Laurent Tigrani blog

By Vince Lamb, Examiner.com

Two studies from local universitiesthat poor dietary choicesduring one's school years could result in severe health problems duringadulthood.

One paper, authored by a team of researchers from the University ofMichigan, Michigan State University, and Food & Nutrition DatabaseResearch, Inc., of Okemos, described how school children who consumefoods purchased in vending machines, school stores, and snack bars aremore likely to develop poor diet quality early in life than those whoeat meals provided as part of the United States Department ofAgriculture (USDA) school lunch program or which are packed at home. As a result,these children are more likely to be overweight or obese. Their dietsmay also put them at risk for chronic health problems such as diabetesand coronary artery disease later in life.

Another paper, penned by a pair of Michigan State Universityresearchers came to a more dire conclusion. Girls who eat ahigh-fat diet during puberty, even if they do not become overweight orobese, may be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer later inlife. The implications could drive new cancer prevention efforts.

Together, the two studies demonstrate how poor food choices early inlife could cause health problems later, as well as the importance ofproper nutrition and establishing good dietary choices during childhood.

Eating vending machine food in schools leads to poor health

Inpublished in the September issue of the Journal of School Health,Madhuri Kakarala, Clinical Lecturer of Internal Medicine at theUniversity of Michigan Medical School, Debra R. Keast, President of Food& Nutrition Database Research, Inc., of Okemos, and Sharon Hoerr,Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan StateUniversity, found that 22 percent of students of all ages nationwideconsumed food from vending machines, school stores, snack bars eachschool day. The percentage of students purchasing food from sourcesother than the cafeteria was greatest in high school, where 88 percentof schools had vending machines, compared to 52 percent of middleschools and 16 percent of elementary schools.

Soft drinks accounted for more than two-thirds of beverages offeredin school vending machines and stores. Desserts and fried snacks werethe most commonly consumed vended items among elementary school childrenand beverages other than milk and fruit juice were the most commonlyconsumed items among middle and high school students. Other frequentlyconsumed vended foods included candy, snack chips, crackers, cookies,cakes, and ice cream.

As a consequence of their diets, students who ate food from vendingmachines, school stores, snack bars, and other sources that compete withUSDA School Lunch program offerings consumed significantly more sugarand total calories than the ones who ate food from the cafeteria. Theyalso ate less sodium, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and iron.

In a ,study leader Kakarala said, "Consumption of vended foods and beveragescurrently offered in U.S. schools is detrimental to children's dietquality. Childhood obesity, resulting from poor dietary choices, such asthose found in this study, greatly increases the risk for many chronicdiseases. A healthy school food environment can reduce these dietaryrisks."

Kakarala continued, "Targeted nutrition education to promote theimportance of healthful snacks is further stressed by the ChildNutrition Act-the major federal legislation that determines school foodpolicy and resources. These and other types of school-enforced policiescan be very helpful for children in making smarter eating choicesthroughout the school day."

Based on their findings, the study authors recommended that schooladministrators design guidelines restricting foods and beverages soldthrough vending machines and school stores to those that are rich innutrients but not high in calories. They also suggest that schoolfood-service personnel prepare point-of-service materials and displaysto promote more healthful foods such as fresh fruit, yogurt, low-fatmilk, juice, ansandwiches.

High-fat diets and breast cancer

That a high-fat diet during puberty can increase breast cancer riskmany years later comes from research at Michigan State University'sBreast Cancer and the Environment Research Center, which was establishedin 2003 and funded through 2010 by the National Institute ofEnvironmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute.

Physiology professor Sandra Haslam, director of the center, andRichard Schwartz, microbiology professor and associate dean in theCollege of Natural Science, are now expanding that research with a new,five-year, $2.3 million federal grant. They will use that funding tocontinue their work studying the impact of prenatal-to-adultenvironmental exposures that predispose women to breast cancer as partof the extended nationwide Breast Cancer and the Environment ResearchProgram.

"The pubertal time period is crucial, as this is when the basicframework is created for mammary gland development," Haslam said in ."What we are seeing from preliminary research in animals is that ahigh-fat diet during puberty can lead to the production of inflammatoryproducts in the mammary glands of adults, which can promote cancergrowth."

Since these inflammatory changes first occur during the crucial timeof puberty, a period of intense development and cell division, it canhave effects lasting a lifetime.

To test their findings, Haslam and Schwartz will lead a teamanalyzing two different mouse models of breast cancer and the effects ofhigh-fat diets during puberty. They also will test severalanti-inflammation interventions designed to overcome the negativeeffects of a high-fat diet on inflammation.