Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

NUTRITION & YOUR CHILD

Nov 08, 2001

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

#1 AD/HD supplement fails test
#2 Calcium-boosting carbohydrate studied
#3 Plant research fine-tunes nutrition recommendations
#4 Breakfast-skippers risk iron shortfall, poorer grades
#5 Q&A -- How can I help my daughter get more iron?
#6 Houston-Area Volunteer Opportunities
#7 Editor's Notes
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#1 AD/HD supplement fails test
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DHA supplements do not improve the symptoms of
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) in children, according to a CNRC study in the
August issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. DHA, or docosahexonic acid,
is a fatty acid found in fish and fish oil.

"Children with AD/HD have low levels of DHA in their plasma and red
blood cells, suggesting that their brain levels might also be low," said
Dr. William Heird, a Baylor College of Medicine professor of pediatrics
and CNRC fatty acid expert who conducted the study with Dr. Robert
Voigt. DHA is normally found in high concentrations in brain membranes,
where it is thought to be involved in maintaining the brain's "electrical
wiring."

Although stimulant medications like Ritalin are quite effective in
controlling the symptoms of AD/HD, these medications have a number of side
effects. "For these reasons, some parents seek out alternative forms of
therapy, such DHA supplements, to treat the disorder," Heird said.
"However, the effectiveness of DHA has not been tested until now."

During the four-month study, 63 children ages 6 through 12 took a daily
capsule that contained either DHA or a "placebo." All were also were
being treated successfully for AD/HD with stimulant medications. Changes
in AD/HD symptoms were measured using standardized tests of inattention
and impulsivity, which were administered following a 24-hour period
when the children were medication-free. Parents also monitored their
children's behavior using two standardized scales. No one knew which
children received the DHA until the end of the study.

"By increasing blood levels of DHA, we hoped to improve the
transmission of nerve impulses in the brain and, as a result, improve the symptoms
of AD/HD," Heird said.

But despite an average 2.6-fold increase in blood-DHA levels in the
supplemented group, there was no measurable improvement in symptoms when
compared to the unsupplemented group.

"This study shows that supplemental DHA is not a quick cure for AD/HD,"
Heird said. "But, the relationship between DHA and AD/HD deserves
further study."

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#2 Calcium-boosting carbohydrate studied
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A new study called BoneMax is testing whether a carbohydrate called
inulin can help growing kids absorb more calcium and build stronger bones.
A pilot study completed last year at the CNRC suggests it can.

"In our earlier study, inulin supplements increased the amount of
calcium adolescent girls absorbed from a high-calcium diet by nearly 80
milligrams or 18 percent," said Dr. Steven Abrams, a professor of
pediatrics at Baylor and the principal investigator of the study. Older children
normally absorb only about 30 percent of the calcium present in their
diets. So, an 80-milligram boost is equivalent to drinking an extra
seven ounces of milk.

Inulin's ability to "raise the bar" of calcium absorption among kids
who consume a high-calcium diet led Abrams to believe it might also help
kids whose calcium intakes are less than optimal.

High in soluble fiber and low in calories, inulin is considered a
"partially digestible" carbohydrate, yielding just 1.5 calories per gram,
compared to 4 calories per gram for fully digestible carbohydrates like
sugar and 9 calories per gram for fat. Natural sources of inulin include
onions, asparagus, leeks, garlic, artichokes, bananas, wheat, rye,
barley, and chicory. Refined inulin is used to add texture to reduced-fat
foods like spreads, yogurts, baked goods, and low-fat meats.

The BoneMax study is currently seeking Houston-area 9- to 12-year-old
boys and girls who are interested in joining the study. Children
enrolled in the study will drink calcium-fortified orange juice or milk
containing a small amount of a flavorless inulin powder, or a placebo, every
day for one year. The study also involves periodic body composition
tests, including bone density and percent-body fat scans, and calcium
balance studies. All orange juice and inulin powder required for the
yearlong study and a stipend is provided. For more information contact Keli
at 713-798-7085 or sign up for BoneMax at
www.bcm.tmc.edu\cnrc\BoneMax.htm

"Encouraging kids to consume plenty of calcium-rich foods is very
important," he said. "But, if inulin can help kids absorb more calcium from
the foods they already eat, the impact on developing skeletons,
especially in kids with marginal diets, could be significant."

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#3 Plant research fine-tunes nutrition recommendations
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A unique partnership between plant scientists and human nutritionists
has led to a better understanding of the role edible plants play in
meeting human requirements for vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is a major
cause of blindness in developing countries, while a less severe
shortfall can cause night blindness.

"Beta carotene and other carotenoids are the main source of vitamin A
for many people around the world," said Dr. Michael Grusak, a USDA plant
scientist and director of the CNRC Plant Physiology lab. "Yet,
scientific understanding of how effectively dietary carotenoids are converted
into vitamin A has been very limited."

Beta carotene is the most potent "provitamin A" carotenoid in the human
diet. Best known as the orange pigment of carrots and apricots, beta
carotene is also found in spinach and broccoli. Less-potent carotenoids
are found in many other fruits and vegetables. The only source of
preformed, or 'ready to use,' vitamin A in the human diet is animal fat.

Nutritionists have traditionally used a "conversion factor" of 6-to1 to
calculate the amount of vitamin A available in the diet. However, the
analytical techniques used to set this factor could not differentiate
between plasma vitamin A made from carotenoids and that released from
body stores, Grusak said. Those studies also used high doses of pure beta
carotene, not food, as the source of carotenoids.

"Nutrients in plants are often much less available to the body," he
said.

To test the conversion factor, Grusak constructed a hydroponic chamber,
which allowed safe, non-radioactive "tracers" to be incorporated into
the carotenoid pigments of growing spinach and broccoli plants. Once
harvested, the vegetables were sent to Tufts University in Boston, where
they were cooked and fed to volunteers. Blood vitamin A tests later
revealed that only about half as much of the carotenoids had been
converted into vitamin A than was predicted by the 6-to-1 factor.

"Bioavailability studies, such as these with beta carotene, extend our
understanding of how specific food components contribute to human
nutrition and health," Grusak said.

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As a result of these studies, a new 12-to-1 beta-carotene conversion
factor was included in the updated vitamin A recommendations released by
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in March 2000. The NAS updates
U.S. nutritional standards, commonly known as the RDAs, every 10 years.


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#4 Breakfast-skippers risk iron shortfall, poorer grades
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Teens who start their day without breakfast are twice as likely to have
diets low in iron -- a shortfall that could be hurting their grades.

"Breakfast supplies more than just the energy kids need to get through
the morning," said Dr. Theresa Nicklas, a professor of pediatrics at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "Teens who eat breakfast are also
two to five times more likely to consume at least two-thirds the
recommended amounts of most vitamins and minerals, including iron."

In a study involving over 700 ninth graders in Louisiana, Nicklas found
that 19 percent skipped breakfast, including 20 percent of white and 36
percent of non-white girls. The diets of one in three breakfast-dodgers
had a significant iron shortfall -- twice the rate of their
breakfast-eating peers.

Intakes of other vitamins and minerals, including zinc, calcium, and
folic acid, were also much higher among the breakfast-eaters, while fat
consumption was lower. The study results were published in the Journal
of Adolescent Health.

"It's important for parents to realize that the nutrients teens miss
when they skip breakfast are rarely recouped during other meals," Nicklas
said.

Iron-deficiency anemia has long been known to have a negative affect on
behavior and learning. And, even marginal iron levels were linked to
poorer math scores among adolescent girls in one recent study. In other
studies, eating breakfast has been shown to improve memory, grades,
school attendance and punctuality in children.

Girls, in particular, are at risk for low iron because they have
increased needs. And while some teens skip breakfast to cut calories, this
practice is rarely effective. Instead, research suggests that
meal-skippers often eat more high-calorie, salty and low-fiber snacks.

"Low iron is certainly not the only possible reason for poor math
scores among some adolescent girls," Nicklas said. "But, eating breakfast
can help concentration, which is important for academic success."

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#5 Q&A How can I help my daughter get more iron?
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There are two ways to pump up your daughter's iron status: first, offer
more iron-rich foods, such as lean meats, salmon, iron-fortified
breakfast cereals, soybeans, dried beans, spinach and enriched grains.
Second, use the following dietary "tricks" to squeeze more iron out of the
foods she already eats:

* Include a little meat with your favorite iron-rich vegetables. The
form of iron found in plant foods isn't as easily absorbed as that found
in meats. But, absorption can be improved by simply adding a piece of
grilled chicken or slice of marinated beef to a bean burrito or spinach
salad.

* Use vitamin C-rich foods to pump up iron absorption at mealtime. Top
oatmeal with sliced strawberries, serve orange juice with
iron-fortified cereal, toss red and green pepper strips into whole-grain pastas and
broccoli "slaw" with a peanut-butter sandwiches.

* Avoid tea or coffee beverages at mealtime. These beverages contain
tannins that tie up iron, reducing how much can be absorbed.

*For more information, see: www.bcm.tmc.edu/cnrc/iron.htm


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#6 Volunteers Needed:
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Houston-area kids, moms and families are invited to participate in the
following CNRC nutrition studies:

New! BoneMax
Boys and girls, 9 to 12 years of age, are needed for a one-year
calcium-metabolism study. Body composition analysis and stipend. Contact Keli
at 713-798-7085 or Holly at 713-798-7166.

Infant Feeding Survey
Volunteers are needed to help with a survey of infant feeding practices
in Harris County. Time requirements: 4 or more hours per week through
the end of December 2001. Call Judy Hopkinson at 713 798-7008.

Viva La Familia
Hispanic families with children 4 to 18 years of age are needed for a
study aimed at understanding the factors causing childhood obesity.
Stipend. Contact Marilyn, (713) 798-7002.

Baby-friendly Neighborhoods
Moms-to-be and new moms living in Houston-area zip codes 77003, 77011,
77012, 77020, 77023, and 7029 could be eligible for a study that offers
free breastfeeding assistance in Spanish or English. Call Sandra, (713)
926-3372.

Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program
Bilingual (Spanish/ English) women can receive training to become peer
counselors in the Baby-Friendly Neighborhood Project. Training/parking
provided. Contact Judy, (713) 798-7008.

Breastfeeding Study
Pregnant women in their last trimester who plan to breastfeed for at
least three months and new mothers currently breastfeeding infants
between 2 weeks and 2 months of age are needed for a study of breast-milk
sugar production. Stipend. Call Andrea, (713) 798 -7083.

Biological Diversity of Growth
Any child up to 22 years of age who has previously participated in CNRC
studies involving body composition measurements, and Hispanic,
African-American and Caucasian young adults, 19 to 22 years of age, are needed
for a study on growth. Stipend. Call Marilyn, (713) 798-7002.

GEMS Wellness Program
African-American girls, 8 to 10 years of age, can sign up now for next
year's GEMS Wellness Summer Camp and Internet Program. Call Judy, (713)
798-7126 or visit: www.bcm.tmc.edu/cnrc/fffp.

Sugar Metabolism Study
Overweight teens, 13 to 16 years of age, and normal-weight children 6
to 9 and 13 to 17 year of age are needed for a study on sugar
metabolism. Stipend. Call Andrea at (713) 798-7083, or e-mail andread@bcm.tmc.edu


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#7 Editor's Notes
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Editor's Note: Computer Viruses.

Because computer viruses have become an unfortunate reality in
cyber-land, I wanted to touch base with our e-newsletter readers on this
important, but non-nutrition related, topic.

Computer viruses usually tag along AS ATTACHMENTS to e-mail messages,
which is why NUTRITION & YOUR CHILD is always sent as a "text" document
that opens automatically in the body of an e-mail message. No
attachments are ever included in this newsletter.

As a rule, it is unwise to ever open an e-mail attachment that you are
not expecting. This is particularly true for attachments with
suspicious extensions such as .exe or names that appear vague, odd or to be a
joke. Also keep in mind that even if a virus does attach itself to an
incoming e-mail, most cannot do damage unless you click on the attachment
to open the file. If you are unsure about the authenticity of any
e-mail attachments that you receive, call or e-mail the sender to verify the
attachment before you open it.

Also, while virus-scanning software from companies like Norton and
MacAfee are very beneficial, users must still visit these companies' web
sites at least once a month for updates. These free updates are needed
to ensure that your computer's anti-virus program is scanned for the
newest bug to hit the Internet.

Should you ever have a problem or question (or even suggestion!) about
NUTRITON & YOUR CHILD, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
And, thank you for subscribing!

--Joan Carter, RD/LD, MBA, Editor, Nutrition & Your Child
Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine
e-mail joanc@bcm.tmc.edu phone: 713-798-6782