Page 16 - HOH

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 25 september 2019
A spoonful less sugar, tad more fat: U.S. diets still lacking

By LINDSEY TANNER in 2003, adults were asked
AP Medical Writer that question twice several
CHICAGO (AP) — Ameri- days apart.
cans' diets are a little less The study lists food groups
sweet and a little crunchier rather than individual
but there's still too much foods; for example "whole
sugar, white bread and grains," not oatmeal, and
artery-clogging fat, a study "refined grains," not white
suggests. bread but Zhang said those
Overall, the authors esti- two foods are among the
mated there was a mod- most common grains in the
est improvement over 16 U.S. diet.
years on the government's U.S. dietary guidelines rec-
healthy eating index, from ommend a "healthy eating
estimated scores of 56 to pattern" to reduce chanc-
58. That's hardly cause for es of developing chronic
celebration — 100 is the disease. The focus should
top score. be on nutrient-dense foods
Diets are still too heavy on including vegetables, fruits,
foods that can contribute whole grains, low-fat dairy
to heart disease, diabetes, products; plus varied pro-
obesity and other preva- teins sources including sea-
lent U.S. health problems, food, lean meats and poul-
said co-author Fang Fang In this Monday, Oct. 1, 2018 file photo, a shop owner reaches into a drink display refrigerator at his try, eggs nuts and seeds,
Zhang, a nutrition research- convenience store in Kent, Wash. the recommendations say.
er at Tufts University near Associated Press During the study years, U.S.
Boston. The study was pub- fatty beef, butter and other Researchers think fewer found. Salt intake dipped diabetes rates almost dou-
lished Tuesday in the Jour- foods containing saturated sweetened sodas con- slightly and a small decline bled, to more than 7%; obe-
nal of the American Medi- fats. The study found these tributed to the decline, in fruit juice contributed to sity rates increased during
cal Association. The results unhealthy fats increased but Zhang noted added a drop in low-quality carbs. many of those years, with
are from an analysis of U.S. from 11.5% to almost 12% sugars are often found in But these still amount to 42% about 70% of U.S. adults
government health surveys of daily calories, above the foods that don't even seem of daily calories, including now overweight or obese.
from 1999 to 2016 involving recommended 10% limit. sweet, including some yo- many likely from highly pro- Heart disease remains the
nearly 44,000 adults. And while the biggest gurts and tomato sauce. cessed white bread and leading cause of death.
"Despite observed im- change was a small drop in Fruits, nuts, oatmeal and other refined grains, Zhang Besides continued public
provements," the authors added sugars, from about other whole grains are said. The study is based on health efforts, "Coopera-
wrote, "important dietary 16% to roughly 14%, that's among the types of foods in-person health surveys tion from the food industry"
challenges" remain. still too high. The govern- adults ate slightly more of. conducted every two years is key, a journal editorial
Among them: Getting ment says less than 10% Still, each of those contrib- that ask adults to recall said, including by reducing
Americans to cut down of daily calories should uted to less than 5% of daily what foods they ate in the sugar, salt and saturated
on snack foods, hot dogs, come from added sugars. calories in 2016, the study previous 24 hours. Starting fats in foods.q
Greece: Oxygen-starved fish dying in drought-hit lake

By COSTAS KANTOURIS the water had fallen below fort to try and prevent Ko-
Associated Press a critical level, accelerat- roneia from drying out, em-
KORONEIA, Greece (AP) — ing the deaths over the last ploying water diversions,
Tens of thousands of dead week. temporary fishing bans,
fish have been found on "Due to the high tempera- and a crackdown on the
the banks of a lake in a tures, the solubility of oxy- illegal disposal of industrial
protected nature reserve in gen is limited in the body waste from nearby facto-
northern Greece after high of water that is left," Bobori ries.
temperatures and drought said. "We have sent sam- Water levels had stabilized
conditions caused a severe ples of dead fish and wa- at about three meters (10
drop in water levels. ter for toxicological testing, feet) by 2015, but summers
State environmental of- as high temperatures also are getting longer and hot-
ficials said Thursday that give rise to toxicity levels." ter.
the water level at Lake Once one of Greece's larg- "Over the last 20 years,
Dead fish lie on the shores of Koroneia Lake in northern Greece,
on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. Koroneia has dropped by est lakes, Koroneia is 30 ki- there is no doubt that the
Associated Press more than 70% percent in lometers (18.5 miles) east weather has become hot-
the past three years, to 80 of Greece's second-largest ter in this region, and the
centimeters (31 inches), city Thessaloniki. trend is worsening," Prodro-
with the decline triggering Originally spanning 4,500 mos Zanis, a professor of
the death of carp, sunfish, hectares (11,000 acres), it meteorology and climate
bleak and other freshwater has shrunk to about a third science at the University of
fish. of its original size over the Thessaloniki, told The Asso-
Dimitra Bobori, an associ- past three decades. ciated Press.
ate biology professor at the The lake is part of the Eu- "The frequency of this phe-
University of Thessaloniki ropean Union's network of nomenon makes it statisti-
and the lake's senior ad- protected nature areas cally likely that this is in part
ministrator, said dissolved and Greek authorities have driven by manmade cli-
oxygen concentrations in launched a long-term ef- mate change."q