Nutrition News by Charlyn Fargo

I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Prior to this, she was someone most of us would consider healthy — exercising regularly and eating right. A new study finds that her healthy lifestyle, and particularly her healthy eating habits, may increase her survival rates. In the 2009 study, estimates projected that 21,550 new cases of ovarian cancer would be diagnosed in the United States alone, and 14,600 would be given a relatively low five-year survival rate of about 45 percent.

Published in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, this study is among the first to evaluate possible diet associations with ovarian cancer survival. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago determined that there is a strong relationship between healthy eating and prolonged survival. The subjects included 351 women diagnosed with incident epithelial ovarian cancer; they had participated in a previous case-control study. The original study collected demographic, clinicopathologic and lifestyle-related variables, including diet. Each subject completed a food frequency questionnaire, where they were asked to report their usual dietary intake over the three to five years prior to their diagnosis.

To translate the diet estimates into a meaningful way, the Food Frequency Questionnaire items were assigned to the major food groups reflected in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 (DGA), which includes fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, dairy, fats and oils, sweets and alcohol. Grains, meats and dairy were further subdivided to "suggested" and "other" groups. The "suggested" subdivisions included healthier food choices, whereas the "other" subdivisions contained less desirable selections.

The authors found that higher total fruit and vegetable consumption and higher vegetable consumption alone led to a survival advantage. Likewise, a statistically significant improvement in survival was observed for the healthier grains. Higher intakes of less-healthy meats were associated with a survival time disadvantage.

"The study findings suggest that food patterns three to five years prior to a diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer have the potential to influence survival time," wrote Therese Dolecek — research associate professor of epidemiology, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Institute for Health Research and Policy, School of Public Health and Member, Cancer Control and Population Science Research Program, UIC Cancer Center, University of Illinois at Chicago.

"The pre-diagnosis food patterns observed to afford a survival advantage after an epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosis reflect characteristics commonly found in plant-based or low-fat diets. These diets generally contain high levels of constituents that would be expected to protect against cancer and minimize ingestion of known carcinogens found in foods."

The study provides new evidence that dietary factors, particularly total fruit and vegetable, red and processed meat and milk intakes, may influence ovarian cancer survival.

Just one more reason to eat healthy.

WEB

Looking for reliable nutrition information on the Web? Go to eatright.org, the site of the American Dietetic Association. It's been recently revamped and offers the latest findings, discussions and tips. Wondering about the latest diet fad? Go to diet reviews. Like to peruse nutrition questions? There's a question of the day. Trying to lose weight? Go to the "weigh-in" blog. Wondering about what to eat with a certain disease or condition? There's a section for that as well.

Q & A

Q: Does physical activity protect against catching a cold or wear down your resistance?

A: Regular moderate physical activity reduces the risk of respiratory infections, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. The common cold is an upper respiratory infection caused by a virus. If you get sick with a cold after you've been exposed to the virus, it depends on many influences affecting your immune system, such as how well you're eating and whether you've been getting enough sleep, as well as age, stress and tobacco use. Physical activity seems to be among those important influences, too.

A few randomized controlled studies have shown that people walking 35 minutes to 45 minutes five days a week reported about half as many days with cold symptoms as inactive people in the studies. Part of this protection may come from promotion of healthy IgA levels, antibodies particularly linked with fighting colds and other respiratory infections. In several studies of seniors 65 years and above, those assigned to an aerobic exercise group showed higher IgA levels compared to a control group. However, while regular moderate exercise seems to strengthen immune function, intense heavy exercise (as in marathon runners and elite athletes) may decrease immune function and leave people more vulnerable when exposed to cold viruses. — American Institute for Cancer Research

RECIPE

This recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter made Cooking Light's "best recipe list." With spring approaching, it's a great way to taste spring's best and boost your family's consumption of vegetables.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)

Cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Cracked black pepper (optional)

Grated lemon rind (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until tender. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over asparagus, tossing well to coat.

Garnish with cracked pepper and rind, if desired. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 5 spears).

Per serving: 45 calories, 1.9 g protein, 3.9 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 8 mg cholesterol, 1.7 g fiber, 134 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from 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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