Heart Health

Nix the Salt for a Healthy Heart

A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine has determined that cutting about 3 grams of salt a day (roughly a teaspoon) could prevent thousands of strokes and heart attacks a year. This follows a previous study in the BMJ that suggested cutting salt intake in half—a reduction of about 5 grams a day—would lower the stroke rate by 23% and reduce overall cardiovascular disease by as much as 17%. Research continues to show that a reduction in sodium has numerous health benefits, but for American’s especially, who consume about 10 grams a day, cutting down will take a concerted effort. Because of the “hidden” sodium in restaurant meals and prepared foods, it can be difficult to actually measure your daily salt intake. So while you may not pick up the salt shaker, you also have to be aware of how much sodium is in that can of soup or Chinese take-out.

Click here for the full MedPage Today article: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Prevention/18075?utm_content=GroupCL&utm_medium=email&impressionId =1264054750105&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_ source=mSpoke&userid=222749

In a related story in the New York Times, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City is calling on restaurant chains and food producers to lower the amount of salt in their products by 25% over the next 5 years. About 80% of the salt in the American diet comes from processed and restaurant-prepared foods. For example, at Olive Garden, a meal of chicken parmigian, one breadstick, salad with house dressing and raspberry lemonade totaled 5,735 milligrams of sodium, the equivalent of two and a half teaspoons of salt. Federal health authorities recommend 2,300 milligrams a day for otherwise healthy individuals; 1,500 milligrams for the elderly, those who already have high blood pressure and African-Americans, who are especially prone to developing high blood pressure. If the mayor is successful, other cities could follow suit, resulting in a possible reduction in the incidence of high blood pressure, thereby controlling rapidly rising healthcare costs.

Click here to read the full New York Times story: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/health/26brod.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

JustANumber Note: Did you know that Morton makes a Lite Salt that has half the sodium of table salt? It can be used like regular salt – it tastes the same but with less sodium. But it does have the potassium and iodine you need.

Fitness

Strength Training for a Sharper Mind

A recent study has found that older women who performed an hour or two of strength training a week had improved cognitive function a year later. The study, which appears in the January 25th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the improvements in the strength training group included an enhanced ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts and focus on subjects without being distracted by competing stimuli. Strength training not only affects the brain, but it can promote bone health and counteract muscle loss. According to the study authors, older women are generally less likely to strength train than others, but it looks like that’s a group who could benefit most.

Click here to read the full New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/health/research/26exer.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

Cancer

Quitting Smoking Could Boost Your Chances of Surviving Lung Cancer

Smokers with early lung cancer could double their chances of survival by quitting smoking, according to a report in the BMJ. Researchers looked at 10 studies examining how long smokers survived after being diagnosed with lung cancer and found that people who continued smoking had a 29% to 33% chance of surviving 5 years. But those who quit had a 63% to 70% chance of being alive after 5 years. As strange as it may sound, not all doctors recommend quitting smoking upon diagnosis of lung cancer. Some think that “it adds to feelings of guilt and takes away a lifelong comfort from the dying patient.” The study authors say however, that patients and their families should be told about these results because the potential benefit of quitting smoking is so great.

Click here to read the full USA Today article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-01-22-smoking-lung-cancer_N.htm

 “Sunshine Vitamin” May Lower Colon Cancer Risk

Researchers in Europe have found that people with abundant levels of vitamin D have a much lower risk of colon cancer, the third most common cancer among men and women in the U.S. The results of a study of more than 520,000 people from 10 Western European countries showed that those with the highest blood levels of vitamin D had a nearly 40% decrease in colorectal cancer risk than those with the lowest levels. While more people may advocate getting extra vitamin D through supplements, researchers are unclear whether they’re better at increasing blood levels of vitamin D than a balanced diet and moderate exposure to outdoor sunlight. They also caution that the long-term effects of taking large doses of vitamin D supplements have not been well studied. Aside from sunlight, you can get vitamin D by consuming certain foods and beverages, such as milk and cereal, which have been fortified with the vitamin, but few foods naturally contain it.

Click here to read the full Medscape Today article: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/715772

Prevention

Taking Preventive Measures Could Add Years to Your Life

A study in the American Journal of Public Health this month found that reducing common risk factors by successfully treating older Americans for obesity, hypertension, or diabetes could lead to lower lifetime medical spending as well as a gain in life span. The study looked at people aged 51 to 52 and results showed that successful treatment for obesity could result in a .85-year gain in life span; for hypertension, 2.05 years; and for diabetes, 3.17 years. Quitting smoking could gain 3.44 years. Medical or public health interventions in the form of primary prevention should, in theory, slow or reduce the rising prevalence of chronic disease and curb the spending associated with it. And improvements in health and quality of life would be even larger if the interventions were adopted at earlier ages (before 51). Essentially, if you find and treat the problem before it gets out of hand, you could add years to your life while spending less on healthcare in the long run.

Click here to read the full American Journal of Public Health study on Medscape: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/714347

Allergies

CT Scans and Seafood Allergies?

Many people are hesitant to undergo a CT scan because of a seafood allergy. This is because they attribute their allergy to the iodine in the fish and CT scans and other X-ray imaging procedures involve ingesting iodine-containing contrast. But as it turns out, what you’re actually allergic to is proteins in the animals, not their iodine content. Some doctors are actually propagating this myth. One study showed that 70% of radiologists and cardiologists surveyed said they regularly asked patients whether they had seafood allergies before administering radiocontrast agents, and 40% said they would not administer them to patients who answered yes. Studies show that an allergy of any kind can raise the risk of a reaction, but no more so with a fish or shellfish allergy.

Click here to read the full New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/health/19real.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y