Is Your Calcium Supplement Increasing Your Heart Attack Risk?
Milk is good for the bones – right? Because milk is a good source of calcium and calcium promotes bone strength. Which means you may think a calcium supplement is an even better way to protect your bones – right?
A new report in the journal Heart, has determined calcium supplements are putting people at greater risk for heart attacks.
Researchers followed 23,980 individuals ranging in age from 35 to 64 years-old over an 11 year period. They saw an 86% increased risk of heart attack for those regularly supplementing calcium. Participants supplementing calcium only were twice as likely to have a heart attack compared to those not taking any vitamin supplements.
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Weight Loss: Are you sabotaging your results?
If losing weight was easy, we wouldn’t be facing this obesity epidemic in the U.S. There are so many factors working against us that successful weight loss is a struggle. It doesn’t help if you are self-sabotaging your own efforts to lose weight.
Here are 5 ways you may be hindering your weight loss success:
- Liquid calories
All calories add up and you may not realize how quickly liquid calories add up. Think about what you add to your coffee in the morning (or throughout the day!), any juice you drink with breakfast, sports drink or soda you may grab as a “pick me up”. . . all those calories add up and can add up substantially.
- Ordering a salad because it’s a salad
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Choline and Your Health
Are you even familiar with the B vitamin choline? There is a good chance you are not. The Institute of Medicine didn’t even establish a dietary reference intake for this nutrient until 1998.
Choline, like magnesium, plays a role in just about every bodily system. Two compounds are derived from choline – acetylcholine and lecithin. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter for the peripheral and central nervous systems. Acetylcholine may protect again certain age-related dementias. Lecithin is a more generic term encompassing yellowish-brown fat tissue.
Choline Sources
The body can produce choline in small amounts, but not in large enough quantities to support good health. You must consume choline from dietary sources. Choline can be found in many foods, such as:
Reduce Your Heart Attack Risk
Is the deck stacked against you when it comes to genetics and heart disease? If so, I’m right there with you. However, this isn’t a pass to just say “oh well, nothing you can do about it” and proceed to live an unhealthy lifestyle.
Heart disease and heart attacks are for the most part preventable. Deaths due to coronary heart disease have significantly decreased since 1980.
Here are 5 steps you can take right now to beat the odds:
- Know your numbers
Go to the free health screenings to have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. Discuss with your doctor to determine how often more in depth lab work should be completed. Ignorance is not going to help you.
For cholesterol, the American Heart Association provides the following recommendations:
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Is your granola bar a candy bar in disguise?
There are all kinds of nutrition bars available, from energy bars, to protein bars, to weight control, to gluten free, to breakfast bars, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, many of these supposed “nutrition” bars are really just glorified candy bars.
What to look for when selecting a nutrition bar:
Sugar – Look at the nutrition label and see how many grams of sugar there are per serving. . .and does a full bar equal 1 serving? Select a bar with 5 grams or less sugar per bar.
Fiber – Don’t rely on fortified bars to meet daily fiber needs. Isolated fibers, such as inulin, chicory extract, and oligosaccharides do not necessarily provide the same benefit as foods naturally rich in fiber. Select a bar that provides ~3 grams of fiber. Ideally this fiber will come from whole grains, dried fruit, and/or nuts included in the bar.
Vitamins and Minerals – Don’t use a nutrition bar to try and meet 100% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamins and minerals. Look at the food label and see if it’s providing 100% of the RDA. There are potential side effects from consuming too much of certain vitamins and minerals. Select nutrition bars that do not provide 100% of the RDA for vitamins and minerals.
Almonds for a Healthy Heart
In previous posts we’ve covered the health benefits of a couple different nuts:
Heart-Smart Pistachios
Walnuts Equal Healthier Blood Vessels
Nuts are an excellent source of nutrients that provide heart health benefits, such as fiber, protein, and certain minerals.
Let’s turn our attention to almonds.
Almonds are a good source of monounsaturated fat. This is a heart healthy fat in that it does not cause an insulin response or lead to increases in blood cholesterol. A study has shown a decrease in cholesterol levels, including LDL cholesterol, when almonds are consumed as a regular part of the diet.
Almonds also provide vitamin E in the form of gamma tocopherol and glutathione. Both of these nutrients act as antioxidants to prevent cellular damage associated with free radicals.
Almonds also contain calcium to support bone and tooth health, along with healthy blood pressure levels.
A one-ounce, 164-calorie serving of almonds, not only provides vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and calcium, but also magnesium, fiber, protein, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.
Add Almonds to Your Diet
Here are a few tips for adding almonds to your diet:
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