Nutrition News by Charlyn Fargo

Eating plenty of fiber and fiber-rich foods may reduce the risk of kidney cancer among those at a healthy weight, suggests a large new study of almost half a million people. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Earlier research has found that excess body fat increases kidney cancer risk; the limited evidence linking diet to risk has produced inconsistent findings. The new study investigated renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.

The study used data from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: Participants filled out answers about their diet and lifestyle when they entered the study in 1995-96. The researchers divided participants into five groups, depending upon how much fiber they consumed. After an average of nine years, participants who consumed the most dietary fiber had a 15 to 20 percent lower risk of kidney cancer compared to those who ate the least. When the study analyzed fiber intake by foods, legumes independently linked to lower risk. Comparing the highest to lowest consuming groups, the study also found that whole grains along with the cruciferous vegetables cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts also linked to reduced risk of kidney cancer.

This association held when the researchers adjusted for sex, race, alcohol intake and a history of hypertension. But when the study adjusted for weight, they found a difference: There was link between fiber intake and lower risk of kidney cancer among those who were of normal weight and overweight (BMI less than 30), but not among people who were obese (a BMI over 30 or higher). There was also no association seen among participants with a history of diabetes.

Researchers said that fiber plays a role on cancer risk through its positive effect on obesity, insulin-related factors and blood glucose.

Information courtesy of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2013.

Q and A

Q: Is it OK to keep doing the same strength-training routine all the time? I don't know if I'm making progress any more.

A: First, kudos to you for including strength training as part of your physical activity. Aerobic exercise (like walking) is not enough all on its own to maintain the muscle that adults otherwise tend to lose as we get older. However, if you keep doing exactly the same strength-training exercises without changing or advancing them in some way, you can reach a strength-training plateau, and you don't get as much benefit from the time you're putting in as you could. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) says it's best to keep challenging ourselves, first by gradually increasing the number of repetitions, or how many times you do a specific move, starting at 8 and working up to 15. That makes one set of an exercise, and people may do from one to three sets of each exercise. Once you can comfortably do an exercise 15 times in a row, try a more challenging version of the exercise.

If you're using free weights or a Nautilus-type machine, ACE recommends increasing the amount of weight by five percent. If you use very light weights, go to the next heavier weight load (for example, from two pounds to three pounds or from five pounds to seven pounds). But start back at only eight reps of doing the exercise. Gradually work your way up to doing the exercise more times before you add additional weight. If you've been using elastic bands or body weight for your strength training, use the same approach: increase the number of times you do the exercise up to 15, and then advance to a more challenging way to do the exercise. Another tip for avoiding or dealing with a strength-training plateau is to try different types of exercises, using muscles in slightly different ways. Also key to maximizing the results of your strength training is to rest affected muscles two days between strength exercises. Muscle is built during the time off after strength training; if you get back to it too soon after your last workout, you don't give your body enough chance to rebuild.

Information courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Recipe

This recipe for Chicken Taco Bowls, from Eating Well magazine, is a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and it won't break the fat bank or the money bank. Give it a try.

Chicken Taco Bowls

—8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

—Canola oil cooking spray

—12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

—1 teaspoon garlic powder

—1/4 teaspoon salt

—1 tablespoon canola oil

—1 cup prepared green salsa

—1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

—1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

—1 cup thinly sliced lettuce

—1 medium tomato, chopped

—2 tablespoons sliced ripe black olives

Preheat oven to 375øF. Heat tortillas until warm. Coat each side of four tortillas with cooking spray. (Keep the remaining four tortillas covered.) Turn a 12-cup muffin tin upside down. Nestle a tortilla in the space between 4 cups to form a bowl. Repeat with three more tortillas, making four bowls total. Bake until firm and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining four tortillas. Meanwhile, toss chicken with garlic powder and salt in a bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until it is no longer pink on the outside, about 3 minutes. Add salsa and cook, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 3 minutes more. Cover and remove from the heat. Fill each tortilla bowl with about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture. Top with 1 tablespoon each cheese and sour cream, 2 tablespoons each lettuce and tomato and a few olives. Makes four servings of two bowls each.

Per serving: 401 calories, 25 g protein, 29 g carbohydate, 21 g fat, 74 mg cholesterol,4 g fiber, 707 mg sodium,

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. Follow her on Twitter @ NutritionRD. 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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