Lecom Nutrition Origins And Evolution Of The Western Diet: Health Implications For The 21St Century

Front 1

What are the seven nutritional characteristics or dietary indicators that have been adversely affected by food staples and food processing in the modern western diet compared to the hunter-gatherer diet?

Back 1

GL, FA composition, macronutrient composition, micronutrient composition, acid-base balance, sodium/potassium ratio, fiber

Front 2

Name the five categories of food that make up 72% of the total daily energy consumed by all people in the U.S. today

Back 2

Dairy products, cereals, refined sugars, refined vegitable oils and alcohol

Front 3

What are the nutritional characteristics of milled grains compared to whole grains?

Back 3

Whole grains: contain entire contents of the cereal grain, including the germ, bran, and endosperm 3.5% of energy
Milled grains: the germ and bran were removed in the milling process, leaving the flour comprised mainly of endosperm of uniformly small particulate size 20.4% of energy.

Front 4

Where does 75% of the total quantity of daily salt intake (total of 9.6g/d) in Western populations come from?

Back 4

Salt added to processed foods by manufacturers

Front 5

How does the fatty acid composition of wild animal or free-range/pasture-fed cattle differ from grain fed cattle?

Back 5

By about 1885, the science of rapidly fattening cattle in feedlots had advanced to the point that it was possible to produce a 545-kg steer ready for slaughter in 24 mo and that exhibited “marbled meat’. Wild animals and free-range or pasture-fed cattle rarely display this trait. Marbled meat results from excessive TG accumulation in muscle interfascicular adipocytes. Such meat has a greatly increased SFA content, a lower propotion of n-3 FA, and more n-6 FA

Front 6

What is glycemic load?

Back 6

GI*grams/serving/100: assess the blood glucose raising potential of a food based on both the quality and quantity of dietary CHO

Front 7

What can long term consumption of high glycemic load carbohydrates elicit and name some diseases related to this?

Back 7

May elicit a number of hormonal and physiologic changes that promote insulin resistance. Chronic hyperinsulinermia represents the primary metabolic defect in the metabolic syndrome. Diseases of insulin resistance are frequently referred to as “diseases of civilization” and include: coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, HTN, and dyslipidemia.

Front 8

How did the advent of oil-seed processing at the beginning of the 20th century affect polyunsaturated fat consumption?

Back 8

Significantly raised the total intake of vegetable fat which directly increased the dietary level of n-6PUFAs at the expense of a lowered level of n-3 PUFAs because of the inherently higher concentrations of n-6 PUFAs and lower concentrations of n-3 PUFAs in most vegetable oils.

Front 9

Where are the six major sources of saturated fatty acids in the U.S. diet?

Back 9

Fatty meats, baked goods, cheese, milk, margarine, and butter

Front 10

What is the process and what results from the solidification of vegetable oils?

Back 10

Hydrogenation. This introduced a novel trans fatty acid into the human diet, which elevates blood cholesterol concentrations and leads to an increased risk of CVD

Front 11

What macronutrient component was likely substantially higher than current values?

Back 11

protein

Front 12

Name 5 micronutrients that at least half of the US population fails to meet the recommended daily allowance

Back 12

(50%): Vitamin B-6, Vitamin A, Mg, Ca, Zn
(33%): folate

Front 13

Name a few reasons why the typical U.S. diet may be lacking in micronutrient density

Back 13

Because whole grains and milk maintain the next to lowest nutrient density rankings, displacement of fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and seafood by these 2 staple food groups lowers the overall micronutrient density in the diet.

Front 14

What foods are net acid producing?

Back 14

Acid producing: Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, shellfish, cheese, milk, and cereal grains

Front 15

Alkaline or base producing?

Back 15

Alkaline producing: fresh fruit, vegetables, tubers, roots, and nuts

Front 16

What are some of the health benefits of a net base producing diet?

Back 16

Known health benefits of a net base-yeilding diet include preventing and treating osteoporosis, age-related muscle wasting, CA kidney stones, HTN, and exercise-induced asthma and slow the progression of age- and diseases-related chronic renal insufficiency.

Front 17

Name three dietary factors primarily responsible for the high sodium to potassium ratio in Western diets

Back 17

90% of the sodium in Western diets comes from manufactured salt; hence, the sodium content of naturally occurring foods in the average US diet is quite low. Vegetable oils and refined and refined sugars, which are essentially devoid of potassium, constitute 36% of the total food energy. The displacement of vegetables and fruits by whole grains and milk products may further reduce the potassium intake because potassium concentrations in vegetables are 4 and 12 times those in milk and whole grains, respectively, whereas in fruit the potassium concentration is 2 and 5 times that in milk and whole grains.

Front 18

How do refined grains and whole grains differ in fiber content?

Back 18

Refined grains contain 400% less fiber than do whole grains. Soluble fibers modestly reduce total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations beyond those achieved by a diet low in saturated fat and fiber, by slowing gastric emptying, may reduce the appetite and help control caloric intake

Front 19

Name some modern diseases associated with low dietary fiber intake

Back 19

Appendicitis, hemorrhoids, DVT, varicose veins, diverticulitis, hiatal hernia and GERD