Introducing the new all electric
Sweet Bites Newsletter
Issue 73 | June 2022
In This Issue
FEATURE: Low carb diet for diabetes
NEWS: Article by NZ Professor Richard Mithen
NEWS: Australia has a new government
Welcome
Welcome to Issue 73 of Sweet Bites,
Welcome to this issue of Sweet Bites. Our feature article is about the role of lower carbohydrate diets in the management of type 2 diabetes. Are they recommended and what do experienced practitioners think?
Our News items are an opinion piece from New Zealand Professor Richard Mithin about the social history of sugar, and the brand-new government in Australia and what they have promised around food, farming, health, the environment and indigenous reconciliation.
From the journals we’ve gathered three papers on sugars, carbohydrates and health: 1. A review on high vs low-added sugar consumption for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease; 2. Parental work hours and household income as determinants of unhealthy food and beverage intake in young Australian children; and 3. Dietary carbohydrate and the risk of type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
We hope you enjoy this issue and invite you to be in touch if you have any feedback or suggestions for topics for future article.
Monthly Feature
Low carb diet for diabetes
Low carb diets for diabetes are often debated but are they recommended, and what do experienced practitioners think?
News
Article by NZ Professor Richard Mithen
Sugar has an interesting social history, including some harsh truths.
Australia has a new government
What promises have been made around health, food, sustainability and indigenous reconciliation?
Research Updates
Here is a selection of recently published papers of interest.
1. Bergwall S, Johansson A, Sonestedt E, Acosta S. High vs low-added sugar consumption for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (review). Cochrane Database Systematic Review Jan 2022. (free to view)
Finding: This review of 21 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) including crossover trials compared different levels of added sugars and CVD risk factors. It found a small effects of added sugars on total cholesterol levels, triglycerides and blood pressure but no effect on LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and fasting blood glucose. All results were judged as low-quality evidence. It is still uncertain whether low intakes of added sugars reduce the risk of CVD and high-quality, longer-term studies are needed.
2. Mauch CE, Wycherley TP, Bell LK et al. Parental work hours and household income as determinants of unhealthy food and beverage intake in young Australian children. Public Health Nutr. 2022 Feb 9:1-29 (free to view).
Finding: In 526 mother-child pairs, median child age of 2 years, from the NOURSIH and SAIDI studies found household income was consistently inversely associated with energy intake from discretionary foods. Maternal part-time employment predicted child consumption of discretionary food at main meals. Paternal unemployment predicted a lower proportion of energy from discretionary snacks. The authors concluded that low household income is a barrier to providing healthy food in families with young children, and time-saving strategies are needed for working mothers juggling work and home duties.
3. Hosseini F, Jayedi A, Khan TA, Shab-Bidar S. Dietary carbohydrate and the risk of type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Sci Rep. 2022 Feb 15;12(1):2491. (free to view)
Finding: Eighteen prospective cohort studies (13 high quality and 5 moderate quality) with 29,229 cases among 607,882 participants were included. The hazard ratio (HR) for the highest compared with the lowest category of carbohydrate intake was 1.02 (GRADE = low certainty). The HRs were 0.93 in Western countries and 1.26 in Asian countries, suggesting a regional difference. Dose–response analysis indicated a J-shaped association, with the lowest risk at 50% carbohydrate intake, with risk increasing significantly at 70%. There was no association between low carbohydrate diet score and the risk of T2D (type 2 diabetes). Carbohydrate intake within the recommended 45–65% of calorie intake was not associated with an increased risk.
About Us
The Sugar Nutrition Resource Centre (SNRC) is committed to providing health care professionals with evidence-based information on sugar and nutrition.
Our work continues to be guided by scientific experts from Australia and New Zealand.
As always, we would love to hear any feedback from you.
About the Editor
NICOLE SENIOR
Nutritionist, Sydney
Nicole is an experienced Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist, author, speaker, blogger, cook and food enthusiast with an interest in turning evidence based nutrition guidelines into sensible, achievable and enjoyable everyday eating advice and supporting other food and health professionals to do the same.
Locked Bag 2222, North Ryde 2113, Australia
