1 and typically used in printing, may increase the risk of cancer, although it’s not known how much is considered to be unsafe.

Fortunately though, the FSA believe that at the levels found in food, Para Red is unlikely to harm health. But to be on the safe side, it recommends avoiding any products containing it. In the meantime, if you’ve eaten a contaminated product you’re unlikely to have damaged your health and there’s no risk of immediate illness.

The FSA has been working around the clock with the food industry, catering suppliers and local authorities to make sure all affected products have been removed from supermarket shelves and catering establishments. And now the Agency has set up a task force to reduce the possibility of future contamination scares. Julia Unwin, acting chair of the FSA says, “In the light of recent Sudan 1 and Para Red food withdrawals, we need to find practical ways of reducing the number of incidents of food contamination. When they do occur, we need quick, effective and appropriate action from all those involved.”

Meanwhile, the European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority to carry out a risk assessment of these illegal dyes. The Director of Food Safety at the FSA, Dr Andrew Wadge, says, “We are pleased the European Commission is going to develop a European-wide approach to tackling this issue. Concerted action across Europe is the most effective way forward.”

Weight Loss Resources says…

After Sudan 1, we recommended you used the scare to reconsider your eating habits with the aim of using more fresh ingredients rather than relying so heavily on processed foods. It’s exactly the same advice with Para Red. Most of the contaminated foods aren’t an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet and many are likely to be packed with calories, fat, salt and additives, while containing few vitamins and minerals. When it comes to losing weight, your waistline will almost certainly benefit from eating fewer processed foods.

In the meantime, if you have any products at home that are contaminated with Para Red, don’t eat them and return them to the store where you bought them for a refund. A full list of affected foods is available on the FSA website, www.food.gov.uk/parared

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