A new research has suggested that frequency of candy consumption is not associated with weight or certain adverse health risks.

According to a recent data analysis, adults who consume candy at least every other day are no more likely to be overweight nor have greater risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) than moderate consumers (about once a week) or even less frequent candy eaters (less than 3 times per month).

Almost all adults reported eating candy, but there is variability in frequency and quantity consumed at a given time. Previous research has shown that candy consumers are not more likely to be overweight or have greater risk factors for chronic disease than non-consumers of candy.

This research showed that even the consumers who reported eating the most candy on a given day were not more likely to be at risk for increased weight or disease. Such findings were surprising and required further investigation which this new study set out to do, delving into the role of usual frequency of candy consumption and health/weight outcomes.

(more…)

According to a new study, having too much body fat makes arteries become stiff after middle age.

In young people, blood vessels appear to be able to compensate for the effects of obesity. But after middle age, this adaptability is lost, and arteries become progressively stiffer as body fat rises – potentially increasing the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

The researchers suggest that the harmful effects of body fat may be related to the total number of years that a person is overweight in adulthood. Further research is needed to find out when the effects of obesity lead to irreversible damage to the heart and arteries, they said.

Obesity is known to be a major risk factor for heart disease, but the reasons for this are not fully understood.

(more…)

People with job stress and an unhealthy lifestyle are at higher risk of coronary artery disease than people who have job stress but lead healthy lifestyles, a new study has found.

To determine whether a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the effects of job stress on coronary artery disease, researchers looked at 7 cohort studies from a large European initiative that included 102 128 people who were disease-free during the 15-year study period (1985-2000).

Participants, ranging in age from 17-70 (mean 44.3) years were from the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland. More than half (52 percent) were women.

Of the total participants, 15 986 (16 percent) reported job stress, which was determined from specific job-related questions in the studies.

(more…)

Scientists led by an Indian origin have linked perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – chemical found in things such as nonstick cookware and packaged foods like microwave popcorn – to cardiovascular disease.

West Virginia University (WVU) School of Public Health, Morgantown, researchers looked at the health data of 1,200 Americans and compared their PFOA serum levels with the heart disease incidence.

The results of the study showed that greater the PFOA amounts in the bloodstream, the greater is the cardiovascular disease risk -regardless of factors like age, race, smoking, BMI, diabetes, and even hypertension, Fox News reported.

Lead study author Dr. Anoop Shankar, chair of the department of epidemiology in the WVU School of Public Health, said that they can’t yet be certain that PFOA causes heart disease, but suggested that the two could be related in another way, like people suffering from heart disease tending to retain more PFOA in their blood.

(more…)

Looking to add more fibre in your diet? A diet rich in dietary fibre will keep your digestive tract clean and healthy, in addition to reducing risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Choose high fibre foods.

Fibre, an essential food component

Fibre is a significant component of your diet, as it helps move the food you eat relatively easily through the digestive tracts, helping your digestive system function efficiently.

A diet that is rich in fibre is also known to reduce the risk of health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

(more…)

Studies continue to unlock the medicinal benefits of tea, which has been touted to help with everything from headaches to depression since Ancient times.

Nutritionist Patricia Bannan has provided eight reasons to why we should drink tea.

Tea contains a small amount of natural fluoride, a chemical that can help prevent tooth decay, she said.

When fluoride mixes with saliva, bacteria can’t produce the acid by-products that promote cavities. Additionally, fluoride works to repair teeth in the early stages of tooth decay, she explained.

Studies also show catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract may trigger weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and decreasing body fat, especially in the abdominal (belly) area.

Thanks to its polyphenols (the antioxidants found in tea), sipping on a cup may have cancer-fighting effects.

(more…)

A diet that includes tart cherries can provide cardiovascular benefits similar to the prescribed medications and can also reduce the risk of stroke, a new research has revealed.

A class of drugs called PPAR agonists that help regulate fat and glucose was considered promising by doctors who prescribed them for patients with metabolic syndrome – a collection of risk factors linked to heart disease and type 2.

However, studies have shown the long-term use of these drugs can also increase stroke risk, which has prevented many from securing FDA approval.

The new research from the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory suggests that tart cherries can reduce the risk of stroke even when taken with these pharmaceutical options.

The group’s previous research has shown that intake of US produced, Montmorency tartcherries activates PPAR isoforms (peroxisome proliferator activating receptors) in many of the body’s tissues.

(more…)

Consumption of whole eggs can be a part of a heart healthy diet, even in those with existing coronary heart disease, a new study has found.

Research from Yale University explored the impact of daily whole egg consumption in men and women with coronary heart disease(1).

The subjects were randomized to consume either two eggs, half a cup of egg substitute or a high-carbohydrate breakfast for six weeks as part of their typical diet.

The subjects who ate either whole eggs or egg substitute did not experience any negative impact in total cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight or endothelial function.

Research from the University of Connecticut suggested that daily whole egg consumption may have a positive effect on the function and composition of HDL cholesterol in adults with metabolic syndrome.

(more…)

More young women suffer from cardiovascular problems than men, heart experts have revealed.

According to British Heart Foundation (BHF) research, there are 710,000 women across the UK, aged 16-44, living with heart disease compared to 570,000 men, the Independent reported.

Professor Peter Weissberg, BHF medical director, said clear signs of heart complaints are going unnoticed by women.

“There’s a great tendency for women to ignore symptoms because they think of it as a man’s problem. Women are affected by heart disease and sometimes more than men,” he said.

Doctors believe the higher rates among women are due in part to their susceptibility to certain rarer diseases, such as coronary artery dissection, where around eight out of ten cases are women.

(more…)

Irrespective of level of physical fitness, people with high resting heart rates have higher risk of death than those with lower heart rates, a new study has found.

A resting heart rate – the number of heart beats per minute – is determined by an individual”s level of physical fitness, circulating hormones, and the autonomic nervous system.

A rate at rest of between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal.

People who are very physically active tend to have a low heart rate at rest, but the researchers wanted to find out if heart rate had any bearing on an individual”s risk of death, irrespective of their level of cardiorespiratory fitness.

They therefore tracked the health of just under 3000 men for 16 years, all of whom were part of the Copenhagen Male Study. In 1971, all participants were interviewed by a doctor about their health and lifestyle, including smoking and exercise, and given a check-up. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using a cycling test, set at three different levels of exertion.

(more…)