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Published on Leave a comment on Drinking Orange Juice Daily Has Health Benefits

Many of us drink a daily glass of orange juice thinking it is healthy for us and because it contains vitamin C. But is that true?

While some in the medical field view orange juice as basically orange-flavored sugar in a glass, others find orange juice to be a healthy beverage - one that is linked to a lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

A recent study found that there are numerous health benefits from drinking  orange juice daily. Regular consumption can influence the activity of thousands of genes in our immune cells - genes that help control blood pressure, improve inflammation, metabolism, and blood sugar control. Studies have also found improvements in cholesterol and blood vessel health - thus influencing long-term heart health.

How much orange juice to drink for health benefits? One cup of pure pasteurized orange juice daily should be sufficient. Note that in the study, adults drank 500 ml (2 cups) of pure pasteurized orange juice for 2 months. After 60 days, many genes associated with inflammation and higher blood pressure became less active.

From Science Daily: Drinking orange juice every day may change thousands of genes

Most of us think of orange juice as a simple breakfast habit, something you pour without much thought. Yet scientists are discovering that this everyday drink may be doing far more in the body than quenching thirst. ...continue reading "Drinking Orange Juice Daily Has Health Benefits"

Published on Leave a comment on Eat More Whole Grain Foods For Heart Health
Whole grain breads Credit: Wikipedia

Over the years, study after study has found a link between high whole-grain intake and a reduced risk of a number of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. A recent review of studies also found that ....(drum roll)... eating a diet rich in whole grain foods is good for heart health and lowering chronic inflammation.

The review of 87 studies found that eating 4 to 6 servings of whole grain foods per day benefits heart health in a number of ways. The studies found that daily consumption of this amount of whole grain foods resulted in improvements in body weight, waist size, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, fasting glucose, insulin resistance, and some markers of inflammation.

There was a dose response effect - the more whole grains eaten, the better the health effects. Best health effects were from 4 to 6 servings daily (60 to 100 grams per day).

Bottom line: Whole grains have a number of health effects and can easily be added into the diet. Examples of whole grain foods: Oatmeal, barley, quinoa, wild rice, bulgur (cracked wheat), farro, millet, buckwheat, rye, spelt, brown rice, popcorn, whole wheat flour, whole grain breakfast cereals, and whole wheat bread and crackers.

By the way, 4 to 6 servings of whole grain foods per day is more than current US guidelines of 2 to 4 servings per day. But both agree that for health benefits need to eat "real whole foods" (not ultra-processed foods).

From Science Daily: Scientists find the whole grain “sweet spot” for better heart health

Eating four to six servings of whole grains each day may improve several major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to new research published September 15 in the European Heart Journal. ...continue reading "Eat More Whole Grain Foods For Heart Health"

Published on Leave a comment on Climbing Stairs Is An Easy Test Of Heart Health

Doctors now have an easy test for determining your heart health, according to European researchers. Anyone can take the test - just need access to staircases and wear comfortable sneakers or shoes. The test: time it takes to climb 4 flights of stairs or 60 steps.

According to the researchers, the best is being able to climb the stairs at a fast pace, without stopping, in 45 seconds or less (heart health!). A sign of poorer ("suboptimal") heart health is taking 1 1/2 minutes or more to do it. The researchers go on to discuss how heart health is linked to risk of death over the next ten years.

From Science Daily: Test your heart health by climbing stairs

Climbing four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health, according to research presented at EACVI -- Best of Imaging 2020, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).   ...continue reading "Climbing Stairs Is An Easy Test Of Heart Health"

Published on

The benefits of exercise and being fit keeps growing. From Medical Daily:

Physical Fitness In Your 20s Can Help Preserve Your Thinking Skills Later On In Life

If you need some motivation to get up off the couch and in your running shoes than how about this; a new study has proved that those who are fitter in their 20s are sharper thinkers in their middle age. So not only does exercise improve your health, slim your waistline, and lift your mood, but apparently it can also make you smarter. 

The study was carried out by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. It started in 1985 and was conducted on nearly 3,000 19- to 30-year-olds in the U.S. The participants were asked to do a treadmill test and undergo physical examinations. They were asked to run for as long as they could without becoming exhausted or short of breath, according to the BBC. Then, 20 years later, the participants agreed to repeat the physical test. Five years after the second physical exam the participants underwent brain testing. These included a word recall test, a number-based test of attention, thinking speed and memory, and a test of how well people can focus while tuning out distractions. Results showed that the better people did on the treadmill test 20 years earlier, the better they did on the memory test. Also, those who had kept up their fitness later on in life scored the best overall in the memory tests. The researchers took into account factors such as weight, sex, drinking, smoking, and education. Still, those who did better on the treadmill test seemed to do better on the memory tests years later. 

The reasoning for this is that the brain uses a lot of oxygen and people who are fitter make more efficient use of oxygen. Also, exercise improves mitochondrial function, which is necessary in making use of energy. It is emphasized that this increase in brain function cannot be attributed to exercise alone. People who are physically fit are less likely to be sat in front of a television and more likely to interact with people and be engaged in life. “Just moving around — being engaged in family and life as opposed to sitting down and watching TV and pretty much not doing anything, they are going to preserve brain function. This is really about engagement in life,” lead researcher David Jacobs told NBC News. The study will continue by observing whether physical fitness in youth makes individuals less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease later on in life. “Investment in research is vital to better understand how we can protect our brains as we age,” Jacobs concluded.

This research also ties in with another study released this week that showed young adults who had better heart health, as measured by blood pressure, have better thinking skills in middle age than those with high blood pressure.