As we all get a bit older it becomes prudent and normal to start giving thought to our health and our diet. Heart issues, weight management, diabetes, and dementia risks begin escalating as we age and it’s no surprise that as these risks begin climbing most people try to address them by taking action and changing their diet, quitting bad habits, or even starting to exercise. Active dieting and exercise works both to drop pounds but also to improve the health and quality of the cardiovascular system. Arterial damage can even be reversed if significant changes are made.
If you are concerned about your heart health and have not had a cholesterol test done to determine what your cholesterol levels are you should do this first so that you have a baseline for comparison. No program of self-betterment is complete without a starting point. Without a baseline cholesterol reading how will you know if you lower LDL cholesterol levels or if they remain unchanged? Similarly HDL cholesterol levels work to decrease circulating LDL cholesterol and thus you want more of it. Your lipid profile will give you your needed baseline cholesterol levels to work from.
Once you know where you stand on your HDL-LDL cholesterol ratio you will need probably to start doing two things. You will have to start a LDL cholesterol diet aimed at decreasing the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood stream. You will also want to compliment your LDL cholesterol diet with foods that support and raise HDL cholesterol levels and this will help in keeping you moving in the right direction. Read more...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Low Vitamin D Levels May Raise Heart Risk
Some men with low levels of vitamin D in their blood are at particularly high risk of developing heart disease and weakened bones that can lead to osteoporosis, researchers report.
In a study of more than 1,000 men, those with low levels of both vitamin D and the sex hormone estrogen were at significantly increased risk of having cardiovascular disease, says study head Erin Michos, MD, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins.
"They were also at dramatically increased risk of osteopenia," or bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis, she says.
"Our results suggest that vitamin D supplements, which are already prescribed to treat osteoporosis, may also be useful in preventing heart disease," Michos tells WebMD.
Men with low levels of vitamin D and testosterone, on the other hand, were not at heightened risk for heart disease or osteopenia.
Role of Estrogen and Vitamin D
The new findings build on previous studies showing that low levels of vitamin D and estrogen, a sex hormone found in differing amounts in men and women, are independent risk factors for developing plaque-laden arteries and weakened bones. Read more...
In a study of more than 1,000 men, those with low levels of both vitamin D and the sex hormone estrogen were at significantly increased risk of having cardiovascular disease, says study head Erin Michos, MD, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins.
"They were also at dramatically increased risk of osteopenia," or bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis, she says.
"Our results suggest that vitamin D supplements, which are already prescribed to treat osteoporosis, may also be useful in preventing heart disease," Michos tells WebMD.
Men with low levels of vitamin D and testosterone, on the other hand, were not at heightened risk for heart disease or osteopenia.
Role of Estrogen and Vitamin D
The new findings build on previous studies showing that low levels of vitamin D and estrogen, a sex hormone found in differing amounts in men and women, are independent risk factors for developing plaque-laden arteries and weakened bones. Read more...
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Osteoarthritis increases aggregate health care expenditures by $186 billion annually
Osteoarthritis (OA), a highly prevalent disease, raised aggregate annual medical care expenditures in the U.S. by $185.5 billion according to researchers from Stony Brook University. Insurers footed $149.4 billion of the total medical spend and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures were $36.1 billion (2007 dollars). Results of the cost analysis study are published in the December issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate 27 million Americans suffer from OA with more women than men affected by the disease. Forecasts indicate that by the year 2030, 25% of the adult U.S. population, or nearly 67 million people, will have physician-diagnosed arthritis. OA is a major debilitating disease causing gradual loss of cartilage, primarily affecting the knees, hips, hands, feet, and spine. Read more...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate 27 million Americans suffer from OA with more women than men affected by the disease. Forecasts indicate that by the year 2030, 25% of the adult U.S. population, or nearly 67 million people, will have physician-diagnosed arthritis. OA is a major debilitating disease causing gradual loss of cartilage, primarily affecting the knees, hips, hands, feet, and spine. Read more...
Friday, November 27, 2009
Why Drug Companies are Working to Control Natural Supplements
As the battle over government-controlled health care continues, many Americans simply want out of the whole mess. They instead seek a plan of wellness based on healthy eating and natural supplements.
That approach, however, is the opposite of the health care agenda of the American Medical Association and the Pharmaceutical industry. Those forces, which literally control America’s health industry, are based on sickness. The sicker you are, the more drugs you will buy.
In addition, insurance companies, working hand in hand with the AMA and the drug companies, refuse to provide coverage for the wellness approach. Most won’t pay for natural supplements nor will they pay for visits to homeopaths or chiropractors. The only thing most Americans can do when sick (and unable to afford to pay for natural treatment out of their pockets) is to stick with the big pharma/AMA game plan. In short, it is cheaper to be sick than to try to stay well.
However, in spite of a stacked deck in favor of the sickness agenda, more Americans are going for wellness and the natural supplement industry is growing. In response, and to preserve their dominance over health care, big pharma is lobbying hard to get the Food and Drug Administration to make many natural supplements available only by prescriptions issued by AMA licensed doctors. In other efforts, they seek to drastically reduce the dosage of natural supplements sold over the counter, making them useless. Again, only a prescription would allow a workable dosage. Read more...
That approach, however, is the opposite of the health care agenda of the American Medical Association and the Pharmaceutical industry. Those forces, which literally control America’s health industry, are based on sickness. The sicker you are, the more drugs you will buy.
In addition, insurance companies, working hand in hand with the AMA and the drug companies, refuse to provide coverage for the wellness approach. Most won’t pay for natural supplements nor will they pay for visits to homeopaths or chiropractors. The only thing most Americans can do when sick (and unable to afford to pay for natural treatment out of their pockets) is to stick with the big pharma/AMA game plan. In short, it is cheaper to be sick than to try to stay well.
However, in spite of a stacked deck in favor of the sickness agenda, more Americans are going for wellness and the natural supplement industry is growing. In response, and to preserve their dominance over health care, big pharma is lobbying hard to get the Food and Drug Administration to make many natural supplements available only by prescriptions issued by AMA licensed doctors. In other efforts, they seek to drastically reduce the dosage of natural supplements sold over the counter, making them useless. Again, only a prescription would allow a workable dosage. Read more...
Monday, November 23, 2009
Incidence of High Cholesterol Drops in U.S.
The good news is that a new report shows the percentage of American adults with high LDL cholesterol, the “bad” kind that clogs arteries, decreased by about one-third between 1999 and 2006.
The bad news is that too many of those who have dangerously high levels of LDL cholesterol don’t know it, said study author Dr. Elena V. Kuklina, an epidemiologist and senior service fellow at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her research is published in the Nov. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“In the group with high LDL cholesterol, 60 percent of these people do not know they have this condition,” Kuklina said. “They are in two major groups — those who have never been screened, and those who have been screened but not diagnosed.”
It is not as easy to test for LDL, rather than total blood cholesterol levels, including “good” HDL, Kuklina said. An LDL test requires fasting for the previous eight hours, “and if you are not prepared for this test, it is not going to be correct,” she said. But testing someone and then not informing that person of a dangerously high LDL cholesterol level is not easy to explain, she said. Read more...
The bad news is that too many of those who have dangerously high levels of LDL cholesterol don’t know it, said study author Dr. Elena V. Kuklina, an epidemiologist and senior service fellow at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her research is published in the Nov. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“In the group with high LDL cholesterol, 60 percent of these people do not know they have this condition,” Kuklina said. “They are in two major groups — those who have never been screened, and those who have been screened but not diagnosed.”
It is not as easy to test for LDL, rather than total blood cholesterol levels, including “good” HDL, Kuklina said. An LDL test requires fasting for the previous eight hours, “and if you are not prepared for this test, it is not going to be correct,” she said. But testing someone and then not informing that person of a dangerously high LDL cholesterol level is not easy to explain, she said. Read more...
Vitamins, Are They Essential or Useless?
Vitamins are an essential part of a daily diet. It is important that students get an adequate amount of each vitamin in order to live healthy lives.
“Studies show that vitamin supplements improve overall health,” said Nichole Riley, an employee at GNC.
Riley said supplements provided at GNC help boost immunity and help people live longer.
There are several types of vitamins including Vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamin complex.
Vitamin B consists of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin V-6, vitamin B-12 and folate. These 13 vitamins are vital for healthy lives.
The Food and Drug Administration said vitamins are used for a variety of different bodily processes including growth, digestion and nerve function.
There are two types of vitamins — fat-soluble and water-soluble. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble.
The body stores these vitamins to use as needed.
Vitamin C and much of the vitamin B complex make up the water-solubles. They are easily absorbed by the body, and kidneys remove the excess vitamins that are not needed.
Each vitamin plays a specific part in keeping bodies healthy.
Not getting enough of any vitamin may cause disease or other medical problems. Read more...
“Studies show that vitamin supplements improve overall health,” said Nichole Riley, an employee at GNC.
Riley said supplements provided at GNC help boost immunity and help people live longer.
There are several types of vitamins including Vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamin complex.
Vitamin B consists of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin V-6, vitamin B-12 and folate. These 13 vitamins are vital for healthy lives.
The Food and Drug Administration said vitamins are used for a variety of different bodily processes including growth, digestion and nerve function.
There are two types of vitamins — fat-soluble and water-soluble. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble.
The body stores these vitamins to use as needed.
Vitamin C and much of the vitamin B complex make up the water-solubles. They are easily absorbed by the body, and kidneys remove the excess vitamins that are not needed.
Each vitamin plays a specific part in keeping bodies healthy.
Not getting enough of any vitamin may cause disease or other medical problems. Read more...
Vitamin D Reduces Heart Risk
VITAMIN D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced by the body when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis.
However, vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body for activation.
The first occurs in the liver and converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxy vitamin D, also known as calcidiol. The second occurs primarily in the kidney and forms the physiologically active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D also known as calcitriol.
Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the intestines and maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralisation of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany.
It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodelling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.
We are now going beyond the skeletal system and going into the cardiovascular system. Vitamin D it appears, is good for the heart.
A new study presented on Nov 16 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Conference in Orlando, Florida, confirmed a strong association between the presence of reduced vitamin D levels and a greater risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure and dying among men and women 50 years of age and older. Read more...
However, vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body for activation.
The first occurs in the liver and converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxy vitamin D, also known as calcidiol. The second occurs primarily in the kidney and forms the physiologically active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D also known as calcitriol.
Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the intestines and maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralisation of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany.
It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodelling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.
We are now going beyond the skeletal system and going into the cardiovascular system. Vitamin D it appears, is good for the heart.
A new study presented on Nov 16 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Conference in Orlando, Florida, confirmed a strong association between the presence of reduced vitamin D levels and a greater risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure and dying among men and women 50 years of age and older. Read more...
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