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E-Newsletter • February 2025 |
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Editor's E-Note
The Intersection of Food Is Medicine and Precision Nutrition
As you may know, February is American Heart Month. We often take this opportunity to share new research related to how nutrition may positively impact certain groups disproportionately impacted by CVD. In this month’s E-News Exclusive, we turn our attention to the heightened risk for CVD present in postmenopause and explore some precision nutrition strategies for reducing this risk as well as ask how the Food Is Medicine movement may intersect with this approach.
After reading the article, visit TD’s website at www.TodaysDietitian.com to read the digital edition of our February issue. There, you can find featured articles, L-carnitine and CVD, An Update on Non-Nutritive Sweeteners, and Transforming Hospital Food Culture. You can also learn more about the pros and cons of sustainable packaging in food service, enjoy the debut of our Cultural Foodways department, and get the latest news on the updated Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application Service (DICAS) application process impacting dietetic students, interns, and internship directors.
Please enjoy the E-Newsletter and give us your feedback at TDeditor@gvpub.com. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.
— Heather Davis, MS, RDN, LDN, editor |
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Food Is Medicine and Menopause CVD Risk
By Heather Davis, MS, RDN, LDN
Understanding how to decrease risk for chronic diseases, such as CVD, associated with the menopausal transition and postmenopause is critical for supporting women’s health throughout the lifespan. CVD is a leading cause of death in women and research reveals that risk for this disease may increase significantly after menopause.1 The interplay between sex hormone changes, alterations in body composition, lipids, and other vascular health markers contributes to this concerning trend.1 How can nutrition help?
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From the research on this topic, we know that general dietary patterns such as Mediterranean, low-sodium, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, and energy restriction have each been shown to improve CVD risk factors in menopausal women.2 For menopause, energy-restricted diets have improved CVD risk factors similar to the low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets but also reduced systolic blood pressure and improved the ratio of HDL to LDL, indicating energy-restrictive diets may provide similar, if not more, beneficial effects on CVD risk factors as low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets.2 However, there remains great variability in outcomes for women following these generalized dietary approaches and, ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all diet for reducing CVD risk in menopausal women. Precision nutrition is gaining experts’ interest as a way to further tailor dietary intervention at the individual level to maximize beneficial outcomes.2
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Soda Taxes Help Change People's Minds
It wasn't that long ago when cigarettes and soda were go-to convenience store vices, glamorized in movies, and marketed toward, well, everyone.
Then, lawmakers and voters raised taxes on cigarettes, and millions of dollars went into public education campaigns about smoking's harms. Decades of news coverage chronicled how addictive and dangerous cigarettes were and the enormous steps companies took to hide the risks and hook more users. The result was a radical shift in social norms that made it less acceptable to smoke and pushed cigarette use to historic lows, especially among minors.
New University of California (UC), Berkeley research suggests sugar-sweetened beverages may be on a similar path.
The city of Berkeley's first-in-the-nation soda tax a decade ago and more recent Bay Area tax increases on sugar-sweetened drinks not only have led to reduced sales but also are associated with significant changes in social norms and attitudes about the healthfulness of sweet drinks, says Kristine A. Madsen, MD, MPH, a professor at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health and senior author of a paper published in the journal BMC Public Health.
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FDA Ruling Limits 'Healthy' Label on Packaging
The FDA has updated its definition of "healthy" for food labeling to align with current nutrition science, reports NBC News. Under the new rule, foods labeled as healthy must contain a meaningful amount of recommended food groups like fruits, vegetables, or whole grains, as well as limit fat, sodium, and added sugars. The aim is for the label to more accurately guide consumers toward healthful, foundational foods.
Milk Cereal Drinks for Infants May Trigger Weight Gain
Giving milk cereal drinks to infants may lead to early weight gain, according to recent research published in Acta Paediatrica, reports U.S. News. In the study, infants were more than 50% more likely to experience rapid weight gain when drinking the beverage in their first year. While more research is required, parents should be cautious and discuss whether supplementing their infants' diet with milk cereal is right for them. |
CPE Monthly
Learn about the etiology, symptoms, and treatment of gastroparesis in this month’s issue of Today’s Dietitian. Read the CPE Monthly article, take the 10-question online test at CE.TodaysDietitian.com/CPEmonthly, and earn two CPEUs!
2025 Spring Symposium
February 28th is the last chance for advance registration savings. Rates will increase on March 1st, so register NOW to join your colleagues for the Today’s Dietitian Spring Symposium in San Antonio. This premier event for registered dietitians and other nutrition professionals features presentations by leading subject matter experts offering valuable CEUs, in addition to abundant opportunities to connect and network with fellow RDs and program sponsors — all in a fun and enjoyable environment!
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Make Professional Practice Easy
Nourish: Eating Well Made Easy is a telehealth platform designed for RDs that offers tools for medical nutrition therapy, client scheduling, and secure communication. The app allows users to track client progress through integrated food logs and personalized guidance. It also adheres to HIPAA compliance and includes user-friendly features. Nourish is available on iOS and Android.
An AI Facilitator
NutritIO is an AI-driven app tailored for RDs that streamlines client management with features like personalized meal planning, progress tracking, and scheduling. The company offers a free trial of their software on their website. |
In the March Issue
• Endogenous Antioxidants
• TD10
• Great Debates: Ultraprocessed Food
• Micronutrient Supplementation in the ICU |
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COVER STORY
An Update on Nonnutritive Sweeteners
Nonnutritive sweeteners, including stevia, monk fruit, sucralose, sugar alcohols, and aspartame, remain popular in foods and beverages. Discover how research and dietary recommendations for these nonnutritive sweeteners have evolved in recent years.
FEATURE
L-carnitine and CVD
The research on L-carnitine supplements is mixed. Today’s Dietitian examines studies that suggest it’s both beneficial and detrimental for CVD risk and speaks to experts who share guidance for nutrition recommendations.
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