Archive for the ‘Disease’ Category
Is Coffee Heart Healthy?
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Over the past few years a number of reports have been published claiming that coffee is good for your health or not good for your health. Finally, it appears that coffee is definitely heart healthy. These positive reports at a prestigious conference have just recently been published. The studies were presented at the American Heart Association conference that was held in San Francisco this week. This is good news for seniors including both women and men, because the enemy of healthy hearts, artherosclerosis, is the number one killer in the US. Artherosclerosis actually kills over 800,000 Americans by means of heart attacks every year.
One study reported that in the matter of artherosclerosis, drinking two to three cups of coffee daily does not contribute to hardening of the arteries that leads to heart attacks which are caused by artherosclerosis. Another study showed that coffee drinking apparently lowered the risk for hospitalization for folks that suffer from abnormal heart rhythms. A third study which last for 20 years and included folks from nearly every demographic group did not find any association between coffee drinking and atherosclerosis. The group included smokers and nonsmokers, blacks and whites, and men and women. The range of coffee cups consumed by the participants ranged from zero to four cups per day. The good news for seniors is that they can enjoy drinking coffee and benefit their cardiovascular health at the same time.
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Reduce Your Cardiac Risk Factors
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The leading cause of death in the Western world is atherosclerosis. As we age seniors low density lipoproteins (LDLs) become oxidized, which results in the oxidized LDLs accumulating on arterial walls. This accumulation of oxidized LDLs on the arterial walls causes hardening of the arteries. Recent research has shown that in seniors the high density lipoproteins (HDLs) that normally prevent the LDLs from becoming oxidized are not able to perform this function. The researchers suspect that as we age one of the HDL’s helper enzymes, known as paraoxynase (PON-1), drops to a lower level in the blood. PON-1 is produced in the liver and after it is released into the blood it attaches to the HDL, in order to assist the HDL to inhibit the buildup of lipoperoxides in LDL cholesterol.
The researchers have demonstrated that there is a correlation between folks with low blood levels of PON-1 and cardiovascular disease risk. Seniors need to counter the age related drop in PON-1 levels in the blood by raising their PON-1 levels. It turns out that there are several substances that have been found to boost PON-1 levels. Pomegranate and its extracts have shown to increase the PON-1 levels in the blood by a large amount. Two other potential PON-1 boosters have been identified as quercetin and resveratrol. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps to support their cardiovascular health by reducing their cardiac risk.
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Which Vitamin Protects Your Heart & Bones?
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Most seniors are knowledgeable about the need for sufficient calcium to keep their bones healthy and avoid osteoporosis. What many do not know is that a particular vitamin is required to maintain both healthy bones and a healthy heart. Doctors have known for some time that a lack of calcium in bone results in osteoporosis, but calcium deposits in the arteries result in cardiovascular disease. What is needed is a way to regulate the amount of calcium needed for healthy bones and healthy arteries.
Studies in the Japan have revealed that a particular form of vitamin K contributes to maintaining strong bones in seniors. It is found in a food called natto which contains vitamin K2. This form of vitamin K is also found in egg yolks, organ meats, and dairy products. In one study in Japan folks who were suffering from osteoporosis were treated with vitamin K2 and the number of spinal fractures was reduced by over 50%. In parallel studies have shown that even modest amounts of vitamin K2 fight cardiovascular disease by keeping calcium out of the arteries which prevents the formation of dangerous calcified plaques.
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Be Good To Your Heart
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February is almost over, but it is not too late to be good to your heart, because February is American Heart Month. Seniors need to protect themselves against atherosclerosis which includes both heart attack and stroke. Here is the United States atherosclerosis is the number one killer. The first line of an effective preemptive aging defense is a lifestyle that includes both a healthy diet and regular exercise. A healthy diet that will support cardiovascular health needs to include foods that are low in calories and saturated fats, contains beneficial omega-3 fats provided by fish and fish oil supplements. Additional nutrients that provide additional cardiovascular support include CoQ10, niacin, and vitamin C. In addition to the omega-3-rich fish oil supplements, CoQ10, and other nutrients which are a vital part of a heart healthy diet, seniors need to include regular exercise with the approval of their physicians. The regular exercise may be as important as the heart healthy nutritional regime in avoiding cardiovascular disease.
Before February ends it would be a good idea for seniors to become aware of the warning signs of a heart attack both for their own sake and that of family members and friends. In the case of a heart attack the warning signs include chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes or comes and goes; discomfort in other areas of the body, such as one or both arms; shortness of breath, perspiration, nausea and/or lightheadedness. In the event any of these symptoms occur it is imperative to call 911 immediately for help.
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What Are the Tiny But Heart Healthy Seeds?
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Recent studies have shown that these tiny seeds contain two unique seed lignans that contribute in multiple ways to foster healthy hearts in order to assist in preventing cardiovascular disease. The seeds that manifested these remarkable properties are none other than sesame seeds. The two lignans are known as sesamin and sesmol. They have been shown to fight inflamation, boost the body’s antioxidant capacity, and enhance vitamin E bioavailabilty. Its ability to boost the body’s antioxidant capacity has been shown to inhibit artherosclerosis. The researchers suspect that the way the sesame lignans inhibit artherosclerosis is a result of working synergistically with vitamin E in the body.
Vitamin E is a very strong fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cells from oxidation. The alpha component of vitamin E is well known and is included in typical multivatamin supplements. More recently the importance of the gamma component of vitamin E has ben discovered. It turns out that the gamma tocopherol may be the more effective in in quenching a nitrogen-based free radical that is associated with many inflammatory processes. In addition the gamma tocopherol inhibits the formation of pro-inflamatory prostaglandins which are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. Additional good news concerns sesame seeds ability to increase both alpha and gamma tocopherols in the body. In fact some researchers found that sesame helped prevent the breakdown of gamma tocopherol in the body. This is good news for seniors who are searching for preemptive ageing steps that they can take to foster their senior health.
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Try Mediterranean Diet for Longevity
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For seniors who are looking for a longevity diet the Mediterranean diet is a sure fire answer. It has been used to preempt aging in the Mediterranean world for centuries. Recent European studies have confirmed what the ancients already knew and practiced successfully. A US-based study has confirmed the proven life-extension benefits that were known in the ancient world and confirmed by the recent European studies. The US researchers were from a cancer institute, but they tracked the diets of over 375,000 men and women between the ages of 50 to 71. The researchers particularly tracked who would die from cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The folks who scored 66% or higher on a nine point system based on the elements of the Mediterranean diet had a much greater chance of living over ten years after the start of the study compared with those who scored below 44%. The elements in the Mediterranean diet included fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds, fats such as olive and canola oil, small amounts of red meat and alcohol. The study did not measure any dairy products, but the Mediterranean diet usually includes small amounts of dairy products typically cheese and yogurt.
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Weakened Immune System Promotes Infection
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As seniors age their immune systems decline leaving them more susceptible to a host of infections including those from viruses, fungi, and bacteria. In the case of cancer cells unless the immune system inactivates them or kills them, they will spread and develop into a fully developed malignant tumor. Studies of the pathology of free radicals has shown the link between the damage caused by free radicals and the weakened immune system in aging seniors. For example between 1982 and 1992 deaths due to infectious diseases increased by 22% according to a report in a major American medical publication. The same publication laid much of the blame for this increase on lack of preventative health care.
The good news that seniors can take from this report is that they can take preemptive steps about how to boost immune system. The lack of preventative health care can be reversed by taking simple preemptive aging measures for building immune system. One of the most important steps that seniors can take is to follow a daily antioxidant regimen that includes fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals that protect against free radical pathologies that suppress the immune system. It turns out that free radical pathologies have been implicated in most of the disease processes of aging. The main disease processes of aging include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and cataracts as well as other degenerative diseases.
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Long Term Supplement Users Are Healthier
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Recently some encouraging news surfaced in regard to long-term use of multiple dietary supplements. In a journal that specializes in nutrition it was reported that folks who had used long-term multiple dietary supplements were less likely to have diabetes or elevated blood pressure. The researchers gathered their information from over 270 folks in regard to multiple dietary supplement use patterns, nutrition and health. The participants filled out questionnaires and took physical examinations as part of the study, in order to give the researchers a baseline for comparison with non supplement users and those who took a single multivitamin/mineral supplement.
The researchers used all the information gathered from the 270 folks and compared their data with that gathered from over 759 folks who did not use dietary supplements or who only used a single multivitamin/mineral supplement. What they found was the 270 users of multiple dietary supplements were less likely to suffer from diabetes and hypertension. They were more likely to have low levels of the typical disease related biomarkers such as C-reactive protein that is associated with chronic inflammation. Their homocysteine levels which are linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke were also lower. In addition the multiple supplement users were more likely to register optimum levels of the beneficail high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides.
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Breast Cancer Prevention by A Dynamic Team
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The diagnosis of breast cancer is always dreaded, because it often results in death or severe disfigurement of the patient. Once breast cancer gets a foothold, it becomes very difficult to treat without negative side effects. Recent research at an American university has found a way to prevent breast cancer from developing and spreading the way its typically does. In lab tests they tried varying the concentrations of curcumin applied to cultured breast cells and compared the results against untreated cultured breast cells. They found that even at the lowest levels of curcumin the number of stem cells was reduced. The reduction in stem cells meant that the cancer could be prevented.
The researchers doubled the concentration of curcumin and achieved complete inhibition of the stem cells. In further tests they tried varying concentrations of piperine and achieved lower reductions in stem cells compared with curcumin. Finally they combined curcumin and piperine and achieved a reduction in the stem cells that was greater then that resulting from either piperine or curcumin alone. The combination of curcumin and piperine did not affect the normal development of the cells, but it reduced the stem cells that fuel breast cancer. Curcumin and piperine combine to form a dynamic team against breat cancer. These results are very encouraging, because they have opened a path to possibly preventing breast cancer without serious negative side effects. This is very good news for senior women who are concerned about fostering their senior health by taking preemptive measures against breast cancer.
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Why Is Oatmeal So Good for Your Heart?
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Over ten years ago the FDA affirmed that consuming oatmeal may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but recent research confirms that conclusion and actually amplifies it. The health benefits of consuming wholegrain oats are even greater than originally discovered. In a recent article researchers point out that in the years since the FDA granted a ‘heart healthy’ claim for oats, new research has shown that consuming oats and oat-based products reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Consumption of oats does not produce adverse effects on the high density lipoprotein (HDL) or on the triglycerides.
When consumption of oats and oat-based products is combined with a healthy lifestyle-management program the results in terms of health benefits can extend beyond just reducing total cholesterol and LDL. These extended benefits may include a reduced risk of diabetes, a decreased trend to obesity, and a reduced risk of atherosclerosis. The way that oats might reduce the risk of atherosclerosis would be by favorably modifying the subclass and particle number of LDL. This is excellent news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps against age-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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