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.
