Nutrition Counseling: Nutritionists are trained in the biochemistry of food, and how food affects the human body. They get specific training in various diseases of metabolism and can create diets to avoid items a person may not be able to tolerate, or conversely they can create a diet to supply needed nutrients for a person who has special nutrient needs.
Research Spotlight
The databases often return hundreds of medical studies for a single wellness approach. This section summarizes a sampling of five studies – providing just a taste of the available research. These Spotlights were not selected because they are the most favorable or the most recent, but to provide you an introduction to the more extensive research you’ll uncover searching the four databases found in the “Research” section of this site.
- Time-Restricted Eating Prevents and Manages Conditions Like Obesity and Diabetes
A 2021 metareview from the Salk Institute found that eating one’s daily calories within a consistent window of 8-10 hours is an important tool in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The research indicates that eating at random times messes with the synchrony of our internal circadian rhythms which makes us prone to a host of diseases–and that time-restricted eating is an easy way to correct our “clock.”
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- Eating Breakfast Early Means Lower Risk of Diabetes and Weight Gain
A large 2021 study from Northwestern and the University of Illinois shows that people who eat breakfast before 8:30 AM had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance than those that ate their first meal later in the day—meaning a lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes, others metabolic disorders, and being overweight.
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- Lower-Carb, Higher-Fat Diet Helps Heart Health
A 2021 study from Harvard Medical School indicates that reducing carbs and increasing fats is good for your cardiovascular health—and it’s one of the largest, most rigorous trials on this topic. The group that got 21% of their calories from saturated fats (twice the US government guidelines) saw no negative impact on cholesterol levels, a 15% reduction in fatty particles in the blood linked to heart disease/strokes, and lower risk measures for diabetes.
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- Fermented Foods Alter Your Microbiome and Reduce Inflammatory Compounds
A 2021 study from Stanford University tested the impact that a diet high in fermented foods (yogurt, sauerkraut, etc.) versus a diet high in fiber-rich plant foods would have on the gut and immune system. After ten weeks, the fermented food group saw significant reductions in 19 different inflammatory compounds and harbored a more diverse array of microbes in their guts–while the high-fiber group did not. This represents some of the first hard evidence that fermented foods positively impact the microbiome and inflammation.
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- Childhood Diet Has Lifelong Impact
A 2021 study (on mice) by UC Riverside found that eating too much sugar and fat in childhood can alter microbiomes for life, even if you eat healthier later in life. An early-life Western diet led to a significant decrease in the total number and diversity of gut bacteria. While regular exercise positively impacted gut bacteria, a bad early-life diet had more long-lasting microbiome effects than early-life exercise. The researchers summarized: “You’re not only what you eat, but what you ate as a child.”
Access this study - Intermittent Fasting Best for Weight Loss; Mediterranean Diet Healthier Overall
A 2020 study from the University of Otago, New Zealand on the Mediterranean, paleo and intermittent fasting diets compared how well people were able to stick to them and each diet’s outcomes for weight loss and overall health. Less than a third of people stuck to paleo, fifty-seven percent stuck to a Mediterranean diet, and 54% stuck to intermittent fasting – over the year-long study. The intermittent-fasting diet was the only one where people lost weight continuously during the 12-month period. People that followed the Mediterranean diet (even imperfectly) however had better measures of blood pressure and glycemic control.
Access this study - Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Heart Disease and Early Death
Two 2019 European studies agree that ultra-processed foods are very bad for people’s health—and not just junk food, but breads, jarred sauces and frozen meals that are staples for many. A French study (tracking 100,000 adults) found that people who ate the most packaged foods were 23% more likely to suffer cardiovascular trouble. A Spanish study (20,000 adults) found that those with the highest intake of processed foods were 62% more likely to die over the study’s two decades than those that ate the lowest amount—no matter what their sugar, salt and fat intake.
Access this study - Sugary Drinks Linked to Shorter Life Span
A large, 2019 study from Harvard’s School of Public Health found that drinking sugar-heavy beverages (whether sodas or fruit drinks) was associated with early mortality. One extra 12-ounce serving of a sugary drink daily was linked to a 7% increased risk of death overall, and a 10% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Access this study - Eating Junk Food Ups Risk for Numerous Cancers
A large 2018 study from the French National Institute for Health, analyzing 470,000 participants, found that people who consume on average food with lower nutritional quality (junk food) were at significantly higher risk for cancer overall. Eating junk food was associated with a higher risk of colorectal, digestive tract and stomach cancer – and lung cancer in men and liver and postmenopausal breast cancer in women.
Access this study - Foods that Mix Fat & Carbs Trick the Brain & Make Us Overeat
A 2018 study from Yale University showed that foods that combine fats and carbs trigger our brain’s rewards center in ways far beyond what people get from foods that contain either ingredient alone. Modern fat + carb foods like cheeseburgers and donuts befuddle the brain, which evolved when people foraged for food and rarely ate different foods at the same meal. The researchers concluded it helps explain why so many of us are obese, and why we overeat when not hungry.
Access this study - Children Who Eat Fish Scored Higher on IQ Tests & Sleep Better
A 2017 study (led by Univ. Of Pennsylvania researchers) indicated that children who eat fish score higher on IQ tests and sleep better. Studying Chinese children aged 9-11, it found that kids who ate fish twice a week or more scored an average of 4.8 points higher on IQ tests than those who ate it twice a month or less.
Access this study on nutritional counseling - High Carbohydrate Intake Associated with Higher Risk of Mortality; High Fat Intake with Lower Risk
A large 2017 study of diet and mortality (based on self-reported data from135,335 people, 18 countries) found that compared with people who ate the lowest 20% of carbohydrates, those who ate the highest 20% had a 28% increased risk of death. People with the highest 20% in total fat intake had a 23% reduced risk of death. Higher fat diets were also associated with lower stroke risk.
Access this study on nutritional counseling - Ordering/Choosing Food Before You Plan to Eat It Means Lower-Calorie Diet
New Carnegie Mellon University experiments indicate that timing matters when it comes to healthier eating. When a solid gap existed between when people ordered or chose their food and when they planned to eat it, they opted for significantly lower calorie meals.
Access this study on nutritional counseling - Eating Whole Grains Cuts Risk of Early Death by 17%
A meta-review of 45 studies from Imperial College London (2016) concluded that eating 90 grams of whole grains a day significantly cut the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease and diabetes. Compared with eating no whole grains, it was associated with cutting the risk of early death by 17%. Current guidelines recommend at least 48 grams of whole grains daily, and a slice of 100% whole grain bread contains about 16.
Access this research on Nutritional Counseling - Study Suggest Diets Should Be Personally Tailored, Given How Individual Gut Microbiomes Impact Glycemic Response
A study from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science revealed that people given identical meals metabolize them very differently, because their individual gut microbiome impacts the glycemic response. An individual’s gut bacteria was found to be a key factor in influencing whether a food delivers a long, slow rise in blood sugar, or a short, sharp spike. And if one would expect higher blood sugar spikes from eating ice cream than from eating rice, for a significant number of study participants, the reverse was true. The study suggests that diets should be personally tailored, using personal and microbiome features to enable accurate glucose response prediction.
Access this research on Nutritional Counseling - Mediterranean Diet Helps Mitigate Cognitive Decline, Memory Loss
Results of a first-of-its-kind University of Barcelona (Spain) clinical, randomized study of 477 subjects revealed a slowing of decline in cognitive functions for those who supplemented their diets with nuts and olive oil versus subjects who followed a typical low-fat diet.
Access this research on Nutritional Counseling - Nutritional Counseling Improves Diet Behaviors
A National Institute of Health Research systematic review (29 randomized controlled trials) concludes nutritional counseling improves dietary habits, and more intensive counseling aimed at higher risk patients produces even larger changes in behavior.
Access this research on Nutritional Counseling - Insurers Find Success with MNT
A study of 4,000 overweight/obese patients found that those who participated in medical nutrition therapy (MNT) via their insurer were twice as likely to achieve significant weight loss. They experienced greater mean reductions in weight (3.1 vs. 1.4 kg) and BMI (1.1 vs. 0.4 points), and were more likely to exercise more frequently after the program. The conclusion: MNT is relatively low cost, and warrants serious consideration as a standard inclusion in health benefit plans.
Access this research on Nutritional Counseling - Denmark Study Compares Outcomes: Doctors vs Dieticians
A Glostrup University Hospital (Denmark) randomized trial (involving 60 doctors and 339 patients) – comparing the effectiveness of nutritional counseling from a doctor (GP) vs. a dietician – found that weight loss was greater in the dietician group, while the reduction of cardiovascular risk scores was higher for GP group, and for obese patients, long-term nutritional counseling by a dietician was superior.
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