Intake

When roasted at 475 degrees, coffee beans are sometimes described as rich and full-bodied. But for the full-bodied person who is not so rich, unroasted coffee beans - green as the day they were picked - may hold the key to cheap and effective weight loss, new research suggests. In a study presented Tuesday at the American Chemical Society's spring national meeting in San Diego, 16 overweight young adults took, by turns, a low dose of green coffee bean extract, a high dose of the supplement, and a placebo.

There is something surreal about a former champion bodybuilder lifting up her shirt to show you her abs in the middle of a coffee shop. Sandra Bueckert is a 45-year-old mother of two and one of the best-known personal trainers in my hometown, and she is indeed muscularly ripped. Some people appreciate this look; some don't. But I was more curious about whether women can achieve it without harming their health. So I set out to learn how some ripped women do it, and whether the experts approve of their methods.

Fructose is a simple sugar found in honey and in smaller amounts in some fruits and vegetables. The impact of fructose in the human diet has been the subject of some controversy. Higher fructose consumption has been linked to weight gain in humans. A new study in rats suggests that high doses of fructose in pregnancy may not be a good thing, either, especially for female offspring. Researchers in New Zealand gave pregnant rats either water or a fructose solution designed to provide about 20% of the rats' daily calories.

This post has been corrected. See note at bottom for details. Another reason to avoid the carbs: Researchers reported Thursday that increased carbohydrate intake was associated with a higher rate of breast cancer recurrence in survivors of the disease. Starch intake seemed to be particularly influential, they said, accounting for 48% of changes in the women's carbohydrate intake. "Women who increased their starch intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring," team leader Jennifer Emond, a doctoral student in public health at UC San Diego, said in a statement.

A recent Nutri-Data column focusing on the fight against fat and calories (Food Section, Sept. 4) generated some confusion among readers, who found recipes containing 14 to 23 grams of fat per serving to be excessive and not consistent with recommendations by heart and cancer groups advocating that we "cut back fat intake from the national average of approximately 40% of total calories to 30%."

News flash: High-fructose corn syrup isn't to blame for the obesity epidemic. "High-fructose corn syrup was acquitted today amidst a flood of public apologies by consumers who had singled the corn sweetener out as a unique cause of obesity," newspaper ads declared in what was intended to look like a news story showing a man dressed like an ear of corn being proved innocent. The full-page ads, part of a $1-million marketing campaign launched Tuesday by a food-industry-backed advocacy group, ran in prominent newspapers nationwide, including this one. TV versions are running on all the cable news channels.

Ever since Vanity Fair put her on its January 2010 cover in what looked like a Wonder Woman costume, Tina Fey has seemed in danger of falling for the very canard she has spent a career satirizing: that a woman can "have it all" if she's willing to lose 20 pounds, show her breasts and regularly remind everyone that, although she writes and stars in an Emmy-winning TV show, she is still essentially a loser who eats a lot of cupcakes. (Just like, you know, Larry David does.) An excerpt from her new book in a recent New Yorker didn't help, with Fey assuming the position of agonized career mommy — why do so many people keep asking her if she is going to have another baby when having one is so hard?

Calcium is important for bone health, but medical experts have long debated how much calcium people should consume to reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life. A new study suggests that the U.S. recommendation for adult women may be unnecessarily high. The recommended dietary allowance for women ages 51 and older in the United States is 1,200 milligrams a day --  compared with the recommendation in the United Kingdom of 700 milligrams per day. The new study, published online Tuesday in the British Medical Journal , suggests that consuming more than 700 mg a day won't help.

Another reason to avoid the carbs: Researchers reported Thursday that increased carbohydrate intake was associated with a higher rate of breast cancer recurrence in survivors of the disease. Starch intake seemed to be particularly influential, they said, accounting for 48% of changes in the women's carbohydrate intake. "Women who increased their stach intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring," said team leader Jennifer Emond, a doctoral student in public health at UC San Diego, in a statement.

When American kids reflect upon their childhoods decades from now, snacks may figure more prominently in their memories -- and around their waists -- than meals shared around a table. From 1977 to 2006, American children have added 168 snack calories per day to their diets, a study finds. They're munching cookies after school, granola bars on the way to piano lessons, chips after an hour of soccer practice and peanut butter and crackers while waiting for dinner. For some, those extra 1,176 calories a week could amount to as much as 13 1/2 pounds of body fat a year.

Another reason to avoid the carbs: Researchers reported Thursday that increased carbohydrate intake was associated with a higher rate of breast cancer recurrence in survivors of the disease. Starch intake seemed to be particularly influential, they said, accounting for 48% of changes in the women's carbohydrate intake. "Women who increased their stach intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring," said team leader Jennifer Emond, a doctoral student in public health at UC San Diego, in a statement.

Americans' salt intake is a major issue among health experts, with controversy lingering over how much salt is too much. A new study suggests that clarification on this question is sorely needed, especially for people with existing heart disease. The study looked at sodium excretion in the urine -- which is a measure for sodium intake in one's diet -- of 28,800 adults who were at high risk for heart disease or diabetes or who had heart disease. Sodium and potassium excretion were measured for 24 hours, which was an advantage in this study compared to others that have tried to determine the impact of dietary salt on health.

In the last year alone, medical researchers have reported that women who drink moderately are more likely to get breast cancer but also live longer after a heart attack; are more likely to have stronger bones if they choose wine; have lower odds of developing asthma or dementia if they average one drink per day (men can average two); and have higher odds of gastrointestinal problems from bacterial overgrowth. Is your head spinning yet? The health gains and woes associated with moderate drinking are confusing - so here's a closer look at the pros and cons.

Cutting back on salt does seem to reduce blood pressure -- welcome news for those diligently watching their intake -- but it might not reduce deaths, a new analysis suggests.  Researchers analyzed results from seven studies that tracked salt reduction and deaths or significant events caused by cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke and heart surgery) for at least six months in nearly 6,500 people. The researchers found no strong evidence that reducing sodium intake in people with high or normal blood pressure reduces the death rate.

Calcium is important for bone health, but medical experts have long debated how much calcium people should consume to reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life. A new study suggests that the U.S. recommendation for adult women may be unnecessarily high. The recommended dietary allowance for women ages 51 and older in the United States is 1,200 milligrams a day --  compared with the recommendation in the United Kingdom of 700 milligrams per day. The new study, published online Tuesday in the British Medical Journal , suggests that consuming more than 700 mg a day won't help.

Ever since Vanity Fair put her on its January 2010 cover in what looked like a Wonder Woman costume, Tina Fey has seemed in danger of falling for the very canard she has spent a career satirizing: that a woman can "have it all" if she's willing to lose 20 pounds, show her breasts and regularly remind everyone that, although she writes and stars in an Emmy-winning TV show, she is still essentially a loser who eats a lot of cupcakes. (Just like, you know, Larry David does.) An excerpt from her new book in a recent New Yorker didn't help, with Fey assuming the position of agonized career mommy — why do so many people keep asking her if she is going to have another baby when having one is so hard?

This post has been corrected. See note at bottom for details. Another reason to avoid the carbs: Researchers reported Thursday that increased carbohydrate intake was associated with a higher rate of breast cancer recurrence in survivors of the disease. Starch intake seemed to be particularly influential, they said, accounting for 48% of changes in the women's carbohydrate intake. "Women who increased their starch intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring," team leader Jennifer Emond, a doctoral student in public health at UC San Diego, said in a statement.

Regarding "Over-35 Pregnancy No Longer Termed 'Risky' " (March 25), it seems the medical profession's biases are changing with the times. (Don't doctors read their own medical journals?) Now that it is economically advantageous for doctors to cater to the "older woman" they had better readjust their prejudices. Thank you, Times, for printing that article. Now let's hear about the myths of too much weight gain and salt intake during pregnancy. ANNE CLEARY SOMMERS Huntington Beach

Fructose is a simple sugar found in honey and in smaller amounts in some fruits and vegetables. The impact of fructose in the human diet has been the subject of some controversy. Higher fructose consumption has been linked to weight gain in humans. A new study in rats suggests that high doses of fructose in pregnancy may not be a good thing, either, especially for female offspring. Researchers in New Zealand gave pregnant rats either water or a fructose solution designed to provide about 20% of the rats' daily calories.

Folate is a valuable nutrient, especially for pregnant women. Studies show adequate intake of folate -- or folic acid -- just before pregnancy and during pregnancy can significantly reduce the risk of spinal cord defects. However, a new study shows one thing folate apparently can't do: lower the risk of preterm birth. Researchers have long wondered if the amount of folate in the diet would have an impact on preterm birth. One previous study suggested that it might help. Preterm birth is a big problem in the United States, with about 12% of babies born too early.