17.09.2018 change 17.09.2018

Experts: Trendy diets can be dangerous to health

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Various dietary fashions can be dangerous to health; it is better to follow basic nutrition principles and make sure your diet is diverse, emphasized experts during the 26th National Food Science Symposium in Białystok.

The specialists from all over the country discussed the directions of research development in food and human nutrition science.

According to the Chairwoman of the organizing committee of the conference, Prof. Maria Borawska from the Medical University of Bialystok, there is growing awareness that nutrition has a significant impact on our health and maintaining physical and mental fitness for as long as possible. But people often accept wrong, misguided views from unverified information and sources that are common in the times of universal access to the Internet.

Professor Lidia Wądołowska, chairwoman of the Human Nutrition Science Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences (also University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn) reminded of the basic principles of a proper diet reducing the risk of cancer, based on the results of research. She mentioned that it should contain various vegetables - consumed at least 4 times a day, fruit - once a day, fish - at least once a week, various dairy products at least 2-3 times a week, whole-grain cereal products2-3 times a week, white bread - less often, because it should not be the "base" of everyday food.

Professor Wądołowska pointed out that the effects of the "dangerous" trend of following dietary fashions included strict mono diets, or "monotonous nutrition with a very limited number of products from particular food groups". These diets can lead to deficiencies of vitamins and other nutrients. "Variety is safer, always and everywhere" - said Wądołowska.

She admitted that the biggest problem was the overflow of unverified information, unsupported by scientific research, and numerous products promoted, for example, by bloggers. "The excess of information means that proper, proven information provided by experts gets lost in this mess" - said Wądołowska.

During the conference, participants emphasized that the relationship between nutrition and cancer was one of the most important issues to study in the future. According to Wądołowska, there is a growing amount of scientific evidence that the occurrence of cancer is related to nutrition, and that diet can contribute to cancer prevention, although - as she said - the "basic" risk still exists, but it can be reduced. "I think this is great news because we already have an influence on nutrition and quality of food" - she told reporters.

Conference participants also talked about the fact that there are more and more products, dietary supplements on the market, but there is a lack of knowledge and awareness about them. Dr. Jadwiga Hamułka, the chairwoman of the Polish Society of Nutritional Sciences from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences pointed out that the widespread advertising of dietary supplements causes consumers to make rash decisions. She said that many people still confused supplements with medicines. She also noted that a group taking a lot of supplements - even a few at the same time - were pregnant women, which could be dangerous, because it could lead to interaction with food, drugs, overdoses.

She reminded that supplements could not substitute or replace a proper, varied diet. She pointed out that they should be used periodically, for example when deficiency of certain nutrients occurs due to a disease and they need to be supplemented quickly. "And then it is a completely different matter" - added Hamulka.

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