Nutrition News by Charlyn Fargo

When it comes to alcohol and health, the news is especially confusing. Is it good for your heart to drink red wine? (Maybe, but not too much.) Does drinking increase the chances of breast cancer? (Probably.) And now new research finds moderate drinking, particularly beer and wine, is associated with greater bone density, which could help combat osteoporosis, according to researchers at Tufts University.

A study, led by Tufts' Katherine Tucker, found that postmenopausal women who consumed two drinks a day or more had 5 to 8.3 percent better hip and spine bone-mineral density than nondrinkers. Men who drank one or two alcoholic beverages a day had 2.4 percent to 4.5 percent better hip and spine bone-mineral density than those who didn't drink at all.

In an article for Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, Tucker admitted it's tough to keep up with the pros and cons of alcohol's effects. While drinking may help prevent heart disease, it increases breast cancer risk, she said. However, she said the effect of alcohol on bone density in the new study is larger than what has been seen for any single nutrition, even for calcium. Tucker and her group compared the alcohol intakes and bone mineral density of 1,182 men, 1,289 postmenopausal women and 248 premenopausal women, ages 26 to 89, participating in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study.

What's the bottom line? If you drink up to one or two glasses of wine or beer a day, you don't need to stop for your bones' sake. It may be helpful. For more info, go to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2009. — Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter.

CARROT 101: Don't cut those carrots if you want to get the maximum nutritional benefits. A new study finds the anti-cancer properties of carrots are enhanced 25 percent if they are cooked whole rather than chopped up beforehand. They taste better, too, according to scientists at Newcastle University, because more of their sugar is retained.

"Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are cooked," said lead researcher Dr. Kirsten Brandt told Reuters for a story. "By cooking them whole and chopping them up afterward, you are locking in both taste and nutrients."

Brandt, along with colleagues at the University of Denmark, discovered the health benefits of the anti-cancer substance falcarinol in carrots four years ago.

A blind taste test conducted among 100 people also found 80 percent preferred the taste of whole-cooked carrots. — www.msnbc.msn.com

Q & A

Are frozen juice bars and popsicles lower in calories than the conventional fruit-flavored popsicles?

A: No, unless they are a smaller size, calories of juice bars and the conventional frozen treats based on sugar-water are similar. Although all these bars may taste like fruit, they contain widely varying amounts of juice. "Juice bars" sometimes contain only 10 percent fruit juice, and the few that are labeled with 90 percent juice may not be the kind of juice you expect. Some products note that they contain half or a whole day's recommended vitamin C. However, that doesn't mean they supply the broad range of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals such as potassium that we get from a serving of fruit or juice. Calories of these bars don't vary much, because they contain about the same amount of sugar, whether from juice or added sugars. The only bars with calories as low as 15 to 20 each are usually somewhat smaller than other bars and made with no-calorie sweeteners. — American Institute for Cancer Research.

RECIPE

Cooking Light's Summer Cookbook includes this recipe for Oatmeal Cookie Peach Cobbler.

Oatmeal Cookie Peach Cobbler

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

11 cups sliced, peeled peaches

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare topping, place first three ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Combine 1 cup flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes. To prepare filling, combine sliced, peeled peaches, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and fresh lemon juice in a bowl; toss to coat. Spoon mixture into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dollop 12 mounds of chilled dough over peach mixture at even intervals. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Yield: 12 servings (serving size, 1 cup).

Per serving: 307 calories, 4.5 g protein, 54.1 g carbohydrate, 9.1 g fat, 38 mg cholesterol, 3.8 g fiber, 177 mg.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian in Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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