The raison d'etre of this website is to provide you with hard scientific information which may help you make informed decisions in your quest for health (so far I have blogged concise summaries of over 1,500 scientific studies and have had three books published).

My research is mainly focused on the effects of cholesterol, saturated fat and statin drugs on health. If you know anyone who is worried about their cholesterol levels and heart disease, or has been told to take statin drugs you could send them a link to this website, and to my statin or cholesterol or heart disease books.

David Evans

Independent Health Researcher

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Iron bioavailability is significantly greater from animal based sources

This post includes a synopsis on a study published in the Journal of Nutrition December 1, 2010 vol. 140 no. 12 2162-2166 and a recipe for Moroccan chicken salad.

Study title and authors:
Utilization of Iron from an Animal-Based Iron Source Is Greater Than That of Ferrous Sulfate in Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women1,2,3
Melissa F. Young4, Ian Griffin5, Eva Pressman6, Allison W. McIntyre6, Elizabeth Cooper6, Thomas McNanley6, Z. Leah Harris7, Mark Westerman8, and Kimberly O. O’Brien4                       Books:
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration4Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853
5USDA/Agricultural Research Service Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
6The University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY 14642
7Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, Nashville, TN 37232
8Intrinsic LifeSciences, LLC, La Jolla, CA 92037

This study can be accessed at: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/12/2162.abstract

The objective of the study was to examine relative differences in heme (animal based) and nonheme (ferrous sulfate) iron bioavailabilty in pregnant and nonpregnant women.

Heme (animal based) iron bioavailabilty was significantly greater than nonheme (ferrous sulfate) iron bioavailabilty in both pregnant and nonpregnant women.

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Websites : Videos : Food Mall



Recipe of the day

Moroccan Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

For the Chicken                                                                                        Food Mall: Chicken Breast
Omaha Steaks 12 (4 oz. approx.) Boneless Chicken Breasts◦1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts, cut into chunks
◦2 t paprika
◦1 t coriander
◦1 t cumin
◦½ t cinnamon
◦¼ t red pepper flakes
◦salt

For the tasty stuff that goes in the salad
◦2 heads romaine lettuce
◦4 small golden beets
◦1 small-to-medium butternut squash
◦toasted almonds
◦dried cherries (or cranberries–something tart will work best)

For the dressing
◦juice 1 lemon
◦juice 1 lime
◦½ avocado
◦1-2 T vinegar (champagne or cider)
◦¼ – ½ c avocado oil (olive oil will work too)
◦s&p

Method:
Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Peel the beets and butternut squash (+remove the seeds). Chop into small pieces, salt/pepper and oil the pieces. Roast until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes (depending on how big the pieces are).

While the veggies are roasting…

In a large bowl, combine all the spices together. Toss the chicken pieces into the bowl and coat them evenly with the spice mixture. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and saute the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the pan and add to the serving bowl.

Wash and chop the lettuce. Add it, along with the rest of the “tasty” ingredients to the serving bowl. Add the squash and beets too.

For the dressing…

Combine all ingredients into a small food processor and process until smooth. Of course, you could use a whisk and bowl, in lieu –just make sure you’ve smashed the avocado up before adding it to the dressing.