March 2015
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It was great to see so many of our colleagues in nutrition science at this year's Experimental Biology (EB) and American Society for Nutrition annual meetings, March 27-April 1 in Boston. APRE was delighted to sponsor another successful satellite session and reception, bringing some of the nation's leading nutrition scientists to the podium to talk about how vegetables, including white potatoes, may help increase intake and fill nutrient gaps to improve children's health. You can read all about it, as well as APRE's many other EB 2015 activities and contributions in the form of co-sponsored research in this issue of Spud Nutrition eNews.

Please visit the APRE website at www.apre.org to find out more and to get a variety of science-based potato nutrition resources. As always, we welcome your feedback, so please feel free to send your comments and suggestions to us at [email protected].  
 
Maureen Storey, PhD
APRE President and CEO

APRE EDUCATION

Experts Explore Impacts on Childhood Feeding Practices at APRE-Sponsored Session    
    

The Alliance for Potato Research and Education once again made a big splash at the American Society of Nutrition's (ASN) Annual Meeting held in conjunction with Experimental Biology 2015 (EB) from March 27-April 1, 2015, in Boston. EB is a premier scientific research conference, attracting an international audience of nearly 14,000 scientists across multiple disciplines, including nutrition and physiology.

 

On March 27, APRE hosted an ASN Satellite Symposium, "Science and Policy: Adopting a Fruitful Vegetable Encounter for Our Children," to explore the persistent challenges in getting children to consume enough vegetables. The symposium - chaired by Ron Kleinman, MD, Physician in Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital and Theresa Nicklas, DrPH, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics

 
Dr. Maureen Storey (left) with ASN Satellite Session co-chairs Dr. Theresa Nicklas and Dr. Ron Kleinman

at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine - brought together a diverse panel of child nutrition experts to examine the state of the science on vegetable feeding practices and strategies for increasing vegetable intake

and acceptance. The experts agreed that early and consistent exposure to a variety of vegetables, including white potatoes, may help increase intake and fill nutrient gaps.

 

In addition to the research and insights offered by six other leading nutrition scientists, APRE President and CEO Maureen Storey, PhD, presented "Nutrient Intakes among Infants and Children from One to Three Years," which highlighted the need

 
APRE Reception guests and speakers enjoyed gourmet potatoes and good conversation.

for children in this age group to increase their intakes of potassium and dietary fiber from foods, including potatoes in all forms.

 

Several of the APRE Satellite Session presentations are based on papers submitted for publication in an upcoming supplement to the peer-reviewed journal, Advances in Nutrition. The

supplement will help enhance the foundational guidance for feeding vegetables to young children in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A full video of the symposium will be available on ASN's website in the coming weeks.

 

Immediately following the session, attendees and speakers enjoyed a number of potato dishes and nibbles, including tater tots in honor of the satellite session theme on childrens' vegetable consumption, along with cocktails and conversation at an APRE-hosted networking reception. Visit the APRE Facebook page for more photos, or read the APRE press release summarizing the session here...

 

APRE IN ACTION AT EB 2015

APRE Co-Sponsored Research Presented at Poster and Oral Sessions at Experimental Biology 2015 
    
APRE has been instrumental in expanding the body of science on the health benefits of potatoes and French fried potatoes, and has also reinvigorated interest in potato research in the broader scientific community. During Experimental Biology (EB) 2015, held March 28-April 1 in Boston, several studies highlighting the potato's health benefits were presented by researchers from around the country, further building the momentum supporting the potato as an important part of a healthy diet.

APRE's Dr. Maureen Storey with NOF's Dr. Taylor
Wallace at EB 2015.
Along with the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), APRE co-sponsored a literature review for the National Osteoporosis Foundation/American Society for Nutrition Draft Statement on Peak Bone Mass Development and Lifestyle Factors. Chaired by Dr. Taylor Wallace, NOF Senior Director of Science, Policy, and Government Affairs, this EB session included representatives from NOF and ASN who agreed that optimizing peak bone mass and strength is one of the best strategies to reducing the risk of osteoporosis. They also discussed their evidence-based guidance for achieving optimal peak bone mass early in life. The literature review was designed to highlight the research gaps on potassium and other nutrients and those relationships to peak bone mass.
 

APRE also supported three potato research studies that were presented as poster sessions at the conference:

 
Dr. Maureen Storey presents new APRE scientific poster at EB 2015.
APRE President and CEO Maureen Storey, PhD, presented the scientific poster, "Total Vegetable and White Potato Consumption by Women of Childbearing Age." APRE's new analysis of NHANES 2009-2012 data of women of childbearing age (WCBA) shows that average total daily vegetable intake is about 1.3 cup equivalents, or 50% of recommendations, and just 0.3 cups/day of white potatoes. The results of the study, conducted by Storey and Patricia Anderson, MPP,
suggest that vegetable and white potato consumption is very low among WCBA. Consumption of French fried potatoes is very modest, suggesting that WCBA are consuming French fried potatoes in moderation and not in excess. The affordable, potassium-rich white potato is an important vegetable, particularly among subgroups of the population with the lowest vegetable intake. Read more in the press release summarizing the study, or view the abstract online.

 
Dr. G. Harvey Anderson, University of Toronto, explains
the findings of APRE-supported research at EB 2015.
Research supported by APRE also was discussed in the scientific poster, "
The Effects of Potatoes and Other Carbohydrate Side Dishes on Food Intake, Blood Glucose and Satiety Response in Lean Healthy Children." In this study, Dr. G. Harvey Anderson and researchers from the University of Toronto compared the effects of common carbohydrate-rich dishes (rice, pasta, boiled mashed potatoes, and fried or baked French fried potatoes) served with approximately 3 oz. lean beef on meal-time satiety, food intake, and blood glucose and insulin levels in 11- to 13-year-old healthy, lean children. Despite the comparatively high glycemic index (GI) of potatoes, children consumed 30% fewer calories at meals with boiled mashed potatoes. Post-meal glucose and insulin responses were not significantly different, and fried French fried potatoes resulted in the lowest post-meal blood glucose and insulin concentrations. The results suggest that GI is not a reliable predictor of satiety or blood glucose and insulin response when carbohydrates are consumed as part of a meal. Read the abstract online... 

Dr. Berdine Martin (right) presents findings from Purdue University's APRE-supported research on potatoes and potassium bioavailability.
The poster, "Bioavailability of Potassium from Potato and Potassium Gluconate," detailed an APRE-supported study conducted by Dr. Connie Weaver and her research team at Purdue University. Co-investigator Dr. Berdine Martin presented the poster, noting that potassium is a well-established shortfall nutrient, with only about 3% of Americans meeting the recommended adequate intake of 4700 mg/d for potassium. White potatoes, including French fried potatoes, are among the highest dietary sources of potassium, providing 19-20% of the potassium in the diet of U.S adults. Yet the bioavailability of potassium from food had never been assessed or considered in setting dietary requirements. This first-of-its-kind study shows that bioavailability of potassium from potatoes is better than it is from supplements. Read the abstract online... 
 
POTATO NUTRITION RESEARCH OF INTEREST

More Potato Nutrition Research at EB 2015 
    
Six additional studies were presented at Experimental Biology 2015 in Boston that highlighted the keen interest in potato research across the scientific community. Two scientific posters were presented by graduate students of Purdue University professor Mario Ferruzzi, PhD, who is a member of the APRE Scientific Advisory Council (SAC). A Purdue poster on potato phenolics and another on industrial processing and stability of phytochemicals took second and third place, respectively, in ASN's Global Nutrition Student Poster Competition.

Ferruzzi noted, "Three years ago when I agreed to participate on the APRE SAC, I never thought I'd be doing research on potatoes. Now, look at all the research being presented (on potatoes). Working with APRE has inspired my students and me to take on a number of new potato studies."
 
View the abstracts of the six potato nutrition scientific presentations by clicking on the titles:  

"Collectively, the research presented at EB 2015 told a very strong science-based story that potatoes are part of a healthy diet," noted APRE President and CEO Maureen Storey, PhD. "New health benefits of potatoes are actively being explored by scientists who can help disseminate the good news about this versatile, affordable, nutritious vegetable that people young and old enjoy eating."  

 

MEDIA BITES

An article in the Spring 2015 issue of Canadian Food Insights Magazine reports that a new study shows that Manitoba could post substantial potential savings of up to $400 million annually to the healthcare system by changing eating habits to include more functional foods - a reduction of more than 10% of the annual health costs in the Canadian province. Agriculture economist Maria Jose Pati�o Valiente, MSc, used the Canadian Climate Advantage Diet (CCAD) model as the basis for determining the economic impact of increased consumption of functional foods on healthcare costs associated with diabetes and heart disease. CCAD validates and promotes the health benefits from increased consumption of Canadian-grown and processed crops and livestock products, including white potatoes. Read the article...

 
Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN 
Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RDN, CDN

In her March 30 EverydayHealth blog column, nutrition expert Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RDN, CDN, writes that it might be time to think outside the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet foods in your produce drawer and take a big bite of white. Why? Well, because, in spite of their attractive colors, veggies don't seem to be attracting customers. Numerous studies have shown that we are simply not getting enough of them, writes Taub-Dix, and a new study presented by APRE at Experimental Biology 2015 confirmed a minuscule vegetable consumption among women of childbearing age (WCBA).

 

"It was pointed out, however, that white potatoes remain as an untapped resource for supplying some essential nutrients that most of us fall short of obtaining, namely potassium and dietary fiber," she notes. "In our carb-phobic, anti-white food nation, potatoes are often left off the plate, yet this vegetable could play an important role in this population's diet, particularly among groups with the lowest intake. Not only are potatoes nutrient-rich, they are also well-liked, affordable, and versatile." Read the entire blog...

  

Media spokesperson Kim Galaez, RD, featured nutritious white potatoes in an April 8 Fox59 Indianapolis morning news segment, "Five Healthy Foods You May Not Be Eating." Galaez noted, "Potatoes are incredibly nutrient-rich, affordable and versatile. People don't realize that potatoes are an excellent source of potassium and fiber. Add them to your diet!" During the Living Well segment, she also mentioned new APRE research showing that children 1 to 3 years old and women of childbearing age are not eating the recommended vegetable serving amounts, which results in shortfall nutrients like potassium and dietary fiber. An easy way to address that? Says Galaez, "The humble potato can do it for you!" View a video of the Living Well segment...

 

DIETARY GUIDELINES IN THE NEWS

2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report Now Online, Public Comments Extended to May 8
    
As announced in the Federal Register, the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is now available. The public is encouraged to submit written comments to the federal government on the Advisory Report.

The deadline for public comments has been extended and now will be accepted through midnight EDT on May 8, 2015. To submit and/or view comments, please visit this link.  

 

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE ALERT

Peer-reviewed Supplement on Fats and Oils Will Publish on May 15 
   

APRE is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of "Fats and Oils: Where Food Function Meets Health," a special supplement to the peer-reviewed journal, Advances in Nutrition. The issue will publish on May 15, 2015, to the journal's website.

 

The supplement features papers from the University of Massachusetts Roundtable on Fats & Oils: Where Food Function Meets Health, held November 18-19, 2013, in Chicago, IL. The roundtable was funded by an unrestricted education grant from APRE.

 

To receive notification that a new issue of Advances in Nutrition is available online, please register for email alerts at http://advances.nutrition.org/cgi/alerts.

 

GET THE FACTS
 
Did You Know?
  • The dietary fiber content of the white potato - with or without the skin - compares favorably with other vegetables. 
  • Cooking methods, including frying, do not diminish dietary fiber content. French fried potatoes from a quick service restaurant provide 3.8 grams of dietary fiber per 100 grams, more than an equivalent amount of cooked broccoli, green beans, spinach or corn.*
  • A small (70 g) serving of French fried potatoes or oven-baked par fries - such as those served in schools - provides 2.7 and 1.6 grams of dietary fiber, respectively.*

 

* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 26. DNB 21138.
 
APRE RESOURCES FOR YOU
Dietary Fiber Infographic Available as Free Download from APRE 

APRE invites you to download its popular infographic showing the dietary fiber content of commonly consumed vegetables. The updated graph shows that the dietary fiber content of the white potato, with or without the skin, compares favorably with other vegetables. Get the large-sized version for use in your educational or outreach materials and presentations as a downloadable PDF from the APRE website

 

PARTNER POWER

USDA MyPlate Booklet Gives Common-Cents Tips on Making Affordable Food Purchases                                
APRE, in partnership with Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters� and four other MyPlate National Strategic Partners, offers the guide, "Meeting Your MyPlate Goals on a Budget." The 44-page, full-color digital guide featured on the ChooseMyPlate.gov website, is designed for dietitians and health professionals as a resource that can be shared with your clients. It provides valuable tips for choosing affordable foods from each of the MyPlate food groups as well as a variety of recipes.

The potato in all forms--baked, roasted, mashed, boiled, and fried--is showcased in the guide as a nutrient-rich vegetable that provides the largest, most affordable (just 19 cents per serving!) source of potassium in the produce department. Tips for microwaving potatoes three ways are also included, along with three additional potato recipes from the United States Potato Board.

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USDA MyPlate National Partner logo
APRE is a National Strategic Partner of the USDA's MyPlate campaign. Partnering organizations have a health mandate consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion. As a partner, APRE promotes the DGA and MyPlate messaging, such as "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables." 

 

CONNECT WITH APRE


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There are lots of ways to connect with us--LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter--and we invite you to take a moment to Link, Like and Follow us today!

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The Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) is a not-for-profit organization 100% dedicated to expanding and translating scientific research into evidence-based policy and education initiatives that recognize the role of all forms of the potato-a nutritious vegetable-in promoting health for all age groups. APRE is actively building the science foundation concerning the nutritional benefits of the white potato; creating partnerships with critical health professional organizations in the United States and Canada; and providing dietitians and health professionals with the latest scientific research and information on potato nutrition, consumption and affordability. For more, visit www.apre.org