Sunday, May 18, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Movie and Popcorn Good for Your Health?
Reuters HealthMay 16, 2008
Popcorn Fans Eat More Whole Grain: Study
People who snack on popcorn may consume more whole grains and less meat than their peers who don't, new research shows.
Fewer than 10 percent of Americans meet current dietary guidelines recommending they eat at least three servings of whole grain foods each day, Dr. Ann C. Grandjean of The Center for Human Nutrition in Omaha, Nebraska and her colleagues note the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Popcorn is a whole-grain product and whole grains have been tied to a number of health benefits, including reduced heart disease and diabetes risk, they add.
To investigate the role of popcorn in the US diet, Grandjean and her team looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999-2002, in which a nationally representative sample of 15,506 Americans reported what they had eaten in the past 24 hours.
Six percent of the study participants had eaten popcorn in the past day. On average, popcorn eaters consumed 38.8 grams (about 12 cups) of popcorn per day.
Compared with people who did not eat popcorn, those that did had roughly 250 percent higher intake of whole grains (2.5 versus 0.70 servings per day) and approximately 22 percent higher intake of fiber (18.1 versus 14.9 grams per day), the researchers found.
Popcorn eaters also had higher overall grain consumption and lower meat consumption.
Popcorn eaters also got more magnesium and carbohydrates than non-popcorn eaters. While people who ate popcorn consumed less protein, niacin and folate, they were still getting enough of these nutrients based on Institute of Medicine requirements.
There was no relationship between eating popcorn and heart disease risk factors such as obesity and high cholesterol, the researchers found.
"The present findings support that popcorn may offer a healthful alternative to high-energy-dense, low-nutrient-dense snacks," Grandjean and her colleagues say.
More studies are needed, they conclude, to confirm the findings and to determine if eating popcorn can indeed help increase people's whole grain intake over time.
ConAgra Foods, which makes several brands of popcorn, funded the study.
Reuters HealthMay 16, 2008
Popcorn Fans Eat More Whole Grain: Study
People who snack on popcorn may consume more whole grains and less meat than their peers who don't, new research shows.
Fewer than 10 percent of Americans meet current dietary guidelines recommending they eat at least three servings of whole grain foods each day, Dr. Ann C. Grandjean of The Center for Human Nutrition in Omaha, Nebraska and her colleagues note the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Popcorn is a whole-grain product and whole grains have been tied to a number of health benefits, including reduced heart disease and diabetes risk, they add.
To investigate the role of popcorn in the US diet, Grandjean and her team looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999-2002, in which a nationally representative sample of 15,506 Americans reported what they had eaten in the past 24 hours.
Six percent of the study participants had eaten popcorn in the past day. On average, popcorn eaters consumed 38.8 grams (about 12 cups) of popcorn per day.
Compared with people who did not eat popcorn, those that did had roughly 250 percent higher intake of whole grains (2.5 versus 0.70 servings per day) and approximately 22 percent higher intake of fiber (18.1 versus 14.9 grams per day), the researchers found.
Popcorn eaters also had higher overall grain consumption and lower meat consumption.
Popcorn eaters also got more magnesium and carbohydrates than non-popcorn eaters. While people who ate popcorn consumed less protein, niacin and folate, they were still getting enough of these nutrients based on Institute of Medicine requirements.
There was no relationship between eating popcorn and heart disease risk factors such as obesity and high cholesterol, the researchers found.
"The present findings support that popcorn may offer a healthful alternative to high-energy-dense, low-nutrient-dense snacks," Grandjean and her colleagues say.
More studies are needed, they conclude, to confirm the findings and to determine if eating popcorn can indeed help increase people's whole grain intake over time.
ConAgra Foods, which makes several brands of popcorn, funded the study.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Some Get Hitched for Health Benefits
Detroit NewsMay 01, 2008
Poll finds 7 percent of Americans married to obtain insurance through their spouse.
Some people marry for love, some for companionship and others for status or money. Now comes another reason to get hitched: health insurance.
In a poll released this week, 7 percent of Americans said they or someone in their household decided to marry in the past year so they could obtain health-care benefits via their spouse.
"It's a small number, but a powerful result, because it shows how paying for health care is reflected not only in family budgets but in life decisions," said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey as part of its regular polling on health care.
On a broader scale, the survey found that health-care costs outranked housing costs, rising food prices and credit card bills as a source of concern.
Of those surveyed, 28 percent said they had experienced serious problems because of the cost of health care, nearly tied with 29 percent who had problems getting a good job or a raise.
Gas prices were the top economic worry, with 44 percent saying they had serious problems keeping up with increases at the pump.
A companion poll also detected an important shift among voters: Independents in particular say they are more concerned about reducing medical costs than about increasing the number of Americans with health insurance.
In the latest Kaiser poll, 46 percent of independents said the presidential candidates should deal with costs first, and 25 percent said expanding health coverage for the 47 million uninsured people should come next.
The Kaiser polls, conducted April 3-13, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,003 adults and have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Poll finds 7 percent of Americans married to obtain insurance through their spouse.
Some people marry for love, some for companionship and others for status or money. Now comes another reason to get hitched: health insurance.
In a poll released this week, 7 percent of Americans said they or someone in their household decided to marry in the past year so they could obtain health-care benefits via their spouse.
"It's a small number, but a powerful result, because it shows how paying for health care is reflected not only in family budgets but in life decisions," said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey as part of its regular polling on health care.
On a broader scale, the survey found that health-care costs outranked housing costs, rising food prices and credit card bills as a source of concern.
Of those surveyed, 28 percent said they had experienced serious problems because of the cost of health care, nearly tied with 29 percent who had problems getting a good job or a raise.
Gas prices were the top economic worry, with 44 percent saying they had serious problems keeping up with increases at the pump.
A companion poll also detected an important shift among voters: Independents in particular say they are more concerned about reducing medical costs than about increasing the number of Americans with health insurance.
In the latest Kaiser poll, 46 percent of independents said the presidential candidates should deal with costs first, and 25 percent said expanding health coverage for the 47 million uninsured people should come next.
The Kaiser polls, conducted April 3-13, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,003 adults and have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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