Folic Acid Supplements May Help Cut Down Stroke Risk

A new study indicates folic acid supplements may be helpful in reducing the risk of strokes, particularly for patients affected by high blood pressure.

“If all that is required to prevent the greatest health threat worldwide is a vitamin, then we need to consider checking patients’ blood levels of folic acid and supplementing if needed,” stated Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Read More...Folic Acid Supplements May Help Cut Down Stroke Risk

New Health Guidelines has Cholesterol Back on the Menu

Reversing decades of federal sanctions regarding the way Americans eat, the government has now set new guidelines poised to challenge collective views on whether cholesterol should be on your daily menu. 

In a lengthy and pardoning approval, the advisory panel also gave Americans the green light on moderate coffee consumption — further indicating that daily caffeine intake equivalent to three to five cups of coffee is not only safe, but appears to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults.

Read the Entire Article...  New Health Guidelines has Cholesterol Back on the Menu

Study Finds Pizza Linked to Unwholesome Health Habits for Kids

Who doesn’t enjoy a delicious slice of pizza — or two or three? Whether you're trying to set the family pace by sticking to a healthier diet, a busy parent creating late-night meals for your kids, or simply looking for an enjoyable play-date meal, pizza can offer nutritious value when healthy ingredients are encouraged.

On average, after eating pizza:

• Children consume 84 more calories, 3 grams more saturated fat, and 134 milligrams more sodium than average.
• Teens took in an extra 230 calories, 5 grams saturated fat and 484 mg sodium on pizza days.

Read the Entire Article —  Study Finds Pizza Linked to Unwholesome Health Habits for Kids

Cinnamon Providing a Profuse Spark of Support for Your Health

It’s that time of year. You break out the cinnamon and nutmeg to fill-up on holiday cheer. But it does more than just spicing up your favorite holiday recipes — it’s enlivening your health.
Cinnamon comprises of antioxidants and anti-microbial properties that fight a range of diseases.

And while it’s progressively known for combating fats, preventing heart disease and fighting Parkinson's disease, it also improves circulation and helps reduce the craving for sugars.

Learn More... Cinnamon Providing a Profuse Spark of Support for Your Health

Study Finds Eating Whole Grains May Help You Live Longer

In a recent study published online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, the findings may just surprise you. Eating whole grains such as popcorn, oats and quinoa may help you live a longer, healthier life.

"If you are really looking into whole-grain consumption with other diseases, stroke, heart disease and colorectal cancer, whole grains are consistently associated with [a] lower risk of those diseases," Dr. Qi Sun stated. “However, a higher intake of whole grains did not appear to reduce the risk of dying from cancer, the researchers found. It's possible that the two studies didn't have enough cases of specific kinds of cancer to show whether eating whole grains is helpful for cancer-related longevity.”

Read More...  Study Finds Eating Whole Grains May Help You Live Longer

Can Pistachios Prevent Type-2 Diabetes?

According to a recent study by researchers at the Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, pre-diabetic individuals that ate nearly two ounces of pistachios everyday showed remarkable decrease in blood sugar and insulin levels.

Can pistachios prevent type-2 diabetes?

Learn More...  Can Pistachios Prevent Type-2 Diabetes?

Cardiovascular Disease Pose Highest Risk for Black Women

Recently, the American Heart Association zeroed in on key details to find out how vulnerable black women and men are to the population attributable risk (PAR) changes.

Major risk factors that can lead to cardiovascular diseases include high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

Learn More...  Cardiovascular Disease Pose Highest Risk for Black Women

Study Finds Childhood Obesity Rates Holding Steady

According to the latest study published in the journal Pediatrics, the proportion of kids aged 2–18 who are considered obese, based on their waist size, held steady at nearly 18 percent from 2003–2012.

While the rate of obesity has stabilized, it is important to remember the full health consequences of childhood obesity — including type 2 diabetes and heart disease, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.

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Less Exercise Blamed for Increasing Obesity Statistics

Recently published in the American Journal of Medicine, Stanford University researchers state that less exercise, not more calories, is to blame for increasing obesity in the United States.

“These changes have occurred in the context of substantial increases in the proportion of adults reporting no leisure-time physical activity, but in the absence of any significant population-level changes in average daily caloric intake,” stated lead investigator Uri Ladabaum, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine.

Read the Entire Article ...  Less Exercise Blamed for Increasing Obesity Statistics

Can Diet Soda be the Key to Weight Loss?

With funding from the American Beverage Association, a recent study was designed to measure weight loss in individuals drinking diet soda and the other group — the water group.
 The study was published in the Journal Obesity.

Diet Soda Confusing the Body

The study lectured as to whether a regular diet soda drinker should attempt to break an old habit while pursuing weight loss, not specifically whether individuals should drink more diet soda in order to lose weight.

Read the Entire Story —  Can Diet Soda be the Key to Weight Loss?

Unhealthy Diets Greater Threat to Health than Tobacco

During the annual summit of the World Health Organization (WHO), Belgian Professor Olivier de Schutter, called for efforts to launch negotiations on a global accord to tackle the obesity endemic that is sweeping the nation.

"Unhealthy diets are now a greater threat to global health than tobacco. Just as the world came together to regulate the risks of tobacco, a bold framework convention on adequate diets must now be agreed," Professor Schutter stated.

Obesity is a major risk factor for diseases such as: cardiovascular diseases (including heart disease and stroke), diabetes, and...

Read the Entire Story:  Unhealthy Diets Greater Threat to Health than Tobacco

FDA Approves Merck's Heart-Attack Prevention Drug

The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new drug by Merck that lowers the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular actions associated with peripheral arterial disease.

Zontivity was found to reduce rates of death from cardiovascular trauma over the three years it was measured.

 What is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart abruptly becomes blocked and the heart does not get oxygen. When not treated quickly, the heart muscle fails to pump and an individual may begin to die.

Read the Entire Story... FDA Approves Merck's Heart-Attack Prevention Drug

Type 2 Diabetes May Cause Brain Shrinkage

 A recent study concluded that individuals suffering from Type 2 diabetes may actually experience a decrease in brain mass.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Perleman School of Medicine in Philadelphia studied the brains of 614 diabetes patients with MRI's.

The results — brain shrinkage increased the longer patients had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Read the Full Story...  Type 2 Diabetes May Cause Brain Shrinkage

Cholesterol Drug Users Taking Statins as a License to Overeat

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association indicates that the number of US adults eligible to take cholesterol-lowering drugs may reach 56 million.

Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor may hinder the production of cholesterol, which is used to build new cells and keep the body functioning. High cholesterol increases the chances of developing heart disease and fatty deposits in blood vessels.

There are generally no symptoms of high cholesterol. A simple blood test can tell you what your current cholesterol level is at. The National Cholesterol Education program recommends that all adults have their cholesterol levels checked once every five years.

Read the Entire Story —  Cholesterol Drug Users Taking Statins as a License to Overeat

Bedtime TV Severely Affecting Kids' Sleep

Do you find yourself struggling to get your child to sleep? Bedtime can be the most difficult time of the day for parents.

Besides the over-stimulation that watching television can cause, the type of programming can also make falling asleep difficult.

 A recent study has established that kids who watch more television sleep for a smaller duration of the night — nearly seven fewer minutes of sleep.

Read More ...  Bedtime TV Severely Affecting Kids' Sleep

Rare Mutation Found to Significantly Lower Diabetes Risk

A new study has found a rare mutation that can safeguard individuals from getting Type-2 diabetes. The effect of the mutation prominently reduces the risk by two-thirds and provides a favorable first-hand target for developing a drug to mimic the mutation’s effect.

 “The study is a tour de force, and the authors are the top people in the field,” — Dr. Samuel Klein, Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine.

Diabetes type-2 is a disorder in which the body can't regulate the levels of glucose in the blood.

Read More:  Rare Mutation Found to Significantly Lower Diabetes Risk

 

The Deep Rooted Channels of Obesity

For many obese adults, obesity was a predisposition at the age of 5 years old.

A recent study of more than 7,000 children has found that a third of children who were overweight in kindergarten were obese by eighth grade.

“What is striking is the relative decrease in incidence after that initial blast of obesity that occurs by age 5. It is almost as if, if you can make it to kindergarten without the weight, your chances are immensely better.”  — Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, Vice President of the Emory Global Health Institute in Atlanta

Overweight and obesity are chief risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and cancer.

Learn More: The Deep Rooted Channels of Obesity

Modern Luxuries Uninspiring Healthcare

Do you witness the behavior-altering sway of new technology and designer fashions? Are these modern luxuries negatively influencing your health?

Technology Consuming Your Mind

Many individuals are steering away from the proper physical and mental upkeep they need because the latest marketing tactics for new iPhones and trendy clothing is consuming their minds.

 "Even light pressure can be magnified five or 10 times at the base of the thumb joint." —  Dr. Kenneth Means Jr.

Learn how to avoid major health risks with simple safety precautions.

Read the entire story -- Modern Luxuries Uninspiring Healthcare

Live, Laugh, and Eat Nuts

Nuts prove to be a good source of protein, heart-healthy fat, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and several antioxidants.

The results of a recent study are simply nuts — are nuts truly beneficial?

Find Out The Best Nuts for Your Heart, Brain, and Disease Prevention.

Read the entire story -- Live, Laugh, and Eat Nuts

Sex: The More, The Merrier you!

Spending time between the sheets can make you happier, according to a new study. 

From having a healthy heart to helping you look younger, the benefits of sexual intercourse have long been endorsed and acknowledged by doctors. Orgasms increase the circulation, keeping the blood flowing and increases endorphin release. 

According to the results published by Tim Wadsworth, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder, suggest that people are generally happy when they have sex on the regular and they're even happier if they get a bit more.

"Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness: How Other People's Sex Lives are Related to Our Sense of Well-Being," was published in a recent edition of Social Indicators Research.

What’s even more interesting: the study found that people who believed they were having less sex than their peers were unhappier than those who believed they were having as much or more than their peers.     

"There's an overall increase in sense of well-being that comes with engaging in sex more frequently, but there's also this relative aspect to it," he said. "Having more sex makes us happy, but thinking that we are having more sex than other people makes us even happier."

Apparently getting frisky in bed with your partner is great way to keep a healthy heart, be happy and entice competition with your peers. 

Read more here: Does Having More Sex Make You Happier?