Our Habits Reflect On Our Health
Our habits reflect on our health. Our habits and lifestyle determine whether we live a heart friendly life or invite disease. Heart diseases is the No.1 killer in the United States. It is our choices that impact whether or not we live with reduced risk for heart disease or not
Good Habits for keeping heart diseases at bay
Breakfast – Every Morning
The most important meal of the day. It is the recipe for a healthy heart. On the contrary a person who regularly skips breakfast faces issues, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and stands 27% higher risk of death from coronary heart disease.
Physical Activity
A sedentary lifestyle increases your risk for heart disease.
Relax – To Beat Stress
Unmanaged can leads to complications, which include high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, heart disease, chest pain etc.
Reduce Stroke Risk with Vitamin E Derived from Palm Oil
Dr. Joseph Keenan retired as a Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Minnesota. He holds a joint professorship in the University of Minnesota School of Food Science and Nutrition. Dr. Keenan is considered one of the leading national experts in the field of nutritional supplement research and cardiovascular disease. He is now practicing emergency medicine, and continues teaching and consulting is his areas of research interest which include preventive cardiology.
Lisa Nelson, RD: What is white matter, and how is it related to stroke?
Dr. Keenan: “About 50 percent of your brain is made of white matter, which provides connections to the various other brain centers and thus is important for learning and memory. This is also the area of the brain most often affected by “mini strokes”, also called lacunor strokes, which often cause no overt symptoms. But as they accumulate over years, they can affect function and memory.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: What are white matter lesions?
Dr. Keenan: “White matter lesions (WMLs) are abnormal regions in the brain that can be detected by MRIs. They are often found in elderly people, and are associated with atherosclerosis in the small blood vessels of the brain, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. If the condition worsens, WMLs may result in cognitive impairment and dementia.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: Is there any way to weaken the progression of these lesions?
Dr. Keenan: “Results of a two-year human clinical study published in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke, show that vitamin E tocotrienols derived from Malaysian palm oil may be helpful. This is the first study that provides solid evidence of tocotrienols’ neuroprotective benefits in humans.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: The benefits of tocotrienols and stroke have been in the news before, haven’t they?
Dr. Keenan: “Yes. Previous animal studies have reported that vitamin E tocotrienols derived from palm oil are capable of preventing damage to white matter during a stroke, and improved circulation to the damaged part of the brain after a stroke.
Lisa Nelson, RD: Why are healthcare professionals so excited about this study?
Dr. Keenan: “Many other compounds have been shown to display neuroprotective effects in animal models of stroke. But they failed in human clinical trials. This may be because the human brain has so much more white matter (about 50 percent) than rats (about 10 percent), for example.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: How was this study conducted?
Dr. Keenan: “This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by leading tocotrienol researchers at the University Science Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. They followed 121 volunteers for two years. Each volunteer underwent MRIs to confirm the presence of WMLs. One group received 200 mg. of mixed tocotrienols twice daily for two years, while the others received a placebo. All volunteers were instructed to maintain their regular diets and physical activity levels. MRIs were performed at entry into the study (baseline), and then repeated after one year and again after two years. At two years of supplementation, the mean WML volume of the placebo group increased whereas those who received palm tocotrienols remained unchanged.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: Are there other reasons to be concerned about white matter lesions, in addition to stroke?
Dr. Keenan: “Brain white matter lesions are also known to be linked to development of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: What is your recommendation, after reviewing this research?
Dr. Keenan: “This study shows that taking palm-derived tocotrienols daily may be an easy way to be proactive about your brain health, especially if you are at high risk for stroke.”
Dr. Keenan says that palm tocotrienols are well researched for their heart-health benefits. Additional studies can be found at www.palmoilhealth.org.
Learn how to make Heart Healthy Changes into Lifelong Habits at http://hearthealthmadeeasy.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Image courtesy of Praisaeng / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Fueling Your Fat Fix: Forbidden foods with saturated fat may be okay
This is a guest post from Jonny Bowden.
Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, (aka “The Rogue Nutritionist”) is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He is a board-certified nutritionist with a master’s degree in psychology and the best-selling author of 14 books on health, healing, food and longevity, including three best-sellers, “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth”, the award-winning “Living Low Carb” and his latest book, co-written with cardiologist Stephen Sinatra and featured on the Dr. Oz Show, “The Great Cholesterol Myth”.
Nutritionist debunks some old wives’ tales so that you can enjoy your meals again
Let’s talk fat. Specifically, saturated fat. If you’ve banished red meats and egg yolks from your diet for health reasons, there’s reason to rejoice. “I think the notion that saturated fat and cholesterol are the demons in the diet is 100 percent wrong,” says Dr. Jonny Bowden PhD, CNS, a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. “When you look at the data, it’s very clear: Most of what we’ve been told about saturated fat and cholesterol is simply not so.”
Bowden, a board-certified nutritionist and author of 14 books including The Great Cholesterol Myth co-authored with cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, explains that, “I’m out to rehabilitate the reputation of saturated fat, a perfectly healthy fat that we collectively demonized when we wrongly believed it lead to heart disease. Recent research has shown that there’s no connection between saturated fat in the diet and the incidence of heart disease. Instead of saturated fat and cholesterol, most leading edge experts are now looking at inflammation as a prime mover in the development of heart disease.
“The irony is that the foods we were taught are good for us – breads, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes – are the very ones that are killing us. Our bodies convert these foods to sugar almost instantly. Sugar raises insulin, which causes inflammation, which is the fundamental cause of heart disease.”
Omega 3 & Common Fish Oil Myths
Have you had a chance to review some of the Omega 3 information I’ve shared? If not, here are links to some resources:
How much omega 3 do you need to lower cholesterol?
Top Omega 3 Sources to Lower Cholesterol
Now, let’s get a another point of view from Dr. Fred Sancillio.
Dr. Sancilio is a development scientist. He has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented to scientists in conferences around the world. He started his career as a physical and analytical chemist in the Research Division of Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc. Dr. Sancilio earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical and Analytical Chemistry from Rutgers University.
According to Dr. Sancilio, if you take a fish oil supplement to help lower your LDL cholesterol, you’re wasting your money. The same may hold true if you think there’s not much difference between the various types of fish oil and omega-3 supplements on store shelves except perhaps the capsule sizes (and the size of the smelly, fishy belches some cause after you take them).
So, let’s dive into a Q & A discussion different aspects of omega 3 and what Dr. Sancilio refers to as myths…
5 Steps for Heart Health, Starting Now
On the road to heart health, start with weight control. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight promotes overall health and prevents many diseases, including heart disease. Living with extra weight, puts an increased burden on your heart muscle. Being overweight or obese puts you at increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other health
Here are five additional steps you can take for heart health:
1. Exercise more.
Being inactive is a major risk factor for heart disease. Regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, has many heart related benefits. For example, exercise will strengthen your heart, improves circulation, and lowers blood pressure.
2. Cut back on salt.
Salt can hide in places you may not expect. Read food labels. For some individuals, a high sodium diet is linked to high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts excess work on the heart and can lead to stroke and heart failure.
3. Avoid trans fat.
Trans fat increase LDL cholesterol, increase triglycerides and lowers HDL cholesterol. The FDA no longer recognizes trans fats as “generally recognized as safe” for use in food. Read food labels and select heart healthy oil when cooking, such as olive oil or canola oil.
Are you balancing omega-3 and omega-6?
Internationally-renowned registered dietitian, Ashley Koff, has answered some questions on Omega-3 and Omega 6.
What are Omega-3 and Omega-6?
Ashley Koff: Omega-3 and Omega-6s are essential fatty acids (EFAs). Both are essential to the structure and function of our cells, and regulate critical aspects of brain function, metabolism, and immune-system health. We cannot make omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in our bodies, so we have to get them from foods or supplements.
We need omega-3s in our diet to help prevent chronic inappropriate inflammation. Insufficient omega-3s are associated with a lengthy list of health problems including heart attacks and stroke. Unfortunately, most Americans get a high percentage of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids in their diets but not enough omega-3s. In fact, the average American diet now provides 20 or more parts omega-6s to one part omega-3s. That’s about seven times higher than the three-to-one intake ratio shown to deter major diseases and promote optimal health. We need to bring that back into a healthful balance.
There’s an easy, at-home way to check your own levels with a Vital Omega-3 and -6 HUFA Test kit. It’s available through VitalChoice.com, and is discounted to participants of the 100 Days to Better Heart Health Program. It’s a great way to know your omega balance starting point, as you challenge yourself to improve your ratio.
What are some common food sources of omega-6 that should be limited?
Ashley Koff: Omega-6 fats are found in the vegetable oils, such as corn and soy, that started replacing butter and lard in the 1960s. They are also found in most margarines, and in most baked goods as well as in fast-food meals and other restaurant dishes.
What are some top food choices you recommend to boost daily omega-3 intake?
Ashley Koff: There are two primary types of omega-3. The only type your body needs is long-chain (EPA and DHA) which is found in seafood. You can get short chain omega-3s (ALA) from plant sources such as flax, but the body can only convert less than 10 percent of dietary ALA into EPA, and less than one-half of one percent into DHA. That’s why it is best to try for two servings a week of fatty fish, such as wild salmon, sardines and tuna.
Do you recommend omega-3 supplements? Continue reading
