3 Ingredient Omega-3 Smoothie to Nourish Your Heart and Brain

by Carol Lehmann

3 Ingredient Omega-3 Smoothie to Nourish Your Heart and Brain 

Chocolate could PREVENT obesity: Scientists say antioxidant in cocoa stops weight gain and lowers blood sugar

Scientists say antioxidant in cocoa stops weight gain and lowers blood sugar

Flavanols in dark chocolate fight weight gain and lower the risk of diabetes

Dark chocolate is also thought to improve concentration, decrease appetite, lower blood pressure and boost heart health

By Emma Innes
It has long been maligned as a source of weight gain.
But chocolate could help prevent obesity and Type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.
Scientists found that an antioxidant in cocoa can prevent weight gain and help lower blood sugar levels.
The researchers say there is also evidence to suggest eating dark chocolate can improve thinking, decrease appetite and lower blood pressure.
The latest study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, revealed that an antioxidant in cocoa can prevent mice from gaining weight and that it also lowered their blood sugar levels.
Dr Andrew Neilson and his colleagues explained this is because cocoa, the basic ingredient of chocolate, is one of the most flavanol-rich foods available.
This is good because antioxidants – of which flavanols are one type - have been shown to help fight weight gain and Type 2 diabetes.
However, not all flavanols are equally beneficial and cocoa contains many different ones.
So, the research team decided to try and establish the individual health benefits of the different flavanols.
The scientists fed groups of mice different diets, including high-fat and low-fat diets, and high-fat diets supplemented with different kinds of flavanols.

They found that adding one particular set of these compounds, known as oligomeric procyanidins (PCs), to the food made the biggest difference in keeping the mice's weight down if they were on high-fat diets.

They also improved glucose tolerance, which could potentially help prevent Type 2 diabetes.
‘Oligomeric PCs appear to possess the greatest anti-obesity and anti-diabetic bioactivities of the flavanols in cocoa, particularly at the low doses employed for the present study,’ the researchers say.
The news comes just after scientists at Louisiana State University released finding which show dark chocolate can reduce blood pressure and improve heart health.

 

 

• SHARE PICTURE

Copy link to paste in your message

 

Chocolate contains flavanols - a type of antioxidant - that help to lower blood sugar levels. They also help fight weight gain. Previous studies have shown dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and improve heart health

The researchers say dark chocolate is beneficial because of the way our guts ferment the fibre in cocoa beans.
Researcher Maria Moore said: 'We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the “good” ones and the “bad” ones.
'The good microbes, such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, feast on chocolate.
'When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it, producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory.'
This naturally forming anti-inflammatory enters the bloodstream and helps protest the heart and arteries from damage.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2595990/Chocolate-PREVENT-obesity-Scientists-say-antioxidant-cocoa-stops-weight-gain-lowers-blood-sugar.html

How stress can clog your arteries

By Sarah C. P. Williams 


There’s a reason people say “Calm down or you’re going to have a heart attack.” Chronic stress—such as that brought on by job, money, or relationship troubles—is suspected to increase the risk of a heart attack. Now, researchers studying harried medical residents and harassed rodents have offered an explanation for how, at a physiological level, long-term stress can endanger the cardiovascular system. It revolves around immune cells that circulate in the blood, they propose.

The new finding is “surprising,” says physician and atherosclerosis researcher Alan Tall of Columbia University, who was not involved in the new study. “The idea has been out there that chronic psychosocial stress is associated with increased cardiovascular disease in humans, but what’s been lacking is a mechanism,” he notes.

Epidemiological studies have shown that people who face many stressors—from those who survive natural disasters to those who work long hours—are more likely to develop atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fatty plaques inside blood vessels. In addition to fats and cholesterols, the plaques contain monocytes and neutrophils, immune cells that cause inflammation in the walls of blood vessels. And when the plaques break loose from the walls where they’re lodged, they can cause more extreme blockages elsewhere—leading to a stroke or heart attack.

Studying the effect of stressful intensive care unit (ICU) shifts on medical residents, biologist Matthias Nahrendorf of Harvard Medical School in Boston recently found that blood samples taken when the doctors were most stressed out had the highest levels of neutrophils and monocytes. To probe whether these white blood cells, or leukocytes, are the missing link between stress and atherosclerosis, he and his colleagues turned to experiments on mice.

Nahrendorf’s team exposed mice for up to 6 weeks to stressful situations, including tilting their cages, rapidly alternating light with darkness, or regularly switching the mice between isolation and crowded quarters. Compared with control mice, the stressed mice—like stressed doctors—had increased levels of neutrophils and monocytes in their blood.

The researchers then homed in on an explanation for the higher levels of immune cells. They already knew that chronic stress increases blood concentrations of the hormone noradrenaline; noradrenaline, Nahrendorf discovered, binds to a cell surface receptor protein called β3 on stem cells in the bone marrow. In turn, the chemical environment of the bone marrow changes and there’s an increase in the activity of the white blood cells produced by the stem cells.

“It makes sense that stress wakes up these immune cells because an enlarged production of leukocytes prepares you for danger, such as in a fight, where you might be injured,” Nahrendorf says. “But chronic stress is a different story—there’s no wound to heal and no infection.”

In mice living with chronic stress, Nahrendorf’s team reported today in Nature Medicine, atherosclerotic plaques more closely resemble plaques known to be most at risk of rupturing and causing a heart attack or stroke. When the scientists blocked the β3 receptor, though, stressed mice not only had fewer of these dangerous plaques, but also had reduced levels of the active immune cells in their plaques, pinpointing β3 as a key link between stress and atheroscelerosis.

The finding could lead to new drugs to help prevent cardiovascular disease, suggests biologist Lynn Hedrick of the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in San Diego, California. “I think this gives us a really direct hint that the β3 receptor is important in regulating the stress-induced response by the bone marrow,” Hedrick says. “If we can develop a drug that targets the receptor, this may be very clinically relevant.”

More immediately, the new observations suggest a way that clinicians could screen patients for their risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke, Tall says. “Rather than asking four questions about stress levels, we could use their white blood cell counts to monitor psychosocial stress,” he says.

How to Use Dark Chocolate as a Medicine

Some medical claims sound too good to be true, but as it turns out – you really can use chocolate dark chocolate as a medicine. Turn out, dark chocolate is full of nutrients and loaded with health benefits.


Dark Chocolate as A Natural Medicine

1. Dark Chocolate Makes You Smarter:
It’s true. Studies have shown that those who consume a nice hot cup of hot chocolate in the evenings before bed have over time improved brain function. It does this by increasing the blood flow in your brain and your heart, which instantly improves your cognitive function.

2. Dark Chocolate Gives You Youth:
High in anti-oxidants, dark chocolate helps combat the radical cell damage caused by toxins and free radical activity through aging. Stay young and healthy by eating chocolate.

3. Dark Chocolate is Excellent for The Heart:
Studies have shown that those who do indulge in eating dark chocolate have lower blood pressure, improved blood flow and have a smaller risk of blood clots. Strengthen your heart by eating dark chocolate 3 times a week.

4. Dark Chocolate Improves Your Mood:
Chocolate has been proven to put you in a better mood, make you calmer and feel more relaxed. Which is just as important as any other health benefit. Now you know why you want chocolate when you’re stressed or in despair.

5. Dark Chocolate is a Vitamin Source:
Chocolate contains some great vitamins and minerals that support good health. This list includes: potassium, copper, magnesium, iron. All of which are in high concentrations to provide you with the protection against such things as: stroke, anemia, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

6. Reduce Your Cholesterol:
Regular consumption of dark chocolate may reduce your cholesterol. Its antioxidants protect oxidation of LDL cholesterol and prevents artery damage.

7. Hot Raw Chocolate For A Cough:
Chocolate contains theobromine which soothes a cough and has a similar effect to codeine. So try a hot cup of almond milk and raw cocoa when you have a cough.

8. Lower Your Blood Pressure:
Flavanols help your arteries to relax, which lowers blood flow and blood pressure.

9. Reduce Stress Levels:
Dark chocolate contains magnesium, which gives us a happy, feel good vibe and lifts our spirit. And there is more – compounds found in dark chocolate lower cortisol levels to relax body and mind.

10. Dark Chocolate Protects Your Skin
Flavonoids in dark chocolate protect your skin from UV damage. But don´t see it as your new sunscreen, you still need that when going out in the sun.

11. Natural Painkiller
Chocolate stimulates our body to produce calming and pain relieving endorphins.

Health coach Amy Goodrich goes on to say, “…don’t get me wrong here… although there are plenty of health benefits, chocolate is unfortunately also high in calories coming from fat and sugar. So don’t swap all your veggie and fruit snacks with chocolate. Like with many things in life, moderation is the key here.”

http://naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/how-to-use-dark-chocolate-as-a-medicine/

After Reading This, You’ll Never Look At Beets The Same Way Again

Beets are really unique healing vegetables. 

 Their nutritional value is kept both raw and cooked. In ancient times, Hippocrates viewed beets as a medicinal plant. Throughout centuries beets were used to treat many diseases. Beets have been used  in the treatment of blood disorders such as iron deficiency – anemia. Beets contain a lot of iron, of all plant products iron content of the beets is the second to garlic. And the iodine content of the beets is the second to Kale. Beets not only provide your body with important nutrients and stimulate your metabolism but also saturate the body with powerful  powerful antioxidants that are prevalent in red beets.

Reasons why you should include beets in your diet

·         Beets contain polyphenols and betalains which reverse the effect of free radical damage and oxidative stress in people.

·         Beets contain various vitamins: B complex vitamins, PP which strengthen capillary walls.

·         Beets contain a lot of minerals – potassium and folate, which aid in healthy heart; magnesium, which aids in bone health; iron and phosphorus which produce energy;  copper, which destroys free radicals; iodine which is involved in the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones, and magnesium.

·         Beets contain cobalt which  promotes the formation of vitamin B12 (which is synthesized by intestinal microflora. Without this vitamin and folic acid the  formation of red blood cells would be impossible.

·         Beets rejuvenate our bodies due to folic acid, which contributes to the creation of new cells.

·         Beets remove toxins from our bodies due to betalin pigments.

·         Beets contain betacyanins, which inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

·         Beets improve digestion due to the dietary fiber.

·         Beets stimulate metabolism.

·         Beets help digest Vitamin D in our bodies.

·         Beets help prevent dementia due to high concentration of nitrates which transformed in the mouth  into nitrites. Researched have showed that nitrites  open up the blood vessels in the body which increases blood flow and helps oxygen to get to to oxygen lacking areas.

·         Beets contain pectin which is in greater numbers than in carrots or apples. Pectin deals  with  excretion of radioactive and heavy metals from the body. In addition, pectin also inhibits the spread  of harmful intestinal bacteria and prevents the development of a whole range of diseases.

As you can see beets possess a plethora of medicinal and healing properties which  also include  lowering the amount of cholesterol, blood pressure, strengthening capillary vessels, providing anti-sclerotic effect and improving brain and liver function, and  help improve fat metabolism.

http://www.themindawakened.com/2014/11/after-reading-this-youll-never-look-at.html#torfDi8S6a12bmdv.99

5 Reasons To Eat More Oatmeal

 By Kate Bratskeir

Need some healthy breakfast ideas? Look no further than oatmeal. Just a cup of cooked oatmeal contains 4 grams of fiber -- nearly the same amount that's in an apple or a cup of cooked brussels spouts. It's incredibly versatile and you can find it just about anywhere (even the drugstore!) so you don't have to compromise health when your stomach's grumbling and the options are limited. Below, find five reasons why eating oatmeal is an excellent choice for your health.

1. Oatmeal can keep you fuller than some other breakfast foods.

That glorious fiber that oatmeal boasts has the power to keep you from excessive snacking between mealtimes. A 2014 study published in Nutrition Journal showed that participants who ate oatmeal felt fuller for longer than those who ate the same serving size of Honey Nut Cheerios.

2. Oatmeal can help lower your cholesterol.

High-fiber foods famously benefit cholesterol levels, and oatmeal is no exception. The soluble fiber in oatmeal helps to reduce the body's absorption of "bad" cholesterol that can increase the risk for heart attacks and strokes, LiveScience reports.

3. Eating oatmeal may reduce your risk of cancer.

High-fiber, whole-grain foods — including oatmeal — have been shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. A 2011 review in the British Medical Journal showed that the risk of colorectal cancer was 20 percent lower for people who consumed an extra 90 grams of whole grains each day.

4. Oatmeal is rich in a heart-protective plant chemical.

Delicious oatmeal is rich in lignans -- a plant chemical protective against cardiovascular diseases. Lignans can be found in other foods, like flax seed, broccoli and apricots.

5. Oatmeal is inexpensive.

You can buy a big container of the stuff for just a few bucks -- and a serving costs less than 20 cents. So it turns out oatmeal can leave both your stomach and wallet feeling satisfied.

Bonus: There are endless ways to eat oatmeal.

If you think oatmeal is boring -- or just a breakfast food -- you are mistaken. You can make savory dishes from the stuff: Top it with some Sriracha and a fried egg, bake it with some bacon or even mix it with some greens (avocado and kale add a really nice texture). And you can get a little creative with your favorite flavors -- try a couple of these recipes and experience the wonders of carrot cake oatmeal, toasted coconut oatmeal, Nutella oatmeal and more.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/29/oatmeal-healthy-eat-it_n_6042640.html?utm_hp_ref=health-fitness&ir=Health+and+Fitness

Chocolate Gives Statins A $29 Billion Run For Their Money

 

Sayer Ji


With the blockbuster cholesterol-lowering class of drugs known as statins being widely promoted for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, despite their having over 300 documented adverse health effects (including heart failure!), how does chocolate sound as a viable, heart-friendly alternative?

We already connect amorously with chocolate (to the tune of 6 billion lbs of cocoa consumed annually worldwide), revealing in heart-felt expressions like "I love it," and "this is to die for!" how comfortable we are with publicly declaring our affection. But did you know that while it makes our emotional hearts sing, it may actually keep our physical hearts happy, alive and ticking longer, as well?

Indeed, back in 2006, researchers found that for elderly men, eating cocoa intake was inversely associated with blood pressure and 15-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. When compared with the lowest tertile (lowest 33%) of cocoa intake, the adjusted relative risk for men in the highest tertile was .50 for cardiovascular mortality, or a 50% reduction, and .53 for all-cause mortality, or a 47% reduction. Not bad considering the median cocoa intake among users was 2.11 grams per day, or just one half an ounce a week. While many people are searching out supplements such as ubiquinol to combat the side effects of statin drugs, they could have been eating chocolate instead.


Anything that can reduce your risk of dying from all causes by 50%, which is not an expensive and potentially dangerous drug, but a food, should be be taken seriously, even if -- paradoxically -- it is usually found in the candy section of the grocery store.

There is no shortage of solid, human clinical research supporting the consumption of cocoa, the signature ingredient in chocolate, for the reduction of both cardiovascular disease risk factors, and "hard" cardiovascular outcomes, e.g. hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, low HDL, stroke, heart disease, etc. GreenMedInfo.com has made 30 such studies available to view on its cocoa page.

The remarkable thing about the research on chocolate is that its consumption appears to improve the pathological condition of the blood vessels known as endothelial dysfunction, and which is believed to be at the root of the problem of plaque accumulation in the arteries, as well as elevated blood lipids. Statins may in fact exert their greatly exaggerated health benefits not by suppressing lipids (as popularly advertised), but by acting as a mild vasodilator through enhancing nitric oxide concentrations in the lining of the blood vessels (endothelium). Statins, however, are produced from chemicals, and therefore guarantee a certain degree of collateral poisoning will take place, whereas chocolate has a long history of safe use both as a food and a medicine. Chocolate has also been extensively researched for effectively lowering blood pressure in those who consume it, which is still considered one of the best ways to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, and which drug-based blood pressure medications are notoriously ineffective at, since they may actually raise cardiac mortality even while effectively lowering blood pressure. In a similar way, statins may effectively suppress blood lipids while at the same time weakening the heart muscle.

Some of cocoa/chocolate's other potential health benefits include:

Inhibiting Accelerated Aging - Not only has the preference for chocolate in older age been linked with better health, optimism and better psychological well-being, but it has also been shown in the fruit fly-based experimental model of aging to have antioxidative, pro-oxidative, and metal-chelating effects associated with increased lifespan. Moreover, research in women shows that long-term ingestion of favanol-rich chocolate (raw chocolate is especially rich in these compounds) protects against UV-induced skin redness and improves their skin condition.

Protecting Against Alzheimers - Cocoa procyanidins attenuate lipid peroxidation associated neuronal cell death in a manner relevant to Alzheimer's disease.

Reducing Stress (Elevated Catecholamines) - Daily consumption of 40 grams of chocolate during a 2 week period reduces the urinary excretion of cortisol and catecholamines, while reducing other metabolic indicators of stress, including gut microbial metabolism.

Inhibiting Cholesterol Oxidation - Rather than fixating on the absolute number of lipoproteins or cholesterol within the blood (quantitiative analysis) it makes sense to ensure that those lipids don't undergo excessive oxidize (qualitative analysis) which is associated with injury to the blood vessels and the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. More than a few studies have found that chocolate prevents LDL cholesterol oxidation, while also boosting the beneficial HDL cholesterol

Boosting Cognitive Performance - Chocolate, along with flavonoid-rich red wine and tea, were shown to boost cognitive performance in elderly men and women, with the maximum effect at intacts of 10g/d, or the equivalent of 2 ½ ounces a week.

Inhibiting Cancer - Limited, though significant research indicates that cocoa is capable of inhibiting certain types of cancer. The growth of prostate cancer cells have been selectively inhibited with cocoa polyphenols, and animal research indicates that cocoa liquor is capable of inhibiting chemically-induced liver cancer.

Improving Diabetes - New research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has revealed that the consumption of chocolate, or its active constituents (cocoa, flavan-3-ols), reduces a broad range of risk factors for cardiovascular disease including insulin resistance. The researchers looked at 42 acute and long-term studies and found a 33% median reduction in insulin resistance following chocolate consumption. What is so unique about this new study is that chocolate consumption is generally believed to elevate blood sugar and blood insulin levels; not only does it disprove this myth but it sheds additional light on why chocolate consumption (especially dark, organic) may be beneficial in both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Boosting Sexual Function - Chocolate is an excellent vasodilator, which is one reason why it has been traditionally linked to improved fertility and virility. Research also indicates that chocolate consumption is linked to higher sexual function in women, as well.

This is only a sampling from the research we have gathered on chocolate/cocoa's potential health benefits, of which there are several dozen.

Lastly, any serious discussion on the medicinal properties of chocolate should be qualified by pointing out that chocolate is often unfairly traded, and has even been linked to child enslavement. Non-organic cocoa may also contain residues of the dangerous herbicide glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup), among many other biocides used in conventional farming, so the consumer must take special care to avoid these moral and physiological pitfalls. Also, because chocolate has complex pharmacologically active properties, it must be consumed in moderation, and with attention paid towards the tendency for using it to self-medicate, especially when the cocoa content is lower and the sugar content higher.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/chocolate-gives-statins-29-billion-run-their-money

Foods that help lower blood pressure

The foods below all contain high levels of potassium.

Potassium is one of four essential electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium) used in the body. Potassium helps to lower high blood pressure by counteracting the negative effect of sodium. Too much sodium makes your body hold onto excess fluid which leads to an increase in blood volume which in turn increases blood pressure. Potassium helps your kidneys expel sodium and excess fluid from the body which lowers blood pressure due to the reduction in fluid volume.

Note: University of Pennsylvania researchers discovered that just 10 days of potassium restriction in the diet increased blood pressure for both people with normal and raised blood pressure.

Most people eat way too much (salt is comprised of 40% sodium and 60% chloride) and not enough potassium so you have a double negative. The goal here is to increase consumption of potassium rich foods to counteract the negative effect of salt. However to get the maximum benefit from this it is also recommended to cut back on the salt as well.

Note: Both the American Heart Association and the Blood Pressure Association in the UK recommend eating a diet high in potassium to help lower high blood pressure. Additionally most national health authorities now recommend increasing potassium consumption via diet along with reducing sodium intake.

Below are some of the main high potassium fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables contain the highest amount of potassium of any food type. The only other notable source of potassium is dairy products. Dairy also has the benefit of being high in calcium and should be included daily in your diet, but be sure to choose low fat dairy options.

High potassium vegetables

Artichoke
Baked beans (can be high in salt!)
Butternut squash
Beetroot
All beans and peas
Cabbage
Cucumber
Carrots
Brussels sprouts
Lentils
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Parsnips
Spinach
Tomatoes
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Sweet Potato
Celery
Kale

High potassium fruits/nuts/seeds

Apple
Avocado
Bananas
Dried dates
Dried apricots
Figs
Kiwi fruit
Mango
Orange and orange juice
Papaya
Strawberries
Watermelon
Raisins
Prunes and prune juice
Pear
Nectarines
Grapefruit
Pomegranate
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Peanuts
Brazil nuts
Almonds

To help lower blood pressure try to eat 5 portions of the high potassium fruit and vegetables a day (a simple guide to portion size is a portion is roughly the size of your closed fist).

The way I managed to up my potassium rich food was by including the vegetables in main meals and snacking on the fruit, nuts and seeds when hungry in between meals. I also found dried fruit useful for adding variety.

This might seem difficult to begin with but give it a go and once you start try and stick with it as the benefits and the reduction in blood pressure happens of several weeks and months. I found it got much easier after the first week as it became more of a habit.

If you really are struggling to eat 5 portions a day any increase will be beneficial and is worth the effort. For example a small study showed that eating two bananas a day had a positive and measurable reduction in blood pressure.

Note: increasing calcium and magnesium has also been shown to help lower blood pressure. Many of the high potassium foods also contain calcium or magnesium.

Not only will upping the fruit and vegetables help to lower your blood pressure, but all the additional vitamins, minerals and fibre will also help you avoid certain cancers, bowel problems, heart attacks and lower cholesterol. You’ll also likely have more energy and look and feel better!

An additional benefit that has recently been reported in the journal Stroke states that people eating lots of potassium rich foods have a reduced risk of stroke. The report says that for each 1,000-milligram (mg) increase in daily potassium, the odds of suffering a stroke in the next five to 14 years declined by 11 percent. The researchers do state that the findings do not prove that it is just the potassium alone in the potassium rich food which produces the positive effect, but who cares!

The science that potassium helps to lower blood pressure can’t be ignored. It has simply been proven so many times. On a personal level, after following a higher potassium diet for two months my blood pressure dropped by approximately 10 systolic and 5 diastolic. I only had stage 1 high blood pressure and many studies have shown that higher the blood pressure to begin with, results in greater the reduction in blood pressure.

Note: supplementation with potassium tablets is not advised. Excessive intake of potassium can lead to a condition known as Hyperkalemia in people with compromised kidney function. The recommended intake of potassium is 4.7mg per day. Providing you do not go too far over this via your diet you will be fine. If you do have a kidney problem consult your doctor before increasing your potassium intake.
http://knowledgeweighsnothing.com/40-foods-that-help-lower-blood-pressure/

The Global Geography of Heart Disease

By ANDREW GIAMBRONE
Why cardiovascular health is improving in the United States but falling in developing nations

Some good news for heart health this week: A new study published by the journal Circulation reports that America—home of the Big Mac, Dunkin’ Donuts, and all things super-sized—has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of cardiovascular hospitalizations and deaths over the past decade. This is a big deal, since cardiovascular disease is currently the number one cause of death in the United States.

“Nobody thought all the efforts we’re making [against heart disease] could cause so much progress so fast,” said Harlan Krumholz, lead author of the study and professor at the Yale School of Medicine. “This is a kind of triumph of implementation science and systems.”

That triumph was captured in the following numbers, for individuals older than 65: Hospitalization rates among all races and areas dropped 38 percent for heart attack, 30.5 percent for heart failure, 33.6 percent for ischemic stroke, and 83.8 percent for sudden chest pain. Similarly, individuals’ risk of dying within a year of hospitalization fell by an average of about 18 percent across those conditions. To determine this, the researchers looked at data for 34 million Medicare Fee-For-Service patients from 1999 to 2011—“a representative group” for those with heart disease, Krumholz said—controlling for age, race, sex, location, and preexisting conditions like diabetes.

Related Story

A Heart Surgeon's Viral Confession
How can this be? America and much of the world is in the midst of an obesity crisis, or even a “global obesity epidemic,” as the World Health Organization has declared.

“Now there’s still a ways to go,” Krumholz, the study author, admits. “But in the U.S., we’ve seen great advances both on the prevention side and the treatment side, so outcomes have improved.”

These improvements include better screening for heart conditions, quality of care, lifestyle changes, awareness, and use of evidence-based treatments, such as surgery and cholesterol-lowering statins.

In other words, the United States has started to reverse its heart disease epidemic through conscious efforts to administer effective treatments and to combat preventable risk factors: tobacco use, lack of physical activity, abuse of alcohol, and unhealthy diets. Despite American gains, however, cardiovascular trends have not been as rosy in the developing world. In fact, Brazil, Russia, India, and China have experienced some of the globe’s fastest-growing rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which kill more than 36 million people around the world each year. Heart disease accounts for roughly half of these deaths, at 17.3 million people annually, 9 million of whom die before the age of 60.

The tallies are telling. In China alone, one in five adults (totaling more than 200 million people) has cardiovascular disease, and annual cardiovascular events are predicted to jump 50 percent by 2030. Largely due to the proliferation of fast-food chains and poorer diets in China, these statistics could translate to an additional 21.3 million cardiovascular events and 7.7 million cardiovascular deaths in that country each year. Meanwhile, in Brazil, heart disease comprises more than 30 percent of annual mortality rates, followed by cancer (17 percent), and other NCDs (15 percent).

India has similar problems. In 2012, the Indian Heart Watch released an illustrative study at the World Congress of Cardiology, which found that cardiovascular disease is increasing there because of key lifestyle risk factors: 79 percent of men and 83 percent of women were found to be physically inactive, while around 50 percent of both men and women had high-fat diets. In addition, nearly 60 percent of Indian men and women showed low intake of fruit and vegetables, and 12 percent of men smoked.

"Nobody thought all the efforts we’re making against heart disease could cause so much progress so fast."
These countries’ economies may be booming, but their cardiovascular health standards are falling behind. That’s because sedentary lifestyles, cheaper costs for unhealthy food, urbanization, and cultural phenomena such as binge-watching shows on Netflix instead of exercising have put their populations at higher risks for heart disease. The same factors have long contributed to cardiovascular disease in the U.S., except now it seems we’ve found ways to fight and prevent them.

The consequences are both existential and financial. The World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health estimated in a 2011 report that the global cost of cardiovascular disease will rise 22 percent in the next 20 years and surpass $1 trillion total. This figure represents direct healthcare costs as well as productivity lost from disability or premature death, or time lost from work because of illness.

As economies have grown in these foreign countries, so has cardiovascular disease. Yet the U.S.—another country with a lot of money and a lot of heart problems—appears to have found a potential solution in preventative and evidence-based treatments.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/the-countries-losing-the-fight-against-heart-disease/379021/

7 Reasons Why We Should Be Giving More Hugs

By Lindsay Holmes

                               

   Admit it: Nothing gives you comfort quite like a warm hug.

Whether you're wrapped up in the arms of your partner or greeting a friend hello, hugs have a way of making us feel warm and fuzzy inside. But aside from making us feel protected and loved, this touching gesture can also do wonders for our well-being. So whether it's a simple squeeze, a big bear hug or some cute cuddling -- there are plenty of reasons why we should embrace the act of, well, embracing someone.Below, find seven reasons why we should be giving more hugs.

They make us feel good.

The simple act of a hug isn't just felt on our arms. When we embrace someone,oxytocin (also known as "the cuddle hormone") is released, making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The chemical has also been linked to social bonding. "Oxytocin is a neuropeptide, which basically promotes feelings of devotion, trust and bonding,"DePauw University psychologist Matt Hertenstein told NPR. "It really lays the biological foundation and structure for connecting to other people."

More hugs = lower blood pressure.

The hormones that are released in the body after a hug aren't just good for happy feelings -- they can also help your physical health. When someone touches you, the sensation on your skin activates pressure receptors called Pacinian corpuscles, which then send signals to the vagus nerve, an area of the brain that is responsible for (among many things) lowering blood pressure, NPR reported.

They may alleviate our fears.

In a study on fears and self-esteem, research published in the journal Psychological Science revealed that hugs and touch significantly reduce worry of mortality. The studies found that hugging -- even if it was just an inatimate object like a teddy bear -- helps soothe individuals' existential fears. "Even fleeting and seemingly trivial instances of interpersonal touch may help people to deal more effectively with existential concern," lead researcher Sander Koole wrote in the study. "Interpersonal touch is such a powerful mechanism that even objects that simulate touch by another person may help to instill in people a sense of existential significance."

Hugging can be good for our hearts.

Embracing someone may warm your heart, but according to one study a hug can be good medicine for it too: In an experiment at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill , participants who didn't have any contact with their partners developed a quickened heart rate of 10 beats per minute compared to the five beats per minute among those who got to hug their partners during the experiment.

Adults can benefit from hugging the most.

According to researchers at Ohio State University, hugging and physical touch becomes increasingly important with age. "The older you are, the more fragile you are physically, so contact becomes increasingly important for good health," University psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser told USA TODAY. Studies have shown that loneliness, particularly with age, can also increase stress and have averse health effects. By hugging someone, we instantly feel closer to that person and decrease feelings of loneliness.

Hugs are a natural stress reliever.

Feeling strung out? Go give someone a squeeze. When we embrace, we immediatelyreduce the amount of the stress hormone cortisol produced in our bodies. Hugs also make our bodies release tension and send calming messages to the brain.

Well-hugged babies are less stressed as adults.

Want to do something for future generations? Hug them when they're still little. An Emory University study in rats found a link between touch and relieving stress, particularly in the early stages of life. The research concluded that the same can be said of humans, citing that babies' development -- including how they cope with stress as adults -- depends on a combination of nature and nurture.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/health-benefits-of-huggin_n_5008616.html

                                 

10 Benefits of Beetroot You Probably Don’t Know

 BY TEGAN JONES
Beetroot, or beets, seem to be one of the most overlooked vegetables on the figurative menu. This may be because the majority of people are only exposed to the acidic pickled variety you get in cans. Or maybe it’s just because it seems to infiltrate and stain any other food it comes into contact with. If you’re an Australian like me, you’ve probably had at least one burger that has ended up bright purple because of a pesky beetroot inclusion.


It’s time for you to put the canned stuff down and try roasting off a fresh beet in the oven. Or perhaps you could try sipping on a glass of beetroot juice. Trust me, it’s delicious. Either way, you need to start putting your beetroot prejudices aside because they are actually incredibly healthy for you. Here are 11 benefits of beetroot that

1. Anemia
Beetroot is high in iron, which means it can assist in preventing anemia and low blood hemoglobin. It also helps the body’s absorption of iron, which enables good blood circulation and the capacity of oxygen that the red blood cells can carry.

2. Cancer Prevention
There are several elements contained within beetroot that can help to fight cancer. The first is betacyanin, which has been linked to the reduction of tumors and precancerous lesions. Betacyanin is also what gives beetroot its dark red pigmentation. The second is betanin, which has been effective in both liver and skin tumors.just might change your mind:

3. Heart Health
Beetroot can aid in preventing heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. This is because it has the ability to lower your blood pressure and thus stop hypertension.

4. Weight Loss and Digestion
Your digestion and metabolism can be greatly aided by beetroot. It does this by stimulating the nerves in your intestine as well as helping your body to digest your food—particularly those of the fatty variety. In addition, it contains fiber, which further aids your digestive system and helps to keep you regular. The fiber found within beetroot, as well as the protein and carbohydrates, can also help you to lose weight because they help you to feel full and satisfied longer on very few calories.

5. Pregnancy
Beetroot is one of the best vegetables that an expectant mother can have. This is because it contains folic acid, which is imperative for the proper formation of an unborn baby’s spinal cord. As such, it also helps to prevent conditions such as spina bifida.

6. Skincare and the Aging Process
Antioxidants and phenolic compounds are found in high quantities within beetroot. This is good news because both help to remove free radicals from your system as well as prevent DNA and cell damage. This is beneficial for your skin because destroying free radicals means that it will be protected from premature aging.

Beetroot also contains anti-inflammatory properties that will further help to prevent aging and age-related diseases.

7. Optimizes Exercise

Beetroot has an astounding effect on brain function, particularly in older members of the population. It helps to increase blood flow to the brain, which subsequently can assist in fighting off dementia. In addition to this, the vegetable can improve cognitive functions in people of all ages.

9. Detox
Beetroot juice is highly effective at helping your liver to detoxify. This is primarily due to the methionine and glycine betaine that it contains. They both stimulate the liver cells and as well as support detoxification. The juice also protects your liver from the fatty depositions that are caused by protein deficiency and alcohol abuse. No, this does not give you the excuse to drink more.

10. Sexual Health
Now we get to the fun stuff. As I previously mentioned, beetroot contains nitrate, which helps carry oxygen around your body. It does this by widening your blood vessels, which means that the blood flow to your genitals is also increased. This is the same effect that Viagra replicates. Furthermore, beetroot contains boron, a chemical compound that’s essential to the production of the human sex hormone. So if you prefer going au naturel, try putting the little blue pill down for a night and having a glass of beetroot juice instead.


Love this article? Share it with your friends on Facebook

 http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-beetroot-you-probably-dont-know.html

Cashews Are A Natural Anti-Depressant

2 handfuls of cashews is the therapeutic equivalent of a prescription dose of Prozac. Inside you, the essential amino acid L-tryptophan is broken down into anxiety-reducing, snooze-inducing niacin. Even more important, tryptophan is also made into serotonin, one of your body’s most important neurotransmitters. Serotonin gives a feeling of well-being and mellowness, or as the Australians would say, “no worries.” This is such a profound effect that Prozac, Paxil and similar antidepressants usually either mimic serotonin or artificially keep the body’s own serotonin levels high. You can do the same thing with your food. And no one can tell us that beans, peas, cheese, nuts and wheat germ are toxic if you eat a lot of them!

Plenty of carbohydrates (starches) in your meals help tryptophan get to where it does the most good: in your brain. In order to cross the blood-brain barrier to get in, carbos are required. So cheese and crackers provides a better effect than the cheese standing alone. An egg or two on toast is better than just the egg. Beans, peas, and nuts already contain carbohydrate, so you are all set there.

Consider that five servings of beans, a few portions of peanut butter, or just one big handful of cashews provides one to two thousand milligrams of tryptophan, which will work as well as prescription antidepressants… but don’t tell the drug companies. Some skeptics think that the pharmaceutical people already know. Here are two quotes in evidence:

“Pay careful attention to what is happening with dietary supplements in the legislative arena… If these efforts are successful, there could be created a class of products to compete with approved drugs. The establishment of a separate regulatory category for supplements could undercut exclusivity rights enjoyed by the holders of approved drug applications.” (Source: FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy David Adams, at the Drug Information Association Annual Meeting, July 12, 1993)

Here are 15 other Amazing Health Benefits Of Cashew Nuts

Who doesn’t know about cashew nuts? Caju is what we call them in India. We use them mostly in sweets and children love to eat them as they are. They are full of anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals which are required for the normal functioning of the body. They actually belong to Brazil but Portuguese brought them to India in the 16th century. The kidney shaped or bean shaped nuts have many health benefits, a few of which are presented below:

1. Prevents Cancer:

Proanthocyanidins are a class of flavonols which fight against tumor cells by stopping them to divide further. These proanthocyanidins and high copper content in cashew nuts help fight against cancerous cells and keeps you away from colon cancer. This is one of the major cashew nut benefits.

2. Healthy Heart:

Cashews contain low fat content when compared to other nuts and that too in the oleic acid form which is very healthy for heart. They are cholesterol free and the antioxidants present keeps you away from heart diseases.

3. Lowers High Blood Pressure:

Cashew nuts lower your blood pressure with the help of magnesium present in them.

4. Helps Hair:

Copper is the mineral which helps your hair get that color. So if you take cashews which are full of copper content, you can get that black hair that you always wished for.

5. Healthy Bones:

Like calcium, magnesium is also important for bone health which is the main content in cashew nuts.

6. Healthy Nerves:

Magnesium is stored on the bones surface which prevents calcium from entering the nerve cells and thus keeps the blood vessels and muscles relaxed. Insufficient amount of magnesium can lead calcium to enter the blood vessels leading them to contract. It also leads to high blood pressure, migraine headache etc.

7. Prevents Gallstones:

Daily intake of cashewnut can reduce the risk of developing gallstones up to 25%.

8. Helps in Weight Loss:

Even though cashew nuts are considered as fats, it contains good cholesterol. So contrary to popular belief, those who eat cashews at least twice a week gain less weight when compared to those who eat less.

9. Anti-oxidants:

Selenium, copper, magnesium etc. act as co-factors for many enzymes.

10. Helps Digestion:

Cashew nuts help in growth and development, nucleic acid synthesis and digestion.

11. High on Vitamins:

Cashew nuts are rich in vitamins like riboflavin, pantothenic acid, thiamin, niacin etc. These vitamins keep you safe from sideroblastic anemia, pellagra, etc.

12. Healthy Gums and Teeth:

As mentioned before, the magnesium content present in cashew nuts is very good for bones. So it gives healthy teeth as well as strong gums to hold them.

13. Pleasant sleep:

After menopause, these cashew nuts can give you relaxed and pleasant sleep during nights.

14. Free Radicals:

Cashew nuts help our body to utilize iron properly and eliminate free radicals which cause health problems.

15. Macular Degeneration:

Cashew nuts have the ability to filter Sun’s UV rays and protect us from macular degeneration.

Now that you know the health benefits of Cashew nuts, ensure that you eat a few once every week I am sure you already love them.

Sources:

#1, www.tinyurl.com/ax8gdy

#2, 15 benefits: www.tinyurl.com/p7qarmn

~ Food Matters FILM

Dave Sommers
http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2014/03/3149.html

Study Questions Fat and Heart Disease Link

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

 
A new study questions the relationship between heart disease and saturated fat.

Many of us have long been told that saturated fat, the type found in meat, butter and cheese, causes heart disease. But a large and exhaustive new analysis by a team of international scientists found no evidence that eating saturated fat increased heart attacks and other cardiac events.

The new findings are part of a growing body of research that has challenged the accepted wisdom that saturated fat is inherently bad for you and will continue the debate about what foods are best to eat.

For decades, health officials have urged the public to avoid saturated fat as much as possible, saying it should be replaced with the unsaturated fats in foods like nuts, fish, seeds and vegetable oils.

But the new research, published on Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, did not find that people who ate higher levels of saturated fat had more heart disease than those who ate less. Nor did it find less disease in those eating higher amounts of unsaturated fat, including monounsaturated fat like olive oil or polyunsaturated fat like corn oil.

“My take on this would be that it’s not saturated fat that we should worry about” in our diets, said Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury, the lead author of the new study and a cardiovascular epidemiologist in the department of public health and primary care at Cambridge University.

But Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the findings should not be taken as “a green light” to eat more steak, butter and other foods rich in saturated fat. He said that looking at individual fats and other nutrient groups in isolation could be misleading, because when people cut down on fats they tend to eat more bread, cold cereal and other refined carbohydrates that can also be bad for cardiovascular health.

“The single macronutrient approach is outdated,” said Dr. Hu, who was not involved in the study. “I think future dietary guidelines will put more and more emphasis on real food rather than giving an absolute upper limit or cutoff point for certain macronutrients.”

He said people should try to eat foods that are typical of the Mediterranean diet, like nuts, fish, avocado, high-fiber grains and olive oil. A large clinical trial last year, which was not included in the current analysis, found that a Mediterranean diet with more nuts and extra virgin olive oil reduced heart attacks and strokes when compared with a lower fat diet with more starches.

Alice H. Lichtenstein, a nutritional biochemist at Tufts University, agreed that “it would be unfortunate if these results were interpreted to suggest that people can go back to eating butter and cheese with abandon,” citing evidence that replacing saturated fat with foods that are high in polyunsaturated fats – instead of simply eating more carbohydrates – reduces cardiovascular risk.

Dr. Lichtenstein, who was not involved in the latest study, was the lead author of the American Heart Association’s dietary guidelines, which recommend that people restrict saturated fat to as little as 5 percent of their daily calories, or roughly two tablespoons of butter or two ounces of Cheddar cheese for the typical person eating about 2,000 calories a day. The heart association states that restricting saturated fat and eating more unsaturated fat, beans and vegetables can protect against heart disease by lowering low-density lipoprotein or so-called bad cholesterol.

In the new research, Dr. Chowdhury and his colleagues sought to evaluate the best evidence to date, drawing on nearly 80 studies involving more than a half million people. They looked not only at what people reportedly ate, but at more objective measures such as the composition of fatty acids in their bloodstreams and in their fat tissue. The scientists also reviewed evidence from 27 randomized controlled trials – the gold standard in scientific research – that assessed whether taking polyunsaturated fat supplements like fish oil promoted heart health.

The researchers did find a link between trans fats, the now widely maligned partially hydrogenated oils that had long been added to processed foods, and heart disease. But they found no evidence of dangers from saturated fat, or benefits from other kinds of fats.

The primary reason saturated fat has historically had a bad reputation is that it increases low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL, the kind that raises the risk for heart attacks. But the relationship between saturated fat and LDL is complex, said Dr. Chowdhury. In addition to raising LDL cholesterol, saturated fat also increases high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the so-called good cholesterol. And the LDL that it raises is a subtype of big, fluffy particles that are generally benign. Doctors refer to a preponderance of these particles as LDL pattern A.

The smallest and densest form of LDL is more dangerous. These particles are easily oxidized and are more likely to set off inflammation and contribute to the buildup of artery-narrowing plaque. An LDL profile that consists mostly of these particles, known as pattern B, usually coincides with high triglycerides and low levels of HDL, both risk factors for heart attacks and stroke.

The smaller, more artery-clogging particles are increased not by saturated fat, but by sugary foods and an excess of carbohydrates, Dr. Chowdhury said. “It’s the high carbohydrate or sugary diet that should be the focus of dietary guidelines,” he said. “If anything is driving your low-density lipoproteins in a more adverse way, it’s carbohydrates.”

While the new research showed no relationship overall between saturated or polyunsaturated fat intake and cardiac events, there are numerous unique fatty acids within these two groups, and there was some indication that they are not all equal.

When the researchers looked at fatty acids in the bloodstream, for example, they found that margaric acid, a saturated fat in milk and dairy products, was associated with lower cardiovascular risk. Two types of omega-3 fatty acids, the polyunsaturated fats found in fish, were also protective. But a number of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, commonly found in vegetable oils and processed foods, may pose risks, the findings suggested.

The researchers then looked at data from the randomized trials to see if taking supplements like fish oil produced any cardiovascular benefits. It did not.

But Dr. Chowdhury said there might be a good explanation for this discrepancy. The supplement trials mostly involved people who had pre-existing heart disease or were at high risk of developing it, while the other studies involved generally healthy populations.

So it is possible that the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids lie in preventing heart disease, rather than treating or reversing it. At least two large clinical trials designed to see if this is the case are currently underway.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Health&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=Blogs

11 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

11 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy
by Dan Cassidy

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. But luckily it is preventable. So put down the cheeseburger, order a funny movie from Netflix, and read these 11 ways to keep your heart healthy for many years to come.



1. Eat Healthy
This should be a no brainer…the foods you put in your body will affect how it runs. Just think, if you were to put low-grade gasoline in a high-performing car, do you think that engine is going to run as well as it can? You’re right, it won’t. So your “high-performance gasoline” should include a heart-healthy diet full of fruits & vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats like the kind in olive oil, salmon, and nuts. Steer clear of foods high in saturated fats; this means you’ll need to say “no” to Ronald, the King and all the other fast foods you pass on your daily commute!

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of heart disease. If you’re not sure whether you’re in either of these risk categories, go to your doctor and get measured to find out…and then take action to drop the extra pounds.

3. Get Moving!
Regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight while lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. The Surgeon General recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily. Don’t have time? Try these 4 ways to sneak in a workout while you’re on your way to work.

4. Check your Blood Pressure
Unless you’re monitoring your blood pressure, it could be super-high and you may not know it. And since heart-attacks can happen at any time, you’ll want to minimize your risk factors and make sure your blood pressure is within a healthy range.

5. Don’t Smoke
Along with all the ugly stuff smoking does; stain your teeth, give you bad breath, and pull your hard-earned money out of your pocket, smoking is proven to cause cancer, stroke, emphysema, and that’s right…heart disease. Learn how to drop this bad habit on your way to reclaiming your health.

6. Limit Alcohol Use
Drinking alcohol in excess can raise your blood pressure. That means men should have no more than 2 glasses of alcohol daily, and no more than one for women. See a few tips on how you can drink less alcohol here.

7. Check your Cholesterol
Get your cholesterol levels checked at least once every 5 years. It’s a simple blood test and could show early indications that you’re at elevated risk of heart disease.

8. Manage your Diabetes
If you have diabetes it’s important you monitor your blood sugar levels closely.

9. Take your Medicine
If your doctor has prescribed medication for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, make sure you take it as prescribed and talk to your doctor if you have questions.

10. Laugh!
The old saying that laughter is the best medicine actually has some truth in it. According to a study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center, laughing may actually reduce your risk of heart disease.

11. Relax…
High-stress levels can increase your risk of heart disease. So if you’re stressed, what can you do? Tons! Try meditation, acupuncture, measuring your stress levels (yup, that works), or mini-meditations and affirmations to help you relax.

The Takeaway
If you’re at risk for heart disease, follow these ways to keep your heart healthy so you can be around for your friends, family, and most important, yourself! And if you’re in great health already, share these tips with someone who can use a nudge in the right direction.

http://inspiyr.com/american-heart-month-heart-healthy-tips/2/