Vitamin C Linked to Lower Blood Pressure
VITAMIN C LEVELS LINKED TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
A study has concluded that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables, for which a greater blood concentration of vitamin C was used as an indicator, decreases the risk of developing high blood pressure by up to 22 percent for those in the top quarter of vitamin C levels.
The large epidemiological study adjusted for numerous potentially confounding factors, such as age, sex, body mass, alcohol consumption, smoking, blood pressure medications, and even vitamin C supplementation. In other words, the link between higher vitamin C levels and reduced blood pressure risk was found whether the subjects took supplements or not, so long as the vitamin C concentrations were high. Only the systolic blood pressure reading (the number on the top) was included in the study.
This research will not be published until the September 2011 issue of the journal Hypertension, but it is available online now at http://bit.ly/qZlsRX with subscription or access fee.
Vitamin D Deficiency Raises Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY RAISES RISK OF METABOLIC SYNDROME
A study has found that those with low vitamin D levels are 70 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome.
Also, those with low levels of vitamin D were 2.63 times as likely to be obese in the abdomen; 26 percent more likely to have low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol; 22 percent more likely to have high blood glucose (blood sugar) levels; 46 percent more likely to have high or abnormal blood triglycerides; and 43 percent more likely to have high or abnormal blood pressure readings.
The results of this research on Asian volunteers in Kuala Lumpur confirm similar findings regarding vitamin D deficiencies among non-Asian Westerners.
This study was published in a supplement of the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and is available now online at http://bit.ly/oGmSXa with subscription or access fee.
The Impact of Early Life Nutrition on Metabolism
EARLY-LIFE NUTRITION MAY HAVE LONG-TERM METABOLIC EFFECTS
Researchers have determined that babies feeding on breast milk, high-protein formula, or low-protein formula exhibit various different metabolic effects and growth patterns with some showing up even at 15 days of age and others at three years, suggesting the possibility of life-long metabolic effects stemming from the very earliest dietary sources.
Babies were divided into three groups and fed breast milk, a formula containing only 1.8 gm of protein per 100 kilocalories, or a formula containing 2.7 gm of protein per 100 kilocalories, respectively.
At 15 days, breastfed babies showed lower blood insulin levels than formula-fed babies; but insulin differences disappeared by age nine months.
At three years, high-protein formula-fed babies showed higher blood pressure and diastolic pressure (the lower number in a blood pressure reading) although within the normal range.
The three-year study suggested formula feeding could have longer-range effects and that babies should be fed breast milk or formula that mirrors its metabolic effects.
This study was presented late on May 2, 2011 in Denver at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. Not yet available online, it will publish in a future issue of a pediatric journal.
Vitamin D & Racial Differences in Blood Pressure
VITAMIN D LINKED TO RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD PRESSURE
A study found that low vitamin D levels may strongly contribute to the racial disparity in the risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) among blacks and has added weight to previous evidence that low D levels promote hypertension generally.
The researchers compared systolic pressure readings (the upper number in a blood pressure reading) with blood levels of vitamin D among nearly 2,000 blacks and about 5,100 non-Hispanic whites, ages 20 and over. Among these subjects, 61%of blacks fell into the lowest 1/5th of vitamin D levels, compared to 11% of whites, which is consistent with evidence that darker skin limits vitamin D production from sunlight.
The study author said that lower vitamin D levels explained only one quarter of the racial disparity in hypertension and that further study is needed to tease out other pieces of the puzzle, which may include factors such as psychological stress. Prior research found that greater lactose intolerance reduces vitamin D-fortified milk consumption among blacks.
This just-released study will appear in a future issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/lnowzx.
Intensive Lifestyle Interventions & Obesity
LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS EFFECTIVE FOR OVERWEIGHT
An intensive intervention among obese and overweight persons was proven effective in cutting weight and improving cardiometabolic risks. Overweight is linked to greater risks of diabetes and high blood pressure. Obese and overweight individuals were divided into two groups. One group walked briskly 60 minutes a day, five days a week for a year; the other entered the same program at the six-month mark. Both groups spent the entire year on a weight-loss diet, involving liquid and prepackaged meal replacements. After six months, the exercise-and-diet group had lost a substantial 24 pounds while the diet-only group lost a still substantial 18 pounds.
At year-end, the weight loss was similar for each group: 27 and 22 pounds.
Both groups showed significant improvement in cardiometabolic factors: waist circumference, abdominal fat, liver fat, blood pressure, and insulin resistance.
Researchers concluded intensive intervention dramatically reduces overweight risks, such as diabetes and heart disease. The study was released October 9 in San Diego at the Obesity Society’s 28th Annual Scientific Meeting. It will be published in the October 27, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association and is available online now at http://bit.ly/bSgGph without charge.
The Health Benefits of Green Tea
Did you know?
Tea lovers’ beverage of choice lowers blood pressure.
Drinking just a half-cup of green or oolong tea per day reduces a person’s risk of high blood pressure by almost 50%.
People who drink at least two and a half cups per day reduce their risk even more!
Risk is reduced even if tea drinkers have known risk factors for high blood pressure, such as high sodium intake.
How to Avoid Dementia
A new study has determined the individual percentages by which a variety of lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of dementia and suggests that these interventions – in the absence of a new treatment for the mind-robbing disease – are likely to have the greatest impact on reducing dementia levels in the future.
The study assessed previously identified risk factors such as depression, diet, alcohol consumption, educational level and vascular factors, which include heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Results found that three changes together – eliminating depression, diabetes and increasing fruit & vegetable consumption – reduced dementia risk by a full 21%.
- Depression alone accounted for a 10% risk.
- Higher education was linked to an 18% lower risk.
- Genetic tendency towards dementia accounts for 7% of cases.
This study was released August 5, 2010 and will be published in a future issue of the British Medical Journal. The journal already has made the full-text version of this important study available to the public, online at http://bit.ly/c3p7KL.
Whole Grains Proven to Lower Cardiovascular Risk
It has long been thought that daily consumption of whole-grain foods such as bread could have a positive effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease but until now, no “comprehensive randomized and controlled intervention trial” – a more scientific and conclusive study – had been undertaken.
Finally, results of a new study of this type confirm that daily intake of three portions of whole-grain foods significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, at least in middle-aged people, and chiefly through the mechanism of lowering systolic blood pressure (the upper number in your blood pressure reading).
In fact, the study pegged the reduction in the risk of developing coronary artery disease at 15 percent and the risk reduction for stroke at 25 percent. After just four weeks on this diet, participants also showed improvements in other risk factors such as insulin sensitivity, cholesterol and internal inflammation. The effect was similar for both those getting three servings of whole wheat and for those getting the same servings of whole wheat and oats. The study was just released by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Details are available now online at http://bit.ly/9Ztt9u.
Sugar Sweetened Drinks Linked to High Blood Pressure
A study suggests that reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks results in a reduction of blood pressure readings among adults.
In this study of 810 adults, reducing the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages by just one serving a day produced a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic readings – meaning the upper and lower numbers in a blood pressure reading. An analysis of diet drink and caffeine consumption showed no blood pressure effect, suggesting that it is the actual sugar content of these beverages that is producing the higher blood pressure readings. Sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages have previously been associated with a higher risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
A brief summary of this study was released May 24 but details will not be made available until the study is published in the online and print editions of a future issue of the journal, Circulation.
Air Pollution & Cardiovascular Risk
Evidence is growing that air pollution, especially fine particulate matter, can trigger cardiovascular death within a few hours of exposure among those who are at risk.
Long-term exposure can shorten lifespan by a few months to a few years. To cut the risk of pollution-triggered death, seek treatment for underlying heart risk factors: blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and smoking. Also, those with heart problems should monitor air quality reports and stay indoors or limit activity during high-particulate days.
For guidance, speak to your natural health practitioner.
For systemic environmental detoxification, visit our site on our Healthy Detoxification Kit: http://tinyurl.com/33nvhe5.
For detailed information, visit the American Heart Association article on Circulation: http://bit.ly/cQhl4g.
