Current standards for classifying foods as “whole grain” are inconsistent and, in some cases, misleading, researchers say.

One of the most widely used industry standards, the Whole Grain Stamp, actually identified grain products that were higher in both sugars and calories than products without the Stamp.

The researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) urge adoption of a consistent, evidence-based standard for labelling whole grain foods to help consumers and organizations make healthy choices.

This is the first study to empirically evaluate the healthfulness of whole grain foods based on five commonly used industry and government definitions.

“Given the significant prevalence of refined grains, starches, and sugars in modern diets, identifying a unified criterion to identify higher quality carbohydrates is a key priority in public health,” first author Rebecca Mozaffarian said.

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Drinking four cups of tea a day can reduce the risk of a stroke by more than a fifth, a new study claims.

Scientists who studied how consumption of black tea – the kind mostly drunk in the UK – related to strokes found downing at least four cups every day lowered the chances of a brain blood clot by 21 percent, the Daily Mail reported.

But drinking any less than that did not seem to have a beneficial effect.

The findings, by scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, come from a population study involving nearly 75,000 men and women.

Strokes kill around 200 people every day in the UK. Many more are left disabled and living in fear that a second or even third attack could kill them.

Around 85 percent of victims are affected by ischaemic strokes, where a clot travels to the brain and shuts off its blood supply.

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Milk is an important source of vitamin D and calcium in children’s diets.

But drinking more than two glasses a day could deplete iron stores in their bodies, raising the risk for anemia, a new study suggests.

When researchers looked at daily milk intake as it related to iron and vitamin D levels in about 1,300 preschoolers, they found that drinking 2 cups of milk a day seemed optimal for most children, says lead researcher and pediatrician Jonathon L. Maguire, MD, of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Drinking 3 cups or more of milk was associated with slightly lower ferritin levels in the blood, but the levels were still within the normal range for most children. Ferritin levels indicate how much iron is stored in the body.

The more milk the children drank, the lower their ferritin levels tended to be.

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Nutrition and Dietetics expert, Parvathy Radhakrishnan answers readers’ questions on nutrition. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Wednesday.

This week’s answers:

mam, i am maintaining my sugar level fasting—100–115 and pp—135—-145 and my quartrly, avg. sugar is 6—6.5%. i control my colestrol and take ROSULIP –5, REMIPRESS –5, NURACT–PLUS AND CALCIA SACHE, GLIMY FORTE–1 AND GLIMY FORTE–2 BUT I AM HEALTHY WITH 75 KG WT AND 5–8 FT HT.
PL TELL ME ,IF THERE IS ANY NEGATIVE EFFECT OF THESE SUGAR MEDICINES ON MY HEALTH AND AGE. I AM 56–MALE.. BEING IN PUNJAB–CHANDIGARH , PBI FOOD IS MORE FAT TIGHT BUT I TRY TO CONTROL. I ALSO TAKE WALK FOR 1–1.5 KMS AVG WITH MY PEMERIAN MILKY WHITE DOG DAILY.
HOW AND WHEN CAN I WL GET RID FROM MEDICINES. I TAKE B–COMPLEX, IRON FEEFOL CAPSULES.
PL ADVISE ME.
vinod
Vinod, if you have been diagnosed with diabetes you need to always keep it under control with diet, exercise and medication. Your fasting and HbA1c is within limit.But PPBS should not go over 135. Do this by reducing one portion of starch intake at breakfast time. If you send me a food diary I can assess it and modify if needed. Please increase your exercise to 3 km 5 times a week. Yes, you should avoid oily foods.

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