Researchers at Wake Forest Medical School fed two groups of monkeys a diet identical both in terms of total calories and the percentage of calories coming from fat (35%). The only difference was in the kind of fat: trans fat vs. healthy, monounsaturated fat. After six years, the trans fat-fed monkeys had increased their body weight by 7.2%, compared to only 1.8% for the monounsaturated fat-fed monkeys. Plus, the trans fat monkeys ended up with dramatically more abdominal fat.

We spoke with study co-author Lawrence Rudel, Ph.D., who observed that, "Diets rich in trans fat caused a redistribution of fat tissue into the abdomen and led to a higher body weight even when the total dietary calories are controlled."

Belly fat is even more harmful to your health than lower-body largesse. When fat swamps your internal organs, the toxins it secretes wreak havoc with insulin levels, hormones, and even metabolism (for more, read "Fat: It Doesn't Just 'Sit There'"). Fortunately, as this latest study suggests, the choices you make can affect not just overall weight, but also body shape. So, in addition to avoiding trans fat, try:

• Strength training: Overweight women who began lifting weights twice weekly not only reduced overall body fat by 4%, they reduced fat transfer to the midsection. 
• Yoga: A study involving over 15,000 subjects found that yoga helped check middle-aged spread. Yoga helps reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, associated with increased abdominal fat. 
• Every day activity: Researchers found that active rats denied access to their exercise wheel for just two days expanded their fat cells by nearly 20% on average, with the greatest proportional increase occurring in the abdomen. 

Bonus: Put on a pedometer and you'll cover more ground. University of Tennessee researchers found that simply by wearing a pedometer, women who aimed for a 30-minute walk took nearly 2,000 more steps a day than those without pedometers. 

Dietary changes can also help support lung function. A study from St. George's Hospital Medical School London found that apples helped support lung health. Apples are among the top sources of the antioxidant quercetin, which may protect against variety of cancers (including lung cancer). 

In addition to apples, eat more pineapple.  Researchers found that the pineapple enzyme bromelain appeared to reduce inflammation associated with asthma in animal trials.  

Diet makes a difference in children's lung health too. New Zealand researchers found that an amazing 75% of kids who eat even one hamburger a week were 100% more likely to experience wheezing problems than those who don't eat burgers. A large scale study of 35,000 Singaporeans found that early consumption of fiber-rich foods (e.g., beans, oats, raspberries, blackberries, Brussels sprouts) seemed to have a protective effect against the ravages of second-hand smoke.

Until now, there have been eight Superfood categories, comprised of those foods best for your bones, brain, eyes, immunity, heart, joints, skin and antioxidant levels. This month we introduce a new category, Superfoods for your Prostate. The criteria for this category stipulate that the food must provide at least 2mg of the antioxidant carotenoid lycopene per serving -- or must be the subject of a positive, clinical human trial evidencing reduction in prostate cancer development or slowing the progression of the disease.

The fruit and veggies that meet these criteria include tomatoes, guava, pink/red grapefruit, watermelon, red bell peppers, onions/garlic and pomegranate. While watermelon has an even higher lycopene content than tomatoes, the latter actually increase in lycopene density and bioavailability when cooked -- a good reason to try the hearty Southwest-Style Chicken Soup, featured in this newsletter.  

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer (excluding skin cancers) and the second leading cause of cancer death among American men (the first is lung cancer). In addition to increasing intake of fruit and vegetables, cutting back on meat and dairy may afford additional protection. One analysis of consumption data from over 50 countries found that animal products were the strongest risk factors for the disease, while fruit and vegetable consumption were among the strongest risk reduction factors.

Looking for delicious ways to incorporate more Superfoods into your diet? Our Superfood Recipes Cookbook is available for order at the Dole Depot, where you'll find a wealth of educational tools, including our Superfood Wheel. Visit Dole TV ("What's On") to view our interview with philanthropist and prostate cancer survivor Mike Milken, or read the transcript of his extended interview.

So what gives? Various factors affect a food's placement within a given antioxidant list. These factors include: a) which antioxidant assay is used, b) what's being ranked -- i.e., all foods, or just fruit and vegetables, c) whether serving size or gram-per-gram is being compared, and d) whether serving-size rankings take into account recent USDA portion size revisions.

To begin with, blueberries were crowned antioxidant king using the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (or ORAC) assay. The last, most comprehensive ORAC ranking was published over three years ago, and reviewed in the DNN. Therefore it does not reflect the latest round of USDA serving size revisions, upgrading the standard apple serving portion from 154g to 242g, which catapulted Red Delicious in front of blueberries.

Despite its ubiquity, ORAC is not the only antioxidant game in town. The Norwegian researchers who published the ranking placing blackberries first used a different method, called the Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma or “FRAP” assay. Is ORAC better than FRAP? We asked Ronald Prior, Ph.D., the co-developer of the ORAC test, who said, "The biological relevance of the ORAC assay and the fact that it has been used extensively and is currently being standardized through multi-lab validations makes it the assay of choice." 

Regardless of whether ORAC or FRAP is used, rankings get reshuffled again when compared gram-per-gram (vs. serving size). For example, artichokes and cranberries come out ahead of blueberries measured in terms of grams. 

The picture shifts yet again depending on whether the antioxidant ranking is limited to fruit and vegetables, or broadened to include legumes, nuts and even spices. Thus, in our "Bean Scene" comparison, dried red beans ranked higher in antioxidants than blueberries. Pecans come out even higher than dried beans, while spices like ground cloves blow the roof off rankings measured in terms of grams.

Remember that antioxidants are just one aspect of nutrition, and shouldn't overshadow the importance of the other vitamins, minerals and fiber. Increase and diversify your fruit and vegetable intake in order to cover your nutrition bases. Rely on whole foods -- not supplements -- to maximize health benefits (and minimize potential hazards).

While both studies encompassed fruit and vegetable intake in general, Superfoods for Your Bones, like arugula and other greens, supply particularly high concentrations of bone-healthy nutrients. Another veggie that deserves special mention: onions, which contain compounds that significantly inhibited the loss of bone minerals, including calcium, in one Swiss study.

One of the pioneers of this theory is Dr. Bruce Ames, who in his interview with the Dole Nutrition Institute, discussed his belief that nutrition deficiencies contribute to obesity by interfering with satiety. In other words, when you eat junk food you're starving your body of nutrients; even though you've had "enough" calories, your brain gets the signal to go on eating in a vain quest to meet nutrition needs.

New research suggests that absent nutrients -- not just excess calories -- may be contributing to childhood obesity as well. In particular, one study from the University of Rochester demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of iron deficiency among obese children, in a national sample of nearly 10,000 subjects, between the ages of 2 and 16. In fact, the obesity-iron deficiency link was so strong that the study authors recommended considering an elevated body mass index (BMI) as an independent risk factor in anemia screening.

Though common in the United States, iron deficiency is even more widespread globally, affecting over 30% of the world's population. Symptoms of deficiency include lethargy, learning problems and impaired immune response. Plant sources of iron -- cereals, soybeans, white beans, lentils, spinach, soy milk and raisins -- are not as easily absorbed as animal sources, but absorption can be enhanced through consumption of foods rich in vitamin C (red bell peppers, kiwis, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, pineapple, etc.).  Iron isn't the only nutrient lacking in children's diets; kids also get too little potassium, fiber, vitamin E, calcium and magnesium.

One last tip: Corral your kids around the supper table. Children who dine with their families not only have diets higher in a host of important nutrients, they're also less likely to suffer depression.