Article Abstract:
Nutrition scientists have theorized that people who do not obtain enough energy from the diet may adapt to the reduced calorie intake. In situations of marginal energy intake, metabolism may slow down and the individual may become less active; decreased metabolic rate and decreased activity conserve energy. Throughout the Third World, food supplies are often inadequate and unreliable, particularly in agricultural societies which have a season of harvest and a season of scarcity. A review of the literature concludes that the most effective means of adapting to low energy intake is by reducing physical activity. But this can have deleterious consequences; when the individual becomes less active, food deprivation may worsen. In farming communities, intense physical labor is necessary to generate the food supply, and in urban areas, inactivity may lead to reduced income from employment. Food deprivation causes weight loss and a reduction in the metabolic rate, the rate at which the body burns calories. The latter outcome may be beneficial in that it conserves energy and protects the individual against further weight loss. A critical issue is whether this process represents adaptation, the successful adjustment to less than ideal nutrition, or malnutrition. Adaptation is viewed as having no adverse effect on the individual whereas malnutrition is linked to fatigue, illness and other negative consequences. The policy implications are extensive; if it is concluded that people in developing countries adapt to marginal energy intake, then less economic and food aid can be justified. One expert panel calculated the energy requirement of people in developing countries in two ways, one by the standard method and the other for the adapted state, which made a lower intake acceptable. This is similar to lowering the poverty line, because it shifts large numbers of people out of a risk category and into the mainstream. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
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Article Abstract:
Artificial sweeteners are used to provide a desirable sweet taste to foods without adding calories. However, studies of the short-term effects of the sweeteners indicate that any sweet oral stimulation by artificial sweeteners or naturally-occurring sugars triggers a reflex that increases appetite. The long-term effects of the sweeteners are less clear, as different studies have reported weight gain, no effect, or ingestion of fewer calories. In this study, nine women and 21 men of normal weight were each given soda sweetened with aspartame (APM) for three weeks; soda sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is regular soda, for another three weeks; and no soda for a third three-week period. During the study periods when they received the sodas, subjects were asked to drink four 10-ounce bottles daily. Subjects were also required to keep records of everything they ate throughout the nine weeks. The reported calorie intake of both males and females decreased when they drank APM-soda as compared with no soda, but only the men, and not the women, lost weight. Calorie intake and body weight increased in both females and males when they drank the HFCS-soda. The sugar intake from other foods decreased during both periods of soda intake, but intake of other nutrients was not affected. The study indicates that compared with HFCS-soda, soda sweetened with APM decreases total dietary sugar intake and may help reduce calorie intake and body weight. Further research is needed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
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Article Abstract:
Huntington disease, or Huntington's chorea, is an inherited, progressive disease of the nervous system characterized by uncontrollable muscle movements, mental and emotional deficits, and memory loss. A study evaluated the diet of 18 choreic patients living in San Luis, Venezuela. This village has the greatest concentration of Huntington disease in one family throughout the world. The choreic subjects' nutritional intake was of interest because there is evidence of biochemical disturbances of nutrients with this disease. Compared to normal control subjects, more choreic patients were underweight, especially those in advanced stages of the disease. Even though they reportedly had good appetites and ate as many or more calories than normal control subjects, 55 percent of advanced-stage patients were malnourished, compared with 17 percent of controls. Choreic patients may burn up more energy because the disease affects metabolic rate. Huntington patients had high vitamin A, low niacin (a B-vitamin) and low vitamin C intake. In general control subjects consumed a generally similar diet. For example, iron content of the diet was low for both choreic and control subjects. It is concluded that diet cannot explain the blood nutrient disturbances seen in Huntington disease, since controls ate a similar diet but did not share the abnormal biochemical patterns.
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