Dairy intake doesn’t lead to heart attacks, researchers say
Providence, RI, United States (AHN) – Although dairy products can be high in saturated fat, dairy consumption likely does not lead to heart disease, according to a new study.
Brown University researchers studied the health records of thousands of adults in Costa Rica and found that their levels of dairy consumption had nothing to do with their risk of heart attack.
The researchers hypothesize that the saturated fat in dairy products is still harmful, but other nutrients found in them may be protective against heart disease.
These potentially-beneficial nutrients include calcium, vitamin D, potassium, magnesium and conjugated linoleic acid.
The researchers point to eggs as an example of the changing attitudes toward dairy. Doctors used to warn against eating eggs on a regular basis because they are high in cholesterol, but more studies have emerged touting their health benefits because they are high in other nutrients.
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Washington issues new Dietary Guidelines for Americans
D.C., Washington, United States (AHN) – The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services released Monday the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It was the first update in five years in compliance with federal laws.
The guidelines made 23 recommendations for the general population and six for specific groups such as pregnant women.
The guidelines recommended a daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of salt, but placed a lower 1,500 mg cap for Americans 51 years old and above, African Americans or people with chronic ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney problems.
It also encouraged the population to cut their calorie intake by 10 percent, particularly by replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and reduction of cholesterol intake by 300 mg daily.
Also recommended by the guidelines was a reduction of calories from solid fats and sugars added to food, and moderation in alcohol intake to one drink daily for women and two drinks for men. But an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption was encouraged, and fat-free or low-fat and milk products. The guidelines said at least half of the plate should be made up of fruit and veggies.
More seafood consumption to replace meat and poultry intake was also suggested, while breastfeeding women were recommended to eat weekly 8 to 12 ounces of various types of seafood.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack pointed out that the release of the guidelines comes at a time when the U.S. is grappling with an overweight problem with majority of adults and one-third of children classified as obese or overweight. Vilsack said it is an issue federal officials could no longer ignore.
Vilsack said the bottom line behind the guidelines is to trim the American waistline to cut the risk of acquiring diet-related chronic diseases and to improve eating habits.
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High Blood Pressure – Natural Treatment, Causes And Symptoms
Heart pumps out the blood to all the tissues and organs of the body through the vessels called arteries. When the blood flows in the arteries with pressure it results into hypertension which is also known as high blood pressure. Normal measurement of blood pressure is 120/80 and when this measurement goes to 140/90 or above then this condition is considered to be high blood pressure.
There are many causes of blood pressure and sometimes it is the result of another disease. In that case when the root cause is treated the blood pressure returns to its normal position. This condition may be kidney disease which is chronic, pregnancy, dysfunction of thyroid, intake of birth control pills, addiction of alcohol, tumors and coarctation of the aorta.
Many factors, that cause high blood pressure is still unknown. But some factors that contributes to the cause of high blood pressure are age, race, overweight, hereditary, intake of excess sodium, use of alcohol, lack of exercise and also due to intake of certain medications.
Some of the major symptoms of high blood pressure are-blurred vision, Nausea, dizziness and constant headache. Sometimes the high blood pressure show no symptoms but cause progressive damage to heart, blood vessels and other organs. If the degree of high blood pressure is high then it requires immediate hospitalization. It is very necessary to lower the blood pressure to prevent stroke or brain hemorrhage.
Blood pressure can be reduced to a great extent through nutritional changes. It is necessary to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables. It not only reduces our fat and cholesterol but also reduces the blood pressure with loss in weight also.
1. Restrict the intake of sugar, salt, refined foods, junk foods, caffeine, dairy products and fried products.
2. Drink plenty of water
3. Avoid food sensitivities
4. Increase the intake of fresh, whole, unrefined, unprocessed foods. It is necessary to include vegetables, fruits, garlic, onion, olive oil, cold water fish, soy, beans and whole grains in your diet. It will finally lower the blood pressure and weight is also reduced.
5. It is must to reduce the intake of sodium in your diet. It will help in reducing the blood pressure. This fact is known to almost every educated person.
6. Some herbal medicines also reduce our blood pressure.
7. To lower the blood pressure flaxseed meal is also a best option. Grind 2-4 tablespoon and take it daily.
8. Vitamin C, calcium and coenzyme are also recommended top lower the blood pressure.
People’s Pharmacy: Clearing up confusion about vitamin D intake
People’s Pharmacy answers queries on clearing up confusion about vitamin D intake; a recipe to combat cockroaches; and eating avocados to lower cholesterol.
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Does A High Cholesterol Diet Increase Cholesterol In The Body?
If you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you’re probably trying to modify your existing diet to lower your cholesterol. You might be surprised to learn that a high cholesterol diet is not necessarily the culprit behind your high serum lipid levels.
Let’s talk about cholesterol first, and then we’ll get into the effects of a high cholesterol diet. What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a fatlike substance that is synthesized by the body. That’s right! We make it in our bodies. Only animal products contain cholesterol. If it didn’t have a liver, it doesn’t have cholesterol! As a matter of fact, I get a kick out of food labels that tout “No Cholesterol” as a marketing tool when the food item never had a chance of having cholesterol in the first place. I know what you’re thinking. Some items have cholesterol and it doesn’t appear to be an animal product. This is simply because they used animal fat to produce the product.
Cholesterol is used in the body as a structural component of cell membranes and in the synthesis of some hormones as well as Vitamin D. Doesn’t seem so bad, right? Wrong. The problem is that when cholesterol is being transported in the blood stream, it tends to stick to the walls of arteries which of course, isn’t a good thing. When there’s a high amount of cholesterol in the body, this is far more prevalent. So, does a high cholesterol diet raise the level of cholesterol in the body?
Yes and no. There, how’s that for fence-sitting! Seriously, the actual cholesterol component in a high cholesterol diet doesn’t necessarily raise blood levels of cholesterol. More importantly is the fat that is usually in the high cholesterol items. Remember how I told you that cholesterol is only in animal products? Well, animal products such as steak contain a lot of fat. In addition, foods that are not even high in cholesterol and are high in fat are generally what need to be eliminated when trying to lower high cholesterol levels.
The fat that we’re talking about here is that nasty old saturated fat. It has been well documented that high levels of saturated fat in a person’s diet raise total cholesterol levels and more importantly, LDL (the bad one). Saturated fat is found in fatty meats, greasy, salty snacks and most baked goods as well as other high fat foods. A high cholesterol diet may or may not contain high saturated fatty acids.
In addition, diets high in fat are often consumed by people who are overweight. People who are overweight tend to not exercise (not that all overweight people don’t exercise). Carrying extra weight and not exercising contribute to increased blood cholesterol. So, you can see there are a lot of contributing factors to high cholesterol than simply a high cholesterol diet.
More importantly than worrying about a high cholesterol diet, your diet will be lower in cholesterol naturally if you lower your fat intake. Keep your fat intake less than 30% of your daily intake. If you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, go for less than 25% of total calories. Watch saturated fat intake closely. Work towards getting your fat intake from healthier sources such as fish and oils like canola oil.
There’s also a significant portion of people with high cholesterol that don’t follow a high cholesterol diet, do not consume high amounts of fat and do exercise regularly. These people are merely genetically predisposed to having high cholesterol. Though they may achieve some lowering of cholesterol through increasing their efforts at exercise and adding foods known for lowering cholesterol, they will probably still need a medication.
Look closely at a high cholesterol diet and re-evaluate it based on the amount of fat it contains. Lower your fat intake overall and you’ll probably notice you are not eating foods high in cholesterol, either. This is the best way to avoid letting your diet affect your blood cholesterol.
Author: Darlene Nicholson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Mobile device news
