Newsbites: Stroke prevention; grazing vs. three meals; impact of ultraprocessed foods; walking for heart health.
Data Suggest Any Activity is Better Than None for Stroke Prevention
The results of a meta-analysis suggest any amount of physical activity is better than none.
The review, which pooled results from 15 studies involving a total of over 750,000 participants, concluded that even amounts of leisure-time physical activity well below recommended levels were associated with lower risk of stroke compared with being sedentary.
These results do not suggest you should do the bare minimum! According to the study authors, highly active individuals have a 21 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke (caused by blocked blood vessels in the brain) and a 34 percent lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke (when a blood vessel bursts) compared with low-active individuals. For maximum health benefit, including stroke prevention, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. If you are unable to make that goal, this study adds reassurance that any movement is better than no movement. Start where you are, do what you can, and, if possible, add on.
Eating More Frequently Does Not Impact Markers of Appetite or Inflammation
There are dietary recommendations for how many calories one should eat daily and what foods are the best choices to provide those calories, but not for how often one should eat in a day. Observational studies have suggested higher eating frequency (six small meals a day, for example, instead of three larger ones) may have health benefits, including lower total and LDL-cholesterol levels, fasting glucose levels, and blood pressure. However, participants in one small, randomized trial reported they felt hungrier when they ate more frequent meals. A randomized controlled trial set out to see how different eating frequencies impacted appetite and systemic inflammation.
Fifty healthy adults were given meal plans to follow for two 21-day periods. In one period, calories were consumed in three meals a day. In another, the same number of calories were spread out into six meals. Participants’ blood was tested for levels of hunger, satiety, and inflammatory markers at the beginning and end of each phase. Eating frequency did not impact either appetite regulation or inflammatory biomarkers.
This study shows that eating frequency alone does not impact appetite, nor does it lower inflammatory markers associated with cardiovascular disease risk. Participants followed personalized meal plans designed to keep their caloric intake and weight stable. This study does not rule out the possibility that eating frequency might impact the number of calories eaten and quality of foods chosen for some people if they are completely free to make their own food choices.
Study Confirms Ultraprocessed Foods are Bad for Health
A recent study reviewed results from 45 pooled analyses on the health impacts of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs). Together, these studies include 9.9 million participants. The researchers found direct associations between exposure to UPFs and 32 different health conditions.
While the quality of the evidence from different studies varied, researchers concluded there was convincing evidence that higher intake of UPFs was associated with higher risk for type 2 diabetes, anxiety, and death from cardiovascular disease. Evidence was slightly less convincing (but still highly suggestive) that higher UPF intake was associated with higher risk of, depression, wheezing, obesity and death from any cause. The studies reviewed provided only weak, very low-quality evidence linking UPF intake to LDL-cholesterol levels, metabolic syndrome, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
UPFs are generally defined as manufactured products in which most of the ingredients bear little resemblance to natural, whole foods. They typically contain additives like flavors, colors, stabilizers, and emulsifiers and are often high in sodium and/or added sugars. Examples include many packaged snacks, frozen meals, instant soups, carbonated beverages, sweet breakfast cereals, candy, and baked goods.
Whether the health effects associated with UPFs are direct (from what is in the foods) or indirect (because they squeeze out healthier foods from the diet) has yet to be determined. Additionally, we cannot tell if UPF intake increases risk for anxiety and depression or if these conditions lead to increased UPF intake. It is best to limit or avoid UPFs.
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