Researchers from the University of Munster in Germany found reducing what you eat by a third may improve memory, the BBC reported Tuesday.

They analyzed three groups of volunteers on different diets, who had an average age of 60.

Three months later, they were given memory tests.

The first group ate a balanced diet containing the normal number of calories, while the second group consumed a similar diet, but with a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids.

The final group was put on a calorie restricted diet.

After the three months, there was no difference in memory scores in the first two groups, but the 50 volunteers in the third group performed better.

The third group also had decreased levels of insulin and fewer signs of inflammation, according to the report.

The researchers said that these changes could explain the better memory scores, by keeping brain cells in better health.

The study is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

More at the BBC.

Rita’s has introduced the following three Sugar-Free Italian Ice flavors this
year: Mango Peach, Chocolate and Pineapple. These flavors will join Rita’s
existing Sugar-Free lineup of Tangerine, Cherry, Pink Lemonade and Root Beer,
for a total of 7 Sugar-Free Italian Ice flavor offerings.  Rita’s Slenderita
is available in Vanilla at participating locations.

To ensure that more Guests are able to enjoy Rita’s delicious treats, the
company has launched the new line to offer healthy treat options for those with
dietary restrictions or watching their waistline. Rita’s believes that the
current offerings, coupled with the new healthier treats, will bring Guests
coming back for more while attracting new Guests who are looking for healthier
treat alternatives.

“The feedback we get from our valued Guests is highly instrumental in our
menu construction,” said Jim Rudolph, Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer, Rita’s Franchise Company. “Many Guests have special
dietary needs and concerns, and our new ‘Light Line’ allows them the
opportunity to enjoy our legendary frozen treats. We will continue to innovate
and develop products for our Light Line throughout 2009 and beyond.”

Rita’s “Light Line” selections are currently available at Rita’s
locations.  For more information on Rita’s “Light Line,” and for
nutritional information on all Rita’s products, please visit www.ritasice.com
<http://www.ritasice.com> .

A Philadelphia tradition, Rita’s Italian Ices are made fresh daily and are
available in more than 40 different flavors.  Rita’s Old-Fashioned Frozen
Custard is a soft serve dessert that is available in chocolate, vanilla,
strawberry and coffee flavors and can be served in a cup or a cone. Rita’s
Gelati is a delightful frozen treat that provides the best of both worlds –
frozen custard mixed with layers of Italian Ice.  Similar to the Gelati,
Rita’s Misto Shake is also a blend of Italian Ice and frozen custard and is a
convenient treat for those on the go. Rita’s Blendini is a blend of Rita’s
frozen custard, fresh Italian Ice and crushed OreoÒ cookie pieces or NillaÒ
wafer pieces.  Rita’s SlenderitaTM is a creamy and delicious Fat-Free soft
serve that is available in vanilla and can be served in a cup or a cone, in
Gelati, or blended into a BlendiniTM.  Rita’s first-ever coffee drink, The
RitaccinoTM, is a frosty treat with a rich coffee taste, topped with Rita’s
famous vanilla custard.  Rita’s also offers Sugar-Free Italian Ice in Cherry,
Pink Lemonade, Root Beer and Tangerine, Mango Peach, Chocolate and Pineapple.

About Rita’s
Rita’s Franchise Company, headquartered in Trevose, Pa., is the largest
Italian Ice concept in the nation, currently operating in 17 states with more
than 550 stores. Rita’s brand promise is Ice, Custard and Happinessä. The
chain offers a variety of frozen treats including its famous Italian Ice, Old
Fashioned Frozen Custard, and layered Gelati, as well as its signature Mistoä
and Blendiniä creations. Rita’s was named one of the Top 25 Franchise High
Performers by the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Startup Journal.’ For more
information about Rita’s, please call 1-800-677-RITA or visit www.ritasice.com
<http://www.ritasice.com>

While the acronym MUFA does not sound too appealing, the MUFA diet and MUFA foods are popular diet trends for the New Year and beyond. MUFA is not a fad and it’s not unhealthy. A MUFA diet incorporates certain types of foods, namely fats, into a healthy and nutritious diet. The MUFA diet is not a meal replacement diet, nor does it require any special supplements or products you order in the mail. The MUFA diet recognizes that eliminating foods with fat from a diet is not the best way to lose weight. It’s not about the fat, it’s about the right type of fat.Eating low fat foods has not made a large impact on weight loss in the country, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The total amount of fat in the diet is not as important as the type of fat in the diet, Harvard reports.

What is MUFA?

MUFA stands for monounsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids are labeled as “good fats” by health experts including the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. Good fats are beneficial cholesterol levels.

Identifying MUFA Foods

Identifying MUFA foods is not difficult. MUFA foods tend to fall into certain food group categories including nuts, seeds and oils made from vegetables, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Focus on natural, not processed foods which do not contain trans fat, saturated fat or animal-based fat. Check nutrition labels or use an online nutrition guide to find foods which contain unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fats include Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

MUFA Foods:

• Oils One type of MUFA food is cooking oils, including Canola oil, Olive oil and Sunflower oil. Less popular, but healthy is grape seed oil, a light oil which raises good cholesterol levels. Walnut oil, flax seed oil and soybean oil are also considered MUFA foods.

• Nuts and seeds including almonds, macadamia nuts, peanutsButter forms of these nuts and seeds, especially when they are not made with added sugars are also MUFA foods. Try almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower butter instead of the regular peanut butter. For snacking or for cooking, try Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans and walnuts.

• Avocados and olives are also considered MUFA foods. Make an avocado dip for your broiled chicken dish or add olives to your recipes.
• Dark Chocolate Finally, the food you’ve been waiting for: dark chocolate is considered a MUFA food. Use in moderation.

Caveat About MUFA Foods

MUFA foods may be part of an overall healthy diet that can help dieters lose pounds, but the should still be eaten in moderation. These foods are not the lowest calorie foods available to dieters. The list of MUFA foods is short. Dieters following a MUFA diet and incorporating MUFA foods into their diet can print out this short list.

Which Diets Incorporate MUFA Foods?

The Flat Belly Diet, by Prevention, incorporates MUFAs, Sassy water and other healthy foods in the diet plan. The Mediterranean Diet, which includes canola oil, olive oil and nuts also has MUFA diet elements.  Any diet or way of eating can be modified to include MUFA foods. Eiminate bad fat, replace it with good fat, and exercise more.

Sources

• American Diabetes Association, http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-cholesterol/faqs-fat.jsp
• American Heart Association, http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4582
• Harvard School of Public Health, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/index.html

More resources

A glimpse inside the neck arteries of obese children and teens reveals cardiovascular systems more like those of 45-year-olds, researchers said Tuesday.

Scientists using ultrasound imaging detected fatty deposits more typical in middle-aged adults than in children as young as 10, underscoring worries about accelerated risks of heart disease decades earlier than once thought possible.

“There’s a saying that you’re as old as your arteries,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Geetha Raghuveer, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine. “These kids are showing up with arteries that show middle-aged conditions.”

In fact, more than half of the 70 youngsters enrolled in the Children’s Mercy Hospital study had a “vascular age” about 30 years older than their actual age, putting them at risk for early heart attacks, stroke — and death. The research was presented Tuesday at the American Heart Association’s scientific meeting in New Orleans.

That finding might also hold true for many more young people in the United States, where more than 16 percent of kids ages 2 to 19 are considered obese, according to federal statistics.

“It kind of hammers home that the risk might be speeded up,” said Dr. Stephen Daniels, chief pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital in Denver, who was not associated with the new study. “It does kind of fit with the concept that kids with high cholesterol and other risk factors probably have premature aging factors.”

This isn’t the first time aging arteries have been documented in kids. Previous studies have reported that growing numbers of children with risk factors for heart disease are showing signs of narrowing and hardening of the arteries, conditions typically associated with adults.

But Raghuveer and her colleagues used ultrasound imaging to measure the thickness of the inner walls of the carotid arteries that supply blood to the brain. Increasing carotid artery intima-media thickness, or CIMT, indicates a build-up of fatty deposits, known as plaque, in crucial arteries to the heart and brain. Plaque build-up in the arteries, which is usually affects adults, can restrict the flow of blood, causing heart attacks or stroke.

Then they plotted the measurements on a graph for adult plaque levels — because similar measures don’t exist for kids.

The small study included children ages 6 to 19, but most were ages 10 to 18 and the average age was 13, Raghuveer said.

The children’s average CIMT was .45 millimeters, with a maximum of .75 millimeters. One 12-year-old boy logged a CIMT of .54, which placed him smack in the middle of measurements expected to be seen in a healthy 45-year-old man — .50 millimeters to .57 millimeters.

“If I see a kid with a .54 plaque in his carotid artery, a 12-year-old kid, I’m going to be concerned,” Raghuveer said.

Youngsters most at risk in the study were those who were obese, with body mass index or BMI at or above the 95th percentile, and those who had abnormally high cholesterol levels, including either too much of the so-called “bad” LDL cholesterol, or too little of the “good” HDL cholesterol.

In addition, some children and teens had levels of fat chemicals known as triglycerides far above optimum levels.

‘It was just alarming’

That group included Nick Calvert, a 17-year-old high school junior from Kansas City, Mo. His triglycerides topped out at more than 500 milligrams per deciliter, nearly triple the recommended 150 mg/dl that is considered acceptable.

“Well, it was very upsetting,” said Nick’s mother, Lisa Calvert, 41, a homemaker and mother of three who long ago stopped cooking with butter. “It was just alarming. I felt like I needed to sit down and talk to him.”

Nick was stocky, but not obese, weighing at 182 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. But he’s been struggling with genetically high cholesterol levels since he was 2, and a typical teen diet didn’t help.

“I’d go out with my friends and they’d eat and I’d eat, too,” said Nick, who acknowledged a fondness for burgers and pop.

When the ultrasound also detected thickening in his carotid arteries, Nick and his family got scared. He signed up with a personal trainer and started watching his diet, swapping burgers for grilled chicken and soda for water and tea.

“If I don’t do it, I could have a heart attack or stroke at a younger age,” said Nick, who has lost 20 pounds in the past few months, dropping him to 162 pounds.

That kind of proactive attitude is vital, said Dr. Samuel S. Gidding, chief of pediatric cardiology at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del.

Children and teens don’t typically suffer heart attacks, but they can be at risk for early signs of heart disease, said Gidding. He noted that Raghuveer’s work confirms previous autopsy studies that showed a strong link between budding heart disease and risk factors in young people.

Changing diet and increasing exercise can slow and perhaps stop deterioration, he said. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended cholesterol-lowering drugs for kids as young as 8, Gidding said he’s waiting to release new guidelines through the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, NHLBI, next year.

In the meantime, the new research is a reminder to take steps to prevent obesity and high cholesterol before children’s arteries grow older than their years, Raghuveer said.

“I’m very hopeful we can reverse this process,” she said.