A form of inulin, a carbohydrate commonly used as a low-calorie fat substitute in food products, increased the amount of calcium that teenage girls absorbed from test diets containing ample calcium. That could lead to stronger bones, say researchers. They tested a commercially available form of inulin—Raftilose SDP—supplied by Orafti, the study's sponsor. During the first 3 weeks, the 29 girls—ages 11 through 14—drank calcium-fortified orange juice containing either the inulin or a placebo as part of a 1,300-milligram calcium diet. Following a 2-week break, the girls repeated the study, with the inulin group then receiving the placebo and vice versa. While on the placebo, the girls absorbed 416 mg of calcium. But while taking the supplemental inulin, absorption jumped 18 percent to an average of 494 mg. The difference of nearly 80 mg is about the same amount of calcium that a child would normally absorb from 7 ounces of milk. The researchers believe that inulin could boost the absorption of calcium from diets containing lower amounts of calcium as well. Natural sources of inulin include onions, asparagus, leeks, garlic, artichokes, bananas, wheat, rye, barley, and chicory.

Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Steven A. Abrams, (713) 798-7000, sabrams@bcm.tmc.edu

A study has shown that elderly Hispanics with diabetes are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to lose muscle and the ability to move around with ease or take care of basic needs. Researchers studied 556 Hispanic elders ranging in age from 60 to 92, as well as 158 non-Hispanic white subjects living in the same neighborhoods across Massachusetts, for comparison. Muscle wasting and functional impairment increase the list of known complications that may result from uncontrolled blood sugar-namely heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage in the extremities. Diabetes is far more prevalent among U.S. Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites and African Americans. It is also more severe, judging from the number of Hispanics in the study who used insulin rather than dietary changes or less potent drugs to control their blood sugar. And their higher protein and calorie intakes did not translate to higher serum albumen levels, which are often used to indicate general state of health and nutrition. Public health outreach is needed to educate Hispanics and their health care providers about the serious consequences of diabetes and the need for dietary and life-style changes that can prevent or lessen its impact.

Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA
Carmen Castaneda, (617) 556-3081, ccastaneda@hnrc.tufts.edu

Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency may be far more commonplace in the U.S. population than previously thought. Researchers found that 39 percent of men and women in the ongoing Framingham (MA) Offspring Study had plasma B₁₂ levels in the "low-normal" range, below 258 picomoles per liter (pmol/L). More than 16 percent fell below 185 pmol/L, a level where many people may exhibit some signs of deficiency. And age didn't seem to matter. The youngest group, ages 26 to 49, had about the same B₁₂ status as the oldest group, ages 65 to 83. B₁₂ deficiency can cause a severe type of anemia. It can also cause walking and balance disturbances, a loss of vibration sensation, confusion, and in advanced cases, dementia. Eating plenty of fortified cereals or dairy products improved B₁₂ status among the 3,000 subjects, although not as well as taking supplements containing the vitamin. Supplement use reduced the percentage of volunteers in the danger zone—plasma B₁₂ below 185 pmol/L-from 20 percent to 8 percent. Eating fortified cereals five or more times a week or being among the highest third for dairy intake reduced, by nearly half, the percentage of volunteers in that zone.

Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA
Katherine Tucker, (617) 556-3351, tucker@hnrc.tufts.edu

U.S. youngsters today are eating more food—and more calories-than kids did 20 years ago, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture data on the food intakes of nearly 10,000 children nationwide. ARS nutritionists combined data from a special 1998 nationwide survey of 5,559 children from birth to 9 years old with those from the 1994-96 national survey (CSFII) of all age groups. Trends gleaned from the combined data generally concurred with the 1994-96 findings. Snacks contributed a significant percent of daily calories—around 20 percent, on average. Among the most frequently reported snacks for the ages 9 and under were milk, fruits, cookies, candies, crackers, popcorn, pretzels, and corn chips. Eighty-three percent of kids snacked on the day surveyed, up from 65 percent in the 1977-78 survey. Over the past two decades, soft drink consumption increased 21 percent among 2 to 5 year olds and 37 percent among 6 to 9 year olds. Both age groups also drank more fruit juices and fruit drinks—26 percent and 11 percent more, respectively. Milk consumption, on the other hand, dropped 4 percent among the preschoolers and 10 percent among the older group.

Food Surveys Research Group, Beltsville, MD
Sharon Mickle, (301) 504-0341, smickle@rbhnrc.usda.gov

Boron and potassium may play a key role in keeping bones strong and healthy. A new study by ARS and the University of California at Davis scientists may help determine whether consuming foods that provide these minerals can help stave off severe bone loss, or osteopororis. An estimated 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. Results from animal and human studies elsewhere suggest that boron may help keep bones strong, but scientists don't know exactly how. Potassium, in the form of potassium bicarbonate, may help by offsetting buildup of natural acids formed when the body eats high-protein foods. To reduce acid loads, the body may leach calcium—an alkaline compound—from within bones. Potassium bicarbonate, the main form of potassium in some fruits and vegetables, is alkaline, and may help neutralize acids, thus helping to prevent leaching. Researchers plan to work with about 90 healthy, postmenopausal women for the investigation.

Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, CA
Janet C. King, (530) 752-5236, jking@whnrc.usda.gov
Vanitha Sampath, (530) 752-5236, vsampath@ucdavis.edu

More evidence that vitamin K helps maintain strong bones comes from a new look at data from 888 elderly men and women who participated in the Framingham Heart Study between 1988 and 1995. Those who reported the lowest daily vitamin K intakes in 1988 experienced significantly more hip fractures by the 1995 examination than those reporting the highest intakes. There was no relationship between bone mineral density and vitamin K intakes, however. Dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach and broccoli, are rich in vitamin K—known chemically as phylloquinone. One serving of spinach or two servings of broccoli provide four to five times the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 65 to 80 micrograms daily. The lowest intakes in this study averaged 56 micrograms; the highest 254 mcg. The new findings support others reported in 1999. Analysis of data from more than 72,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study showed that low vitamin K intakes increased risk of hip fracture. Researchers at the ARS-funded center in Boston collaborated on the new study with researchers from the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged Research and Training Institute, Harvard Medical School, and others.

Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA
Sarah L. Booth, (617) 556-3231, sbooth@hnrc.tufts.edu

People who already eat a low-fat diet to reduce cholesterol might lower it more by consuming products with high levels of plant sterols. That's what happened when the 53 men and women in a study consumed low- and reduced-fat salad dressing containing soybean sterols as part of a low-fat diet. Cholesterol reductions nearly doubled in the volunteers when they consumed 2.2 grams—about one-half teaspoon—of soybean sterols daily for 3 weeks of the 6-week study. A typical American diet provides approximately 0.25 gram of plant sterol per day—less than one-eighth of the study level. A number of fat-based foods, such as margarines, have been enriched with plant sterols. While sterols' potential benefits have been studied for decades, this study was unique in examining them as an ingredient in low-fat foods and as part of a tightly controlled low-fat diet. It was partly funded by Lipton. Similar in structure to cholesterol, the sterols most likely lowered the volunteers' cholesterol by limiting its intestinal absorption. The volunteers began the study with their levels of "bad" (LDL) cholesterol in the mildly elevated range. The low-fat diet alone reduced their total and "bad" cholesterol levels 7.3 and 8.4 percent, respectively. With the sterols, reductions were nearly double: 14.1 and 18.2 percent. Curiously, cholesterol dropped in 5 of the 53 volunteers only when they got the sterol esters. Many people with high cholesterol don't respond to a low-fat diet and rely on cholesterol-lowering drugs. The question is: Could dietary plant sterols also help these people?

Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD
Joseph T. Judd, (301) 504-9014, judd@bhnrc.arsusda.gov
David Baer, (301) 504-9014, baer@bhnrc.arsusda.gov