Leann Birch, distinguished professor of human development and family studies and professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State, and Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State, have received awards from the American Society for Nutrition. (more)
Lean beef can contribute to a heart-healthy diet in the same way lean white meats can, according to nutritional scientists. The DASH diet -- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension -- is currently recommended by the American Heart Association to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. People following the DASH diet are encouraged to eat fish and poultry, but not much beef. (more)
Diets go in and out of style as fast the latest clothing trends, but how can we know which are the best? A panel of health experts, including Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State, helped U.S. News and World Report create a diet ranking. The 22 experts reviewed information about 20 well-known diets, from Atkins to Zone, and rated each diet on specific measures such as effectiveness, safety and cost. Using the experts' ratings, U.S. News created the "Best Diet" rankings and released them today. "Obesity and overweight are serious problems in the United States," said Kris-Etherton. "Because of that many people want to lose weight, but there are a lot of diets out there. Our goal was to analyze the most common diets based on a variety of criteria so as to enable consumers to make informed decisions." (more)
A new initiative to improve children's nutrition education and increase the amount of healthy foods available in schools is a collaboration among Penn State researchers; Pennsylvania's Departments of Health, Education, and Agriculture; Pennsylvania food manufacturers and food distributors; and school districts across the state. The project, led by Penn State and supported for two years by an $800,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeks to improve children's understanding of nutrition and help them make smarter food choices. (more)
Pistachio nuts, eaten as part of a healthy diet, can increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood of adults with high cholesterol, according to an international team of nutritional scientists including Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State. (more)
Pistachio nuts, eaten as part of a healthy diet, can increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood of adults with high cholesterol, according to an international team of nutritional scientists. "Our previous study showed the benefits of pistachios in lowering lipids and lipoproteins, which are a risk factor for heart disease," said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition, Penn State. "This new study shows an additional effect of pistachios so now there are multiple health benefits of eating pistachios." (more)
You've probably seen the supermarket tabloid articles with titles like, "The 12 Foods Everyone Should Eat" or "Four Foods for Peak Performance." Every week there's another berry, grain or bafflingly-named compound that is the key to better health, longer life and peace in our time. Do these "superfoods," as they are called, deserve the hype or is the moniker just a marketing tool to sell us food and supplements we don't really need? It's a little of both, said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State. (more)
Going green may be heart healthy if the green you choose is pistachio nuts, according to researchers at Penn State who conducted the first study to investigate the way pistachios lower cholesterol. (more)
For serious chocoholics, the best health-related news in the past decade had to be that dark chocolate is good for you. A recent Yale study concluded that eating dark chocolate can mean better cardiovascular health, with short-term improvements in blood pressure and arterial function. Even better news is that milk chocolate also may have some health benefits. So which one is the healthier snack? It depends, said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State. (more)
Macadamia nuts included in a heart healthy diet reduced low-density cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and should be included among nuts with qualified health claims, according to researchers. "We looked at macadamia nuts because they are not currently included in the health claim for tree nuts, while other tree nuts are currently recommended as part of a heart healthy diet," says Amy E. Griel, a recent Penn State Ph.D. recipient in nutrition and now senior nutrition scientist at The Hershey Company. "Macadamia nuts have higher levels of monosaturated fats, like those found in olive oil compared with other tree nuts." (more)
