High fiber intake may cut preeclampsia risk

High fiber intake may cut preeclampsia risk - Yahoo! News:
2008.08.02
"Pregnant women who increase their fiber intake by 5 grams a day -- the equivalent of 2 slices of whole grain bread -- may reduce their risk of developing preeclampsia by about 14 percent, researchers report...Women who reported eating at least 21.2 grams of total fiber a day, compared with those eating less than 11.9 grams daily, were 67 percent less likely to develop preeclampsia...They calculate that every 5-gram increase in daily fiber intake led to a 14 percent reduction in preeclampsia risk...Moreover, women with the highest fiber intake had triglycerides nearly 12 points lower and high-density lipoproteins ('good' cholesterol) more than 2.6 points higher than women with the lowest daily fiber intake..."

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Study: Low-carb diet best for weight, cholesterol

Study: Low-carb diet best for weight, cholesterol on Yahoo! Health:
2008.07.17
"ATLANTA - The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the dueling weight-loss techniques...A bigger surprise: The low-carb diet improved cholesterol more than the other two. Some critics had predicted the opposite...all three approaches — the low-carb diet, a low-fat diet and a so-called Mediterranean diet — achieved weight loss and improved cholesterol...The study is remarkable not only because it lasted two years, much longer than most, but also because of the huge proportion of people who stuck with the diets — 85 percent...Average weight loss for those in the low-carb group was 10.3 pounds after two years. Those in the Mediterranean diet lost 10 pounds, and those on the low-fat regimen dropped 6.5...But the low-carb approach seemed to trigger the most improvement in several cholesterol measures, including the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, the "good" cholesterol...The ratio declined by 20 percent in people on the low-carb diet, compared to 16 percent in those on the Mediterranean and 12 percent in low-fat dieters...The new study's results favored the Atkins-like approach less when subgroups such as diabetics and women were examined...Among the 36 diabetics, only those on the Mediterranean diet lowered blood sugar levels. Among the 45 women, those on the Mediterranean diet lost the most weight... "I think these data suggest that men may be much more responsive to a diet in which there are clear limits on what foods can be consumed," such as an Atkins-like diet, said Dr. William Dietz, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..."

Full article here - at NEJM.

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Yogurt - probiotics significantly boost HDL

New Hope Natural Media Online:
"12/5/02 - Healthnotes Newswire
Women who eat yogurt every day may experience an increase in the level of “good” cholesterol...Over the 21-week trial, a small increase in the total cholesterol level was observed that was not statistically significant. A larger, and statistically significant, 38% increase was observed in HDL, or “good” cholesterol levels after eating the yogurt. No change was observed in LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol levels. Despite the small increase in total cholesterol levels, the increase in HDL cholesterol would presumably decrease the risk of developing heart disease, as past research has shown this type of cholesterol to be protective...Animal and human studies have found many other benefits from yogurt ingestion, including prevention of diarrhea, stimulation of the immune system and prevention of vaginal yeast infections..."

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Moderate Exercise Yields Big Benefits

Moderate Exercise Yields Big Benefits - ScienceDaily
2008.01.04
"...The January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter lists some of the benefits of 30 minutes of exercise a day:

• Lower blood pressure: A reduction of 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is possible. In some cases, that’s enough to prevent or reduce the need for blood pressure medications.
• Improve cholesterol: Exercise often increases the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol in the blood), especially when accompanied by weight loss. Exercise also helps reduce triglyceride levels.
• Prevent or manage type 2 diabetes: Exercise helps insulin work better, lowering blood sugar.
• Manage weight: Coupling exercise with a healthy diet is the best way to shed fat and maintain a healthier body composition.
• Prevent osteoporosis: Exercise may increase bone density and protect against bone mass decline, especially if weight-bearing activities are involved.
• Prevent cancer: Exercise has been shown to strengthen the immune system, improve circulation, reduce body fat and speed digestion. Each has a role in preventing cancer, particularly cancers of the colon, prostate, uterine lining and breast.
• Maintain mental well-being: Exercise may help reduce stress, improve mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety, improve sleep and boost moods.
• Increase energy and stamina: A lack of energy often results from inactivity, not age.""

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Breast-feeding linked to heart-health benefits

Breast-feeding linked to heart-health benefits - Yahoo! News
2007.11.05
"The list of health benefits to children who were breast-fed as babies is growing, with research unveiled on Monday showing they are more likely as adults to have higher levels of "good" cholesterol...Numerous studies have shown babies whose mothers breast-fed them enjoy health advantages over formula-fed babies. These include fewer ear, stomach or intestinal infections, digestive problems, skin diseases and allergies, and less likelihood of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity...breast-fed babies are better off in two important heart disease risk factors as adults than bottle-fed babies -- levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and body mass index...Those who were breast-fed were 55 percent more likely to have high average levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol in adulthood than low levels..."The results are intriguing in that they point to this concept that early nutrition or early environmental exposures may affect long-term health," Parikh said ..."

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Lack of "good" cholesterol always poses heart risk

Lack of "good" cholesterol always poses heart risk - Yahoo! News
2007.09.26
"The amount of "good cholesterol" in the blood remains an important marker for heart disease regardless of how much "bad cholesterol" is lowered..."It means doctors can't ignore a low HDL even if they're treating people with statins. They need to attack the HDL as well, if the HDL remains low,"...Doctors have known for years that HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, protects against heart attacks and stroke, probably by cleaning up the bad low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, known as LDL..."become lean and become very active. That's probably as effective as anything we have at the moment. But most people who try don't succeed," Barter said. "The biggest frustration is that we don't have the magic bullet like we do for the LDL."...Barter said aggressively lowering levels of bad cholesterol probably reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by 40 to 50 percent. Having a drug that brought up HDL levels would likely cut the remaining risk by half.

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Long workouts best for raising HDL

Long workouts best for raising good cholesterol Reuters/Yahoo! News 5/31/07 "People who want to boost their "good" HDL cholesterol levels with exercise will have to put in at least two hours of physical activity each week, an analysis of 25 studies shows...And the longer each exercise session, the greater the effect, Dr. Satoru Kodama... exercisers increased their HDL cholesterol by a modest but significant 2.53 mg/dL, which equates to a roughly 5 percent drop in heart disease risk for men and a nearly 8 percent reduction for women...In order for exercise to have an effect on HDL cholesterol, study participants had to expend at least 900 kilocalories a week in physical activity, equivalent to about 120 minutes of exercise. The researchers also found that the intensity of exercise or the frequency of exercise sessions didn't seem to matter, as long as exercise was performed consistently. However, the length of an exercise session did matter; for every 10 minutes longer a workout session lasted, there was an additional 1.4 mg/dL rise in good cholesterol...exercise had the greatest effect in increasing HDL cholesterol in people with body mass indexes less than 28 and those who had total cholesterol levels of 220 mg/dL or greater."


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Vigorous exercise keeps age related weight gain lower

Vigorous Exercise Keeps People Thin With Age ScienceDaily 5/3/07 "...People who maintain a vigorously active lifestyle as they age gain less weight than people who exercise at more moderate levels...The study also found that maintaining exercise with age is particularly effective in preventing extreme weight gain, which is associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other diseases...The study, conducted by Paul Williams of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), followed 6,119 men and 2,221 women who maintained their weekly running mileage (to within three miles per week) over a seven-year period. On average, the men and women who ran over 30 miles per week gained half the weight of those who ran less than 15 miles per week...The research is the latest report from the National Runners' Health Study, a 20-year research initiative started by Williams that includes more than 120,000 runners... "

While we're on info from the National Runners' Health study - previous findings here.
"Williams reports that men and women who ran faster had lower blood pressure, triglycerides, body mass index, and narrower hips. That's when adjusted for weekly training distances, age, alcohol intake, and diet. For men, relative to the benefits of running longer weekly distances, running faster is estimated to have 13.3 times greater impact on lowering systolic blood pressure, 2.8 times greater impact on lowering diastolic blood pressure, and 4.7 times greater impact on narrowing waistlines. For women, running faster as versus running longer is estimated to have 5.7 times greater impact on lowering systolic blood pressure.
Running longer distances, on the other hand, had a more pronounced effect on another coronary heart disease risk factor. Running more miles had an over six-fold stronger effect on raising HDL-cholesterol than did running faster. That was the case for both men and women. Numerous studies show that higher HDL cholesterol levels protect against heart disease"

For a more comprehensive and definitely more funky, sorta D&D version of results from Nat. Runners Health Study - look no further than here. The format is actually quite nice and the content succinct. Even the candle is animated. Also info on twins and running - one that runs and one that doesn't. What are the effects? Read on.

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Cocoa Boosts "Good" Cholesterol

Antioxidants in Cocoa May Be the Reason WebMD 3/9/07 "The men in the cocoa group showed a 24% rise in their HDL, or "good," cholesterol levels... tests included blasting samples of the men's LDL cholesterol with free radicals to trigger a process called oxidation. Oxidized LDL cholesterol may be particularly hazardous because oxidation may help LDL cholesterol build up in the arteries...LDL cholesterol of the men who drank cocoa daily for 12 weeks was more resistant to oxidation than the LDL cholesterol of men who didn't drink the cocoa...However, the study shows similar blood levels of LDL cholesterol for both groups -- including oxidized LDL -- regardless of cocoa consumption...Cocoa contains antioxidants called polyphenols, which may be responsible for the study's results...Tea, wine, fruit, and vegetables also contain polyphenols and may help heart health, note Kondo and colleagues..."

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Garlic May Not Lower Cholesterol

No Improvement in Cholesterol Levels From Raw Garlic or Garlic Supplements WebMD 2/26/07 "Garlic may not improve the cholesterol profiles of people with moderately high levels of "bad" cholesterol...None of the three forms of garlic affected participants' total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, HDL ("good") cholesterol, triglycerides, or other blood fats...the study was large enough and long enough to have detected any cholesterol changes...the researchers don't rule out the possibility that garlic has health benefits for other groups of people (such as those with higher LDL cholesterol levels) or requires higher doses..."

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Gene linked to longevity and preservation of brain

How to live to a ripe old age without losing your marbles TimesOnline 12/26/06 "An Israeli study involving 158 people who lived to 95 or beyond has found that those who inherit a particular version of the gene CETP are twice as likely to have a sharp and alert brain when they are elderly...They are also five times less likely than people with a different version of CETP to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, according to the study by a team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University...If drugs could be developed which mimic the protective function of the CETP VV variant they could transform the quality of life of the ageing population...Nir Barzilai, director of the college’s Institute for Ageing Research... “We’ve shown that the same gene variant that helps people live to exceptional ages has the added benefit of helping them think clearly...CETP is a gene that makes the cholesterol ester protein, which in turn influences the size of the particles in which both “good” (high-density lipoprotein) and “bad” (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol appear in the blood"

More evidence that if you want to live to 100, lifestyle might not be enough. CETP vv is present in 25% of centenarians. Also here again, with CETP, is a connection between forms of cholesterol production and maintenance and longevity.

A curious thing would be to find what genes associated with longevity are found in supercentenarians (those living to 110 and over). Studying supercentenarians might offer more insight into the aging process and longevity genes in particular than in centenarians.

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Policosanol fails to lower LDL cholesterol

Policosanol is ineffective in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: a randomized controlled American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84, No. 6, 1543-1548, December 2006 "No significant differences in the change in LDL cholesterol were observed between the placebo (n = 20) and policosanol (n = 20) groups. Also, no significant changes in secondary outcome measures, including total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol, C-reactive protein, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy–determined profiles were observed. Policosanol was well tolerated, and no significant adverse events were noted"

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