Health Trends for 2004

Low-Carb Cop Out?
Beyond Botox: The New Wrinkle Fighters
Express Workouts Hit the Gym

Those are just a few of the health stories likely to make headlines in 2004. But how will these trends affect you?

WebMD asked the experts to dust off their crystal balls and break down the hype behind their top picks for health trends to watch in 2004.

Food Fads

The low-carb craze that struck fear into the hearts of pasta lovers in 2003 shows no signs of slowing in 2004, say diet and nutrition experts.

More restaurant chains are expected join Subway, KFC, T.G.I. Friday's, and others in expanding their "Atkins friendly" menu offerings. Food manufacturers will also stock supermarket shelves with a growing number of low-carb or reduced-carbohydrate versions of popular items like beer, snack foods, and desserts.

But researchers say they're eagerly awaiting the release of new studies that will address the long-term safety and effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets, such as Atkins. So far, studies have only looked at these issues in the short term.

"Hopefully we'll see some longer-term studies in 2004," says Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of nutrition therapy at The Cleveland Clinic. "Everyone is anxious, especially dietitians, to see those results."

Moore says that right now the marketing of low-carb diets is way ahead of the science to support them. Unless scientific research can show that the diets are safe and effective in promoting long-term weight loss, she says the low-carb craze of 2003 may turn out to be just another food fad like the fat-free frenzy of the 1990s.

Other food trends on the horizon in 2004 include:

• Trans fats. As the 2006 deadline for including information on trans fats (trans fatty acids) on the Nutrition Facts food label approaches, snack and processed food manufacturers will seek to reformulate their products to lower the content of this artery-clogging fat.
• Healthier crops. The soy industry is investigating new crops that may eliminate the need for hydrogenation (the process that turns healthy liquid vegetable fats into unhealthy solid ones) in creating shelf-stable baked and processed foods.
• Functional foods. Adding calcium to orange juice was just the beginning. Experts predict more foods will be fortified with additional ingredients, such as plant stanol esters, natural substances that have been shown to help promote healthy cholesterol levels.
• Bad news for "grab bags." FDA officials are considering forcing companies to base nutritional information for food and beverages on the container size rather than serving size to give consumers a better idea of how many calories they're getting in a bag of chips or 2 liter bottle of soda.
• Meal solutions. "People want a home-cooked meal, but they want it prepared for them," says Nelda Mercer, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. She says supermarkets will continue to respond to the call for quick-fix meal solutions with expanded offerings.