Nutrition News Bites:
Weights for Women; Acupuncture for Dry Eyes;
Vinegar & Blood Sugar

Tackling Middle-Aged Spread

On average, women in the middle years of their lives gain 1-2 pounds per year, and most of it is fat. When fat builds up around the abdomen, it's not only annoying but a health risk too. Women who gain fat around the middle more than the hips and thighs - the apple vs. pear shape - have a greater risk for type II diabetes, heart disease and gallstones. But the good news is that women can fight this flab by hitting the weight room just twice weekly for about an hour.

In the recent Strong Healthy and Empowered (SHE) study1, 164 overweight and obese women ages 24-44 were divided into two groups. One group participated in a 2-year weight-training program, while the others simply received a brochure recommending 30-60 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Everyone was instructed not to change their dietary habits.

Women in the strength-training group worked out for about an hour in supervised classes, focusing on all the major muscle groups. They used both free weights and machines, and were encouraged to gradually increase the weights they lifted. Those who did the weight-training for 2 years decreased their overall body fat, while the group who got the advice remained the same. Even more importantly, the weight-group had only a 7% increase in abdominal fat, compared to a 21% increase experienced by women in the advice-only group.

Moderate strength training to increase muscle mass has been shown to help older persons delay functional declines associated with aging, according to the study's author. Making women stronger and more confident can help overweight women be more active and engage in aerobic activities that will help them shed weight, as well as tame their tummy fat.

Scientific Support for a Folk Remedy

Vinegar has been used medicinally since Hippocrates - c. 420 B.C. - and has long been a folk remedy for many ailments. While the acetic acid it contains is responsible for its tart taste and pungent odor, vinegar also contains a variety of nutrients, polyphenols and organic acids. Starting in 1968, several clinical trials have reported that vinegar has blood sugar-lowering effects. A recent study in type 2 diabetics, people with insulin resistance and healthy volunteers seems to confirm vinegar's benefits. In this study, individuals consumed a test drink of vinegar (about 2 tbsp) in water with a non-caloric sweetener or a taste-alike placebo beverage before eating a high-carbohydrate meal.

Although all 3 groups had better blood sugar readings after meals begun with vinegar cocktails, those with signs of future diabetes - insulin resistance - reaped the biggest gains. Vinegar cut their blood-glucose rise in the first hour after a meal by about half, compared to the placebo drink. In contrast, blood-glucose readings were only about 25% better for diabetics. Since the volunteers didn't like the vinegar beverage, the authors recommend getting vinegar from other foods such as salad dressing to help reduce after-meal glycemia.

Acupuncture for Dry Eyes?

Studies have shown that dry eye can respond favorably to supplementation with certain fatty acids such as GLA (gamma-linolenic acid). The results from a small pilot study suggest that acupuncture might also be helpful.

Patients in this double-blind study were clinically diagnosed with moderate to severe dry eye, although the cause of the problem varied. One group received real acupuncture treatment, while the others got needles placed at points known not to have treatment effects. Measurements for evaluating dry eye were performed at baseline and again at a day, a week and a month post-treatment.

The real acupuncture group reported a significant improvement in symptoms, while symptoms worsened in the "sham" group. Fluorescein tear break-up time and Rose Bengal score (measures of ocular surface health) also improved significantly in the "real" group. Tear production (measured by Schirmer's tests) was better too, though it did not reach significance. These promising results need to be confirmed in larger trials.

References

1. Shmitz KH. Abstract 7(EP), presented at AHA 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, March 3, 2006
2. Pham N. Abstract B436., presented at ARVO Annual Meeting, April 30, 2006.
3. Johnston CS, et al. Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 27::281-282, 2004.