A new year, the same Food For Thought.
Now We Are Six (NYT) [Title in the paper.]
The Hormone Surge of Middle Childhood (NYT) [Online title.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/science/now-we-are-six-the-hormone-surge-of-middle-childhood.html?pagewanted=allExcerpt:
"Yet as new findings from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, paleontology and anthropology make clear, middle childhood is anything but a bland placeholder. To the contrary, it is a time of great cognitive creativity and ambition, when the brain has pretty much reached its adult size and can focus on threading together its private intranet service — on forging, organizing, amplifying and annotating the tens of billions of synaptic connections that allow brain cells and brain domains to communicate."
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Tiniest of Spiders Are Loaded With Brains (NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/science/tiniest-of-spiders-are-loaded-with-brains-researchers-find.htmlVery short article, just read it.
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Have We Met? Tracing Face Blindness to Its Roots (NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/health/views/face-and-voice-recognition-may-be-linked-in-the-brain-research-suggests.html?pagewanted=allExcerpt:
"James Cooke, 66, of Islip, N.Y., can’t recognize other people. When he meets someone on the street, he offers a generic “hello” because he can’t be sure if he’s ever met that person before. 'I see eyes, nose, cheekbones, but no face,' he said. 'I’ve even passed by my son and daughter without recognizing them.'"
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Genome Study Points to Adaptation in Early African-Americans (NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/science/genome-research-points-to-adaptation-among-early-african-americans.htmlExcerpt:
"Researchers scanning the genomes of African-Americans say they see evidence of natural selection as their ancestors adapted to the harsh conditions of their new environment in America."
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In Classic vs. Modern Violins, Beauty Is in Ear of the Beholder (NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/science/in-play-off-between-old-and-new-violins-stradivarius-lags.htmlExcerpt:
"What gives a violin made by Stradivari or Guarneri del Gesù its remarkable sound? Researchers have examined the wood preservatives, varnish, even the effects of the Little Ice Age on the density of wood, for anything that might explain the instruments’ almost magical properties.
"Claudia Fritz, an expert on the acoustics of violins at the University of Paris, has arrived at a different explanation for the secret. Despite a widespread belief in the old violins’ superiority and the millions of dollars it now costs to buy a Stradivarius, the fiddles made by the old masters do not in fact sound better than high-quality modern instruments, according to a blindfolded play-off she and colleagues have conducted.
"'I don’t think there is any secret, except in people’s minds,' she said."
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Nutrition: 4 Vitamins That Strengthen Older Brains (NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/health/research/vitamins-b-c-d-and-e-and-omega-3-strengthen-older-brains.htmlShort article.
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[For all of you soda buffs out there.]
Family Living Focus: On Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup
By RAYNA COOPER
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 01/04/2012 09:34:30 AM EST
http://www.ydr.com/food/ci_19666808Reaching for the corn syrup for a holiday dish prompted questions about corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup -- corn cousins so to speak.
Corn syrup is produced by treating corn starch with enzymes to break it down to glucose, which is easily absorbed by the body and used for energy. High fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, on the other hand, is produced by more specific processing of corn starch with enzymes to yield syrup with a mixture of glucose and fructose. Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar that is present in small amounts in fruits.
HFCS is not high in fructose compared with table sugar (sucrose), honey, molasses, agave and maple syrup. All of these caloric sweeteners are half fructose and half glucose, very roughly speaking, and are almost pure carbohydrate.
The cost of HFCS is much less than sugar, and it mixes well with other ingredients. Its greatest advantage is in beverages, where it is the sweetener of choice. Table sugar often breaks down in acidic products such as soft drinks and juice blends, as well as when stored in hot climates. This changes the sweetness of the product, making it hard to control the taste.
Some concerns have been expressed about HFCS. Research shows there is no difference between consuming HFCS or table sugar in the following effects: glucose and insulin levels, triglycerides, hormones affecting appetite, weight gain, hunger, satiety and appetite. Many of the concerns with HFCS might actually be attributed to a higher intake of fructose, which occurs with liberal consumption of added sweeteners of all the types discussed above.
Since 1966, the amount of added caloric sweeteners (not sugar substitutes) in the U.S. food supply increased 27 percent, from 113 pounds per person per year to 143 pounds per person per year in 2005, with about half the increase due to more consumption of soft drinks and fruit beverages.
The body metabolizes fructose differently from glucose. Fructose doesn't stimulate insulin secretion, while glucose does; and insulin secretion tends to depress appetite. Glucose results in satiety signals to the brain that help control appetite. Glucose increases leptin, which inhibits food intake and increases energy expenditure and decreases ghrelin, decreasing hunger and appetite. These appetite regulating hormones are not affected by fructose, resulting in poor appetite regulation and over-consumption of food.
Compared to glucose, consumption of excess fructose increases the formation of fatty compounds in the liver, leading to abnormal levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Some human and animal studies have shown direct associations between diets high in fructose and obesity, the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, high blood pressure and gout, though there is also some conflicting evidence especially regarding blood pressure.
These effects are not surprising considering the main source of excess fructose is from caloric sweeteners, which tend to increase caloric intake and result in weight gain. The small amounts of fructose naturally present in fruits and vegetables are not linked to these detrimental effects.
The source of added sugars is of less concern than the consumption of excess sweeteners in general. Sweetened beverages are a large contributor to this excess. The body does not seem to compensate for the extra calories from beverages by reducing total caloric consumption as it does with soups and other foods.
One positive step you can take, in accordance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is to reduce your intake of added sugars -- choose water and unsweetened beverages more often.
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Rayna Cooper is a Registered Dietitian and Family & Consumer Sciences/Nutrition Educator for Penn State Extension in Adams County. Reach her at 334-6271 or
rgc15@psu.edu.
Topic: Food For Thought: Science Edition (Read 3404 times)
January 31, 2012, 10:09:58 PM
