If heart health is something that you have on your mind, it’s important that you take a good look at what you’re eating with your daily diet plan. Eating the wrong foods could result in you worsening your heart condition, while eating the right foods could result in you improving it.
Let’s take a closer look at five nutrition-oriented steps that can help you optimize your heart health.
Limit Your Sodium Consumption
The first thing you’ll want to do is watch how much sodium you’re consuming in your diet plan. While sodium and cholesterol are not directly linked, the problem is that a high sodium diet will increase blood pressure, which for those with high blood cholesterol levels, can increase the risk of heart disease.
By keeping blood pressure levels in check while you strive to lower your cholesterol, you’ll stay healthier.
Consider Swapping Red Meat For Beans
Next, red meat is one of the leading sources of cholesterol in the human diet, especially if you are eating red meat varieties that are higher in total fat content.
Try swapping red meat with beans one or two times per week. Beans on the other hand are high in dietary fiber and are going to help lower your overall cholesterol levels.
Plus they will still provide a great source of protein that your body needs for tissue repair and recovery.
Increase Your Intake Of Dietary Fiber
Speaking of dietary fiber, that brings us to the next point – making sure that you get in enough on a day-to-day basis. Dietary fiber will help to lower cholesterol levels, while boosting your overall heart health profile.
Plus, it also helps keep you feeling more satiated after meals, which could then mean you consume fewer calories over the course of the day. If this then leads to weight loss, it could mean a better cholesterol profile as well.
Increase Your Consumption Of Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is one fat that you want to have in your diet plan. Despite the fact that coconut oil is a saturated fat and many people believe that you must avoid all saturated fat in your diet, this is one exception.
Coconut oil has been shown to lower cholesterol levels, boost heart health, decrease inflammation, and can also strengthen your immune system.
All in all, it’s one fat that you want to have in your plan.
Both coconut oil as well as olive oil are excellent additions to any plan designed to lower cholesterol levels.
Add Plenty Of Potassium Rich Foods To Your Diet Plan
Finally, be sure that you are adding plenty of potassium rich foods to your diet plan as well. Fresh fruits and vegetables work excellent here.
Getting enough potassium will help to best keep your blood pressure in check, while the fiber from these foods further helps reduce cholesterol levels.
So there you have five steps to take if you want to lower your cholesterol levels and improving your heart health. By using these, you can definitely lower your risk factor for heart disease.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Yoga, aquatic exercise can help combat MS symptoms
Exercise can have a positive influence on certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis: Patients who do yoga and aquatic exercise suffer less from fatigue, depression and paresthesia, as reported by researchers from the University of Basel and the Psychiatric University Clinics Basel in a joint study with colleagues in Iran.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive auto-immune disease in which the body's own immune system attacks the nervous tissue, potentially resulting in movement disorders. Other typical symptoms of MS include physical and mental fatigue as well as faintness, depression and paresthesia such as pins and needles, itchiness and numbness.
Increased risk of depression
In a random trial, researchers from Basel and Kermanshah (Iran) have now shown that these symptoms significantly improved after an eight-week program of yoga and aquatic exercise. In comparison to the control group, fatigue, depression and paresthesia were significantly reduced in patients who took part in a three-times weekly training program. In the non-exercising group, the likelihood of moderate to severe depression was 35-fold higher than in the groups who had done yoga or aquatic exercise.
Fifty-four women with MS and an average age of 34 were assigned to one of three groups: yoga, aquatic exercise or no exercise. Before and after the trial, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about their symptoms. All patients continued with their existing treatment, including any medication taken to regulate the immune system.
Exercise as a complementary therapy
"Exercise training programs should be considered in the future as possible complements to standard MS treatments," write the researchers. Researchers from the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in Iran, the Psychiatric University Clinics (UPK Basel, Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders) and the University of Basel's Department of Sport, Exercise and Health took part in the study.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Universität Basel.Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Serge Brand et al. Exercising Impacts on Fatigue, Depression, and Paresthesia in Female Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2016; 48 (5): 796 DOI:
Positive effects to calorie restriction in nonobese adults
A 25 percent calorie restriction over two years by adults who were not obese was linked to better health-related quality of life, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Calorie restriction can increase longevity in many species but concerns remain about potential negative effects of calorie restriction in humans.
Corby K. Martin, Ph.D., of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, La., and coauthors tested the effects of calorie restriction on aspects of quality of life that have been speculated to be negatively affected by calorie restriction, including decreased libido, lower stamina, depressed mood and irritability. Their work extends the literature with a study group of nonobese individuals because beneficial effects of calorie restriction on health span (length of time free of disease) increase the possibility that more people will practice calorie restriction.
In this clinical trial conducted at three academic research institutions, 220 men and women with body mass index of 22 to 28 were enrolled and divided almost 2 to 1 into two groups: the larger group was assigned to two years of 25 percent calorie restriction and the other was an ad libitum (their own preference) control group for comparison. The analysis included 218 participants and self-report questionnaires were used to measure mood, quality of life, sleep and sexual function.
Data were collected at baseline, a year and two years. Of the 218 participants, the average age was nearly 38 and 70 percent were women. The calorie restriction group lost an average of 16.7 pounds compared with less than a pound in the control group at year two.
According to the authors, the calorie restriction group, compared with the control group, had improved mood, reduced tension and improved general health and sexual drive and relationship at year two, as well as improved sleep at year one. The bigger weight loss by the calorie restriction participants was associated with increased vigor, less mood disturbance, improved general health and better quality of sleep.
A limitation of the study is its selection of a sample of healthy individuals.
"Calorie restriction among primarily overweight and obese persons has been found to improve QOL [quality of life], sleep and sexual function, and the results of the present study indicate that two years of CR [calorie restriction] is unlikely to negatively affect these factors in healthy adults; rather, CR is likely to provide some improvement," the authors conclude.
A 25 percent calorie restriction over two years by adults who were not obese was linked to better health-related quality of life, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by The JAMA Network Journals. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Corby K. Martin, Manju Bhapkar, Anastassios G. Pittas, Carl F. Pieper, Sai Krupa Das, Donald A. Williamson, Tammy Scott, Leanne M. Redman, Richard Stein, Cheryl H. Gilhooly, Tiffany Stewart, Lisa Robinson, Susan B. Roberts. Effect of Calorie Restriction on Mood, Quality of Life, Sleep, and Sexual Function in Healthy Nonobese Adults. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016; DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1189
Mediterranean style diet might slow down aging, reduce bone loss
Sticking to a Mediterranean style diet might slow down aging finds the EU funded project NU-AGE. At a recent conference in Brussels, researchers presented that a NU-AGE Mediterranean style diet, tested in the project, significantly decreased the levels of the protein known as C-reactive protein, one of the main inflammatory marker linked with the aging process. Another positive effect of this diet was that the rate of bone loss in people with osteoporosis was reduced. Other parameters such as insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, digestive health and quality of life are yet to be analysed.
"This is the first project that goes in such depths into the effects of the Mediterranean diet on health of elderly population. We are using the most powerful and advanced techniques including metabolomics, transcriptomics, genomics and the analysis of the gut microbiota to understand what effect, the Mediterranean style diet has on the population of over 65 years old" said prof. Claudio Franceschi, project coordinator from the University of Bologna, Italy.
A new personally tailored, Mediterranean style diet was given to volunteers to assess if it can slow down the aging process. The project was conducted in five European countries: France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK and involved 1142 participants. There are differences between men and women as well as among participants coming from the different countries. Volunteers from five countries differed in genetics, body composition, compliance to the study, response to diet, blood measurements, cytomegalovirus positivity and inflammatory parameters.
NU-AGE's researchers also looked at socio-economic factors of food choices and health information as well as the most significant barriers to the improvement of the quality of a diet. As with biological markers, considerable country differences were seen when comparing several aspects, for instance on the overall nutrition knowledge. In France and the UK, over 70% of participants thought they had high nutrition knowledge while in Poland only 31% believed so.
Also, when elderly people buy food products, there are country differences in the attitudes towards nutrition information on the food labels (what is important for a person from Poland, may not be as important for a person from Italy). In addition, participants from different countries understand and trust nutrition claims differently. Participants from the Netherlands and the UK appeared to understand nutrition claims better than participants from France, followed by those from Poland and Italy. In terms of trust, over 40% of Italian participants thought that nutrition claims on food products are reliable, while only 20% of British participants had the same opinion (on reliability of these claims). Surprisingly to experts, no gender differences were observed in nutrition knowledge between men and women.
"The NU-AGE conference was a great success and allowed us to share the most recent results of the project as well as decide on the next steps and future work," concluded Franceschi.
Sticking to a Mediterranean style diet might slow down aging, a new study has found. Mediterranean style diet, tested in the project, significantly decreased the levels of the protein known as C-reactive protein, one of the main inflammatory marker linked with the ageing process. Another positive effect of this diet was that the rate of bone loss in people with osteoporosis was reduced. Other parameters such as insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, digestive health and quality of life are yet to be analyzed.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by EUFIC - European Food Information Council. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Protein Intake Increases Fat Loss And Lean Muscle Mass
A study published in The American Journal of of Clinical Nutrition found that people who are training with intense exercises and consuming more protein, can result in more fat loss and lean muscle gains despite a reduction in calories.
Researchers from McMaster University in Canada provided meals, beverages and fitness plans for 40 overweight male participants. Over the course of 28 days, half of the men consumed 49 grams of protein per day, while the control group was given 15 grams of protein, which was close to their normal consumption.
“Evidence from the current trial suggests that high-quality weight loss (i.e., weight loss with a high fat to [lean body mass] ratio), is attainable during marked energy restriction with a higher intake of dietary protein in overweight young men,” the study authors explained.
Those who were given only 15 grams of protein per day saw no changes to their lean body mass. While the amount of protein did not result in significant differences between the two groups in terms of overall performance during physical activity, it was clear that the men that had 49 grams of protein per day were consuming enough nutrients to build lean muscle mass and healthy body composition when combined with high intensity exercise.
One of the most common reasons why people are unable to shed unwanted weight is due to a lack of adequate calories to fuel their workouts, and a lack of adequate protein to maintain and build muscle after workouts. If a person reduces their daily calorie count too dramatically too soon, the body will think food is scarce and go into starvation mode.
This will shut down the fat-burning metabolic processes of the body and start the downward spiral of metabolic damage and the more you cut calories, the more you have to continually cut to see results.
To successfully offset lower calorie intake, it is vital to feed the body with protein. Without protein, the body is unable to build new, muscle tissue which helps burn fat.
Researchers from McMaster University in Canada provided meals, beverages and fitness plans for 40 overweight male participants. Over the course of 28 days, half of the men consumed 49 grams of protein per day, while the control group was given 15 grams of protein, which was close to their normal consumption.
“Evidence from the current trial suggests that high-quality weight loss (i.e., weight loss with a high fat to [lean body mass] ratio), is attainable during marked energy restriction with a higher intake of dietary protein in overweight young men,” the study authors explained.
Those who were given only 15 grams of protein per day saw no changes to their lean body mass. While the amount of protein did not result in significant differences between the two groups in terms of overall performance during physical activity, it was clear that the men that had 49 grams of protein per day were consuming enough nutrients to build lean muscle mass and healthy body composition when combined with high intensity exercise.
One of the most common reasons why people are unable to shed unwanted weight is due to a lack of adequate calories to fuel their workouts, and a lack of adequate protein to maintain and build muscle after workouts. If a person reduces their daily calorie count too dramatically too soon, the body will think food is scarce and go into starvation mode.
This will shut down the fat-burning metabolic processes of the body and start the downward spiral of metabolic damage and the more you cut calories, the more you have to continually cut to see results.
To successfully offset lower calorie intake, it is vital to feed the body with protein. Without protein, the body is unable to build new, muscle tissue which helps burn fat.
Type 2 Diabetes can be Reversed-New Study
Many experts believe Type 2 diabetes is an incurable disease that gets worse with time. However, according to a report in the NY Times, new research has raised serious possibility that drastic changes in diet may actually reverse the disease in some people.
NY Times cites a report published in the ‘Diabetes Care’, in which a research was conducted in England which studied the effects of a strict liquid diet on 30 people who had lived with Type 2 diabetes for up to 23 years. As many as 15 of the people reported remission that lasted six months after the diet was over. The small size of the sample notwithstanding, the finding offers new hope to millions who thought they had to live with the intractable disease for the rest of their lives.
Dr. Roy Taylor, a professor at Newcastle University in England and the study’s senior author. Said, “If we can get across the message that ‘yes, this is a reversible disease — that you will have no more diabetes medications, no more sitting in doctors’ rooms, no more excess health charges’ — that is enormously motivating.”
The most important aspect of the new study is that it proved the reversal after diet can persist for at least half a year as long as patients keep weight off, and can occur in people who have had the disease for many years.
The report further says that while it was not clear as to why the diet appeared to reverse diabetes, Dr. Taylor said that it could be linked to how the body stores fat. Excess fat in the liver can spill into the pancreas, inhibiting insulin secretion and the liver’s response to insulin, resulting in insulin resistance and diabetes. A very-low-calorie diet may allow the body to use up fat from the liver, causing fat levels to drop in the pancreas as well which in turn “wakes up” the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, normalizing blood glucose levels.
NY Times cites a report published in the ‘Diabetes Care’, in which a research was conducted in England which studied the effects of a strict liquid diet on 30 people who had lived with Type 2 diabetes for up to 23 years. As many as 15 of the people reported remission that lasted six months after the diet was over. The small size of the sample notwithstanding, the finding offers new hope to millions who thought they had to live with the intractable disease for the rest of their lives.
Dr. Roy Taylor, a professor at Newcastle University in England and the study’s senior author. Said, “If we can get across the message that ‘yes, this is a reversible disease — that you will have no more diabetes medications, no more sitting in doctors’ rooms, no more excess health charges’ — that is enormously motivating.”
The most important aspect of the new study is that it proved the reversal after diet can persist for at least half a year as long as patients keep weight off, and can occur in people who have had the disease for many years.
The report further says that while it was not clear as to why the diet appeared to reverse diabetes, Dr. Taylor said that it could be linked to how the body stores fat. Excess fat in the liver can spill into the pancreas, inhibiting insulin secretion and the liver’s response to insulin, resulting in insulin resistance and diabetes. A very-low-calorie diet may allow the body to use up fat from the liver, causing fat levels to drop in the pancreas as well which in turn “wakes up” the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, normalizing blood glucose levels.
What Nutritional Strategies Are Best for Healthy Aging?
1. Boost Healthy Fat Intake
There is considerable evidence tying the amount and type of fat you eat to biological processes implicated in accelerated aging. For example, omega-3 fatty acids like those found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines display beneficial properties and are suggested to protect against premature telomere shortening. Shorter telemeres, quicker aging.
2. Get Adequate Antioxidants and Nutrients
Telomeres are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress; therefore, it is possible that adequate intake of antioxidants and antioxidant-rich foods may provide protection against oxidative stress-induced telomere shortening . In fact, increasing the intake of beta-carotene, folic acid, magnesium, and vitamins A, E, and C are each associated with longer telomere length.
3. Limit Alcohol Use
It’s no secret that alcohol abuse leads to earlier onset of age-related diseases. Consistent with this fact, a case-control study conducted in Italian men reported decreased telomere length in alcohol abusers compared to social drinkers. On the other hand, there is abundant epidemiological evidence suggesting that moderate alcohol consumption (up to one drink per day for a woman and up to two drinks per day for a man) could be beneficial for overall health, particularly for supporting cardiovascular health. Being sensible is the best advice here.
4. Cut The Junk
Shorter telomeres are associated with increased consumption of red and processed meats. Furthermore, consumption of sugar-sweetened soda was associated with shorter telomeres in a large American cohort of over 5,000 adults.
There is considerable evidence tying the amount and type of fat you eat to biological processes implicated in accelerated aging. For example, omega-3 fatty acids like those found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines display beneficial properties and are suggested to protect against premature telomere shortening. Shorter telemeres, quicker aging.
2. Get Adequate Antioxidants and Nutrients
Telomeres are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress; therefore, it is possible that adequate intake of antioxidants and antioxidant-rich foods may provide protection against oxidative stress-induced telomere shortening . In fact, increasing the intake of beta-carotene, folic acid, magnesium, and vitamins A, E, and C are each associated with longer telomere length.
3. Limit Alcohol Use
It’s no secret that alcohol abuse leads to earlier onset of age-related diseases. Consistent with this fact, a case-control study conducted in Italian men reported decreased telomere length in alcohol abusers compared to social drinkers. On the other hand, there is abundant epidemiological evidence suggesting that moderate alcohol consumption (up to one drink per day for a woman and up to two drinks per day for a man) could be beneficial for overall health, particularly for supporting cardiovascular health. Being sensible is the best advice here.
4. Cut The Junk
Shorter telomeres are associated with increased consumption of red and processed meats. Furthermore, consumption of sugar-sweetened soda was associated with shorter telomeres in a large American cohort of over 5,000 adults.
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