- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Pain-Relieving Powers of Acupuncture Unclear
- Acupuncture Cuts Dry Mouth in Cancer Patients
- ANIMAL CARE
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Tips to Ease an Aching Back
- Weight Loss Might Not Curb Knee Arthritis
- Drinking Cuts Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk
- CANCER
- Gene Studies Reveal Cancer's Secrets
- Green Tea Compound Slowed Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- CAREGIVING
- Distance No Bar to Kidney Transplants in Remote Areas
- Caregivers Face Multiple Strains Tending Older Parents
- Mom's Smoking May Lead to SIDS
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- High Blood Fat Levels Common in Americans
- Firefighters Have Narrower-Than-Normal Arteries, Study Finds
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- COSMETIC
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Laser Technology Spots Cavities Before They Start
- Most Insured Adults Worry About Health Care Costs: Poll
- A Sweet Way to Shield Baby's Teeth
- DIABETES
- Strict Blood Sugar Lowering Won't Ease Diabetes Heart Risk
- 'Standard' Glucose Test May Be Wrong One for Obese Children
- Saliva Test Could Monitor Type 2 Diabetes
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Atkins Diet Tougher on Heart After Weight Loss
- To Feel Better, Low-Fat Diet May Be Best
- Many Kids Don't Need the Vitamins They're Taking
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Ozone-Depleting Inhalers Being Phased Out
- Pilots May Face Greater Cancer Risk
- Pregnant Rural Women More at Risk
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Decorative Halloween Eye Lenses May Pose Serious Risks
- Magnetic Pulses to Brain Improve Lazy Eye in Adults
- Retinal Gene Is Linked to Childhood Blindness
- FITNESS
- Eating Well And Keeping Active As You Grow Old Will Help You Stay Sharp
- Any Exercise Good After a Heart Attack
- Daily Exercise at School Yields Rewards
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Hand-Washing Habits Still Need Improvement: Survey Says
- U.S. Spends Billions On Alternative Medicine
- Parents Influence Sex Decisions, Hispanic Teens Say
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Fructose Boosts Blood Pressure, Studies Find
- Quitting Smoking Doubles Survival in Early Stage Lung Cancer
- Western Diet Linked To Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
- Swine Flu Is Now a Pandemic Says W.H.O.
- Surgical Masks Could Prevent Flu, Maybe
- KID'S HEALTH
- Dangerous Toys Still on Store Shelves, Report Finds
- Help Your Kids Stay Active
- Protect Your Kids From Swine Flu While at Camp
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Countdown to Hair Loss
- Low Iron Levels Cut Cancer Risk in Men With PAD
- Sunlight May Help Protect Men From Kidney Cancer
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Eight Spiritual Universal Principles in the Art of Practice
- Common Social Groups and Race, Seem to Help People Relate
- Using the Mind to Heal the Heart
- PREGNANCY
- Heart Defects in Newborns Linked to Antidepressants
- Breast-Feeding Benefits Moms and Babies
- Pre-Pregnancy Weight Linked to Babies' Heart Problems
- SENIORS
- Boost In Elderly Population Will Be Felt Worldwide
- Friends, Not Grandkids, Key to Happy Retirement
- Eating Well And Keeping Active As You Grow Old Will Help You Stay Sharp
More Educated Choose Healthier Foods, But Pay More
By eHolistic.com Published: 05/01/2009
FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- People with higher levels of education and income tend to eat healthier diets, but pay more for selecting foods that are less energy-dense (lower calorie/higher nutrient content), a U.S. study finds.
Less energy-dense diets are associated with lower rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer. Improving diet quality by lowering energy density is standard advice for weight control, cancer prevention and better health, according to the University of Washington researchers.
Their study included 164 adults in the Seattle area who recorded their usual frequency of consumption of 152 foods and 22 beverages, along with portion sizes. They also provided four-day dietary records and completed demographic and behavioral questionnaires.
The researchers found that higher dietary energy density was associated with higher intakes of total fat and saturated fat and lower intakes of dietary fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C. Daily diet cost was $6.72 per day for men and $6.21 per day for women, which reflects the fact that the men ate more than the women. But women spent $8.12 for each 2,000 kcal of dietary energy, compared with $7.43 for men.
Diets with lower energy density and higher nutrient content were more costly than those with higher energy density and lower nutrient content. Higher quality diets were associated with higher household levels of education and income. Education was a more dominant factor than income.
"The findings that higher-quality diets were consumed by women of higher [socioeconomic status] and more costly per 2,000 kcal has implications for epidemiologic studies of diet and chronic disease," concluded study authors Pablo Monsivais and Adam Drewnowski.
"Nutritional epidemiology has historically been based on the premise that nutrient exposures are directly linked to health outcomes. However, nutritional status is also intimately linked to socioeconomic status, and the findings reported here raise the possibility that the higher monetary cost of nutritious diets may provide one explanation for these observations. Future studies, based on more representative samples, will be needed to elucidate the connections between diet quality and diet cost across socioeconomic strata," they wrote.
The study appears in the May issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
More information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration explains how to read food nutrition labels.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, news release, May 1, 2009
Last Updated: May 01, 2009
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