Healthy Heart – Important Studies Show the Whole Grain Connection

Joe Golson asked:


As scientists around the world continue their pursuit of knowledge of the human body and how it works, the evidence supporting the importance of a diet rich in whole grains continues to headline news on nutrition! The more we look, the more we find that whole grains do things in our diets that other foods don’t and processed grains like white flour simply can’t.

In the January 2006 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; (volume 83, issue 1,) a study titled “Whole-Grain Intake is Inversely Associated with The Metabolic Syndrome and Mortality in Older Adults” shows that older people who eat whole grains regularly had a significantly reduced risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome and lower fasting glucose levels. Conversely, refined grains were associated with higher fasting glucose and increased risk of metabolic syndrome.

This builds on evidence published in 2002—“Effect Of Whole Grains on Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight Hyperinsulinemic Adults,” (Am J Clin Nutr 2002, 75: 848-855.)—that showed a direct whole grain advantage over refined grains when it comes to managing healthy insulin levels.

Four Large and Important Studies Show the Whole Grain Connection to good Heart Health.

1. A 1998 study of 34,000 women showed that those who ate at least one serving of whole grains per day had between 30% and 36%  lower risk of heart disease. (“Whole-Grain Intake may ReduceThe Risk Of Ischemic Heart Disease Death in Postmenopausal Women: the Iowa Women’s Health Study” Am J Clin Nutr 1998 68: 248-257.)

2. Results of the Nurse’s Health Study that followed 75,000 subjects for up to twelve years showed that those who ate about three servings of whole grains each day had a 25% lower risk of heart disease and a 36% lower risk of stroke than those who did not make whole grain part of their diet. (“Whole-Grain Consumption and Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease: Results from The Nurses’ Health Study,” Am J Clin Nutr 1999, 70: 412-419.)

3. Another study published in a 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found similarly strong connections to whole grain intake and health, up to 50% reduction of risk of ischemic stroke. (“Whole Grain Consumption and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Women: A Prospective Study,” JAMA.2000;284:1534-1540.)

4. Of the 44,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, those who consumed about 3 servings per day of whole grain enjoyed an 18% reduction in risk of heart attack. (“Intakes Of Whole Grains, Bran, and Germ and the Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease in Men,” Am J Clin Nutr, 2004, 80: 1492-1499.)

Factoid : When whole grain wheat is refined to make flour, most of its nutritional value goes down the drain. For example, thirteen key nutrients, including vitamin E, are reduced as much as 93%.To compensate for this incredible loss, the flour is enriched, but with only five nutrients, making it into what many scientists and researchers see as negative nutrition. (www.wholegraincouncil.org)



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The Basic Diet Plan for a Healthy Heart

Jesse Miller asked:


For a healthy living you need to have a healthy heart. It should be able to pump the blood well and in the right manner at the right time. For this to happen safely and soundly you must have a very healthy heart and for a healthy heart, apart from many else things a good and perfect diet plan is to be followed. The diet plan must be in line with the need of the heart of an individual.

Here are some guidelines which if followed can help manage a healthier heart:

1.You daily diet plan should only have 10-12% of the total consumed calories from the saturated fats.

2. Your total calories of the day, must not be more than 28% from the fat.

3.Use must restrict yourself below 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol.

4.Try to restrict the daily in take of sodium below 2500 milligrams a day.

5.Mark your calorie level (your doctor will help you know the exact appropriate level) and just take enough calories that would help you to maintain a healthy weight and would help to reduce the cholesterol level in your blood.

6.You must not take more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol daily, as it would lead to a build up of plaques in your arteries which surely increases the risk of a stroke and a heart attack.

7. Try to avoid butter and margarine as much as you can. For this purpose you can use salsa or even low-fat yogurt to top your baked potatoes instead of butter.

8.Make the nut or seed oil a part of your diet, as it would help you to have a healthier heart. It can even be canola oil or olive oil.

9.Try to avoid the addition of fried chicken patties in your diet plan and add fish or a piece of skinless chicken ******. Fish also helps to lower your blood fats.

10. Add beans and peas to your daily diet plans as they are a rich source of protein and they are free of cholesterol and low at fat.

11.Try to add fruits and vegetables to your diet as much as you can.

12.Reduce the salt in your overall meals.

If you keep all these points in view while designing your diet plan you will surely have the most appropriate diet plan for your healthier heart.



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Tips to Maintaining a Healthy Heart and Body

Viliam V. Kanis asked:


Whether you are approaching your middle age years or not, you should always be conscious and caring for your heart and your body. It is not right to simply feel the urge to change to a healthy lifestyle once the problems set in. While many diseases can be cured, it is not for the best that you only start to care when you already experience difficulty with regards to your health.

For this matter, it has become more important not only to know how to maintain your health but also in knowing how to live a healthy lifestyle. Since a healthy body must also mean a healthy heart, then here are some tips to help you achieve your goals of being free from hypertension, from heart problems, and from other common health problems.

1. Understand what your body says.

You are considered fortunate if you can have a quick understanding of your body condition. While regular doctor check ups are necessary for most, it is also our responsibility to watch out for signs and symptoms of diseases and ailments.

2. Know that the doctor is your ally.

While not all of us go to the doctor regularly, this is quite important especially if you are approaching your later adult years. This would also be advisable for those who have past medical problems or family histories related to high blood pressure, heart problems, kidney diseases and others. When you go to the doctor for a routine checkup, the doctor would usually take your blood pressure using heart rate monitors and blood pressure equipment.

3. Know your responsibility in monitoring your heart and your health.

It is not only the doctor’s responsibility to monitor your health. For most people, it would be advisable to have their own blood pressure and heart rate monitors as well as other health equipment for personal use. Having a heart rate monitor or blood pressure cuffs at home, for instance, can help you monitor your health more closely. This is highly important especially if you have been diagnosed with hypertension which can lead to worse conditions such as stroke, heart attack or kidney failure.

4. Change your lifestyle for the better.

It is never too late to change your lifestyle for the better. A good diet combined with regular exercise is always for the best. Upon the doctor’s advice, you can actually enter exercise routines or even use exercise equipment with built-in heart rate monitors for safety.



5. Lose weight the right way.

If you need to lose weight, then an healthy diet and an exercise routine is still for the best. You can consult your doctor for a diet and exercise program that is suitable for your age and health condition. Losing weight can be an after-effect of a good diet and exercise plan. Body tape measures can also help you monitor your weight and fat loss. It is important to note, though, that weight loss should be monitored closely by a professional especially if your goal is in line with health reasons.



6. Have the right equipment.

Having the right equipment and resources can make your healthy lifestyle goals much easier. Aside from the crucial health monitoring equipment such as heart rate monitors and blood pressure cuffs, you can also manage your health goals better with practical tools such as body tape measures and body fat testers.



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Cardio Exercise – Tips For A Healthy Heart

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


First, you need to understand that you are not alone in considering that heart health is a matter of extreme importance as it is the vital organ of your body that keeps you going about in life; everyone worries about cardio exercise for the same reason – they want to stick around long enough to enjoy life to the lees! I don’t blame you for wanting the same thing; but, did you know that there are ways to increase your cardio output so as to ensure your heart is healthy even as you age?

If not, stick around and learn just how you can have a healthy heart!

The most important thing that you need to understand about heart health is that exercise in moderation and under supervision after doctor’s permission is always good for your increased heart health; there are two essential types of cardio exercise that you can consider, depending on the current condition of your heart functionality.

These are high and low intensity exercises that work to burn off body fat, which can be harmful for the efficient functioning of the heart and even cause the arteries to clog up with excess fat leading to serious complications and much discomfort, pain and expenses that can well be avoided simply by healthy levels of cardio exercise.

Medical science reveals to us that during the course of the body enduring an intensive work-out, the benefits for the human system are many: it works on the principle of the body burning stored glycogen, a type of carbohydrate that is present in the liver and muscles for energy. However, during low intensity workouts, the body burns fat.

So, if you see so many fat people around you that are currently on low intensity workouts you may well be wondering if this works at all for reducing fat; the answer is no. If it did work, then why would they still be fat? Think about it!

This is because what happens during a low intensity workout like walking or swimming is that the body does burn fat, but actual calories are only burnt during high intensity work-outs such as running, cycling, jogging etc. So apart from burning off stored glycogen, the high intensity work-out also has the added advantage of burning up many more fat calories than the lower intensity exercise, which in turn spells a healthy heart for you – for many years to come.

Thus, the benefits of a high intensity cardio exercise includes raising the fat burning metabolism during and even after the work-out is completed, which is not available to those indulging in low intensity cardio or aerobic exercises; furthermore, the freedom of combining various kinds of high intensity work-outs (5 minutes of running interspersed with 5 minutes of jogging then another 5 minutes of cycling etc.) allows for more variety and more calorie-burning during high intensity work-outs that are not present at all in low-intensity ones.

It also helps build endurance and energy in the long run, so you may want to stick to that cardio exercise track for a while – and gift yourself a healthy heart.



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Why Eating Dark Chocolate as Part of a Healthy Heart Diet is Good For You.

Kirsten Whittaker asked:


A recent study isn’t shy about suggesting regular consumption of small amounts of dark chocolate as part of a healthy heart diet could be good for your circulatory system.

Note the words small and dark. And forget about nugat and rich creamy centers. Instead we’re talking pure chocolate… as close to its natural, rich, intense taste as possible.

Nutritionists have long known that since chocolate is derived from plants it potentially has many of the same health benefits as dark vegetables do – In fact it has almost 8 times the antioxidants of strawberries.

The reason for this high level of anti-oxidants is because they are packed with “Flavonoids” which are a natural part and parcel of cocoa (the main ingredient of dark chocolate). Once these little powerhouses get into your body, they work to gobble up dangerous free radicals that can cause the inflammation that brings on cardiovascular disease and cancer.

A large, well controlled Italian study, to be published in the Journal of Nutrition, has shown that dark chocolate can significantly reduce the inflammation that leads to heart disease.

The data came from the Moli-sani Project, one of the biggest epidemiological studies in Europe and involved the random selection of people 35 and older, in good health with no risk factors for heart disease.

The researchers looked at the levels of a protein (C reactive protein) in the bloodwork of the subjects while also noting their chocolate intake and adjusting for factors that normally are known to impact heart disease such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Out of 11,000 possible participants, researchers identified 4,849 subjects in good health and free of risk factors for heart disease. Among them, 1,317 did not eat any chocolate, while 824 had the treat regularly, but only the dark variety.

The work, a collaborative effort between Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso and the National Cancer Institute of Milan, found that those who ate moderate amounts of dark chocolate had significantly lower levels of the C-reactive protein in their blood, indicating their inflammatory state was considerably reduced.

And though the 17% reduction seems small, in terms of cardiac disease it’s still enough to cut the risk of cardiac disease for one third of women and one quarter of men. That’s a pretty significant reduction.

So just how much dark, delicious chocolate do you need to eat to get the effect?

Remember the emphasis on dark chocolate… in fact, the darker the better. You’ll want to look for chocolate with 70%, or more, cocoa solids and little or no added sugar.

The product should also be made with cocoa butter instead of palm or coconut oils, and avoid “hydrogenated” or “partly hydrogenated” oils as much as possible.

Of course, a moderate intake is also key… as you might expect.

Start by looking at the total weight of the bar you’re considering. The ideal amount, according to the Italian research, is 6.7 grams (.23 ounces) a day. You might try to break a typical bar into 6 pieces and eating one each day… or enjoy a larger piece every couple of days. By the end of the week, you’ll want to have taken in no more than 47 grams (about 1.7 ounces) of dark chocolate. Not even a full candy bar. Eating more doesn’t add to the anti-inflammatory effect.

And milk chocolate (white chocolate too) doesn’t, sadly, have the same effect on inflammation. It seems that the milk dilutes the antioxidant effect of the substances in the dark chocolate. The same holds true for a glass of milk you might have with your indulgent treat… be sure to choose a different drink so as not to defeat the healthy heart diet benefits to your body of the dark chocolate.



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Aerobics for Happy, Healthy Hearts

arun asked:


Everyone knows that working out is good for your body. However, do you really understand the correlation between aerobics and heart health? There are many people who swear that doing aerobics is the best way for them to feel healthy and to be better in every aspect of their life. When it comes right down to it, aerobics and heart health is something that you want to keep an eye on because it is something that you can really focus on to get more healthy.

There are simply more benefits to aerobics than you can talk about in an article. However, the correlation between aerobics and heart health is something that you simply cannot deny because it is something that is going to stay with you and with your health forever. When you look at aerobics and heart health you are going to see that the more aerobics you can do, the healthier your heart is going to become. This might seem like a general idea, and yes, it is very general in that the more you work, the better your heart will work for you. However, there are specific reasons that this is the case.

When it comes to the relationship between aerobics and heart health the basic point is that by doing aerobics you are giving yourself a work out where your heart and lungs are constantly moving faster than they are when you are resting. This means that as you work out, your heart and lungs are forced to work harder. The more that you do, the more your heart has to do for you. By making aerobics part of your routine, you are forcing your heart to work each day, and this is going to make it stronger.

Basically, when it comes to aerobics and heart health the point is that they are connected. The better your heart is doing, the more aerobics you are going to be able to do without stopping. And the more aerobics you can do, the healthier your heart is going to be.

Like anything, when it comes to aerobics and heart health you are going to have to work your way up. If you haven’t done much working out, your heart isn’t going to be able to take very much right away. Aerobics and heart health are something that you have to work up to, so take your time and talk to your doctor in order to develop a great aerobics routine that is going to clearly benefit you.

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Blood Pressure Food: Healthy Recipes For A Healthy Heart

Ashish Jain asked:


We all crave for good health. High blood pressure or hypertension emerges as a ’silent killer.’ Like a seasoned predator, it creeps up to us, that too, without letting us know of its presence and suddenly, at an odd moment, reveals its deadly fangs. It is not something that hits you and vanishes into thin air. It hits you and stays with you, and might prove lethal if proper measures are not taken. If you have already been brought down by hypertension, the best cure is precaution. And if you are yet to be hit by it, but do lead a life that makes you prone to it, the best way to deal with it is again precaution.

And where does precaution start? With your eating habits! Eating healthy keeps one healthy. A healthy diet for heart comprises of all such food that would supply sufficient nutrition while holding out all that might not be good for your heart.

Healthy food for your heart can, therefore, be called ’safe food’ because it is least likely to cause any damage to your heart without compromising on the nutrition supply to your body. Most of such food comprises of green vegetables and fibrous food items.

Natural foods are considered to be most healthy and that is the primary reason behind their ever-increasing popularity. As a result we are seeing a great number of natural food stores coming up every other day all over the world. A great number of books have also been written, which sign praises of natural food.

Quite clearly organic foods are the healthiest available. They are nutritious and natural while the fast foods or ‘junk food’ that we have gotten so very used to is very unhealthy because these foods supply very little nourishment to our bodies and load us with lots of unwanted calories and harmful cholesterol. And harmful cholesterol is one of the major reasons for high blood pressure and even heart stroke.

These days due to the rising awareness, companies have started growing organic food without adding the chemicals used to make them grow faster and better. The chemicals used to enhance the growth and quality of these foods actually linger on and take away much of the advantage of living on a natural diet.

Therefore, for a healthy heart a balanced diet consisting of natural foods is important. This would also keep your blood pressure within manageable limits.



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