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‘Heart healthy’ diet, exercise ‘protects against cognitive decline’

July 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 15 (ANI): A ‘heart healthy’ diet and taking moderate exercise can protect against cognitive decline, according to two new studies.

Researchers at Utah State University in the US found that over-65s on a diet full of green leafy vegetables, oily fish and the odd glass of red wine scored higher in mental tests.

A separate study at the University of California found that moderately physically active older adults might experience slower rates of mental decline.

In the first study, Heidi Wengreen, an assistant professor of nutrition at Utah State University, asked 3,831 adults, aged 65 and older, to complete a food survey. They then tested their cognitive skills over an 11-year period, beginning in 1995.

The researchers looked to see how well the participants followed the DASH diet, an eating regimen that protects against hypertension and heart trouble.

Those who followed the DASH diet more closely had higher scores on the cognitive tests at the start of the study and over time, Wengreen found.

In the second study, Deborah E. Barnes, of the University of California, San Francisco, followed more than 3,000 adults aged 70 to 79.

Those who were sedentary had the lowest level of cognitive function at the start and higher rates of decline over the course of the seven-year study.

The two studies were reported at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Vienna. (ANI)

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Component of vegetable protein linked to lower BP

July 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 7 (ANI): A new study has shown that consuming an amino acid commonly found in vegetable protein is associated with lower blood pressure.

The study, conducted by Jeremiah Stamler, M.D., lead author of the study, and colleagues, showed that a 4.72 percent higher dietary intake of the amino acid glutamic acid as a percent of total dietary protein correlated with lower group average systolic blood pressure, lower by 1.5 to 3.0 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Group average diastolic blood pressure was lower by 1.0 to 1.6 mm Hg.

In the study, researchers examined dietary amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

Stamler, professor emeritus of the Department of Preventive Medicine in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill, said that glutamic acid is the most common amino acid and accounts for almost a quarter (23 percent) of the protein in vegetable protein and almost one fifth (18 percent) of animal protein.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from 4,680 middle-age people participating in an international population study on the effects of dietary nutrients on high blood pressure. Participants were from the U.S., U.K., China, and Japan.

The results showed that a nearly 5 percent higher intake of glutamic acid as a percent of total protein in the diet was linked to lower average blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure was lower by an average of 1.5 to 3.0 points and diastolic blood pressure was lower by 1.0 to 1.6 points.

Stamler said that the study might help explain on a molecular level why the Dieatary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet lowers blood pressure.

The DASH eating pattern, developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat and nonfat dairy products as well as whole grains, lean poultry, nuts and beans.

The study has been published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. (ANI)

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How dairy foods are nutritional bang for the buck

July 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 2 (ANI): A daily consumption of dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt can provide a unique package of nine essential nutrients at a low cost per serving, according to a recent review.

Several prominent nutrition researchers have detailed an updated review of the health benefits of consuming dairy foods, which contributes to the well-established evidence that consuming three to four daily servings of dairy foods each day is a convenient and affordable way to get several key nutrients.

Dairy products help in improving the following:

Child nutrition

Children and adolescents between the ages of 9-18 need, on average, four servings of dairy foods a day to meet calcium recommendations and at least three servings to meet magnesium recommendations. Adolescents who do not regularly consume dairy, on average, only meet 40 percent of the Adequate Intake for calcium.

Bone health

The evidence supports the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation to meet nutrient needs through foods, including dairy foods, rather than supplements. Studies continue to show that dairy foods provide a unique nutrient package beneficial for bone mass and play a major role in lifelong bone health.

Cardiovascular health

Low-fat and fat-free dairy foods play a key role in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which has been shown to lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension. Eating the recommended servings of dairy foods can lower blood pressure and is associated with a lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

Healthy weight

Studies have shown that dairy foods may favourably impact body composition and weight maintenance, particularly in overweight or obese adults who consume three servings of dairy foods daily while moderately reducing daily caloric intake.

Shortfall nutrients

Dairy foods play a vital role in building a diet that contains the nutrients Americans consistently do not consume enough of including calcium, potassium and magnesium. The most practical way to meet these nutrient recommendations may be to add an additional serving of dairy to the current daily recommendation.

The review has appeared in a supplement to the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN). (ANI)

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iet prescribed to reduce BP may also lower women’s heart failure risk

May 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 12 (ANI): The DASH (short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet prescribed to help patients lower their blood pressure may also significantly reduce women’s risk of developing heart failure, a new study has suggested.

The study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrates that a diet high in plant foods and low in sugar and saturated fats is good for health.

“High blood pressure is always of concern because it has the potential to lead to major adverse events, including strokes, heart attacks and heart failure,” said senior author Emily Levitan, ScD, a research fellow in the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Center at BIDMC.

Therefore, she and her colleagues hypothesized that the DASH diet would also reduce a woman’s risk of heart failure through its blood pressure lowering effects as well as its secondary effects on cholesterol and other heart-disease risk factors.

The DASH diet is plentiful in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and whole grains.

“These foods are high in potassium, magnesium, calcium and fiber, moderately high in protein, and low in saturated fat and total fat,” said Levitan.

For the study, Levitan analyzed data from women participants in the Swedish Mammography Cohort, in which women aged 48 to 83 who had no evidence of heart failure were invited to participate.

In the fall of 1997, 36,019 women completed food frequency questionnaires to determine how closely their diets matched the DASH guidelines. Participants were given a ‘score’ based on their diet’s similarity to the DASH diet.

“We then used records from the Swedish national healthcare system to determine whether the women went on to be hospitalized or to die from heart failure. We compared women with diets most similar to the DASH diet to women with diets that were not similar and found that those women whose diets most closely resembled DASH had the lowest risk of heart failure,” said Levitan.

The study is published in issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. (ANI)

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Vegetable juice may help people with metabolic syndrome lose weight

April 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, April 20 (ANI): A study conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine has revealed that drinking at least one glass of low sodium vegetable juice daily may help overweight people with metabolic syndrome lose weight.

Researchers found that participants who drank at least 8-ounces of low sodium vegetable juice as part of a calorie-controlled DASH diet lost four pounds over 12 weeks, while those who followed the same diet but drank no juice lost one pound.

Metabolic syndrome is defined by a cluster of risk factors including excess body fat in the midsection, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal blood lipids.

If left uncontrolled, metabolic syndrome increases risk for chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke or diabetes.

Participants in the study were primarily African-American and Hispanic adults, populations that typically have a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome.

Each group followed a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet that emphasized eating lean meat, lower fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruit daily and keeping saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and sodium in check.

Two of the groups were given Low Sodium V8 100 percent vegetable juice and instructed to drink 1 or 2 cups every day for 12 weeks, while the third group was not given any vegetable juice.

The results showed that on average, the vegetable juice drinkers lost four pounds over 12 weeks, while those who did not drink juice lost one pound

Vegetable juice drinkers were more likely to meet the daily government recommendations of 3-5 servings of vegetables.

The researchers also found that vegetable juice drinkers significantly increased their intake of vitamin C and potassium, while decreasing their overall carbohydrate intake.

“Diet and body weight are key modifiable factors in changing the course of metabolic syndrome,” said John Foreyt, PhD, study author and Director, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine.

“What this study shows is that by taking simple, proactive steps such as drinking low sodium vegetable juice while watching calorie intake, people can begin to control their weight, which helps reduce the risk of long-term health implications,” he added.

The study was presented at this week’s Experimental Biology Meeting. (ANI)

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‘Heart healthy’ diet, exercise ‘protects against cognitive decline’

How dairy foods are nutritional bang for the buck

iet prescribed to reduce BP may also lower women’s heart failure risk

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