Spicy Pork Roast

Ingredients

2 lb pork loin rib end boneless roast
1 tbsp dark sesame or olive oil
2 tsp medium curry powder
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp teriyaki or soy sauce
1 pineapple, preferably golden
1 to 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 to 2 tbsp rum, preferably dark
1 red bell pepper

Method

1. Lightly oil grill and turn barbecue to high. Close lid and preheat to minutes. Meanwhile, lightly oil a metal or heavy foil pie plate or metal baking pan just large enough to hold roast. Place meat on pan. Do not add salt or pepper. In a small dish, vigorously stir sesame oil with curry, ketchup and teriyaki until curry is evenly blended. Do not place on meat yet.
2. When barbecue has heated 10 minutes, turn one side to low. Place pan with meat on side turned to low, positioning pan so thickest part of meat is closest to centre of barbecue Close lid and barbecue 15 minutes. Turn meat and barbecue another 15 minutes.
3. Remove meat from pan and place directly on grill on side turned to low. Close lid and barbecue 10 minutes. Turn meat and baste with sauce all over. Continue roasting with lid closed, from 5 to 10 minutes, for a total of 45 to 5o minutes. Turn meat every 5 minutes to avoid burning sauce. Barbecue until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of meat reads 155ºF. Remove meat from grill and let stand, loosely covered, about to minutes.
4. While meat is barbecuing, cut top off pineapple. Slice off skin, then cut away dark eyes. Slice into 1/2-inch thick rings 1-inch thick wedges. Cut out and discard sections of core from pineapple pieces. Brush entire surface of pineapple pieces with maple syrup. Then brush with rum. Place pineapple pieces on a plate to carry out to barbecue. Core and seed pepper and cut in half. When meat is almost finished barbecuing, place pineapple pieces on grill wherever they will fit, turning frequently to prevent burning. Grill until just lightly charred and grill marks form on both sides, from 8 to 15 minutes. Place pepper halves on barbecue for last 8 minutes of grilling, turning over halfway through. Pepper can also be grilled ahead of time and served at room temperature.

Source: Chatelaine

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Study Suggests Association between Vitamin D Levels and Cognitive Function

Vitamin D deficiency and cognitive impairment are common in older adults, but there isn’t a lot of conclusive research into whether there’s a relationship between the two.

A new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center published online ahead of print this month in the journal of the American Geriatrics Society enhances the existing literature on the subject.

“This study provides increasing evidence that suggests there is an association between low vitamin D levels and cognitive decline over time,” said lead author Valerie Wilson, M.D., assistant professor of geriatrics at Wake Forest Baptist. “Although this study cannot establish a direct cause and effect relationship, it would have a huge public health implication if vitamin D supplementation could be shown to improve cognitive performance over time because deficiency is so common in the population.”

Wilson and colleagues were interested in the association between vitamin D levels and cognitive function over time in older adults. They used data from the Health, Aging and Body composition (Health ABC) study to look at the relationship. The researchers looked at 2,777 well-functioning adults aged 70 to 79 whose cognitive function was measured at the study’s onset and again four years later. Vitamin D levels were measured at the 12-month follow-up visit.

The Health ABC study cohort consists of 3,075 Medicare-eligible, white and black, well-functioning, community-dwelling older adults who were recruited between April 1997 and June 1998 from Pittsburgh, Pa., and Memphis, Tenn.

“With just the baseline observational data, you can’t conclude that low vitamin D causes cognitive decline. When we looked four years down the road, low vitamin D was associated with worse cognitive performance on one of the two cognitive tests used,” Wilson said. “It is interesting that there is this association and ultimately the next question is whether or not supplementing vitamin D would improve cognitive function over time.”

Wilson said randomized, controlled trials are needed to determine whether vitamin D supplementation can prevent cognitive decline and definitively establish a causal relationship.

“Doctors need this information to make well-supported recommendations to their patients,” Wilson said. “Further research is also needed to evaluate whether specific cognitive domains, such as memory versus concentration, are especially sensitive to low vitamin D levels.”

Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

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