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Olive Oil Hunter News #178

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Summer on a Skewer Recipe, Spotlight on Muskmelons, Magnesium for Bone Health, Plus Walking to Alleviate Back Pain

Summer brings an amazing bounty of produce along with often-sweltering temps that make a hot kitchen the last place you want to be. I love these fruit-and-cheese skewers because there’s virtually no prep involved, yet the finished dish is elegant enough for a patio party! Are you a fan of nuts and seeds? These are excellent sources of an often-overlooked mineral that plays a vital role in bone health: magnesium. Read more about it below along with the results of a study on a simple way to help ease back pain. 

Summer on a Skewer

  • Summer Melon Skewers with mozzarella and prosciutto Summer on a Skewer

    Want an elegant lunch, first course, or light supper that doesn’t require any complex prep or cooking? Here are twists on two summer salad favorites: feta with watermelon and cantaloupe with prosciutto. When served on skewers, they become the perfect finger food. Make one variety or both, or mix and match the ingredients for a colorful presentation. The sweetness of the melons and the slight saltiness of the cheeses are elevated by a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic—no need to whisk up a vinaigrette. 

    Ingredients

    For the feta skewers:

    • 8-ounce block feta, preferably from Greece
    • 1/2 ripe watermelon 
    • Mint leaves
    • 6 long bamboo skewers 

    For the mozzarella skewers:

    • 1 large cantaloupe or honeydew
    • 12 mini mozzarella balls 
    • 6 slices of prosciutto, halved and rolled up, or 12 thin slices of your favorite salami
    • Basil leaves
    • 6 long bamboo skewers 

    For serving:

    Directions

    For the feta skewers, cut the feta and the watermelon into similarly sized cubes, 18 of the watermelon and 12 of the feta. Assemble ingredients on each skewer in this order: watermelon, mint, feta; repeat the pattern and then cap each skewer with an extra piece of watermelon.

    For the mozzarella skewers, use a melon baller to make 18 melon balls close in size to the mozzarella. Assemble ingredients on each skewer in this order: melon, basil, prosciutto; repeat the pattern and then cap each skewer with an extra piece of melon.

    Arrange the skewers on a platter and drizzle liberally with olive oil, splashes of balsamic, and a few twists from your black peppercorn grinder.

    Yields 6 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Muskmelons

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Muskmelons

That’s the umbrella term of all sweet melons other than watermelon. While watermelon is alone in its category, there are close to two dozen muskmelon varieties, some smooth skinned and others with a rough pattern often described as a netting. Most people are familiar with cantaloupe and honeydew, but there are many more to explore, each delicious in its own way.

There’s a refreshing sweetness to casaba, crenshaw, and canary melons, with white, orange-pink, and pale green flesh, respectively. Becoming more available at farmers’ markets and Asian specialty stores are the round Persian melon with sweet pink flesh and the Chinese hami melon, which is extra sweet. Experiment with them in any recipe that calls for cantaloupe or honeydew, or just enjoy a thick slice on its own.

Melons have a high water content as well as important vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Muskmelons are typically rich in vitamin C, with cantaloupe topping the nutrient list: a one-cup serving has 95% of the vitamin C you need a day and all the vitamin A. (The rich red color of watermelon comes from lycopene, an important antioxidant, so enjoy it, too!)

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Choosing Melons

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Choosing Melons

Summer melon trio

Buying a whole melon can seem like playing a mystery game. Its sweetness is set at the time of harvest, and the rind doesn’t even indicate the color of the flesh. But there are some clues to help you pick a ripe, sweet melon. Whether round or oblong, the melon should be symmetrical in shape. It should feel weighty in your hands. Checking out the stem end is also key. Unlike a prime pumpkin, there shouldn’t be any stem still attached, and the indentation it left should be hollow and smooth. 

When a melon with netting on the rind is ripe, you should be able to easily smell its sweet aroma. But you won’t pick up any scent from a smooth-skinned melon like honeydew. Instead, look for a rind that’s more of a creamy shade rather than a stark color like green. A good watermelon should have a large, creamy-yellow spot where it sat on the ground, and the overall rind should be matte or dull, not shiny.

In terms of food safety, always rinse melons well before cutting to get rid of potential bacteria; those with netting will benefit from a light scrub with a vegetable brush. Pat the melon dry before prepping.  

For Your Best Health: Magnesium: The missing Mineral for Bone Health

For Your Best Health

Magnesium: The missing Mineral for Bone Health

Mixed nuts and seeds, a good source of magenesium

We already know the importance of calcium and vitamin D for strong bones, but we don’t often hear about magnesium, another key mineral. Magnesium is found in legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables, so it shouldn’t be a challenge for anyone following a Mediterranean-style diet to get enough of this essential nutrient.  

Adults need between 310 and 420 mg of magnesium per day, with no more than 350 mg coming from any kind of supplement. That’s because high amounts of supplemental magnesium can cause side effects like stomach cramps and nausea (excessive amounts have even been linked to an irregular heartbeat and heart attack, according to the NIH). But there’s no limit on how much you can get from food. If you love nuts and seeds, you’ll be especially thrilled that the top sources of magnesium include one-ounce servings of pumpkin seeds (156 mg), chia seeds (111 mg), almonds (80 mg), cashews (74 mg), and peanuts (63 mg). Other good foods are half-cup servings of cooked spinach (78 mg), black beans (60 mg), and edamame (50 mg); 2 tablespoons peanut butter (49 mg); and a 3-1/2 ounce baked potato with skin (43 mg). 

Fitness Flash: Walking: Help for that Achin’ Back

Fitness Flash

Walking: Help for that Achin’ Back

About 800 million people worldwide have low back pain, a leading cause of disability and diminished quality of life. Repeated episodes of low back pain are common: 7 in 10 people who recover from one episode of low back pain go on to have another within a year. 

The current best practice for back pain management and prevention is a combination of exercise and education. However, some forms of exercise don’t work for many people because of reasons like high cost, complexity, and the need for supervision. A clinical trial by Macquarie University Spinal Pain Research Group in Sydney, Australia, looked at whether walking could fit the bill. Their study, “Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualised, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): A randomised controlled trial” was published in The Lancet.

The trial involved 701 adults who had recently recovered from an episode of low back pain and who were randomly allocated to either an individualized walking program and six physiotherapist-guided education sessions over six months, or to a control group. Researchers followed them for between one and three years, depending on when they joined the study. They found that adults with a history of low back pain who walked regularly went nearly twice as long without a recurrence. 

According to the paper’s senior author, Macquarie professor of physiotherapy Mark Hancock, PhD, the findings could have a profound impact on how low back pain is managed. “The intervention group had fewer occurrences of activity-limiting pain compared to the control group, and a longer average period before they had a recurrence, with a median of 208 days compared to 112 days,” Dr. Hancock said. “Walking is a low-cost, widely accessible, and simple exercise that almost anyone can engage in, regardless of geographic location, age, or socioeconomic status.

“We don’t know exactly why walking is so good for preventing back pain, but it is likely to include the combination of the gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the spinal structures and muscles, relaxation and stress relief, and release of ‘feel-good’ endorphins.

And of course, we also know that walking comes with many other health benefits, including cardiovascular health, bone density, healthy weight, and improved mental health.”

Added lead author Natasha Pocovi, PhD, “It not only improved people’s quality of life but reduced both their need to seek healthcare support and the amount of time taken off work by approximately half. The exercise-based interventions to prevent back pain that have been explored previously are typically group based and need close clinical supervision and expensive equipment, so they are much less accessible to the majority of patients. Our study has shown that this effective and accessible means of exercise has the potential to be successfully implemented at a much larger scale than other forms of exercise.”

To build on these findings, the team next hopes to explore how they can integrate the preventive approach into the routine care of patients who experience recurrent low back pain.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #177

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Cold Avocado and Cucumber Soup Recipe and The Mediterranean Diet for Longevity

Members of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club are well aware of the benefits of extra virgin olive oil as part of the world-famous Mediterranean diet. Dozens of studies have assessed its health effects and its link to longevity, most commonly attributed to its improving heart health. But how the Mediterranean diet works its magic hasn’t been thoroughly understood. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston recently published the results of a long-term study that helps unravel this mystery. I’m thrilled to share their findings. And to start, here’s a recipe that highlights the plant-based approach that underscores the Mediterranean way of living. 

Cold Avocado and Cucumber Soup

  • Cold cucumber avocado soup Cold Avocado and Cucumber Soup

    There’s nothing more refreshing than a chilled soup for lunch or dinner during the dog days of summer, especially when there’s no cooking needed. I like to add a different kind of heat with a fresh hot pepper, but you can omit it if you aren’t a fan!

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds cucumbers, about 2-3 large ones
    • 1 small jalapeño, halved and seeded, optional
    • 2 ripe Hass avocados
    • 2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt or skyr
    • 3 large scallions, trimmed
    • 3 garlic cloves, peeled 
    • 1 cup packed of fresh parsley, dill, and chives 
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 
    • 1/2 cup water, more as needed
    • 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine, more to taste
    • Coarse sea salt, to taste
    • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • Optional garnishes: thin slices of avocado, a dollop of yogurt or skyr, more fresh herbs

    Directions

    Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and use a large spoon to scoop out and discard most of the seeds; leave on the peel. Cut the cucumbers into chunks for easier puréeing. If using the pepper, halve it, scoop out the seeds and veins, and discard them along with the stem. Scoop all the flesh out of the avocados.

    Step 2

    Working in batches as needed, add the cucumbers, avocados, pepper if using, yogurt, scallions, garlic, herbs, olive oil, water, and vinegar to your food processor bowl or blender and process until puréed—the mixture should be fairly thick. If it’s too thick, add more water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it’s pourable. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Chill in the fridge for about an hour.

    Step 3

    To serve, ladle portions into soup bowls or glasses, garnish as desired, and drizzle with more olive oil.

    Yields 8 servings

For Your Best Health: The Mediterranean Diet for Longevity

For Your Best Health

The Mediterranean Diet for Longevity

The study: “Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Women,” JAMA Network Open,2024.

The health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, on its own and when compared to other healthy ways of eating, are so strong that US dietary guidelines have repeatedly designated it as the healthiest recommended diet. It’s also gotten the nod from many health organizations around the globe, including the American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, and Australian National Heart Foundation. While these benefits aren’t in doubt, how it achieves them hasn’t been completely understood. This new study sought to better explain the various ways in which the body responds to the diet—how exactly closely following it lowers mortality risk. What’s more, the more than 25,000 participants were American women. In general, women aren’t included in the same numbers as men in most studies, and regarding research on the Mediterranean diet in particular, most studies have been done in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, where the diet is more of a way of life than in the US.

For the study, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, followed the women, who were all healthy at the start of the study, for up to 25 years. They found that participants who followed the diet most closely had up to 23% lower risk of all-cause mortality…and found evidence of biological changes to help explain why. They were able to detect and evaluate changes in approximately 40 biomarkers representing various biological pathways and clinical risk factors, both traditional ones and novel ones that hadn’t been used in prior studies. Biomarkers of metabolism and inflammation made the largest contribution, followed by triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, adiposity, and insulin resistance. Smaller contributions were seen from biological pathways relate to branched-chain amino acids, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, glycemic measures, and hypertension. 

“For women who want to live longer, our study says watch your diet!,” said senior author Samia Mora, MD, a cardiologist and the director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics at the Brigham. “The good news is that following a Mediterranean dietary pattern could result in about one quarter reduction in risk of death over more than 25 years with benefit for both cancer and cardiovascular mortality, the top causes of death in women (and men) in the US and globally.”

“Our research provides significant public health insight: Even modest changes in established risk factors for metabolic diseases, particularly those linked to small molecule metabolites, inflammation, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, obesity, and insulin resistance, can yield substantial long-term benefits from following a Mediterranean diet,” said lead author Shafqat Ahmad, PhD, an associate professor of epidemiology at Uppsala University Sweden and a researcher in the Center for Lipid Metabolomics and the Division of Preventive Medicine at the Brigham. “This finding underscores the potential of encouraging healthier dietary habits to reduce the overall risk of mortality.”

Mediterranean food spread

How the Study Was Conducted

At the start of the study, blood samples, biomarker measurements, and dietary information were taken from the participants, who self-reported demographics and filled out a validated food-frequency questionnaire. The data collection period was from April 1993 to January 1996, and data analysis took place from June 2018 to November 2023.

Each participant was given a score for Mediterranean diet adherence, which ranged from 0 to 9. Eating a higher-than-median amount of each of a list of foods—vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and fish—earned 1 point. So did eating a good ratio of monounsaturated-to-saturated fatty acids such as olive oil compared to butter, a less-than-median amount of red and processed meat, and having an alcohol intake within the range of 5 to 15 grams a day (one 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce can of regular beer, or 1.5 ounces of liquor). Participants were then categorized into one of three levels: 0-3 or low, 4-5 or intermediate, and 6-9 or high. Women with scores of 6 or greater had a 23% lower relative risk of all-cause mortality than did women who scored 3 or less. 

“The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are recognized by medical professionals, and our study offers insights into why the diet may be so beneficial. Public health policies should promote the healthful dietary attributes of the Mediterranean diet and should discourage unhealthy adaptations,” said Dr. Mora.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #176

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Spanakopita “Cigars” Recipe, Spotlight on Pine Nuts, Handling Phyllo, Being Distracted Leads to Overindulging, Climbing Stairs for Longevity

They say cooking can be therapeutic—it’s a type of mindful activity that calls for being focused and it can also fill you with a sense of accomplishment. When you cook for others, that nurturing creates other positive feelings in you as well. There are few recipes that demand as much focus as those that include phyllo, delicate sheets of the thinnest dough that require an equally delicate touch on your part. You also need a lot of patience when building up layers, whether for a sweet baklava or these spinach-filled rolls. Most important, the results are delicious! Focus is also the subject of a new study on why people tend to overindulge. I’m sure you’ll find it as fascinating as I did. 

Spanakopita “Cigars”

  • Spanakopita cigars with phyllo Spanakopita “Cigars”

    Packaged spanakopita, often in canape-sized shapes, can taste rather bland. With a package of frozen phyllo (or fresh if you live near a Greek pastry shop!), you can make this wonderful dish with layers of flavor—the sweetness of the caramelized onions, pine nuts, and currants, the freshness of the parsley and dill, and the zest of the cheeses—all enhanced by the richness of fresh-pressed olive oil. If you have the time, you can steam and chop fresh spinach, but you’ll need a very big volume to achieve two pounds. Frozen is easier to work with—allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge along with the phyllo. This recipe also includes bulgur, a tasty whole grain. You can roll the dough and filling into many different shapes. Long logs, or cigars, are easy to roll up and the shape is less likely to tear the delicate phyllo. Enjoy the process of working with phyllo—it’s easy once you get the hang of it…if you allow yourself time to work at a comfortable pace.

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds frozen leaf spinach, defrosted
    • 1/3 cup pine nuts
    • Extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 pound sweet onions, preferably Vidalia, coarsely chopped 
    • 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
    • 1 cup very finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
    • 1/2 cup other assorted fresh herbs, like oregano, dill, and spearmint
    • 1/3 cup dried tiny currants, such as Zante, or chopped golden raisins
    • 8-ounce block of fresh feta, preferably from Greece
    • 1/2 cup ricotta
    • Coarse sea salt, to taste
    • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 3 large eggs
    • 16-ounce package frozen phyllo, defrosted
    • 1 tablespoon each white and black sesame seeds

    Directions

    Step 1

    Use your hands to squeeze and discard as much excess liquid from the spinach as you can, then place it in a large colander lined with paper towels over a bowl to continue draining. 

    Step 2

    Heat a large frying pan and, when hot, toast the pine nuts for just a minute or two to bring out their flavor; watch carefully because they can easily burn. Transfer the nuts to a small dish and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the hot pan, then the onions, and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are very soft. While they’re cooking, make the bulgur in a small saucepan according to package directions; when done, there should be no water left in the pan.  

    Step 3

    Squeeze any remaining liquid from the spinach and transfer it to a large bowl. Add the pine nuts, onions, bulgur, chopped herbs, and currants or raisins. Finely crumble the feta and add it in along with the ricotta; mix thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired—it may already taste salty enough from the feta. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, reserving about 1/4 cup. Work the beaten eggs into the spinach mixture. 

    Step 4

    Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and set it to one side. Prep the section of countertop where you’ll work with a sheet of parchment paper (see “Quick Kitchen Nugget” in Newsletter #176 for details). Pour olive oil into a small bowl.

    Step 5

    Gently open the phyllo package and unroll the dough onto another rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper; immediately cover it with a dry dish towel topped by a damp dish towel. When you’re ready to start, quickly remove one sheet of phyllo and place it on the parchment in front of you. Use the tips of a pastry brush to dab some olive oil across the surface—you don’t need to be too thorough since you’ll be adding more oil with each sheet. Top with another phyllo sheet and dab again, placing the oil on areas where you can see that there’s no oil on the first sheet. Repeat with a third sheet of phyllo. 

    Step 6

    Scoop out a generous half-cup of filling and use your fingers to spread it out in a line across the long end of the dough closest to you, 1 inch in from the edge and from the two short sides. Roll up the phyllo just enough to cover the filling, fold in the outer ends, dab on more oil, and roll up the rest of the way, adding a final dab of oil before transferring the cigar with a bench scraper or wide offset spatula to the parchment-lined sheet pan; cover it with another clean towel. 

    Step 7

    Repeat the process with the rest of the filling and phyllo. Once you’ve rolled all the cigars, remove the towel and use the pastry brush to brush them with the reserved egg, then sprinkle on the sesame seeds. 

    Step 8

    Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the phyllo crisps and browns.  

    Yields 12 cigars

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Pine Nuts

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Pine Nuts

Pine nuts and pine cones

Pesto isn’t the only recipe that benefits from these sweet nuggets, which are actually the seeds of pinecones. Considering their tiny size, pine nuts are nutrient powerhouses: One ounce delivers 4 grams of protein, 1 gram of fiber, 20 grams of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, and good amounts of vitamin E, copper, and manganese. 

Though there are more than 100 species of pine trees, most pine nuts—you might see them packaged or referred to in recipes as pignoli—come from just three of them. Prized and enjoyed for centuries the world over, pine nuts are very slow to produce and hard to harvest. This all explains why they’re so much more expensive than true nuts. So you’ll want to use them judiciously. To preserve their flavor, store them in a sealed bag in your fridge or freezer, not on a cabinet shelf. To bring out that flavor, toast them in a warmed, dry pan for a minute or two before using them in recipes.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Handling Phyllo

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Handling Phyllo

Unless you’re lucky enough to live near a Greek or Middle Eastern market that makes and sells its own phyllo, look for frozen versions at your supermarket. Because it is rolled paper thin, it is tricky to make from scratch at home—though it can be done.

Phyllo sheets are extremely fragile and can dry out and tear easily. A few quick tips will make it easier to work with, no matter what recipe you’re making. First, defrost frozen phyllo overnight in the fridge. About an hour before you use it, place the box on a countertop to bring it to room temperature. 

Before you get started, be sure your work surface is clean and dry. Place a long piece of parchment paper in front of you and another to one side. Gather three clean dish towels; slightly dampen one of them. Have your olive oil and a silicone pastry brush plus your filling at the ready. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment.

Gently open the package and unroll the phyllo on the parchment. Immediately cover it with one dry towel topped by the damp towel. Peel back the towels just long enough to take out one sheet of phyllo and place it on the parchment in front of you, then follow your recipe’s directions. 

If you notice any rips that expose filling, cover them with small pieces of phyllo drizzled with oil—no one will be any the wiser! 

For Your Best Health: Being Distracted Leads to Overindulging

For Your Best Health

Being Distracted Leads to Overindulging

New research published by the American Psychological Association in the Journal ofPersonality and Social Psychology aims to unravel the mystery of why we overindulge despite good intentions. The study looked at how distraction affects “hedonic consumption,” or buying and using products and experiences because they make us feel good and not necessarily because we need them.

“On any given day, a person may take great pleasure from one or more of these activities, yet people often consume more hedonic goods than they want or than is good for them,” said lead author Stephen Lee Murphy, PhD, of Ghent University in Belgium.

One reason for this overconsumption may be distraction, according to Dr. Murphy. When people are distracted while engaging in a hedonic activity, research suggests, they are likely to experience less enjoyment from it than if they were fully focused. That may lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and drive more consumption to compensate for the shortfall. If you tend to do other things while eating dinner, for instance, you risk overconsuming later on, possibly because the distraction caused you to enjoy your meal less—you weren’t sated because you weren’t focused on the pleasure of eating in the moment.

To better understand the role of distraction in overconsumption, the researchers first conducted an experiment involving 122 participants (mostly female and mostly between the ages of 18 and 24) who reported on how much they expected to enjoy their lunch before eating it. They were then asked to eat their lunch under one of three conditions: no distraction, moderate distraction (watching a video), and high distraction (playing Tetris). After lunch, participants reported on their actual enjoyment, satisfaction, desire for further gratification, and amount consumed. They also reported on their snacking later in the day.

Participants who ate while distracted reported lower enjoyment and satisfaction, which was associated with increased snacking afterward and a more general desire for further gratification.

The researchers believe that this proposed effect, which they called hedonic compensation, likely applies to activities beyond eating. For example, people who are distracted while watching a movie or playing a game may be more likely to engage in additional consumption, like checking social media, to compensate for a diminished enjoyment of the original activity.

The researchers also followed 220 participants aged 18 to 71 (again mostly female) for a week to investigate this broader effect beyond food. Participants filled out seven brief surveys per day via their smartphones regarding their hedonic consumption, distraction, and satisfaction. As with the food-based experiment, researchers found that when people were distracted during consumption, they were likely to enjoy a product less than they hoped, feel less satisfied, and experience an elevated need for further gratification.

“Overconsumption often results due to a lack of self-control,” said Dr. Murphy. “However, our findings suggest overconsumption may also often be driven by the simple human desire to reach a certain level of enjoyment from an activity. When distraction gets in the way, it’s likely we may try to compensate by consuming more.”

Dr. Murphy and his colleagues plan to conduct further research to replicate and confirm the existence of a hedonic compensation effect. If confirmed, they have plans to apply interventions that could help people pay more attention to their experiences in an effort to lower the likelihood of overconsumption. “By understanding the key drivers of hedonic overconsumption, we can develop strategies to help prevent its occurrence,” he said.

Fitness Flash: Climbing Stairs for Longevity

Fitness Flash

Climbing Stairs for Longevity

Choose stairs over elevators for your health

Cardiovascular disease is largely preventable through actions like exercise. However, more than one in four adults worldwide do not meet recommended levels of physical activity. Stair climbing is a practical and easily accessible form of physical activity that is often overlooked, according to research presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

To help determine whether climbing stairs, as a form of physical activity, could play a role in reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death, the study’s authors collected the best available evidence on the topic and conducted a meta-analysis. Studies were included regardless of the number of flights of stairs and the speed of climbing. There were nine studies with 480,479 participants in the final analysis—including both healthy participants and those with a previous history of heart attack or peripheral arterial disease. Ages ranged from 35 to 84 years old and 53% of participants were women.

Compared with not climbing stairs, stair climbing was associated with a 24% reduced risk of dying from any cause and a 39% lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease. Stair climbing was also linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.

“Based on these results, we would encourage people to incorporate stair climbing into their day-to-day lives…If you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs, as it will help your heart,” said study author Dr. Sophie Paddock of the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust in Norwich, UK. “Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable target to integrate into daily routines.”

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Olive Oil Hunter News #175

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Mixed Berry Buckle Recipe, Spotlight on Blackberries, Pastry Cutters, Vitamin D Needs Vary and How Incentives Help You Move More

Whether you’re hosting a 4th of July party or need a dish to bring to a celebration, berry buckle checks all the boxes. It has the essential red, white, and blue look, thanks to its abundance of berries, can be made early in the day (or even the night before), and travels with ease if it’s to bring to a BBQ or picnic. While such outdoor activities can offer a boost of vitamin D, a new research review points out that how much you need is very individualized, and a one-size-fits-all approach to taking supplements probably isn’t effective for everyone. Need more motivation than being in sunshine to move more? Another study I’m sharing found that incentives can really make a difference. 

Mixed Berry Buckle

  • Mixed Berry Buckle Mixed Berry Buckle

    When it comes to cobblers versus cakes, a buckle is the best of both worlds—a rich batter heavily studded with fresh fruit and topped with a crunchy crumble. As it bakes, the batter rises, or buckles, over the berries as the crumble crisps and browns. This version uses three berries for a red, white, and blue theme (the cake itself counts as the “white”!). The following proportions are for a large cake that will feed a crowd or provide delicious leftovers for breakfast the next day.

    Ingredients

    For the crumble topping:

    • 4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2/3 cup flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

    For the cake:

    • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
    • 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
    • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature 
    • 2 cups granulated sugar 
    • 8 large eggs
    • 6 cups assorted berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, and sliced strawberries

    Directions

    Step 1

    Make the topping: Use your hands or a pastry blender to turn the butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon into small bits, ranging from the size of peas to beans. Set aside.

    Step 2

    Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with olive oil; set aside. To make the batter, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl or standing mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to combine, then add the olive oil and briefly beat again. Gradually add to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

    Step 3

    Transfer the batter to your baking dish and use a large offset spatula to smooth the top. Arrange the berries evenly over the top, being sure to get some into the corners of the dish. Crumble the topping evenly over the fruit.

    Step 4

    Bake until the tip of a sharp knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about an hour. Serve while still warm.

    Yields 12 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Blackberries

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Blackberries

Blackberries

Plump, deep-purple blackberries are the unsung heroes of the berry patch. So sweet when ripe, they’re packed with vitamins C, K, and E, fiber (8 grams per cup), and a bounty of health-boosting phytochemicals, including anthocyanin, which gives them their unique color. Like blueberries, they hold their shape well when baked. Look for them at your farmers’ market or try growing them yourself.

 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Pastry cutters

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Pastry Cutters

Pastry cutters

Also called a dough or pastry blender, a pastry cutter is a handy tool for cutting butter into flour thanks to its stainless steel blades. When making crumble and streusel toppings as well as pastry dough, it can be easier on your hands than using your fingers for the job, especially if you choose a style with an ergonomic cushioned nonslip handle. You simply press down with the pastry cutter, then lift and repeat, moving around your bowl until you get pieces the size that you need.  

For Your Best Health: Vitamin D Needs

For Your Best Health

Vitamin D Needs Vary

A new study from scientists at Trinity College Dublin, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, sheds light on the complexities of achieving optimal vitamin D status for different population groups, a mystery that is becoming increasingly important to unravel because the incidence of vitamin D deficiency remains high. More than helping to build strong bones, vitamin D regulates many cellular functions in your body, according to the Mayo Clinic. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties that boost your immune health, your brain cell activity, and how well your muscles function.

The authors analyzed data from half a million participants from the UK and calculated an individualized estimate of each person’s ambient ultraviolet-B (UVB) level, which is the wavelength of sunlight that induces vitamin D synthesis in the skin.

Their comprehensive analysis revealed novel insights. The first is that ambient UVB is a critical predictor of vitamin D status, even in a place like the UK, which receives relatively little sunlight. The second is that your age, sex, BMI, cholesterol level, and vitamin D supplementation significantly influence how you respond to UVB. For example, when BMI and age increase, the amount of vitamin D produced in response to UVB decreases.

“We hope this work can highlight the significant differences in vitamin D levels among different ethnic groups at northern latitudes and contribute to efforts to address the long-standing population health issue of vitamin D deficiency,” said study first author Dr. Margaret M. Brennan, research assistant in the department of public health and primary care in the School of Medicine at Trinity College.

Principal investigator Dr. Lina Zgaga, associate professor of epidemiology at Trinity, added, “We believe our findings have significant implications for the development of tailored recommendations for vitamin D supplementation. Our study underscores the need to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach towards personalized strategies for optimizing vitamin D status.”

Talk to your doctor about assessing your vitamin D status and what you might need to do to boost it.

Fitness Flash: Incentives Help You Move More

Fitness Flash

Incentives Help You Move More

Adults with heart disease risks who received daily reminders or incentives to become more active increased their daily steps by more than 1,500 after a year, and many were still sticking with their new habit six months later, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published in the journal Circulation. 

The improvements, which also resulted in an extra 40 minutes of moderate exercise each week, correlated with a 6% reduced risk of premature death and a 10% reduced risk of cardiovascular-related death, compared to data from prior studies. As a reminder, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends that most adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, like fast cycling, or a combination of the two, paired with twice-weekly strength sessions.

Researchers found that while a simple daily reminder was effective in helping people move more, offering financial incentives or point-based rewards from playing a game was even more effective…and combining the two incentives was the most effective. Participants who got both were still logging improvements in activity levels six months after the rewards stopped.

“Even moderate exercise can drastically reduce cardiovascular risk, so finding low-cost ways to get people moving and stay[ing] in a fitness program that they can do at home is a huge win for public health,” said Alison Brown, PhD, RD, a program officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of NIH.

The study took place between 2019 and 2024. Researchers followed more than 1,000 adults at elevated risk for major cardiovascular events. All participants received a wearable fitness tracker, which connected to an online health portal and enabled researchers to count their baseline daily step count. Participants then set a goal to increase their daily steps by 33%, 40%, 50%, or any amount greater than 1,500 steps from their starting point. (Before the study began, participants in all groups logged an average of about 5,000 daily steps, or 2.4 miles.)

After they set their goals, participants were randomly placed into one of four groups. People in three of the groups were offered incentives: game-like rewards, financial rewards, or a combination of the two. The fourth group was the control group; participants received no incentives but got the fitness tracker, along with daily messages that noted their step count. 

In the game group, each participant received points every week and kept them by meeting their daily step goals. On days they failed to meet their goals they lost points. Participants with enough points moved up a level, and participants who failed to meet goals moved down a level. A family member or friend could act as a participant’s “support crew” and receive weekly updates about their progress. At the end of the study, adults who reached the highest levels by meeting their daily step goals received trophies. In the financial group, each participant received $14 each week, but lost $2 a day if they did not meet their step targets. The third group received both game-like and financial incentives. 

Compared to the control group, the game-incentive group walked an extra 538 steps per day from their baseline amount, while those who received financial incentives walked an extra 492. The group who received both incentives averaged 868 extra steps and maintained an average of 576 more daily steps six months later. 

“The interventions created immediate benefits for participants, and they worked,” said Alexander C. Fanaroff, MD, one of the study authors, an expert in behavior change, and an interventional cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “Research shows it’s easier to think about today instead of the future, whether it’s exercising more to support long-term heart health or saving for a future goal, like college or retirement.”

Researchers said people wanting to change their behavior, especially around exercise, can focus on the same principles used in the study, which created immediate benefits or rewards for movement. For example, there are exercise apps that provide daily reminders and rewards for meeting personal health goals, or people could enlist family and friends for support, and even create scenarios where they lose money by giving it away if they don’t meet their targets. 

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