Other countries, including the United States and Great Britain, have approved similar health claims on food labels.
It emphasizes fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, poultry, nuts and fish, and limits red meats, sweets and sweetened drinks.
A study by Langford in 1983[6] observed that populations that consume less sodium also tend to have relatively high potassium intake, and a lower rate of CVD.
Within the USA, he also noticed racial and class differences in CVD, which he suggests may be due to sodium being cheaper to acquire in the diet than potassium, since many products contain added salt.
Their results suggest that increased sodium intake can cause CVD independently of hypertension - that is, even if the patient continues to have normal blood pressure.
They also noticed a direct relationship between sodium intake and ventricular hypertrophy, an increase in the mass of the left ventricle of the heart.
In lay terms, this means an enlargement of the heart chamber that pumps blood to body tissues, including the cardiac muscle itself.
Some Studies do not recommend that the general healthy population should reduce their sodium intake because they feel that there is no conclusive evidence that this will guarantee a lower incidence of hypertension.
Because most of the sodium we consume is added during processing, preparing healthy meals at home and adding salt during cooking, rather than purchasing ready meals and snacks, is an easy way to reduce sodium intake without compromising the flavour and texture that salt provides in food.
It is self-evident that a growing organism cannot amass this structural material if the bulk components of bone are not present in adequate amounts in the diet.
[18] Current recommendations for Calcium are: The Upper Tolerable intake is 2.5 g/day [19] The Canadian health claim "A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fat and reduced risk of heart disease" is commonly accepted and correlated.
Moreover, the Canada Food Guide suggests that Canadians should consume fruits and vegetables with little or no added salt, sugar or fat.
[27] Scientific studies have found a relationship between some cancers and fruit and vegetable intake and are the basis for making it one of Canada's five Health Claims.
Other studies have looked at specific nutrients found in certain fruits and vegetables, such as Vitamins, Minerals and antioxidants and their relationship with cancer.
[28] A diet rich in fruits and vegetables are found to have a protective effect and reduce the occurrence of breast cancer.
An analysis of 12-case control studies has been conducted in Oxford and found that fruits and vegetables have a consistent protective effect against breast cancer.
[29] There is an established relationship between cancer of the upper aero-digestive tract (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and esophagus) and fruit and vegetable consumption.
During 1998 data was collected and an inverse association was found between fruit and vegetable intake and upper aero-digestive tract cancer occurrence.
The large study recommends an increase of fruit and vegetable consumption in order to reduce the risk of cancers of the upper aero-digestive tract.
Overall, the systemic review of literature does not support the hypothesis that increased intake of Vitamin E and C (in the form of supplements) can help prevent or treat cancer and that more studies need to be done.
However, the results in smokers show that an increase in Vitamin E and B-carotene are statistically significant and are associated with reduced risk of the disease.
However, a review done by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007 looks at 168 research studies and concludes that there is insufficient evidence to support a relationship of lycopene and a reduction of any cancer.
Due to an extensive and conclusive research done in this area, Canada has officially made this a Disease Reduction Health Claim in 1997.
However, much more research needs to be done in order to identify which chemicals in fruits and vegetables are responsible for a reduced risk of cancer.
[35] There are several studies that show the positive effect of non-fermentable carbohydrates such as xylitol and sorbitol, the most commonly used sugar substitutes in gums and candies, on the reduction of dental caries.
In one study in Belize done on 1277 school children of the mean age of 10.2 years, which were given gums with the contents of either xylitol, xylitol-sorbitol, sorbitol, or sucrose to chew under teachers' supervision daily.
After 3 years of this program, the results of the dental exams showed no significant difference between the test and control groups.
It is thought that due to the daily supervised toothbrushing, the groups were similar in their overall oral hygiene and therefore the significant difference between the results was reduced.
In a randomized controlled double-blind trial in South Wales, 44 women who had one child with neural tube defect, took 4 mg. of folic acid a day before and during pregnancy.
In another related study, it was stated that folic acid prevents 70 percent of neural tube defects but its mode of action is unclear.