Health Tips for the month of April

Weekly Health Tips for the month of April
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April 2, 2006- Count on Carotenoids
Think orange, yellow, red, and green to protect your DNA.

Carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene may help prevent the kind of DNA damage that contributes to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Bright orange, yellow, red, and green fruits and veggies are good sources of these carotenoids, so pile your plate high with carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, red bell peppers, spinach, and kale.

Your diet is the best way to get the optimal amount of carotenoids, which have disease-fighting antioxidant properties. Chopping, slicing, shredding, or pureeing carotenoid-containing fruits and vegetables will help you get the biggest antioxidant boost from these foods. Also, a tiny bit of dietary fat will aid absorption of carotenoids, so add a dab of olive oil or another item containing unsaturated fat. In a small study, postmenopausal women age 50 to 70 took either 12 milligrams (mg) of a mixed-carotenoid supplement containing 4 mg each of lutein, beta-carotene, and lycopene; 12 mg of beta-carotene; or a placebo daily for about 2 months. At the end of the study, women who took carotenoid supplements exhibited less DNA damage than the women who took a placebo. It's best to get your nutrients from food, so feast on spinach salads, sweet potatoes, and stir-fry vegetables sautéed in olive oil. A supplement also can help boost your carotenoid intake when your diet falls short.

Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ©2006

April 9, 2006- Soda and Blood Pressure
Colas with caffeine could play a role in high blood pressure, according to preliminary study findings.

In a study of women who were hypertension-free, those who drank the most caffeine-containing colas were much more likely to develop hypertension compared to the women who drank the least. More research is needed to confirm the results, but if you are concerned about high blood pressure, limiting caffeine intake is a smart health move.

Most people can safely consume up to 250 milligrams of caffeine per day. However, in a study of women, caffeine-containing colas were associated with an increase in blood pressure regardless of whether the colas were diet or not. Interestingly, coffee consumption was not associated with hypertension risk in the study. Researchers speculate that there may be something particular about caffeine-containing cola that impacts blood pressure. More research is needed to confirm the association. If you're concerned about your hypertension risk, it's best to minimize caffeine intake. Caffeine can cause small spikes in blood pressure in sensitive individuals, which could be dangerous for people with high blood pressure or heart disease.

Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association, ©2006

April 16, 2006- Falling Short

Don't take the fall when your diet is lacking in vital nutrients.

New research shows a potential relationship between how much calcium and vitamin D a person gets and the risk of experiencing a potentially serious fall. In a recent study, women 65 and older who took calcium and vitamin D supplements for 3 years reduced their risk of falls by 46 percent. Another way to keep your balance: exercise regularly.

Falls increase the risk of disability in older people. Keeping muscles strong with regular exercise is a great way to stay steadier on your feet. You can improve balance and coordination with exercises such as yoga and tai chi. Also, to prevent a serious fall in the home, remove clutter from the floor, install handrails in the shower, and place nonslip material under area rugs or remove rugs from walkways. Discuss your medications with your doctor if they make you feel dizzy or lightheaded. In a recent study, calcium and vitamin D supplements appeared to reduce the risk of falls in women, but not in men. In older, inactive women, calcium and vitamin D supplements reduced the risk of falls dramatically -- by 65 percent.

April 23, 2006- Eat Bread, Fight Diabetes
Not just any bread. Eat the hearty whole-grain breads -- and cereals, pastas, pilafs, et al. -- that heart experts are so high on.

Not only are whole-grain foods much more nutritious and fiber-rich than processed white-flour products, but a new study shows they may help fight factors that can lead to diabetes, from blood sugar spikes to overeating. If you're even remotely at risk for diabetes, aim for about 6 servings of whole grains daily. Yes, tuna salad on whole wheat counts -- 2 servings.

Whole grains are crammed with fiber, B vitamins, and minerals (selenium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, and zinc). This potent combination of nutrients helps regulate blood sugar and insulin, curb appetite, control cholesterol, and lower homocysteine, a substance strongly linked with heart disease, according to a major new study of almost 1,000 men and women. No wonder nutritionists have been chanting the whole-grain mantra for years. But now diabetes experts are chanting along with them.

Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ©2006

April 30, 2006- Get Juiced

If you don't touch the hard stuff but would love some of the highly touted health benefits attributed to red wine, pour yourself a glass of grape juice instead.

Like wine, grape juice is full of protective pigments known as flavonoids. Unlike wine, it doesn't stop you from driving home safely if you over-indulge. And the juice's heart-smart reputation is growing. For instance, when people drank Concord grape juice daily for 2 weeks in a study, their "bad" LDL cholesterol became less dangerous and their blood levels of disease-fighting antioxidants rose.

Although the study on grape juice drinkers involved drinking a fair amount of Concord grape juice -- about a cup a day for every 50 pounds of body weight -- it's not clear if people need to drink that much to reap the juice's health benefits. Moderation is usually a good rule of thumb; besides, like most juices, grape juice is fairly high in calories -- 150 per cup (the same as in a 6-ounce glass of merlot). Regardless of whether you drink 1, 2, or 3 cups a day, be sure you buy 100 percent fruit juice, not a juice drink or "cocktail." They add sugar and dilute the good stuff.

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