The psychological ramifications of weight management.

It has long been believed that food restriction leads to psychological disturbances, including depression, preoccupation with food, and binge eating. However, recent studies suggest that comprehensive weight loss programs that incorporate behavioral treatment, diet change, and encouragement of physical activity in fact can improve the psychological state, including mood. A study conducted on subjects participating in the Weight Watchers program demonstrated positive psychological changes and improved quality of life.

Nutrition training in graduate medical (residency) education: a survey of selected training programs.

Because limited information exists about nutrition training of residents, we studied the teaching practices of nationally recognized nutrition programs. Two hundred thirty-eight nutrition educators and 787 residency-program directors identified 160 institutions with strong nutrition training. The 23 highest-ranked programs were surveyed and 7 were visited.

Calories and cancer.

The author presents the hypothesis that no single nutrient or class of food by itself significantly affects risk for most cancers. Rather, it is the dietary pattern or the mix of nutrients and foods that affects cancer risk. And the overall caloric intake or perhaps the caloric balance is central to whether a particular dietary pattern will affect cancer risk.

Special nutritional needs of children with malignancies: a review.

Nutrition support for the patient with cancer is an important part of the overall treatment regimen. Nutrition support for the child with cancer poses a special challenge. For the purpose of reviewing the special nutritional needs of children with cancer, a Task Force was formed by the American Academy of Pediatrics to review the current state of knowledge.

The effect of elevated selenium intake on colonic cellular growth in rats.

Both selenium and calorie restriction are anticarcinogenic in many tumor models, but the mechanisms of action are unknown. This study compared the effects of elevated selenium (Se) intake and calorie restriction on colonic cellular growth. Female weanling rats were divided into four groups: control, 40% calorie restricted, and 4 or 6 mg Se/l H2O as selenate.

The effect of early caloric restriction on colonic cellular growth in rats.

Although the inhibitory effect of caloric restriction on tumorigenesis is substantial and well known, the pertinent mechanisms remain to be determined. We recently suggested that the risk of cancer may be directly related to the total number of dividing cells within an affected organ. This study evaluates the effects of early caloric restriction on the cellular growth of the colon.

Are cell number and cell proliferation risk factors for cancer?

Relatively little is known about the mechanisms underlying carcinogenesis in humans. Caloric restriction strongly inhibits the development of neoplasia in rodents, and there is evidence of a positive relationship between cancer and body weight in humans. Caloric restriction early in life is also known to permanently diminish organ cellularity.

Effects of pre-weaning undernutrition on 21 day-old male rat skull form as described by the finite element method.

Conventional Roentgenographic Cephalometric Methods (RCM) have certain conceptual and geometric constraints that ensure that their descriptions of cephalic growth and comparisons of cephalic form are reference-frame-dependent; and it is impossible to determine which, if any, RCM reference frame provides a biologically more correct description or comparison. The use of the concepts of continuum mechanics and of the numerical techniques of the Finite Element Method (FEM) overcomes these constraints and provides reference-frame-independent (invariant) growth descriptions and form comparisons. In the FEM, the structure of the head is subdivided (discretized) into a number of smaller, finite, elements.

The effects of maternal cigarette smoking on placental morphology, histomorphometry, and biochemistry.

We related cigarette smoking during pregnancy to the macroscopic and microscopic morphology, histomorphometry, and biochemistry of the placenta among participants in The Prenatal Project, a randomized, controlled trial of nutritional supplementation during pregnancy. The aim was to ascertain if the harmful effects of cigarette smoking on the fetus were reflected, and possibly mediated, by changes in the placenta, and whether such changes might be modified by the nutritional supplements, parallel to the nutritional reversal of birthweight depression among heavy smokers. Maternal smoking was associated with increased alkaline ribonuclease (RNase) levels, possibly resulting in disturbed protein synthesis.

Macrophage phagocytosis and membrane fluidity in mice: the effect of age and dietary protein.

Male C57BL/6NNia mice were used to investigate the effects of age and dietary protein intake on Fc and C3b receptor-mediated phagocytosis and on membrane fluidity. Six-month-old (adult) and 24-month-old (aged) mice were fed a 6% or 25% protein diet for 3, 5, or 6 weeks at which time thioglycollate elicited peritoneal macrophages were isolated. Both binding of IgG-coated sheep red blood cells to the macrophages and ingestion via the Fc-receptor were identical in all 4 groups after 3 and 6 weeks of feeding but were decreased at 5 weeks in the aged animals fed 6% protein.

Prenatal alcohol exposure: abnormalities in placental growth and fetal amino acid uptake in the rat.

On day 20 of gestation, after ethanol feeding (27% ethanol calories, 25% protein), placental weights, DNA, RNA and water content were greater than in controls pair-fed an isocaloric diet without ethanol or those ad lib fed a pellet diet of similar composition. Rat litter size and fetal body, liver and brain weights were similar in all groups. In vivo fetal amino acid accumulation was significantly lower after alcohol exposure despite similar placental uptake.