Scientific Update

School Lunches - Room for Improvement

In 1995, USDA's School Lunch program implemented new nutrition standards that included goals for fat (30% or fewer of calories) and saturated fat (10% or fewer of calories). These new standards joined existing goals of providing one-third of the students' daily needs for calories and nutrients like protein, iron, and calcium. In 1998-1999, the USDA examined whether or not school lunches were meeting goals. Here's what they found:

-Lunches in elementary schools provided, on average, 33% of calories as fat, while secondary school lunches provided 34.5% of calories as fat. -One in 5 elementary schools met the goal for fat, 1 in 7 for secondary schools.

This does not meet the goal of 30% or fewer calories from fat. Saturated fat represented about 12% of total calories (goal is 10% or less).

On a more positive note:

-School lunch alone provides 100% of the protein needs of children in elementary schools, and 64% of needs of secondary school students. -School lunch provides significant amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.

Now, if there were only more vegetarian options. . . .

The Role of Eggs in Heart Disease

Eggs are a major source of dietary cholesterol. This is the basis for one of the recommendations to reduce the risk of developing heart disease: limit the number of eggs you eat. Dietary cholesterol has been shown to increase blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, both of which increase risk of heart disease. However, some researchers believe that eggs should not be avoided because they may also increase levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. The public has been told to "eat more eggs because they're good for you" and "eat fewer eggs since they are high in cholesterol." A recent review of studies of eggs attempted to resolve these contradictory messages by examining the effect of eggs on blood levels of cholesterol.

Researchers from the Netherlands combined results from 17 studies where subjects were fed varied amounts of cholesterol or eggs. They found that dietary cholesterol increased the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol in both men and women. This means that while HDL cholesterol increased, total cholesterol also increased; in fact, it increased more than HDL cholesterol did. This will increase risk of developing heart disease. The researchers concluded that eggs and other foods rich in cholesterol should be limited in order to reduce the risk of heart disease.

See our website at <www.vrg.org/nutshell/faqgeneral.htm#cooking> for more information on egg substitutes for baking.

Vitamin C and Blood Pressure

Vitamin C is found in many fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, and broccoli, cantaloupe, and bell peppers. Vegetarian diets are generally quite high in vitamin C, with vegan intakes commonly higher than those of lacto-ovovegetarians. Vitamin C is known to play many roles in the body, including helping the immune system to function properly. A recent report suggests that it may also help with blood pressure regulation.

Close to 70 men were placed on a diet that was very low in vitamin C for a month, and then a diet containing generous amounts of vitamin C for another month. This cycle was repeated for an additional two months. Blood pressure was measured throughout the study. Subjects who had the lowest blood vitamin C levels had significantly higher blood pressure than did those with the highest blood vitamin C levels. Other factors commonly associated with high blood pressure, such as age, weight, and other dietary factors like sodium and calcium, did not appear to reduce the effect of blood vitamin C levels on blood pressure. These results may help to explain why people who have diets high in fruits and vegetables tend to have lower blood pressure. Vegetarians also typically have lower blood pressure than non-vegetarians.

Trial of Vegan Diet in Prostate Cancer

Readers of Vegetarian Journal may be familiar with Dr. Dean Ornish's work with near-vegan diets for the treatment of heart disease. Dr. Ornish is now conducting a study on diet in prostate cancer. As he and co-workers report in the journal Urology, their subjects are 93 men with prostate cancer who have chosen "watchful waiting" over surgery or other treatment. The men have been divided into two groups. One group, the control group, is to continue with their usual diet and lifestyle. The second group is supposed to eat a lowfat, soy-supplemented vegan diet, participate in a stress management program, and exercise regularly. Results of this study are not yet available, although Dr. Ornish does report that compliance is very good and no deaths or other significant problems have been seen in either group. We'll keep an eye on this study and let you know the results.