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• December 2006 - New Resources: Child Nutrition Issues, Sugars Consumption

  New Resources: Child Nutrition Issues, Sugars Consumption

  The Canadian Sugar Institute (CSI) Nutrition Information Service is pleased to provide you with the latest edition of our annual health professional publication, Carbohydrate News, and an additional health professional resource, Estimates of Added Sugars Consumption in Canada.

  • Carbohydrate News – Current Issues in Child Nutrition
    (PDF Format)
  • Estimates of Added Sugars Consumption in Canada
    (PDF Format)

  This edition of Carbohydrate News focuses on Current Issues in Child Nutrition, featuring articles by Dr. David Benton, University of Wales Swansea, on the role of parents in developing children's eating patterns, and by Dr. Theresa Glanville, Mount Saint Vincent University, on added sugars and micronutrient intake.

  Estimates of Added Sugars Consumption in Canada provides updated information on intakes of added sugars in Canada.

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• October 2006 - Contributors to obesity: exploring the roads less travelled

  Putative Contributors to the Secular Increase in Obesity: Exploring the Roads Less Traveled

  ABSTRACT

  Keith SW, Redden DT, Katzmarzyk PT, Boggiano MM, Hanlon EC , Benca RM, Ruden D, Pietrobelli A, Barger JL, Fontaine KR, Wang C, Aronne LJ, Wright SM, Baskin M, Dhurandhar NV, Lijoi C, Grilo CM, DeLuca M, Westfall AO, and Allison DB.
  University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
  International Journal of Obesity, advance on-line publication, 27 June 2006

  Objective: To investigate plausible contributors to the obesity epidemic beyond the two most commonly suggested factors, reduced physical activity and food marketing practices.

  Design: A narrative review of data and published materials that provide evidence of the role of additional putative factors in contributing to the increasing prevalence of obesity.

  Data: Information was drawn from ecological and epidemiological studies of humans, animal studies and studies addressing physiological mechanisms, when available.

  Results: For at least 10 putative additional explanations for the increased prevalence of obesity over the recent decades, we found supportive (although not conclusive) evidence that in many cases is as compelling as the evidence for more commonly discussed putative explanations.

  Conclusion: Undue attention has been devoted to reduced physical activity and food marketing practices as postulated causes for increases in the prevalence of obesity, leading to neglect of other plausible mechanisms and well-intentioned, but potentially ill-founded proposals for reducing obesity rates.

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• August 2006 - Sweetened Beverages and Adiposity: A Scientific Review

  Is There an Association Between Sweetened Beverages and Adiposity?

  ABSTRACT

  Bachman CM, Baranowski T, Nicklas TA.
  University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
  Nutrition Reviews, 2006, (64)4:153-74

  Four mechanisms were reviewed to explain the possible association between sweetened beverages and increased overweight or obesity: excess caloric intake, glycemic index and glycemic load, lack of effect of liquid calories on satiety, and displacement of milk. The findings were inconsistent across studies. The strongest support was for the excess caloric intake hypothesis, but the findings were not conclusive. Assigning possible links between sweetened beverage consumption and adiposity requires research that compares and contrasts specific mechanisms, especially in populations at risk for obesity, while controlling for likely confounding variables.

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• June 2006 - Carbohydrate Intake and Insulin Resistance: Scientific Review

  Determining the Relationship Between Dietary Carbohydrate Intake and Insulin Resistance

  ABSTRACT

  Neville H. McClenaghan
  School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, United Kingdom
  Nutrition Research Reviews, 2005, 18:222-240

  Insulin resistance underlies type 2 diabetes, CVD and the metabolic syndrome, driven by changes in diet, lifestyle, energy over-consumption and obesity. Nutritional recommendations for insulin resistance remain an area of controversy, particularly the quantity and types of dietary carbohydrate. The present review gives an overview of insulin resistance, its relationship to impaired insulin secretion and the metabolic syndrome, research methodologies used to measure insulin action and the epidemiological and intervention studies on the relationship between dietary carbohydrate and insulin resistance.

  Epidemiological studies provide little evidence to suggest that total dietary carbohydrate predicts risk of type 2 diabetes, and high-carbohydrate, high-fibre diets with low-glycaemic index (GI) may even contribute to diabetes prevention. Despite inherent limitations associated with techniques used to measure insulin resistance and dietary assessment, most intervention studies reveal an increase in glucose tolerance or insulin sensitivity with high carbohydrate, low-fat diets in non-diabetic and diabetic individuals. When energy is restricted the source or reduced content of carbohydrate does not appear to be as important as fat for body weight. Thus, low energy intake is key to weight loss and augmentation of insulin sensitivity. Given this, widespread adoption of popular low-carbohydrate high-fat diets highlights the necessity to evaluate dietary interventions regarding safety and metabolic effects.

  While current evidence supports FAO/WHO recommendations to maintain a high carbohydrate diet with low-GI foods, the relationships between carbohydrate and insulin sensitivity remains an important research area. Emerging technologies should further enhance understanding of gene–diet interactions in insulin resistance, providing useful information for future nutrition policy decisions.

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• April 2006 - Treatment and Prevention of Obesity: What is the Role of Exercise?

  Treatment and Prevention of Obesity: What is the Role of Exercise?

  ABSTRACT

  Jakicic J.M. & Otto A.D.
  Department of Health and Physical Activity, Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
  Nutrition Reviews, 2006, 64(2 Pt 2):S57-61

  The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity highlight the need for improved intervention strategies to counteract this significant public health problem. To this end, it appears that increases in energy expenditure through exercise and other forms of physical activity may be an important component of effective interventions to enhance initial weight loss and the prevention of weight regain. However, to achieve these outcomes, adequate levels of exercise and physical activity appear to be necessary, with 60 to 90 min/d currently being recommended.

  While this appears to be a significant amount of activity, overweight and obese adults should be counseled to progressively increase to these levels of exercise and physical activity. Moreover, there is significant evidence that even if an overweight or obese adult is unable to achieve this level of activity, that significant health benefits can be realized by participating in at least 30 minutes of daily activity that is at least moderate in intensity. Therefore, it is important to have interventions that target these levels of physical activity to improve health-related outcomes and to facilitate long-term weight control.

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• February 2006 - Statistics Canada Revises Sugar Consumption Data

  Statistics Canada Revises Sugar Consumption Data

  Estimated Consumption of Sugars and Syrups in Canada

  The most recent publication of Food Statistics (Statistics Canada, November 2005) shows that estimated consumption of sugars and syrups (refined sugar, maple sugar and honey) has been decreasing over the past decade. These consumption estimates are derived from data on sugar and syrups “available for consumption” 1 by deducting estimated losses; i.e. retail, household, cooking and plate loss.

  This publication includes revisions from previously published data to correct certain methodological errors and to account for the large growth in exports of sugar in food products that are not consumed in Canada. Statistics Canada’s previous data suggested an increased intake of sugars and syrups during this time. In fact, sugars and syrups disappearance decreased by 15% between 1994 and 2004 (See Figure 1 below).

  Figure 1
  Sugars and Syrups Available and Consumed (estimated)²
  1966-2004, Statistics Canada, Corrected November 2005

  The availability (disappearance) of sugars and syrups in Canada reflects the total amount of these commodities entering the market, regardless of their final use. The data are collected from producers and manufacturers using techniques that vary by commodity. This provides a basis for examining food consumption changes over time (trends) without the problems implicit in consumer survey data. If waste and other losses in the system are relatively constant over time, these data provide a measure of changes in consumption patterns that is independent of and complements consumer survey data.

  Sugar and Syrups Contribute 10.3% of Total Available Energy

  In 2004, sugars and syrups contributed 10.3% of the total available energy, per person, in the Canadian food supply. This represents a decrease from 13.1% in 1994. It should be noted that sugars and syrups do not include high fructose corn syrup which is the principal sweetener in caloric soft drinks. Estimated energy available from soft drinks has remained relatively stable over the same time period. (See Figure 2 below)

  Figure 2
  % Total Energy Available from Sugars and Syrups, Soft Drinks
  1994 - 2004, Statistics Canada, November 2005

  1. Food available for consumption: Statistics Canada tables provide data on the supply and use of food commodities, representing “food that is available for consumption”, not accounting for losses in stores, households, private institutions or restaurants. Food available for consumption (also known as disappearance) is determined as follows:
     • Beginning stocks, production and imports are summed to derive total supply,
     • Net supply is calculated by deducting exports, manufacturing uses, feed, waste and ending stocks,
     • The net supply is divided by the Canadian population as of July 1 to obtain disappearance per person (per capita).
  2. Food consumed: Estimated quantities of “food consumed” are calculated based on food availability less estimated losses including retail, household, cooking and plate loss. Statistics Canada advises that these adjustments to estimate food consumed are experimental and should be used with caution.

  Source: Statistics Canada Food Stats 2004, Vol. 4, No. 2, Statistics Canada, November 2005

   

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