Diet Quality and Alcohol Intake

Diet Quality Worsens as Alcohol Intake Increases

People who drink more are also likely to eat less fruit and consume more calories from a combination of alcoholic beverages and foods high in unhealthy fats and added sugars, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The study of more than 15,000 adults in the United States found that increased alcoholic beverage consumption was associated with decreased diet quality. The article is in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

"Heavy drinking and dietary factors have independently been associated with cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and other chronic health problems," said NIAAA Acting Director Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D. "This finding raises questions about whether the combination of alcohol misuse and poor diet might interact to further increase health risks."

The researchers analyzed data collected from participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an ongoing survey of cross-sectional samples of the U.S. population conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data included alcohol consumption information as well as Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2005 scores. Created by the USDA, the HEI-2005 measures how closely diets conform to the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

"We found that as alcoholic beverage consumption increased, Healthy Eating Index scores decreased, an indication of poorer food choices," said first author Rosalind A. Breslow, Ph.D., an epidemiologist in NIAAA's Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research. "It's important to note that our study did not determine the cause of these associations."

A previous study by Dr. Breslow and her colleagues showed that people who drink the largest quantities of alcohol have the poorest quality diets. In the present study, they were able to identify specific dietary components that worsened with increased alcohol intake. In addition to decreased fruit consumption and increased caloric intake among both men and women, the researchers found that increased alcoholic beverage consumption was associated with a decreased intake of whole grains and milk among men.

"Our findings underscore the importance of moderation for individuals who choose to consume alcoholic beverages, and a greater awareness of healthy food choices among such individuals," noted Dr. Breslow.

The 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines define moderate drinking as no more than one drink on any day for women and no more than two drinks on any day for men. It is important for people to consume nutrient-dense foods, like whole fruits and whole grains, that provide substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and relatively few calories, while limiting the consumption of alcohol, unhealthy fats, and added sugars, which provide calories but few essential nutrients.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, is America's authority on alcohol research and health. The primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems, NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

NIAAA

RESVERATROL

ISIS YOUTH-RESVERATROL $26.40 (60 Veggie caps) – 30 Day Supply Whole grape extract is an Anti-Inflammatoty and has Anti-Aging Properties, Also helps to control Blood Sugar and Cholestrol Levels And May Enhance Endurance & Cognition to name a few!

http://www.vasmig.com or click on the Vitamins on the right side of the screen!

Caffeine in Alcoholic Beverages

Q&As on Caffeine in Alcoholic Beverages

Q1. What action is FDA taking?

A1. On November 12, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified nearly 30 manufacturers of certain alcoholic beverages containing added caffeine that it intends to look into the safety and legality of their products. FDA requested that each manufacturer provide its rationale, and supporting data and information, for concluding that its use of caffeine in an alcoholic beverage is GRAS or prior sanctioned.

Q2. Under what authority is FDA taking this action? What is the manufacturer's responsibility to ensure that its product is safe?

A2. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), a substance added intentionally to food (such as caffeine in alcoholic beverages) is deemed "unsafe" and is unlawful unless its particular use has been approved by FDA regulation, is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), or is subject to a prior sanction. A food that contains an unapproved food additive is deemed adulterated under Section 402 of the Act; adulterated foods are subject to agency enforcement actions, including seizure.

The burden is on the manufacturer to ensure that products the firm markets are safe and otherwise in compliance with applicable laws. FDA has not issued a food additive regulation to approve the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages, and FDA is not aware of a basis to conclude that this use of caffeine is GRAS or subject to a prior sanction by FDA. By law, any person can make a GRAS determination but that determination must meet the GRAS criteria for safety and general recognition.

The FDA has only listed caffeine as GRAS as an ingredient for use in cola-type beverages in concentrations of no greater than 200 parts per million. There are no food additive regulations that permit the addition of caffeine, at any level, in alcoholic beverages.

FDA is unaware of the basis upon which manufacturers may have concluded that the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages is GRAS. To be GRAS, the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages must satisfy the following two conditions:(1) caffeine is safe for use in alcoholic beverages based on publicly available scientific evidence; and (2) there is a consensus among qualified experts regarding the safety of caffeine for this use.

Q3. What happens if the industry doesn't share its data in the next 30 days? What options are available to FDA?

A3. If FDA determines that the use of caffeine in an alcoholic beverage is not GRAS or subject to a prior sanction, FDA has a range of regulatory options available to it, from the issuance of a warning letter to seizure.It is the manufacturer's continuing responsibility to ensure that the foods they market are in compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. FDA intends to exercise all options that are appropriate for the product in question.

Q4. Has FDA ever asked manufacturers to present their data to support that a use is GRAS or prior sanctioned?

A4. FDA informally asks manufacturers to support their determination that a substance is GRAS for its intended use. A less frequent occurrence is where FDA formally asks for support about a GRAS determination. An example of a formal request would be a warning letter dated June 4, 2001, wherein we asked the manufacturer to provide its data to support its determination that Echinacea was GRAS or prior sanctioned for use in conventional foods.

Q5: Is it okay to continue drinking these products?

A5. Irrespective of how these products are marketed, it is important to remember that these are alcoholic beverages and consumers should heed the Surgeon General's warning on these products and drink them responsibly. Should FDA determine these products are not lawful, the agency will take appropriate action to protect the public heath.

Q6. Will other caffeine-related products be next?

A6. At this time, the FDA is focusing its attention on products in which caffeine has been intentionally added to alcoholic beverages by the manufacturers. Other products containing added caffeine may be subject to agency review if the available scientific data and information indicate that added caffeine may pose a safety concern, or is being unlawfully used, under the conditions of its use in other products. The manufacturer's continuing responsibility includes marketing products with ingredients that are safe for their intended use, and are otherwise in compliance with the law.

Q7. Does FDA even have authority over alcohol products? Isn't that TTB?

A7. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the U.S. Department of Treasury enforces the provisions of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. Under this authority, TTB regulates the labeling and advertising of alcoholic beverages, among other things. TTB also enforces provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to Distilled Spirits, Wines, and Beer. FDA enforces the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). The definition of "food" under the FFDCA includes "articles used for food or drink" and thus includes alcoholic beverages. See 21 U.S.C. 321(f) and 21 CFR Part 170.3 (n)(2). As such, alcoholic beverages are subject to the FFDCA adulteration and misbranding provisions, and implementing regulations, related to food. Among other things, a food is adulterated under section 402 of the FFDCA if it was produced, packed, or held under insanitary conditions; if it contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render the food injurious to health; or if it contains an unapproved food additive. FDA has authority to initiate seizure of adulterated foods, including alcoholic beverages, and to seek to enjoin the introduction of such products into interstate commerce

Q8. Why didn't FDA ask Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors for similar information when they had caffeinated alcoholic beverages on the market?

A8. In the past year, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors reformulated their popular drinks, Tilt, Bud Extra, and Sparks, removing the added caffeine and agreed not to produce any caffeinated alcoholic beverages in the future.

Q9. What type of evidence is required for GRAS status? Will FDA consider evidence beyond what the manufacturer provides?

A9. For a substance to be considered GRAS, there must be both technical evidence of safety and a basis to conclude that this evidence is generally known and accepted by qualified experts. The technical element of the GRAS standard requires that the information about the substance establish that the intended use of the substance is safe, i.e., that there is a reasonable certainty in the minds of competent scientists that the substance is not harmful under its intended conditions of use. This determination of safety includes, among other things, a consideration of the probable consumption of the ingredient, the cumulative effect of the ingredient in the diet, and other safety factors, which are generally recognized as appropriate by qualified experts (see 21 CFR 170.3 (i)(1), (2), (3)). And, as noted, the safety must be generally recognized; that is, the evidence supporting safe use is generally known, and accepted, by qualified experts. Additionally, GRAS status may be achieved based on history of use.

Yes, FDA will consider all of the data and information available to the agency related to the specific use of the food ingredient.

Q10. What about coffee-based liqueurs?

A10. This FDA action is not directed at products that are flavored with coffee. The beverages that are the subject of FDA's request for information are characterized by the intentional addition of caffeine to alcoholic beverages by the manufacturer.

Q11. What's the difference between a drink that combines alcohol and cola and a beverage that contains alcohol and caffeine?

A11. Cola is a carbonated beverage made up of many ingredients, including caffeine.The addition of caffeine to cola-type beverages up to certain levels is GRAS. Consumers may themselves choose to add cola to alcoholic beverages according to their preferences. The beverages that are the subject of FDA's request for information are characterized by the intentional addition of caffeine to alcoholic beverages by the manufacturer.

Q12. How was the group of manufacturers and products selected and if you identify others will they get the same letter?

A12. The list of manufacturers was provided to FDA in a letter from the co-chairs of the National Association of Attorneys General Youth Access to Alcohol Committee. At this point, FDA has no information regarding any additional products, other than the original list.

Q13. What will you do if you hear nothing after 30 days?

A13. If FDA determines that the use of caffeine in an alcoholic beverage is not GRAS or subject to a prior sanction, FDA has a range of regulatory options available to it, ranging from the issuance of a warning letter to seizure. It is the manufacturer's continuing responsibility to ensure that the foods they market are in compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. FDA intends to exercise all options that are appropriate for the product in question.

Q14. What's the general timeframe you are thinking for evaluating the manufacturer's information that the addition of caffeine in an alcoholic beverage is GRAS or prior sanctioned?

A14. The FDA intends to evaluate the information submitted by the manufacturers and other available scientific evidence as soon as possible in order to determine whether caffeine can be safely and lawfully added to alcoholic beverages. The timeframe is difficult to predict and it will depend on the amount and quality of data and information that the FDA receives from manufacturers and that are otherwise available to the agency and upon the complexity of scientific issues that may be encountered in the course of its review. The FDA's decision regarding the regulatory status of caffeine added to various alcoholic beverages will be a high priority for the agency; however, a decision regarding the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages could take some time.

Q15. What will happen after you make that determination?

A15. This will depend on the outcome of FDA's review of the available data and information pertinent to this use of caffeine. For example, if the FDA determines that such use of caffeine is unsafe based on the totality of the evidence, it could move swiftly to remove these products from the market as has been suggested by the Attorneys General. Alternatively, the agency might conclude that such use meets the GRAS standard and take no further action.

FDA

What is Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)?

Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin, which is involved in vital metabolic processes in the body and is necessary for normal cell function, growth, and energy production. Small amounts of riboflavin are present in most animal and plant tissues.

Healthy individuals who eat a balanced diet rarely need riboflavin supplements. Especially good dietary sources of riboflavin are milk (and other dairy products), eggs, enriched cereals/grains, meats, liver, and green vegetables (such as asparagus or broccoli). Intake may be lower in vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians.

Riboflavin is often used as a tracer of medication compliance in the treatment of patients with alcohol dependence, mental disorders, and other conditions. Urinary riboflavin levels may be measured in order to determine the level of compliance.

Medlineplus

Youth Nutrition

Nutrition

Healthy eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including the three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and can prevent health problems such as obesity, dental caries, and iron deficiency anemia. Most young people are not following the recommendations set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: of U.S. youth aged 6-19, 67% exceed dietary guidelines recommendations for fat intake, 72% exceed recommendations for saturated fat intake. In 2007, only 21.4% of high school students reported eating fruits and vegetables five or more times daily (when fried potatoes and potato chips are excluded) during the past 7 days.

^CDC

Treatment for Food Allergies

Treatment

Food allergy is treated by avoiding the foods that trigger the reaction. Once you and your healthcare provider have identified the food(s) to which you are sensitive, you must remove them from your diet. To do this, you must read the detailed ingredient lists on each food you consider eating.

Many allergy-producing foods such as peanuts, eggs, and milk, appear in foods one normally would not associate them with. Peanuts, for example, may be used as a protein source, and eggs are used in some salad dressings.

Because of a new law in the United States, FDA now requires ingredients in a packaged food to appear on its label. You can avoid most of the things to which you are sensitive if you read food labels carefully and avoid restaurant-prepared foods that might have ingredients to which you are allergic.

If you are highly allergic, even the tiniest amounts of a food allergen (for example, a small portion of a peanut kernel) can prompt an allergic reaction.

If you have food allergies, you must be prepared to treat unintentional exposure. Even people who know a lot about what they are sensitive to occasionally make a mistake. To protect yourself if you have had allergic reactions to a food, you should take the following precautions:

• Wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace stating that you have a food allergy and are subject to severe reactions
• Carry an auto-injector device containing epinephrine (adrenaline), such as an epipen or twinject, that you can get by prescription and give to yourself if you think you are getting a food allergic reaction
• Seek medical help immediately, even if you have already given yourself epinephrine, by either calling the rescue squad or by getting transported to an emergency room

Anaphylactic allergic reactions can be fatal even when they start off with mild symptoms such as a tingling in the mouth and throat or gastrointestinal discomfort.

Exercise-Induced Food Allergy

At least one situation may require more than simply eating food with allergens to start a reaction: exercise-induced food allergy. People who have this reaction only experience it after eating a specific food before exercising. Some people get this reaction from many foods, and others get it only after eating a specific food. As exercise increases and body temperature rises, itching and light-headedness start allergic reactions such as hives may appear and even anaphylaxis may develop.

The management of exercised-induced food allergy is simple—avoid eating for a few hours before exercising.

Childcare concerns

Schools and daycare centers must have plans in place to address any food allergy emergency. Parents and caregivers should take special care with children and learn how to do the following:

• Protect children from foods to which they are allergic
• Manage children if they eat a food to which they are allergic
• Give children epinephrine

Simply washing your hands with soap and water will remove peanut allergens. Also, most household cleaners will remove them from surfaces such as food preparation areas at home, as well as at daycare facilities and schools. These easy-to-do measures will help prevent peanut allergy reactions in children and adults.

There are several medicines you can take to relieve food allergy symptoms that are not part of an anaphylactic reaction:

• Antihistamines to relieve GI symptoms, hives, or sneezing and a runny nose
• Bronchodilators to relieve asthma symptoms

It is not easy to determine if a reaction to food is anaphylactic. It is important to develop a plan with a healthcare provider as to what reactions you should treat with epinephrine first, rather than antihistamines or bronchodilators.

Controversial and Unproven Treatments

One controversial treatment, which sometimes may be used with provocative challenge, includes putting a diluted solution of a particular food under your tongue about a half-hour before you eat the food suspected of causing an allergic reaction. This is an attempt to “neutralize” the subsequent exposure to the food you believe is harmful. The results of carefully conducted clinical research show this procedure does not prevent an allergic reaction.

Allergy shots

Another unproven treatment involves getting allergy shots (immunotherapy) containing small quantities of the food extracts to which you are allergic. These shots are given regularly for a long period of time with the aim of “desensitizing” you to the food allergen. Researchers have not yet proven that allergy shots reliably relieve food allergies.

NIH

What is a Food Allergy

Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body's immune system. Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death. Tree nuts and peanuts are the leading causes of deadly allergic reactions called anaphylaxis.

In adults, the foods that most often trigger allergic reactions include:

• 
  Fish and shellfish, such as shrimp, lobster and crab
• 
  Peanuts
• 
  Tree nuts, such as walnuts
• 
  Eggs

Problem foods for children are eggs, milk (especially in infants and young children) and peanuts.

Sometimes a reaction to food is not an allergy. It is often a reaction called "food intolerance". Your immune system does not cause the symptoms of food intolerance. However, these symptoms can look and feel like those of a food allergy.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Childhood Nutrition and Health Facts

Nutrition and the Health of Young People

Benefits of Healthy Eating

• Healthy eating contributes to overall healthy growth and development, including healthy bones, skin, and energy levels; and a lowered risk of dental caries, eating disorders, constipation, malnutrition, and iron deficiency anemia.

Diet and Disease

• Early indicators of atherosclerosis, the most common cause of heart disease, begin as early as childhood and adolescence. Atherosclerosis is related to high blood cholesterol levels, which are associated with poor dietary habits.

• Osteoporosis, a disease where bones become fragile and can break easily, is associated with inadequate intake of calcium.
• Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes, has become increasingly prevalent among children and adolescents as rates of overweight and obesity rise. A CDC study estimated that one in three American children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

• Overweight and obesity, influenced by poor diet and inactivity, are significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, joint problems, and poor health status.

Obesity Among Youth

• The prevalence of overweight among children aged 6-11 years has more than doubled in the past 20 years and among adolescents aged 12-19 has more than tripled.

• Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become overweight or obese adults; one study showed that children who became obese by age 8 were more severely obese as adults.

Eating Behaviors of Young People

• Less than 40% of children and adolescents in the United States meet the U.S. dietary guidelines for saturated fat.

• In 2007, only 21.4% of high school students reported eating fruits and vegetables five or more times daily (when fried potatoes and potato chips are excluded) during the past 7 days.

• Only 39% of children ages 2-17 meet the USDA’s dietary recommendation for fiber (found primarily in dried beans and peas, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains).

• Eighty-five percent of adolescent females do not consume enough calcium. During the last 25 years, consumption of milk, the largest source of calcium, has decreased 36% among adolescent females. Additionally, from 1978 to 1998, average daily soft drink consumption almost doubled among adolescent females, increasing from 6 ounces to 11 ounces, and almost tripled among adolescent males, from 7 ounces to 19 ounces.

• A large number of high school students use unhealthy methods to lose or maintain weight. A nationwide survey found that during the 30 days preceding the survey, 12.3% of students went without eating for 24 hours or more; 4.5% had vomited or taken laxatives in order to lose weight; and 6.3% had taken diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor's advice.

Diet and Academic Performance

• Research suggests that not having breakfast can affect children's intellectual performance.

• The percentage of young people who eat breakfast decreases with age; while 92% of children ages 6–11 eat breakfast, only 77% of adolescents ages 12–19 eat breakfast.

• Hunger and food insufficiency in children are associated with poor behavioral and academic functioning.

CDC

Vitamin D and Deficiencies

Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of vitamin D, and as little as 10 minutes of exposure is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies. The term "vitamin D" refers to several different forms of this vitamin. Two forms are important in humans: ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D2 is synthesized by plants. Vitamin D3 is synthesized by humans in the skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight. Foods may be fortified with vitamin D2 or D3.

The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. Recently, research also suggests vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.

Rickets and osteomalacia are classic vitamin D deficiency diseases. In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, which results in skeletal deformities. In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, which results in muscular weakness in addition to weak bones. Populations who may be at a high risk for vitamin D deficiencies include the elderly, obese individuals, exclusively breastfed infants, and those who have limited sun exposure. Also, individuals who have fat malabsorption syndromes (e.g., cystic fibrosis) or inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's disease) are at risk.

MedlinePlus

Thiamine

• aneurin
• anti-beriberi factor
• thiazolium,  chloride
• vitamin B1

Definition:

Water soluble B vitamin with a structure consisting of substituted pyrimidine and thiazolium rings linked by a methylene group; deficiency causes beriberi.

A heat-labile and water-soluble essential vitamin, belonging to the vitamin B family, with antioxidant, erythropoietic, mood modulating, and glucose-regulating activities. Thiamine reacts with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to form an active coenzyme, thiamine pyrophosphate. Thiamine pyrophosphate is necessary for the actions of pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate in carbohydrate metabolism and for the actions of transketolase, an enzyme that plays an important role in the pentose phosphate pathway. Thiamine plays a key role in intracellular glucose metabolism and may inhibit the action of glucose and insulin on arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation. Thiamine may also protect against lead toxicity by inhibiting lead-induced lipid peroxidation.

NLM

Next Page »