Soy consumption may help fight lung cancer, according to a new study. Researchers in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study looked at 76,661 participants’ lifestyle factors and lung cancer risk and found that those who consumed the most soy had the lowest risk of lung cancer. Among men who never smoked, researchers saw a significantly lower risk of lung cancer in those who consumed the most soy, compared with those who consumed the least. Researchers saw similar results in nonsmoking women, but they could not rule out statistical chance as the reason for these results. People who consumed the most soy may have also participated in other activities that could lower risk such as eating more fruits and vegetables. Soy foods in this study included miso soup, soymilk, a variety of tofu dishes, and fermented soybeans.

Schimazu T, Inoue M, Sasazuki S, et al. Isoflavone intake and risk of lung cancer: a prospective cohort study in Japan. Am J Clin Nutr. Published ahead of print January 13, 2010. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28161.

Obesity rates are still extremely high but have leveled for most, according to a new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The prevalence of obesity among adults in 2008 was 32.2 percent for men and 35.5 percent for women, up from 27.5 percent for men and 33.4 percent for women in 1999. About 35 percent of 6- to 19-year-olds were obese or overweight, up from around 30 percent in 1999. The trend toward obesity continues to rise significantly for the heaviest boys.

Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Ogden CL, Curtin LR. Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999-2008. JAMA. 2010;303:235-241.

Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM, Flegal KM. Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008. JAMA. 2010;303:242-249.

A low-fat vegetarian diet may help prevent heart attacks, according to a new study in this month’s American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers found that individuals who followed a low-fat vegetarian diet, along with a moderate exercise plan and stress management, measurably improved the function of their endothelium—the inner lining of arteries that is key to preventing heart attacks. This 12-week study included 43 participants in Dr. Dean Ornish’s Multisite Cardiac Lifestyle Intervention Program. In the control group, the endothelial function worsened.

Dod HS, Bhardwaj R, Sajja V, et al. Effect of intensive lifestyle changes on endothelia function on inflammatory markers of atherosclerosis. Am J Cardiol. 2010;105:362-367.

In his December newsletter, Dr. McDougall urges all of the New Years Resolutions people to use a plan built on three decades of success: his, of course.

McDougall also provides resources for diabetic patients, urging them to get off all diabetes drugs ASAP, though lifestyle management: “By great good fortune, this same low-fat, no-cholesterol diet successfully used for diet-therapy for diabetes has been shown to prevent and treat heart and kidney disease, and prevent many common forms of cancer.”

And since the McDougall Program is all about eating good food, and not limiting yourself or starving, there are a lot of good recipes, including Beans and Greens Soup, Mika’s Rice & Beans, Gingered Baby Bok Choy, Perfect No-Oil Balsamic Dressing, and Rich Chocolate Mousse.

Diabetes risk increases with higher intake of total protein and animal protein, according to a new study in this month’s issue of Diabetes Care. Researchers analyzed the diets of 38,094 Dutch participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study and found that for every 5 percent of calories consumed from protein instead of carbohydrate or fat, the risk of developing diabetes increased 30 percent. Increased animal protein intake coincided with increased intakes of saturated fat, cholesterol, and heme iron, and with increased body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Vegetable protein intake was not associated with diabetes risk.

Sluijs I, Beulens JWJ, Van Der A DL, Spijkerman AMW, Grobbee DE, Van Der Shouw YT. Dietary intake of total, animal, and vegetable protein and risk of type 2 diabetes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-NL study. Diabetes Care. 2010; 33:43-48.

Bacteria from chicken products may be a major cause of urinary tract infections, according to a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers examined urine samples from women who had urinary tract infections and matched E. coli in the samples to E. coli from contaminated foods. They found that most of the E. coli was ingested through retail meat products (61 percent of which were chicken products) and ready-to-eat products (73 percent of which were meat products). The authors concluded that chicken was the main source of urinary tract infection-causing E. coli. Researchers also warned that animal product sources of E. coli might be drug-resistant which can require more costly and complicated treatments.

Vincent C, Boerlin P, Daignault D, et al. Food reservoir for Escherichia coli causing urinary tract infections. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010;16:88-95.

Hamburgers and fried chicken significantly increase type 2 diabetes risk, according to an upcoming article for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers found that African-American women who ate two or more restaurant hamburgers per week were 40 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, while two or more fried chicken meals led to a 68 percent increase in diabetes risk. The research followed 44,072 participants who were originally diabetes-free and were part of the Black Women’s Health Study. Consumption of restaurant meals were counted and categorized in the following groups: hamburgers, fried chicken, fried fish, Chinese food, Mexican food, and pizza. All categories were associated with increased diabetes risk except for Mexican food and pizza.

The prevalence of diabetes among African-American women is twice that of white women.

Krishnan S, Coogan PF, Boggs, DA, Rosenberg L, Palmer JR. Consumption of restaurant foods and incidence of type 2 diabetes in African-American women. Am J Clin Nutr. Dec 16, 2009. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28682.

McDougall offers a pretty straightforward take on the recent cancer screening changes: “Physicians, screening clinics, hospitals, medical associations, and medical societies must be forced, under the penalty of law if necessary, to tell the truth: Their testing does more harm than good.”

He also weighs in on our holiday tradition of eating nuts: “These days, eating nuts is as convenient as unscrewing the lid of a glass jar, and then pouring an ounce of shelled, oil-roasted, nuts directly into your mouth. After seven chews and a swallow, in fewer than five seconds, 120 calories of fat are gulped down. Within three hours much of that fat is stored as metabolic dollars to be spent during the next famine.”

McDougall also holds back on his view of blood pressure drugs: “blood-pressure-lowering drugs function by poisoning the body in various ways.”

On the recipe front, this is a great time of year for some Three Sisters Stew (corn, beans, and squash). Yumm…

Soy consumption improves breast cancer survival, according to a report in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found that women diagnosed with breast cancer who consume soy products, such as soymilk, tofu, or edamame, have a 32 percent lower risk of recurrence and a 29 percent decreased risk of death, compared with women who consume little or no soy. The report included 5,042 women in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, the largest population-based study of breast cancer survival, and followed them for a four-year period.

In the past, soy has been a controversial topic for cancer patients. However, an editorial accompanying this new study suggests that inconsistencies in prior research may be attributable to the comparatively low soy consumption in the United States, making beneficial effects harder to identify. In China, soy intake is higher and diets tend to include traditional food sources of soy, rather than soy supplements.

Shu XO, Zheng Y, Cai H, et al. Soy food intake and breast cancer survival. JAMA. 2009;302:2437-2443.

Ballard-Barbash R, Neuhouser ML. Challenges in design and interpretation of observational research on health behaviors and cancer survival. JAMA. 2009;302:2483-2484.

Omnivores who cut all meat out of their diets experience mood improvements, according to a poster session presented this week at the annual American Public Health Association conference. Researchers at Arizona State University divided 39 omnivorous participants into three dietary groups: control (made no changes to diet), fish (consumed three to four servings of fish per week and no other meat), and vegetarian (consumed no meat and no eggs). The vegetarian group experienced mood improvements in both tension and confusion categories, while the meat-eating participants and fish eaters showed no significant changes in mood.

Beezhold BL, Johnston CS, Daigle DR. Restriction of flesh foods in omnivores improves mood: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Poster presented at: American Public Health Association’s 137th Annual Meeting and Exposition; November 9, 2009: Philadelphia, PA.