Food Labels Changing in 2006

The FDA has mandated some changes in food labels that take effect on January 1, 2006--and I think the changes are for the better.

Manufacturers have been able to hide trans fats because they were not required to list them, but that will end tomorrow. Many food makers have already removed the trans fats from their products or are listing the fact that their product is trans-fat free. This post contains an explanation of why trans fats are bad.

The other change to food labels is the required listing of the presence of food allergens, the top eight being tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, soybeans, and wheat. This is good news for the millions of people who suffer from allergies to these substances. You may have noticed that some packaging already carries this information.

There are additional changes as well, according to the Wall Street Journal (via Gourmet Retailer):

The Food and Drug Administration is also pushing food manufacturers to display the number of calories in a product more clearly by increasing the type size and spelling out nutritional information for the entire package, not just for a serving.

Accordingly, Kraft Foods Inc. and other major food companies have begun listing nutrient information in double columns, one for a serving and one for the entire package.

Another change will likely be suggested requirements for vitamins to align with new scientific reports emanating from the National Academy of Sciences.

But all of the labeling metamorphoses are not totally attributable to government requirements -- some will be due to the courting of health-conscious consumers by food producers. For instance, the health benefits of green tea or tomatoes may be highlighted on labels.

News You Can Use: Research Updates

Here are a few updates from Exercise ETC.

FitBits
November 30, 2005
Exercise ETC’s Review of Exercise Related Research
Compiled by Jeannie Patton, MS, CSCS

Do It Hard. Do It Fast:
American Heart Associations Updates CPR Standards

The American Heart Association has issued radically different guidelines for the administration of CPR. The new guidelines recommend performing 30 chest compressions -- "hard and fast" is the advice they give -- for every two rescue breaths. This policy replaces the old protocol of performing 15 compressions for every 2 rescue breaths.

The new guidelines should make learning and administering CPR much easier: There are no longer any differences in how CPR is administered for adults, infants or children, and the rescuer does not have to stop periodically to check for improvement. The new goal is to keep blood flowing until professional help arrives.

As reported by MSN.com, 11-28-05.


Strength Training Minimizes Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a condition of several risk factors that place individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Research to date suggests that higher levels of activity and fitness protect against developing metabolic syndrome, but what has not yet been established is whether resistance exercise provides a benefit similar to that of cardiovascular exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of muscular strength on the incidence of metabolic syndrome in men.

Participants were 3,233 men ranging in age from 20 to 80 who were initially free of metabolic disease. Two clinical examinations were performed between 1980 and 2003; these exams which included baseline muscular strength assessments.

A total of 480 men developed metabolic syndrome during the study period. Compared to the lowest strength category, the men in the highest strength category had a 39% lower risk of metabolic syndrome than overweight and obese men. This inverse relationship was independent of age and other risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, family history, alcohol intake, and premature coronary disease.

The results of this study indicate an inverse and independent relationship between muscular strength and the incidence of metabolic syndrome in healthy men. Fitness Professionals should consider resistance exercise as a primary means of prevention of metabolic syndrome.

Jurca, Radim, et al. Association of muscular strength with incidence of metabolic syndrome in men. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2005: 37(11), 1849-1855.


Walking Shown to be Most Effective for Maintaining Weight Loss

Research continues to point to exercise as the key to maintaining weight loss. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of exercise on weight maintenance.

Subjects were 191 adult women, most of whom where obese, averaging 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. Participants were advised to follow a low-fat eating program ranging from 1,200-1,500 calories a day. Different exercise intensities were assigned to the participants during the two-year period. Eighty percent of the subjects chose to walk briskly, but the amount of time subjects actually exercised varied from 150 minutes per week to more than 200 minutes per week.

All subjects lost weight, but the women who exercised the most, more than 309 minutes per week the first year and more than 270 minutes per week the second year, lost and kept off the most weight. They lost an average of 13% of their starting weight, which amounted to 25 to 30 pounds.

The results of this study indicate that approximately 50 minutes of brisk walking five days per week can initiate and maintain a 25 to 30 pound weight loss in overweight and obese populations. It is important to note that the walk needs to be done briskly, at a speed equal to or greater than 3 miles per hour. This amount of exercise can also be accumulated throughout the day rather than done in one continuous session.

Jakicic, John et al. University of Pittsburgh. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Obesity Society in Vancouver, B.C. Reported in USA Today, October 24, 2005 page 7D.


Obese Patients May Require Plus-sized Hypodermic Needles

The obesity epidemic has another unexpected side effect: Heavier patients now require plus sized needles for injections.

Researchers in Ireland have discovered that fatter rear ends are causing drug injections to lose their efficacy. The issue is that standard sized needles discharge the drugs into the fatty tissue of the butt as opposed to into the muscle tissue, where, thanks to increased blood flow, the medicine is carried through the body more efficiently. The researchers found that 2/3 of the heavier patients did not receive the full dosage of the medicine since the depth of their fat exceeded the lengthy of the hypodermic needle.

As reported by Reuters, 11-28-05.

Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition

Many people wonder what to eat following a workout. In reply to a recent question on that topic, here is a brief series of suggestions. Follow the links in the sidebar for more information--especially T-Nation and John Berardi (who formulated Surge for Biotest).

Basic rule: post-workout nutrition should be consumed immediately following training, before you hit the shower. It should always be a drink--solid food takes too long to digest.

For weight gain:
Mix .8 grams of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight, preferably simple carbs such as dextrose and/or maltodextrin, with .4 grams of whey protein per kilogram of bodyweight, preferably a whey protein isolate. Within two hours, eat as much protein and simple carbs as you can, but try to avoid high fructose corn syrup. Biotest's Surge product is based on this formula.

This same formula applies to those wanting to maintain their weight and just have optimal recovery--just skip the high carb meal within two hours and resume normal eating after three hours.

For fat loss:
Mix .4 grams of simple carbs per kg of bodyweight, with .4 grams of whey protein per kg of bodyweight. Resume normal eating three hours later. You can add glutamine to this formula if you'd like.

With all three approaches you can add creatine.

For those who are really skinny and want to gain weight, use the "fat loss" formula for a pre-workout drink. Drink half of it 30 minutes before training, add water, and drink the rest while you train.

People looking to maintain their weight or lose fat can ditch the carbs from the pre-workout drink and add 5-10 grams of branched-chain amino acids to the whey protein.