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Are You Middle-Age with High Cholesterol?

Published September 1, 2013 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

First of all, your cholesterol levels are not the final determinant of your heart attack or heart disease risk. Other factors besides cholesterol play a role, such as inflammation which causes cholesterol to oxidize and then lead to heart concerns. That being said, you don’t just want to ignore cholesterol levels. They are a good measure to assess risk and determine if further investigation is needed to determine appropriate treatment.

Norwegian researchers reported middle-age men with high cholesterol levels to be at increased risk for a first heart attack when compared to women with high cholesterol levels.

This study, published in the September issue of Epidemiology, included more than 40,000 participants under the age of 60 years-old. They found men with high cholesterol to have three times the risk for a heart attack versus women.

The reason for this increased wasn’t identified by the researchers, but speculation that it may be connected to the protective effects of hormones, such as estrogen. That is why this study had an age limit of 60 years-old. After the age of 60, the protective benefits women may receive from hormones is eliminated as menopause begins.

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Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged cholesterol, heart attack, Heart Disease, heart disease risk, high cholesterol, men, middle age, signs of a heart attack, women

Omega 3’s: Should You Stop Taking Fish Oil Supplements?

Published July 31, 2013 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

On July 11, 2013 research results from Brasky et al. were published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The concluded that high blood concentrations of omega 3 fatty acids were linked to increase prostate cancer risk. Researchers state these results support their 2011 findings that omega 3 fatty acids play a role in prostate cancer.

In the few weeks since this study was published, many doctors and researchers have weighed in with their viewpoints on the study results. Let’s sift through all the information and focus on what you need to know so you can decide if you should continue supplementing omega 3 fatty acids or not.

The Study

This study, released by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, analyzed participant data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). SELECT was a large randomized, placebo-controlled trial to test whether selenium and vitamin E reduced prostate cancer risk. SELECT was not a double-blind placebo controlled trial focused on omega 3’s and prostate cancer. Participants in SELECT had their omega 3 levels measured. It was the plasma phospholipid omega 3 levels of 834 men who developed prostate cancer and 1393 men who did not develop prostate cancer that was analyzed for this most recent research linking omega 3’s to prostate cancer.

Cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra points out valid concerns regarding vitamin E and its pro-oxidative effect on cholesterol. Oxidation causes the production of free radicals, which increases health concerns (ie cancer, heart disease, etc.). In SELECT, participants received 400 IU of dl-alpha tocopherol (one form of vitamin E). Many would argue that supplementing high levels of one form of vitamin E is associated with its own negative health consequences. Sharing this to show that the data analyzed from SELECT may have been ‘contaminated’ by the vitamin E supplementation which can impact results. Also, keep in mind that some participants were on prescription medications, were smokers, regularly drank alcohol, were overweight/obese, and/or had a first-degree relative with prostate cancer…all of which impact prostate cancer risk.

Omega 3 Levels

Here are the plasma omega 3 levels and the cancer risk found in this research:

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Posted in Heart Health, Lower Blood Pressure, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged cancer, cholesterol, fish oil, heart health, omega 3, prostate cancer

Your Heart And Your Favorite Tipple: Be Alcohol Aware

Published July 19, 2013 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

This week I am sharing with you a guest post provided by Lisa Redmond.

When tackling the problems associated with heart disease, raised blood sugar and cholesterol the onus is usually rightly on tackling diet, weight and whether the patient is a smoker or not. One often overlooked issue with all of these conditions relates to the amount of alcohol a person drinks and how that can affect the overall health of someone who is battling cardiovascular disease. Many people assume that alcohol is something that may perhaps only affect organs like the liver, but it can take its toll on the heart too. Being alcohol aware and knowing the problems it can create are so important in getting a handle on heart disease.

Your heart and alcohol

In the US, it is recommended that anyone, whether suffering from ill health or not, should only drink one or two alcoholic drinks a day. A measure of alcohol equates to a 4oz glass of wine, a 12oz glass of beer or a 1oz measure of spirits. In small quantities alcohol can be beneficial for you, as part of a healthy, well balanced diet and exercise regime.

In fact studies have shown that red wine can be one of the drinks that actively helps to fight against heart disease – but only if it is taken in moderation and not drunk to excess. Red wine contains flavonoids which have a positive antioxidant effect on the system and help to fight against furring of the arteries.

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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged alcohol, cholesterol, Heart Disease, red wine

Should You Use Sports Drinks to Stay Hydrated?

Published July 3, 2013 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Sports drinks provide the body with fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes.

First, let’s make sure we are thinking about the same types of drinks when we use the term “sports drinks”. By sports drinks, I’m referring to Gatorade, Accelerade, Powerade, Propel, and the like.

When you are in the grocery store and see the labels on some sports drinks you may be confused into thinking it’s something you would benefit from consuming. The variety of health benefits claimed can include such things as improved health and more energy.

When sports drinks we initially created, the whole point was to provide athletes the replacement fluid, electrolytes, and macronutrients (ie carbohydrates) they need to perform long term bouts of exercise optimally.

So think about that….do you perform long duration exercise where you want to replace carbohydrates burned? If you are like the average American or individual fighting heart disease, your goal is to lose weight. Replacing the calories you burn is not part of the ideal plan to achieve your goals.

In most cases, water is going to be enough for you to replace lost fluid during activity and keep core body temperature to an appropriate level.

Now, for workouts lasting more than 60 minutes, sports drinks do contain some nutrients that can be of value.

Carbohydrates

I’m going to include carbohydrates in this list, so we can differentiate for athletes versus you. When working out, your muscles utilize glycogen. Muscle glycogen levels are limited and become depleted. How quickly levels are depleted depend on exercise intensity and duration. Many sports drinks contain 10 to 20 grams (40 to 80 calories) of carbohydrates per 8 ounce serving. This is a 6 to 8% carbohydrate concentration. Due to high fluid losses during high intensity/duration activities you do not want the carbohydrate concentration to exceed 8% which can delay gastric emptying and lead to gastrointestinal issues.

As an FYI, soft drinks and energy drinks typically contain carbohydrate concentrations above 10%.

As I mentioned above, your goal is not necessarily to replace carbohydrates burned via the carbohydrates in sports drinks. However, there are now low calorie sports drinks on the market that also provide some of the below nutrients which may be beneficial to you.

Electrolytes

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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged athletes, carbohydrates, dehydraftion, electrolytes, hydration, perspiration, post exercise, sports drink, sports drinks, sweating

The Best Type of Rice to Promote Heart Health

Published June 19, 2013 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Rice is frequently consumed in combination with other foods, such as vegetables, beans, and meat. It is a low cost food, so it allows you to stretch your food budget.

There are many varieties of rice, many of which you are probably not familiar with, such as Arborio, black, red, jasmine, basmati, and then the more common wild, brown, and white.

All rice provides a variety of nutrients, including carbohydrates and protein. Plus, rice is gluten free. A one cup serving of wild rice even contains 156 mg of omega 3 fatty acids to help promote heart health and lower cholesterol.

The two most common include white rice and brown rice, so let’s by compare these two options.

White Rice vs. Brown Rice
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Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged bran, brown rice, fiber, fortified, germ, heart health, heart healthy diet, iron, Lower Cholesterol, niacin, omega 3, rice, white rice

Tobacco And Your Heart: Can Weight Gain After Quitting Be Harmful?

Published June 12, 2013 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

This week I am sharing with you a guest post provided by Lisa Redmond.

If we’re all brutally honest there are perhaps certain habits we all have that we know are bad for us, yet continue to carry on with them regardless. It may be drinking to excess frequently, indulging in foods that we recognize aren’t the most healthy dietary choices, or it could be smoking, whether it is done socially or regularly, every day. May 31^st saw in World No Tobacco Day and this may well have been the incentive for a lot of people to finally ditch nicotine and reduce their risk of a heart attack, stroke or cancer. What sometimes puts people off stopping is a worry that they will gain weight and not be able to successfully shed the pounds once they quit, but a new study published in the Journal of American Medicine has put that theory to bed once and for all.

Quit smoking for good

The study, carried out by JAMA was done intensively over a period of thirty years from 1981 to 2011 – with the results being published in March this year. It involved over three thousand participants. The results of the scientists’ work showed that people who had chosen to give up smoking and had successfully managed to keep off nicotine for four or more years reduced their risk of having either a heart attack or stroke by as much as 54%, significantly higher than those people who carried on smoking, but knowing the risks. Similarly, those smokers who had recently quit and had managed to keep away from cigarettes, cigars or pipes for up to four years also had a 53% decreased chance of suffering the same complaints compared to those who carried on.

These results were a surprise given that many of the participants of the study typically gained anything between 5-10lbs during the period they quit. Speaking of the results, Dr James Meig who is based at Harvard University and is one of the co-authors of the study commented that “We can now say without question that stopping smoking has a very positive effect on cardiovascular risk, even if they experience moderate weight gain”.

Weight gain, smoking and your heart health

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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged heart health, omega 3, smoking, tobacco, weight gain

Are You Middle-Age with High Cholesterol?

Omega 3’s: Should You Stop Taking Fish Oil Supplements?

Your Heart And Your Favorite Tipple: Be Alcohol Aware

Should You Use Sports Drinks to Stay Hydrated?

The Best Type of Rice to Promote Heart Health

Tobacco And Your Heart: Can Weight Gain After Quitting Be Harmful?

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