Expert opinion
The role of antioxidants in menopause
1 November 2014
Menopause, a form of reproductive aging, is defined as the permanent cessation of ovarian follicular activity and eventually, the menstrual cycle.
26 July 2013
New US research suggests that teaching young children an overarching conceptual framework for nutrition may be an effective strategy to get young children to eat more vegetables.
The researchers developed five storybooks aimed at revising and elaborating on what children already know about different nutrition-related themes, including dietary variety, digestion, food categories, micronutrients and nutrients as fuel for biological functions (1). Preschool classrooms were assigned to read the nutrition books during snack time for about three months, while other classrooms were assigned to conduct snack time as usual. Later, the preschoolers were asked questions about nutrition. The study results showed that children who had been read the nutrition books were more likely to understand that food had nutrients, that different kinds of nutrients were important for various bodily functions, that the stomach breaks down food, and that blood carries nutrients. These children also more than doubled their voluntary intake of vegetables during snack time after the three-month intervention, whereas the amount that the control group ate stayed about the same. When the conceptual program was pitted against a more conventional teaching strategy focused on the enjoyment of healthy eating and trying new foods, the results showed that both interventions led to increased vegetable consumption. Yet, the children in the conceptual program showed more know-ledge about nutrition and a greater overall increase in vegetable consumption.
The researchers commented that children are naturally curious – they want to understand why and how things work. While materials need to be simplified for young children, oversimplification would rob children of the opportunity to learn and advance their thinking. Further research is needed to determine whether the conceptual intervention encourages healthy eating habits outside of snack time and whether it is effective over the long-term. Conceptually based educational materials could be combined with behaviorally focused nutrition interventions with the hope of boosting healthy eating more than either technique alone.
1 November 2014
Menopause, a form of reproductive aging, is defined as the permanent cessation of ovarian follicular activity and eventually, the menstrual cycle.
28 September 2017
They may be invisible to us without a microscope, but the billions of microorganisms that make up our own personal microbiome are very important for our health. Learn how the food and nutrients you consume (or don’t consume) impact your microbiome.
1 March 2013
Vitamin K is the name given to a group of essential micronutrients: vitamin K1 (phylloqui-none), the best characterized form, is found mainly in green leafy vegetables, while vitamin K2 (menaqui-none-4, -7, -8 and -9) is found in small amounts in meat, cheese and fermented soy products and is also synthesized by the body’s own gut flora. Vitamin K3 (menadione) is a synthetically manufactured form, but may also occur during absorption from the gastrointestinal tract of vitamin K1 and K2. In practical terms, the two forms K1 and K2 are of greatest importance in human metabolism. The involvement of vitamin K1 in blood clotting and bone metabolism is well documented. It is likely that an adequate intake of vitamin K could also reduce the development of atherosclerosis and the incidence of brain function disorders. Depending on national health authority, the recommended daily intake of vitamin K for adults is between 60 and 120 micrograms.