Latest news with #lowfat
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Researchers find milk type that increases risk of heart disease and death
A 33-year study conducted in Norway has investigated the long-term health impacts of consuming full-fat versus low-fat milk. Researchers analysed health data from 73,860 individuals, finding that the fat content of milk influenced the risk of death from heart disease. The study revealed that individuals who consumed full-fat milk had a higher mortality risk compared to those who drank low-fat milk. Specifically, consuming low-fat milk was linked to an 11 per cent lower overall mortality risk and a 7 per cent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease compared to whole milk. These findings support current NHS health advice, which cautions against high intake of saturated fat found in full-fat dairy due to its link to increased cholesterol and heart disease risk.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Full-fat milk vs low-fat milk: Study finally reveals which is healthier for your heart
A decades-long study has finally revealed how healthy full-fat and low-fat milk are, with researchers concluding that one is safer for your heart. Experts analysed three decades of health data and found the fat level of milk influenced a person's risk of dying of heart disease. The study published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition used data from three cardiovascular health screenings conducted between 1974 and 1988. Researchers in Norway tracked the data of 73,860 individuals, with an average age of 41, over 33 years and recorded 26,393 deaths, including 8,590 from cardiovascular disease. They found those who drank full-fat milk had a higher mortality risk in than those who drank low-fat milk. Researchers were able to make this comparison due to a unique historical context. In the 1970s, most people in Norway drank whole milk, but by the 1980s more people drank low-fat milk. This meant researchers were able to investigate the long-term health consequences of drinking both of these milk types. Those who drank the most milk in the study had a 22 per cent increased risk of all-cause mortality and a 12 per cent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in comparison to those who drank the least. But further analysis revealed whole milk in particular was driving this increased risk of death. When researchers compared full-fat and low-fat milk and adjusted for how much they drank, they found consuming low-fat milk was associated with a 11 per cent lower mortality risk and a 7 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than consuming whole milk. The findings remained consistent even after excluding early deaths or participants with pre-existing conditions. However, low-fat milk drinkers tended to be females, have higher education and not smoke, in comparison to whole fat milk drinkers who frequently reported being current smokers. Study authors concluded: 'Associations between milk intake and cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality varied by type of milk, with positive associations found for whole milk and a modestly inverse association with ischemic heart disease and all-cause mortality was found for low-fat milk when compared with whole milk.' The results are in line with current NHS health advice. Most of the fat in milk and dairy foods is saturated fat which when eating in large amounts can contribute to weight gain, the NHS explains. A diet high in saturated fat can also lead to raised levels of cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.
Globe and Mail
12-06-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Meet the doughnut disruptor of Almonte, Ontario
Is there a way to build a better doughnut? Ed Atwell thinks so. Whether he's in the fried sweet business or actually in the technology business, the Almonte, Ontario entrepreneur is all about ingenuity. The owner of Healthy Food Technologies Inc. (HFT), didn't set out to reinvent the fryer. Mr. Atwell simply wanted to make a novelty doughnut. It was called the Sunny Moon, a two-tone concoction that's half chocolate and half vanilla. He patented the doughnut about 25 years ago, and it became the inspiration for a much larger idea. Making the Sunny Moon took some creativity, as it's tough to make a 'seamless' doughnut, says Mr. Atwell. That got him thinking about frying techniques and ways to make doughnuts lighter. Fifteen years ago, he came up with a low-fat process where the dough would go into a fryer, then get transferred to an oven just before it would absorb most of the oil. He had to build a combo deep fryer and oven to pull it off. As he explains, the oil is used to 'toast' the doughnut, which then spends 60 per cent of its cooking time in the oven, which is heated to the same 375 degrees. That 'tricks' the doughnut into thinking it's still being heated by the oil, Mr. Atwell says. To describe how the dough reacts when heat is transferred, Mr. Atwell coined the term exohypothermia. With the dough no longer in oil, it stops acting like a sponge. The result is a fried product that retains its flavor and texture but contains a fraction of the fat – about 50 to 70 per cent less fat than its deep-fried counterparts. Mr. Atwell has taken a winding path through the doughnut industry. He worked in management for Country Style, and honed his skills at Tim Hortons in Nova Scotia, where he opened stores and trained bakers. 'A doughnut has its own language,' he says. After working as a consultant for the industry, he created the Sunny Moon doughnut. Later, his first attempts at designing a new baking method involved combining a deep fryer with an old pizza oven. 'I was just trying to prove a theory.' He bought a building in an industrial park in Almonte, and converted it into a doughnut-making R&D facility in 2010. During the process of perfecting his technique, Mr. Atwell had loads of doughnuts left over. So he just started giving them away to the local grocery store and police station. Eventually, he stuck a small sign outside HFT that read 'doughnuts today' and word spread. In 2013, he added a storefront. Now, his full-production doughnut shop employs 10 people. 'For the longest time we were growing at 35 per cent per year,' says Mr. Atwell. Though the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down that rate, 'We haven't lost growth either, which in these economic times is huge.' Before he opened his shop, a large doughnut manufacturer had expressed interest in buying Mr. Atwell's technology, but the deal never materialized. He says his pitch was perhaps too bold for the corporate world. 'You've been making doughnuts the wrong way for 50 years. That's a tough sell.' Still, focusing on the byproduct of the process – the actual doughnut – instead of just trying to sell or license the technology was the right strategy for HFT, says Mark Freel, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. 'Turning it into his own products is probably the best way to monetize his own technology,' says Mr. Freel, whose research focuses on innovation, and how firms create and capture value. He says that if you're a small company, like a doughnut shop in Almonte, some multinational might purchase your technology or pay you royalties for its use. But it doesn't happen often. The best thing to do is use that technology to make your own goods 'and make a great reputation doing it – that's how you make money.' HFT has a cult following in Almonte and beyond. Word-of-mouth has brought doughnut pilgrims from across Ontario. One time, a Toronto company sent an Uber driver through the night to pick up 10 dozen doughnuts for a morning meeting. 'That was probably the craziest thing we ever saw happen,' says Mr. Atwell. Devotees love the shop's lower-fat wares, yet the doughnut's appeal goes far beyond the nutritional breakdown. 'Oil gives a negative flavour after time,' says Mr. Atwell. 'But when you heat a product like bread, it enhances the flavour. So we have a product that's lower in fat, but actually has more flavour.' While he has a successful doughnut shop, Mr. Atwell still talks up his technology. Besides the flavour and low-fat benefits, he says his process can deliver significant cost savings, mainly through oil saved, and can virtually pay for itself within a year. Even though he feels like his technology can disrupt doughnut-making, Mr. Atwell is content to let the process unfold naturally. Maybe one day it will take over the commercial market. Until then, 'I look at the technology like a tree. I'll plant it and it'll grow as it wants to.'
