Guys, as you eye your hairline in the mirror, do you worry that the Bruce Willis look may not be quite so adorable on you?
Don't panic. Men (women, too, who often see thinning around menopause) can take healthy steps to help reverse sudden hair loss. It's often caused by diet, illness and overdoing your hair grooming. You even can slow the gradual hair loss that's a result of genes (80 million men and women have hereditary hair loss). Here's how:
1. Sip a little caffeine. Yep, caffeine helps slow baldness. It decreases a follicle-damaging hormone known as DHT (a friendlier way of saying dihydrotestosterone). It comes from testosterone, the hormone that makes men and women want to get friendlier with each other. The easiest place to get your supply: tea or coffee.
2. Be gentle. Vigorous brushing and high heat can break strands, leaving even relatively thick manes looking frayed and thin. Avoid rough toweling, too; wet hair is more elastic and vulnerable to damage than dry hair.
3. Eat lean protein. Hair, which is made mostly of the protein keratin, needs protein to grow. Low-fat, heart-healthy, skinless poultry breasts are particularly good because they're also rich in iron and zinc, and deficiencies in either trigger hair loss.
4. Vary your veggies. Add peas, carrots, cauliflower and soybeans to salads and sides. All are good sources of vitamins B-6, biotin and folate, which help slow hair loss and encourage growth.
That should help keep your hair on your head, where it belongs.
Forget the carrots. A nice cup of cocoa can improve your eyesight.
Thirty healthy young adults showed a 13 per cent improvement in the sharpness of their vision two hours after eating 35 grams of a special dark chocolate, as compared with eating white chocolate, a study at the University of Reading found.
The flavonols in cocoa have long been known to improve blood flow, thinking and blood pressure in some cases. This is the first study that has measured the specific effect of those flavonols on vision, study author David Field told the Star on Wednesday.
“We were most interested in effect on the ability to pick up contrast, to pick an object out of its background,” Field said.
“This aspect falls off quite rapidly after age 60. It’s why older people will give up night driving first. My aunt who lives in Vancouver has done that.
“In extreme cases, older people will suffer a fall because they can’t tell the curb from the sidewalk.”
Further studies will look specifically at the effect on older people, and will look at other high flavonol foods such as blueberries, wine and green tea.
All we know at the moment, a single dose causes an improvement,” he said. “We don’t know if the effect would continue.”
Commercial milk chocolate bars have very little cocoa flavonols, said Field. While dark chocolate has a bit more, the heat of manufacturing kills much of it.
Field and his team used a special dark chocolate powder produced by bulk chocolatiers Barry Callebaut that is high in flavonols. And commercial chocolate bars are “a very dense form of calories” and high in saturated fat.
“Very few good things are purely good for you, be it chocolate or wine. If you have too much, then it’s bad for you.”
Because high-flavonol cocoa is known to increase blood flow, Field expected an increase in motion detection. But the increase was small.
He wasn’t expecting such a jump in vision sharpness, which could be traced to increased blood to the retina. But scientists aren’t sure yet.
“It is really early days with this research. I don’t want to make any strong claims at all.”
Still, Field does sprinkle some of that high-flavonol cocoa powder on his Weetabix in the morning. “It’s quite nice.”
Two of the most popular birth control pills available in Canada — Yasmin and Yaz — carry a higher risk of serious blood clots than some other oral contraceptives, two new studies say.
The studies — both published Thursday in the online edition of the British Medical Journal — show that pills containing a new type of progestogen hormone called drospirenone carry up to triple the risk of serious blood clots (known as venous thromboembolisms) over an older generation of pills containing a hormone called levonorgestrel.
Drospirenone is the key ingredient in Yasmin and Yaz, which are manufactured by Bayer and widely prescribed in Canada.
Drospirenone-based pills like Yasmin and Yaz had worldwide sales of $2 billion US in 2009, reports indicate.
CBC's Marketplace program raised health concerns about Yasmin and Yaz in January. Co-host Erica Johnson talked to a number of young women who have taken the two brands of pills and experienced serious health problems.
More than 4,000 women have taken legal action against Bayer and more than 800 in Canada have joined a class-action lawsuit.
Older pills 'safer'
The findings provide further evidence that the older oral contraceptives "appear to be a safer choice with regard to venous thromboembolism than preparations containing drospirenone," says Dr. Susan Jick of Boston University's School of Medicine, who led the research team.
In the first study, researchers found the risk of a non-fatal blood clot among women using drospirenone-based pills was double the risk for women using levonorgestrel-containing oral contraceptives.
The study points out that the overall risk of serious blood clots remains low — even among women taking the drospirenoane-based birth control pills. The incidence rates were 30.8 per 100,000 woman years among the drospirenone users versus 12.5 per 100,000 woman years among users of levonorgestrel-based pills.
Researchers studied existing U.S. medical claims data to arrive at their findings.
In the second study, researchers found the risk of a first non-fatal blood clot almost tripled among women using drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives versus women who used the older levonorgestrel-based pills.
"Prescribing lower risk levonorgestrel preparations as the first-line choice in women wishing to take an oral contraceptive would seem prudent," the authors say.
In a statement, Bayer Canada said "the manner in which the authors applied the study methodology reported in these two publications show significant flaws" and maintained that previous studies have shown that Yasmin and Yaz are as safe as other birth control pills.
"Given the already large and robust scientific body of evidence, in Bayer’s opinion, these studies do not change the overall assessment about the safety of Bayer’s oral contraceptives," the company said.
Imagine you're the star of your own healthy-eating movie, from the first scene (you, making a shopping list) to the final credits (you, slimmer, sexier, healthier). Just seeing yourself eating smartly boosts your odds of making it happen.
You don't need a Hollywood-size budget or computer-generated special effects for this "movie star" diet. No fad foods or crazy cleanses, either. Just make a healthy grocery list. You know what to put on it: Plenty of fresh veggies and fruit; 100 percent whole grains; low/no-fat dairy; lean proteins like fish, skinless poultry breasts, eggs and beans; and some extra omega-3 fats from nuts (especially walnuts) and canola or olive oils.
Then sit back and visualize getting these goodies from the store to your shopping cart to your fridge to your plate ... to your mouth. Imagine the wonderful tastes and textures.
Seeing the whole process in your mind doubles the chances that your good eating intentions will become real. If your goal is just to "eat more fruit," visualizing yourself biting into a juicy peach makes you twice as likely to succeed than if you just jot "peaches" on your shopping list.
Visualization gets its power from activating the right side of your brain — the intuitive, creative, emotional side. This bypasses your logical left brain's doubts and "yeah, but" resistance. The result: Great ideas (like spinach salad with grilled chicken and orange slices for lunch) turn into reality. Now get to the store and get the real-life reel rolling. You're ready for your close-up.
Marco Di Buono, a 37-year-old with a Ph.D. in nutrition science, starts every day with a concoction proven to reduce the risk of vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s.
Vascular dementia accounts for about one out of five instances of dementia. It’s caused by strokes in the brain, most often by a series of small, often “silent” strokes.
While brewing his morning coffee, Di Buono throws frozen strawberries or mixed berries into a blender, adds a banana or two, pours in some fruit juice and presses “liquefy.” The closest thing to a magic bullet that can significantly reduce the risk of vascular dementia comes in the form of a berry (or an apple, banana, grape, potato, tomato or pea), suggests Di Buono, director of research at Heart & Stroke Ontario.
“Adequate fruit and vegetable intake decreases the risk of stroke and heart disease by about 30 per cent,” he says. In other words, an apple a day helps keep the dementia away.
But Canadians, he cautions, “do a poor job of eating enough fruits and vegetables. Half of us don’t even eat the minimum amount recommended by the Canada Food Guide.” The guide calls for:
• 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for men 50 years and under.
• 7 to 8 servings per day for women 50 and under.
• 7 servings per day for men and women age 51 and over.
Brian Campkin, 50, knows exactly what the guide recommends. A copy of it has been stuck to the front of his fridge for the past four years — ever since he ran into heart trouble at the age of 46.
He was warming up for one of his regular tennis matches when he started feeling winded. “I was trying to get to the top of the tennis ladder for the first time,” he recalls. “But I had to shut myself down part-way through the match because I couldn’t breathe properly.”
Tests revealed that three of four major arteries were 100-per-cent clogged. Campkin, an information technology salesman, underwent bypass surgery. Then he made some changes in his life.
“I was a corporate conqueror Monday to Friday, and a weekend warrior,” he says. At a cardiac rehab program, “I learned that wasn’t sufficient. I needed to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, five days a week.”
These days, Campkin plays tennis twice a week and, depending on the season, walks or rides his bike for 30 to 45 minutes three times a week. He’s determined to stay healthy so he can walk his three daughters, ages 23, 20 and 17, down the aisle at their weddings. “I’m doing everything in my power to keep myself away from another surgery, or any blockage that could lead to some form of dementia,” he insists.
That includes boosting his intake of fruits and vegetables. Campkin says he had a fairly healthy diet before his heart surgery but admits, “I didn’t eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I’d walk past the fruit bowl in the kitchen and think, ‘Oh, that’s for the girls.’ And I had a hard time with green vegetables.”
Now, he starts the day with four different fruits, drinking a glass of orange juice and topping a healthy cereal with strawberries, blueberries and a banana. And he’ll often have a salad for lunch or dinner.
But fruits and vegetables are just one part of the vascular-dementia prevention menu. The omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and other fatty fishes also lower the risk of stroke, advises Fran Berkoff, a dietitian who consulted with heart and stroke patients at Mount Sinai Hospital before opening her own practice.
Whole grains are also important, she says. “The soluble fibre helps lower cholesterol levels and, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains provide antioxidants.”
Berkoff has two more words of dietary advice: Reduce salt. She suggests replacing processed foods with whole, fresh, natural foods as much as possible to lower sodium intake and help control blood pressure. She also strongly recommends the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. “There’s strong evidence about the DASH diet in terms of controlling blood pressure,” she notes.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major risk factor for stroke. “There’s no question that regulating blood pressure, whether through exercise or medication, reduces the risk of stroke,” advises Carol Greenwood, a University of Toronto professor of nutritional science.
10 foods to reduce the risk of vascular dementia: 1.Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, as are mackerel, herring and sardines. 2. Blueberries provide powerful antioxidants, vitamins and polyphenols, but all fruits contribute to cardiovascular health. 3.Broccoli is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables that help guard against cardiovascular disease. Overall, increased consumption of vegetables has been shown to promote cardiovascular and brain health. 4.Almonds contain mono and polyunsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol levels, as do hazelnuts. 5.Lentils and other legumes provide folate, which helps regulate homocysteine levels, and soluble fibre, which helps lower cholesterol. 6.Pure cocoa, with high flavonoid content and more antioxidants per serving than tea or red wine, has a beneficial effect on blood pressure, insulin resistance, and vascular and platelet function. 7.Flaxseed, rich in soluble fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and phytochemicals called lignans, helps keep blood flowing and helps reduce cholesterol. 8.Whole grains. Consuming an average of 2.5 servings of whole grains each day is associated with a 21-per-cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke, compared to consuming only 0.2 servings. 9.Coffee and tea. Recent research has shown that one to three cups of coffee daily may protect against stroke. Powerful antioxidants in tea can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. 10.Yogurt and other low-fat dairy products are part of the DASH diet, proven to reduce hypertension.
source: healthzone.ca (by Judy Gerstel, Special to the Star)
Here comes summer, and after last winter’s endless storms, who isn’t cheering? But before you spin vintage Beach Boys vinyl or park your towel in a sunny spot, we have a public-service announcement: Pick up some sunscreen, pronto. There’s a brand-new, rock-solid reason to coat your body with this healthy stuff.
An Australian study has confirmed, in flashing neon lights, a message we hope you have memorized: Slathering on sunscreen daily makes you 50 per cent less likely to develop melanoma, the most deadly of all skin cancers, and 70 per cent less likely to develop invasive melanoma, the worst of its kind. You couldn’t ask for more convincing evidence: The volunteers were from a part of Australia that has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
We’re hoping that will light a fire under your flip-flops, if nothing else has. Because, despite years of sun-safety campaigns that make stop-smoking advocates look like slackers, melanoma rates have shot up 45 per cent. And two less-risky types of skin cancer (squamous cell and basal cell) are up 16 per cent. Yes, genes play some role in this, but sun exposure (including tanning beds) is responsible for 65 per cent of melanoma.
“Okay,” we hear you saying, “but which sunscreens are safe and effective and not goopy?”
Smart questions. Here’s an update on last summer’s sunscreen-cancer controversies and what you should buy this year. Controversial ingredients. Some (not all) researchers have raised red flags about two absorbable sunscreen ingredients: oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A). Both are found in hundreds of sunscreens. The concerns? Very briefly: Oxybenzone, which has been used in sunscreens as a partial UVA/UVB shield since 1978, has been called a hormone disruptor that mimics the effects of estrogen in lab studies. Retinal palmitate has triggered genetic mutations when exposed to sunlight in the lab. In other words, one or both might have a cancer connection. The dangers of these ingredients have been disputed by the American Academy of Dermatology and others. We think: Until the research is clear, we’re sticking with sunscreens that use nanoparticulated zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to block UVA/UVB rays. Not only do they work instantly and stay put well, but, unlike chemical sunscreens, neither is absorbed. The tiny nano-sized particles help prevent a chalky look. SPF “inflation.” There’s a decent case to be made that the Sun Protection Factor numbers on many sunscreens may be too high and create a false sense of security. But even if they’re dead accurate, few people apply sunscreens perfectly or use nearly enough. So squirt on a lot and go high, not low. Although technically an SPF 30 filters out only 4 per cent more UVB rays than an SPF 15 (97 per cent versus 93 per cent), if you go with an SPF 30 (higher if you burn easily), you also get better protection against UVA rays. They’re the kind that penetrate deeper and cause skin damage that leads to wrinkles and cancer. We say: An SPF 30 is the bare minimum you should use. Mystery UVA protection. That familiar SPF number measures only protection from burning UVB rays. Despite years of wrangling and thumb-twiddling, the Food and Drug Administration still doesn’t require sunscreen makers to list UVA protection levels. So you have to scour the ingredients list for UVA blockers. For the record, these include avobenzone, dioxybenzone, ecamsule, meradimate, the aforementioned oxybenzone, sulisobenzone — and, yep, zinc dioxide and titanium dioxide. We like: You guessed it, sunscreens that use nanoparticulated zinc oxide. It creates an instant physical barrier against UVA/UVB rays. Wallet-busting prices. You can easily plunk down $20, $30 or more for a fancy brand, but spending a bundle could backfire because you’re likely to use it sparingly. Fact is, adults need to apply at least 1 full ounce (a shot-glassful) and then reapply it every few hours or after swimming or sweating. We bet: That’s lots more than you’re using. Buy inexpensive brands so you spread it on thickly and repeatedly. Goop avoidance. Excuses for skipping sunscreen (sticky, smelly, greasy, chalky, stings your eyes) are disappearing faster than souvenir teacups commemorating Kate and William’s royal wedding. Drugstores are jammed with choices: spray-on or rub-in; fragrance-free or scented; tinted or transparent; oil-free or creamy; sturdy enough for sweaty sports or gentle enough for tiny tots; anti-acne or anti-aging. All you have to do? Choose it and use it.
Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen are authors of YOU: On a Diet. source: healthzone.ca
You’ll never eat naked cereal again when you realize what blueberries do for your brain. Those sweet blue treats improve your memory and learning skills, and slow down age-related cognitive functional declines similar to those of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson. All that, and delicious, too.
What’s their secret? Those little bundles of vitamin C and fibre contain a potent bonus: flavonoids (also called polyphenols). In your brain, flavonoids interact with proteins and enzymes (called kinases and phosphatases ) in ways that keep your brain younger. Scientists don’t know exactly how they all play together, but they do seem to keep you smarter. People who consume the most flavonoids stay mentally sharper than folks with low-flavonoid diets. Drinking blueberry juice daily can boost your memory skills 30 per cent.
Ready to get smarter and stay younger? Slip more blueberries into your diet:
Smarten your smoothies. Whirl frozen blueberries in a blender with non-fat milk or yogurt for an intelligent snack. Add half a banana and some flaxseed for even more oomph.
Toss blues with greens. Like most berries, these aren’t just great on cereal; try them in salads, too.
Get saucy. Speed-zap blueberries in the microwave (along with a spoonful of juice) to get a sweet topping for fat-free sorbet.
Freeze ‘em. Then pop ‘em plain, like tiny popsicles. Or toss a handful into a glass of cold club soda. Presto, edible, elegant ice cubes.
Now that’s smart. And frozen ones maintain their nutrients and are relatively inexpensive.
Common medicines may affect virilityNote to guys (and the women who love you): If you haven’t been reaching the same heights between the sheets, the cause might be that little bottle in your medicine cabinet. And the solution includes a pair of sneakers!
Taking large doses of pain-relieving non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen, aspirin or prescription versions three times a day for more than three months boosts your odds for erectile dysfunction by 22 per cent. Don’t use them? Check the other bottles. Drugs that treat hair loss and urinary-flow problems, generically known as 5a-reductase inhibitors (5a-RIs), can affect your performance and libido.
Nobody’s yet sure why large doses of pain pills mess with your sex life. Ironically, scientists studied them because they knew small doses helped virility in the same way they help your heart, by reducing inflammation and discouraging blood clots, and thought large doses might do even more. Nope. The other drugs, taken by many men for hair loss and urinary problems caused by an enlarged prostate, seem to hurt by reducing levels of the sex steroid hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone). These multi-tasking meds include dutasteride and finasteride (brand name, Propecia), which are also widely used to reduce hair loss.
Up to 30 million guys have ED. If you’re among them and take any of these drugs, ask your doc about alternatives that increase libido, or at least do not decrease it. Don’t stop there. Rule out other possible ED causes, too: diabetes, high blood pressure, antihistamines, antidepressants, stress. Then lose weight, walk regularly and quit smoking if you haven’t. They’re all surefire ways to light your fire (and hers).
Want a bigger brain and better memory? Meditate!
In the time it takes you to read this column, you can master the basics of meditation — and make your brain bigger, too. Yep, we started our daily practices back when we thought meditation would just ease stress. Then we found that it reduced inflammation, which reduces aging, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Now we know it also gets your grey matter growing in the areas that improve learning and memory.
Here’s what you need to know to get even smarter and stay younger, longer. 1. Find a quiet place to sit — really quiet, where no one will interrupt you. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Breathe. 2. Unwind. Gently tense and relax each body part, from your toes to your forehead, so you bring your whole body to stillness. 3. Go blank. When your monkey brain starts chattering (“Eek, did I pay the electric bill?”), slowly inhale through your nose (count 1-2-3) and out through your mouth (1-2-3). Repeat a mantra of your choice (“yes” or “om” or whatever). 4. Don’t move for five minutes. Staying totally still (even if your nose itches) makes you feel in charge and relaxed. Go for 10 or 20 minutes when you can. 5. Get up slowly, and continue that mindfulness. As you walk, or munch an apple, or brush and floss, focus on the sensations you usually overlook (air, temperature, your toes moving). Extend that peaceful, mind-expanding awareness into other corners of your life.
Can’t you just feel your world calming down? You may need a bigger hat, too!
At last, a no-fads “movie star” diet
Imagine you’re the star of your own healthy-eating movie, from the first scene (you, making a shopping list) to the final credits (you, slimmer, sexier, healthier). Just seeing yourself eating smartly boosts your odds of making it happen.
You don’t need a Hollywood-size budget or computer-generated special effects for this “movie star” diet. No fad foods or crazy cleanses, either. Just make a healthy grocery list. You know what to put on it: Plenty of fresh veggies and fruit; 100 per cent whole grains; low/no-fat dairy; lean proteins like fish, skinless poultry breasts, eggs and beans; and some extra omega-3 fats from nuts (especially walnuts) and canola or olive oils.
Then sit back and visualize getting these goodies from the store to your shopping cart to your fridge to your plate . . . to your mouth. Imagine the wonderful tastes and textures.
Seeing the whole process in your mind doubles the chances that your good eating intentions will become real. If your goal is just to “eat more fruit,” visualizing yourself biting into a juicy peach makes you twice as likely to succeed than if you just jot “peaches” on your shopping list.
Visualization gets its power from activating the right side of your brain — the intuitive, creative, emotional side. This bypasses your logical left brain’s doubts and “yeah, but” resistance. The result: Great ideas (like spinach salad with grilled chicken and orange slices for lunch) turn into reality. Now get to the store and get the real-life reel rolling. You’re ready for your close-up.
10 ways to get the most out of any workout
If you’re busy as we are, you want to squeeze the most out of every minute you spend working out, right? Who doesn’t! While there are a few ways to do this, here’s the most important: Follow proper form. It makes every move you make pay off to the max (and stops strains and sprains).
Here are 10 ways to be as smart about exercising as you are about reading this paper. 1. Think Botox. Keep your face relaxed and tension-free. 2. Look out at eye level. Spares you neck strain. 3. Relax those hunched shoulders. Drop them as low as they comfortably go. 4. Lift your chest slightly. Slightly. Not into a military stance, chest thrusting and shoulders way back. 5. Lengthen your spine. Imagine a string pulling the top of your head up to the ceiling. 6. Tighten your abs. They support your lower back. 7. Don’t lock your knees. Keep ‘em slightly bent. 8. Breathe. Count reps out loud to avoid holding your breath. As you inhale, relax your lower abs and fill your chest. As you exhale, suck in your abs to force air out. 9. Keep moving between exercises. It keeps your heart rate up. 10. As you get stronger, do a little more. With cardio, go a little longer. With weights, add more reps or use slightly heavier weights. Again, slightly. Use proper form to stay injury-free.
Put another way: To get stronger and leaner, do things right. Good form is way more important than how fast you move or how sweaty you get.
Assess Your Risk
How much you need to bring your cholesterol down depends on your coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors.
In a nutshell, the greater your risk for a heart attack or stroke — in other words, the more risk factors you have — the lower your ideal cholesterol level.
If you have high cholesterol, the main goal is to lower your LDL (low-density lipoprotein). Why, you might ask, is this true when your ratios of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and LDL to total cholesterol are what count the most? First, because it’s much easier to lower LDL than raise HDL. Few drugs or supplements reliably raise HDL (niacin is probably the best). Intense physical activity is effective, but few people are willing to work that hard. Alcohol also moves the needle, but of course the “dose” is limited by alcohol’s inherent dangers. Lowering LDL is also the most direct way to slow plaque buildup, since LDL plays the most direct role in forming the stuff.
Perhaps the best way to think about your cholesterol goal is in terms of improving your HDL/LDL ratio. This can be done by raising HDL, lowering LDL, or both. And since it’s easier to reduce LDL, that’s where the focus falls.
To figure out how low your LDL target should be, you should assess your heart disease risk. Take into consideration factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, family history, and age. Remember, the greater your risk, the lower your cholesterol target should be.
Personalizing Your Goals
Healthy lifestyle changes, such as a balanced diet, regular exercise, and not smoking, is ideal for anyone, regardless of your cholesterol level. But special attention must be given to particular areas if you have metabolic syndrome or high triglycerides. For instance, you may need to exercise more, limit calories, and take certain supplements.
Although cholesterol has gotten a bad rap over the years, it’s not, by itself, a bad thing.
Cholesterol is a soft, faintly yellow, naturally occurring waxy substance found in cell walls and membranes throughout your body, including your brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart. It’s one of several fats, or lipids, your body produces. Without enough cholesterol, you simply couldn’t live.
You use cholesterol to produce sex hormones (including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone), vitamin D, and bile acids that help you digest fat. However, you need only a relatively small amount to take care of all of these things. And your body (your liver, intestines, and even skin) manufactures plenty of it — about three or four times more cholesterol than most Americans eat. That means you could go the rest of your life without ever consuming another bite of cholesterol and you’d be just fine. (Although there’s no need to do so. In actuality, eating too many foods that contain cholesterol is not the main cause of high blood cholesterol.)
Like so many things, cholesterol isn’t bad for you unless there’s too much of it, at which point it begins to cause trouble. The story isn’t quite that simple, however. As you probably already know, there are different kinds of cholesterol — some bad, some good. And how much you have of each type makes a tremendous difference in your likelihood of developing coronary heart disease (CHD).
It’s actually not cholesterol per se that’s good or bad for you, but the “vehicle” through which it travels your bloodstream. Because cholesterol is waxy, it can’t mix with blood, which is watery. Like oil in a salad dressing, it remains separate. To enter the cells and tissues where it’s needed, then, it hooks up with proteins, creating special transporters called lipoproteins. Think of these as submarine-like bubbles that carry cholesterol around the body. Some of these “submarines” are friends, but most are foes.
Low-density lipoproteins, or LDLs, are the primary foes — the archenemies, in fact. LDLs carry most of the cholesterol (75 to 80 percent) in the blood, depositing it into the cells, including the arteries. There these particles contribute to the formation of plaque, which narrows the arteries. That reduces the amount of blood that can get through, diminishing the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart.
Some LDL types are more dangerous than others. Smaller, denser LDL particles are more damaging to blood vessels because it’s easier for them to cross the lining of the vessel and burrow into the vessel wall.
Most people won’t know what type of LDL they have because the tests to determine it are too expensive and complicated for the typical doctor’s office. If you already have coronary heart disease (CHD), or have a strong family history of CHD, and your doctor has sent you to a cardiac specialist, that doctor may run more detailed tests to better understand your risk. But it doesn’t matter much, as the focus remains the same regardless: Lower the amount of LDL in your body.
So what’s the ideal LDL level? That depends on your personal history and other risk factors for CHD. But if you’re a man 45 or older or a woman 55 or older and don’t have CHD, diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of premature CHD, and don’t smoke, here’s what you should aim for (levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dl — a deciliter is about 3 ounces). An optimal LDL level is less than 100 mg/dl. 130-159 mg/dl is borderline high and anything above 160 mg/dl is high.
Everything from your weight to whether or not you smoke to your family health history — even the amount of stress you’re under — affects your LDL level. Of course, your diet makes a difference, too, particularly the types of fats you eat.
"Run for your life! The sight snatchers are coming!" That sounds like the campy opening line from yet another remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (there have been three so far). But it's actually sound medical advice from us to you: Vigorous activity can protect you from the two leading sight-stealers that occur over time: cataracts and macular degeneration.
If you run a little farther than a mile a day (that's about 2,000 of the 10,000 steps you're taking daily anyway, right?), you reduce your chances of age-related macular degeneration by an impressive 36 percent.
Bump that up to five miles a day (you've taken care of your 10,000 steps right there!), and you cut your AMD risk by 54 percent. Push just a little farther, to 5.5 miles, and you cut your risk of cataracts more. (Just don't start exercising this vigorously overnight; begin slowly and build up.)
Not a runner? No worries. Any workout that pumps up your cardio-fitness protects your sight — rowing, biking, swimming, doing weight-training circuits. What you eat also has a big impact. Run up to the salad bar and load up on key sight-saving nutrients: the vitamin C in tomatoes and citrus; zeaxanthin in spinach and bell peppers; and alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) in almonds and sunflower seeds. Add 900 mg of DHA-omega-3 a day as a supplement from algae, or in fish oil (check the label for "DHA"), or in three 4 ounce servings of salmon or trout a week. That combo — DHA, vitamin C and zeaxanthin — also will keep your joints young when you exercise.
Maintaining a healthy weight is important for avoiding diseases.Body Mass Index shows the relationship between weight and height to establish a range of healthy weights for adults.If you are between 18 and 65 years of age and fall within the healthy range, your weight does not put you at risk for health problems.
Body mass is calculated by dividing a person’s weight by the square of that person’s height.
If you are pregnant or lactating, if you are a young adult who has not reached full growth, if you have a naturally lean body build, if you are highly muscular, your BMI might underestimate or overestimate your health risks.Check with your family doctor.
Is your body apple-shaped or pear-shaped?
Apple-shaped people carry fat around their abdomens: their waists are wider than their hips.Carrying abdominal fat around your waist is risky as it increases the chance for developing diseases.
Pear-shaped people carry fat around their hips: their hips are wider than their waists.
It is better to be a pear than an apple, because your risk of heart disease is much lower.
How do you know if you are obese or not?
Individual with a BMI under 25 are underweight.Individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while individuals with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese.
Blueberries are rich in antioxidants that help slow or prevent the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease.Blueberries are my favourite.You can add them in salads, oats or cereals.
Legumes
In addition to being an excellent source of fibre and vitamin B, legumes help stabilize blood sugar levels and lessen the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a nutrient powerhouse containing calcium, vitamin C, fibre, folic acid and antioxidants which may prevent cancer.Studies show that broccoli contains more calcium than a glass of milk.
Oats
Oats lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and are a great source of fibre and protein.Good source of fibre that will help keep your digestive system happy.I add fruits to the oats.
Salmon
Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.Eating fish at least once a week is a good idea to eat a balanced diet.
Yogurt
Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, and contains healthful bacteria that help support our immune system.
I read “How Successful People Think” by John Maxwell.It is an excellent book for anyone.It is well written and short.I enjoyed it very much.Here are few tips from the book:
1.Expose Yourself to Good Input
2. Expose Yourself to Good Thinkers
3. Choose to Think Good Thoughts
4. Act on Your Good Thoughts
5. Allow Your Emotions to Create Another Good Thought
