Ten Surprising Nutrition Facts

Stolen from Dr.Weil.com, as culled from presentations at the "Fourth Annual Nutrition and Health Conference." Bring on the garlic!

Bad News:

1. Hunter-gatherers in the Australian outback today live on 800 varieties of plant foods. Modern Americans live principally on three: corn, soy and wheat.
2. One third of Americans get 47 percent of their calories from junk foods.
3. The average American is eating 300 more calories each day than he or she did in 1985. Added sweeteners account for 23 percent of those additional calories; added fats, 24 percent.
4. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread. The following health problems have been linked to vitamin D deficiency: type 1 and 2 diabetes; multiple sclerosis; rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, periodontal disease, increased susceptibility to infection; osteoporosis, low birth weight infants; low seizure threshold; cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, pancreas and ovary; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure; wheezing in childhood, and compromised muscle strength and falls in the elderly.
5. In real dollars, the price of fresh fruits and vegetables has risen nearly 40 percent since 1985. In real dollars, the price of soft drinks has dropped 23 percent. The reason unhealthy foods tend to be less expensive on average than foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables has much to do with American farm policy.

Hopeful News

1. Ten cups per day of green tea delayed cancer onset 8.7 years in Japanese women and three years in Japanese men.
2. Three meta-analyses of randomized, placebo-controlled trials found a 5-12 percent decrease in cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemic patients after at least 30 days' treatment with 600-900 mg of garlic extract.
3. Maternal limitation of seafood consumption to less than 340 grams per week during pregnancy did not protect children from adverse outcomes. In contrast, this observational study [Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children] showed beneficial effects on child development when maternal seafood consumption exceeded 340 grams per week, with no upper limit of benefit...
4. "I see a lot of hopeful trends, including the rise of alternative agriculture: organic, local, biodynamic...There are now over 4,000 farmers' markets in the U.S. The number has doubled in 10 years."
5. Chocolate...may have a mild hypotensive [blood-pressure lowering] effect.