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| National Cancer Institute research showed that people who eat five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables may reduce their risk of prostate, bladder, esophagus, stomach, and possibly other cancers. |
| The National Heart and Lung Institute found that eating omega-3 fatty acids (found in salmon, mackerel, and other fatty fish) may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in men by as much as 40 percent. (Women have not yet been studied.) |
| The Framingham Children's Study found that children with the highest intake of calcium-rich foods had the lowest blood pressure. Similar studies on adults have shown the same results. |
| Researchers at New York Medical College found that eating one-half to one clove of garlic a day lowered cholesterol levels by about 9 percent. |
| F.Y.I. |
| According to the Cancer Research Foundation of America, about 35 percent of cancer is caused by choosing the wrong foods too often. (And many experts think this figure is too low.) |
| The Food Guide Pyramid |
| The most high-profile response to the new findings came from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which revised its nutritional guidelines to reflect the new research. The old guidelines, established back in the 1950s, consisted of a pie cut into four equal pieces, with each representing one of four food groups: meat, dairy, grains, and fruits and vegetables. The simple message: eat a generous portion of each every day. |
| Replacing the outdated pie is the new USDA Food Guide Pyramid, which apportions foods quite differently. |
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