July 1, 2001- Trans Fat Foibles
Want to lower your risk of diabetes? Then
pass on the trans fats.
A recent study revealed that eating too
many trans fats may significantly increase your risk of developing type
2 diabetes. To reduce your intake of trans fats, avoid processed foods
that list hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils at the top of their
ingredients lists, like margarine for example.
Eating a low-fat diet--and eating healthy
unsaturated fats when you do eat fat--can help reduce your chances of many
cardiovascular diseases.
SOURCE: Real Age Health Information, ©2001
July 8, 2001- Kidney Sweep
Keeping your blood pressure under control
is one of the best ways to take care of your kidneys. Although diabetes
is the most common cause of kidney disease, studies reveal that untreated
high blood pressure also may put your kidneys at risk. Avoid hypertension-related
kidney damage by moderating your salt intake, reducing stress levels, exercising
regularly, and scheduling periodic blood pressure checkups.
Keeping your blood pressure at 115/76 mm
Hg can help reduce many vascular diseases, including America's number 1
killer, heart disease.
SOURCE: InteliHealth Information,
©2001
July 15, 2001- Dangerous Growth
Stanford University researchers have discovered
for the first time that nicotine can promote the dangerous growth of new
blood vessels, increase the growth of tumors and stimulate formation of
the artery- clogging substance called plaque. The newest findings on nicotine's
harmful effects are reported this month in the journal Nature Medicine
by a Stanford research team headed by Dr. John P. Cooke, a heart specialist
and chief of vascular medicine there.
"Nicotine and smoking can be very harmful,
and cause many harmful things to the cardiovascular system," Cooke said
in an interview. There is also a danger that the nicotine they use
will promote the growth of tumors if they already have cancer, or that
they will develop more plaque in their arteries if they already show signs
that plaque formation has begun, he said.
SOURCE: Stanford Medical University, ©2001
July 22, 2001- Fat on Fish
If you want to protect your prostate,
get your fill of cold-water fish. Scientists have found that eating fish
that contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and herring,
may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. In one 30-year study, men who didn't
eat fish were 2 to 3 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than
men who ate fish regularly.
Eating at least 1 serving of fish per week
can reduce chances of cardiovascular disease and improve skin, immune and
brain function.
SOURCE: Real Age Health Information, ©2001
July 29, 2001- Black Tea
A new study finds a strong link between
drinking black tea and healthy arteries in individuals who have heart disease,
according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Black tea offers some of the same benefits
as other foods rich in the antioxidants known as flavonoids - such as purple
grape juice, onions and red wine. Flavonoids, the major antioxidants found
in tea, have been shown to prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins
(LDL) the so-called "bad" cholesterol that leads to the formation of plaque
in artery walls.
SOURCE: Harvard Medical University, ©2001