Posts Tagged ‘cardiovascular health’

It has been well established that Omega-3 fatty acids have strong antioxidant properties.  And new research is showing that for some cancer patients, consumption of Omega-3’s can significantly improve the instance of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, as well as the length of hospital stay.

In a randomized, controlled study involving 203 patients with gastrointestinal or colonic cancer who underwent gastrointestinal cancer surgery, results indicate that intravenous supplementation with fish oil may significantly reduce SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) and length of hospital stay. The patients were randomized to isocaloric and isonitrogenous intravenous infusions of either soybean oil alone (1.2 g per kg bodyweight per day; n=103) or soybean plus fish oil emulsion (1.0 and 0.2 g per kg per day respectively n=100) over 20-24 h daily for 7 days after surgery. Significantly shorter length of hospital stay and fewer cases of infectious complications and SIRS were observed in the treatment group, compared with the control group. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, “Fish oil emulsion-supplemented parenteral nutrition significantly reduced SIRS and length of hospital stay. These clinical benefits may be related to normalization of cellular immune functions and modulation of the inflammatory response.”

Omega-3 fatty acid can also help improve cardiovascular health and guard against stroke.  It fights free radical damage and can also make your skin look great.  Omega-3 fatty acid  is one nutritional supplement that has us hooked!

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Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/39051, “Randomized clinical trial of intravenous soybean oil alone versus soybean oil plus fish oil emulsion after gastrointestinal cancer surgery,” Jiang ZM, Yu K, et al, Br J Surg, 2010; 97(6): 804-9. (Address: Department of Surgery and Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and Centre for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, China. E-mail: jiangzm@imicams.ac.cn ).

Ever heard that expression, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”?  I want to tweak that slightly: “the more things stay the same, the less chance they will EVER change.”

The cold, hard fact is this: If we want to change our less-than-stellar health habits, the time is now.  We all have to actually make some sort of concerted effort to do things differently in order to expect different results.

This idea is elementary, I know, but it’s amazing how many of us (myself included) don’t practice what we preach.  Here’s an example:

Last year I noticed that my favorite jeans were becoming harder and harder to button.  I blamed the dryer and the hot water I accidently washed them in one time (months before). Because I didn’t own a scale, I was in relative denial about my gradual weight gain.  I continued to eat my-ahem-nightly bowl of ice cream.  I didn’t have a lot of energy, which lead to me skipping the gym most days.  The less I exercised, the more lethargic I felt and the more I ate (to keep my energy up).  This became a classic vicious cycle.

One day I could no longer deny it and my favorite jeans were banished to the back of my closet, along with the other clothes I couldn’t squeeze into anymore.  That day was my breaking point, my “moment of clarity” if you will.  I forced myself to the gym that afternoon, and most evenings after work.  I stopped eating my beloved ice cream (except on weekends), and tried my best to get enough sleep so I didn’t need to rely on food to enhance my energy.

Everyone has their breaking point, their moment of clarity.  Find yours and then act upon it.  It may take a little while to see some results, but you absolutely will.  Changing your bad habits can ultimately change the course of your health-and life-for the better.  Good luck!

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Are you feeling deprived?  Working hard, running around all day long, trying to exercise and take care of yourself (and everyone else) to the point of absolute exhaustion?  And when you finally have a moment’s peace, you decide that you deserve a treat-something chocolately and gooey no doubt-because you’ve worked so hard and sacrificed for so long.

Maybe that’s not such a good idea.

If you truly are trying to live a healthy and active life, rewarding yourself (and your family) with sweet, fatty, and sugary treats is good for no one.  Aside from the obvious glut of fat and sugar, you are setting a dangerous precedent: food equals reward.

Some people choose food as a reward because it’s cheap.  But I would argue that’s not entirely true.  Healthcare costs are rising, and what about the new wardrobe you’d have to buy after you gain ten pounds from consuming all of the treats you “deserve”?

There is a better way.

Reward yourself and loved ones with a new CD or DVD, a beautiful candle, tickets to a sports event or concert, a pound of gourmet coffee, or even with a massage or pedicure.  Especially if you have kids (or grandkids), this will establish that rewards don’t have to be sugar/fat/food related.

And hey. You could even buy yourself or a loved one some favorite nutritional supplements and give the ultimate reward: Good health!

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To discover a healthier you and find all of your favorite nutritional supplements, visit our homepage.

All fats are not created equal.  Our “good fat” friend Omega-3 fatty acid has once again proven that it is one of the heart healthiest substances around.  A new study involving 51 men and women with mild hypertriglyceridemia shows that supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids can improve cardiovascular health.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study involving fifty-one male and female mildly hypertriglyceridemic patients, consumption of omega-3 LC-PUFA-supplemented dairy products was found to significantly improve cardiovascular risk factors (such as omega-3 fatty acid index, AA/EPA ratio, total cholesterol, and TAG). Both groups received treatment with a) dairy products enriched with 3 g/d omega-3 LC-PUFA (intervention); and b) dairy products (control), consecutively for fifteen weeks with a ten-week wash-out phase between the two treatments. Blood samples and 24-h urine were obtained at the start and at the end of each phase. A reduction in cardiovascular risk factors was found to be associated with consumption of omega-3-enriched dairy products, as compared to control. These results add to the large body of evidence linking omega-3 fatty acid consumption to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Buy some safe, pure Omega-3 fatty acid supplements from a trusted source and load up on seeds, nuts, salmon and even collared greens and Brussels sprouts and you’ll be on your way to better cardiovascular health.  And the healthier you are, the more energy you will have to enjoy all the beautiful things in life!

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Try our Omega-Gel® nutritional supplement for better cardiovascular health and enhanced immune system protection. And for powerful antioxidants and increased cell energy, our Super QNol® with Ubiquinol is unsurpassed.

Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/38987, “Omega-3 LC-PUFA-enriched dairy products are able to reduce cardiovascular risk factors: A double-blind, cross-over study,” Dawczynski C, Martin L, et al, Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar 19. [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Nutrition, Friedrich Schiller University, Dornburger Str. 24, D-07743 Jena, Germany).

If you’re anything like me, your day may go like this:  Get up early (acute torture for we non-morning persons), check email, make coffee/breakfast/lunch/kid’s breakfasts etc. Jump in your car with seconds to spare, fight your way through ungodly traffic to get to work, school, or both, squeeze in errands in between meetings, stay late, commute home, try to get to the gym for 40 minutes, come back home, cook dinner, clean up the dishes, throw a load of laundry haphazardly into the machine, and read to the kids and/or pass out in front of the TV.  Get up the next day and start the whole chaotic process again.

This strikes me as no way to live.

So last week I took one day and experimented; I only did the things I absolutely HAD to do.  I did get up, made coffee and went to work, fighting the commute and arriving (basically) on time.  But I forced myself to eat a sandwich somewhere other than my desk, and eschewed all non-essential errands.  I found that I had time to take a walk in a nearby park, allowing myself to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, if only for my lunch hour.  When I got back to my desk, instead of feeling harried and frenzied, I felt centered and somewhat relaxed.  I continued with this idea throughout the day.  I drove home, changed into casual clothes and took the dog for a walk around the neighborhood.  I did not go to the gym.  With that extra hour, I spent some quality time with my pooch and actually had a chance to talk to a couple of neighbors who were also out and about.  When the rest of the family came home, we all cooked together and turned our collective noses up at the laundry piling high in the utility room.  It felt great.

The point is this: give yourself permission to kick around the dust bunnies.  It’s very noble to try to do it all day after day after day, but it doesn’t make for a particularly happy or enriched life.  So let yourself have a day or two off from the gym, the cooking, the laundry, and anything else non-essential.  You will feel more relaxed, centered and ultimately more productive.  And if all else fails, send the laundry out once a month.  Let someone else do your dirty work.  After all, you have a life!

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At the risk of sounding like the proverbial broken record, consuming a lot of fruits, vegetables, lean protein sources, and eschewing most fats and sugars, are really wonderful, healthy choices.  But you knew that already, right?  True, sitting down to a plate full of broccoli and tofu doesn’t sound quite as exciting as a plate full of warm chocolate chip cookies, but broccoli and other cruciferous veggies might just make you live longer and can help fight certain diseases like cancer.

In a very recent clinical study, it was discovered that women who maintained a diet high in vegetables, fruits, and soy, had a 30% decrease in breast cancer incidence, and a 64% risk reduction for postmenopausal women with similar eating habits, compared with women who ate a lot of meat and starch.  Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and bok choy, can be particularly protective and help the body fight free radical damage and oxidative stress.

If eating right sounds boring at best, try spicing things up.  Sauté a bushel of broccoli or some boy choy, mixed with low sodium soy sauce and hot pepper flakes.  It’s easy to add rich flavors without adding any fats to the vegetables.  Once you commit to healthier cooking and eating, you’ll be surprised how easy it is.

And after you’ve eaten all your veggies, have a cookie.  One cannot live on broccoli alone.

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For more information about breast cancer and other health concerns, take a look at our articles and health archives on our homepage at Solanova.com.

And don’t forget to follow us on twitter and fan us on facebook. Join the healthy conversation and let us know what health topics interest you!

Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/38893, “A vegetable-fruit-soy dietary pattern protects against breast cancer among postmenopausal Singapore Chinese women,” Butler LM, Yu MC, et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2010 Feb 24; [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: Department of Environmental Radiological Health Sciences Colorado State University Fort Collins CO, USA).

We Americans enjoy it.  The French have been doing it for longer.  And we’re pretty sure the Germans and the Swiss are in on it too.  In many countries around the world, rich, creamy, chocolately cocoa is imbibed at breakfast, lunch and after dinner.  It’s sweet, soothing, and some many even argue, quite nutritious.  And now it’s been discovered that Cocoa Flavanols (an antioxidant-like compound naturally found in cocoa beans), can lower blood pressure and contribute to better cardiovascular health.

In a randomized, double-blind, crossover design study involving 21 subjects (8 females, 13 males, 54.9 years of age, BMI: 31.6 kg/m(2), systolic BP: 134 mm Hg, diastolic BP: 87 mm Hg), consumption of a high-flavanol cocoa beverage (701 mg) was found to significantly attenuate the blood pressure response to exercise (10 minutes of cycling at 75% of age-predicted maximum heart rate) – blood pressure increases were 68% lower for diastolic BP and 14% lower for mean blood pressure. Subjects were given a single serving of either a high-flavanol (701 mg) or low flavanol (22 mg) cocoa beverage. After 2 hours, measurements of FMD and BP were taken before and during 10 minutes of exercise. BP was similar between the 2 groups prior to exericse. After exercise, BP increases were significantly reduced in the high-flavanol group. In addition, FMD was higher among subjects who took the high-flavanol versus the low-flavanol beverage. The authors conclude, “By facilitating vasodilation and attenuating exercise-induced increases in BP, cocoa flavanols may decrease cardiovascular risk and enhance the cardiovascular benefits of moderate intensity exercise in at-risk individuals.”

So no matter if you’re a mountain climber, a skier, or just sitting by the fire in your living room.  Heat up a rich cup of cocoa for better cardiovascular health.  And don’t forget the marshmallows!

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Solanova has great resources to read about good cardiovascular health and CoQ10 supplementation.  And be sure to check out our potent omega-3 fatty acid antioxidant Omega-Gel®.

Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/38859, “Impact of cocoa flavanol consumption on blood pressure responsiveness to exercise,” Berry NM, Davison K, et al, Br J Nutr, 2010 Jan 19; 1-5, [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: School of Health Sciences, Nutritional Physiology Research Centre and ATN Centre for Metabolic Fitness, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia).

You already bought the Costco sized supply of carrot sticks.  You’ve thrown out all of the chocolate in the house.  You have eschewed your newspaper subscription in favor of walking three blocks to the corner store and back in order to purchase one.  You are trying desperately to eat right, to integrate exercise into your normal daily routine, and you are seeing some weight loss results.  Slowly.  Painfully slowly.

What you need is some sort of leg up.  According to creepy legend or Urban Myth, back in the old days you might garner weight loss aid from a tapeworm purchased from an overzealous magazine ad.  But now there is something much easier and infinitely safer for you to swallow.  It is an Amino Acid called L-Carnitine and it has natural fat burning and energy producing elements.

Many studies have been conducted on the positive effects of L-Carnitine on weight loss.  One such study found that while a balanced diet can deliver 100-300mg of L-Carnitine, supplementing with up to 2 g of L-Carnitine could produce far more favorable weight loss results.  This study took 18 obese adolescent subjects and followed them for 3 months.  The adolescents who supplemented with L-Carnitine experienced a 25% greater loss in body weight, their body mass index dropped by 1.5%, and their total cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels were significantly reduced.  It was also observed that the subjects had fewer sugar cravings, were less hungry, and had markedly more energy than their control group counterparts.

L-Carnitine supports optimal fat oxidation, which can result in body weight reduction.  It can also play a key role in cardiovascular function, improved neurotransmitter function, energy production and fat metabolism. Coupled with a healthy diet and exercise regimen, you could be ready for beach season early this year.  Grab your bikini, and L-Carnitine supplements.  Spring is almost here!

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We have great information about heart healthy supplements, including ones with fat burning L-Carnitine!  Click here for articles about how to increase your energy levels.

Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/28430, “L-Carnitine Supplementation-A Natural Approach for Weight Management,” Schaffhauser AO, Gaynor PT, Ann Nutr Metab, 2000;44:94-95.

Depression can sneak up on even the happiest among us.  But some groups seem to be more susceptible than others.  A recent study involving a group of older Japanese men and women who live in communities discovered that drinking green tea several times a day can significantly decrease incidence of depression in the group.  Green tea is also heavy on antioxidant properties and light on caffeine and is thought to be very good for overall health.  And now it can add “natural anti-depressant” to its roster of good attributes.

Of course choosing to live a healthy lifestyle can also make you happy, just as experiencing health problems can precipitate depression in many people.  Exercise can help release endorphins into your body, causing feelings of wellbeing and calm.  And seeking out feel good foods can also contribute to feeling happy (and healthy too).  Foods like wild salmon (rich in omega-3’s and vitamin D), lowfat or nonfat milk, (high in vitamin D and B12), blueberries and strawberries (high in antioxidants/great source of vitamin C) can all help fight free radicals that can cause cell damage and in turn compromise health.

Ideally we’d all eat healthy, vitamin and antioxidant rich food every day of our lives.  We’d train for marathons regularly, bicycle to and from work, and enjoy the requisite eight hours of sleep a night.  But most of us don’t live in this kind of world.  So do the best you can.  Take a walk after dinner.  Eat organically whenever possible.  And take your vitamins and supplements that help to fill in the nutritional gaps from your less-than-ideal-lifestyle.

And at the end of a particularly stressful or bad day, unwrap a little bit of dark chocolate (full of antioxidants), make yourself a cup of green tea, and end your day on a happy note.

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Learn health tips including how to achieve better cardiovascular health.  Read our health articles here.  We also carry natural stress relief solutions.

Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/38595, “Green tea consumption is associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly,” Niu K, Hozawa A, et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2009 Oct 14; [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: Division of Biomedical Engineering for Health and Welfare, Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sendai, Japan).

Do you love cruciferous vegetables?  Are you only truly satisfied when you have a heaping plate of broccoli or bok choy in front of you?  Do you dream of a field full of cauliflower?  Apparently you’re not alone.  It seems that vegetarians may have a leg up on the rest of us as far as overall health.

A recent study conducted on adolescents suggests that those who ate a vegetarian diet were far more likely than non-vegetarians to meet the Healthy People 2010 dietary objectives. They tended to eat less overall fat and saturated fats and, not surprisingly, consumed far more servings of vegetables and fruits compared with their carnivorous counterparts.  The adolescent vegetarians were also less likely to eat fast foods and to indulge in sodas and fruit drinks.

So what does this mean for the rest of us?  Even if you aren’t a vegetarian (or a teenager), you can still adopt some of these healthy habits.  Aim for 3 to 4 servings of vegetables a day.  It’s not as hard as it sounds.  Have a side salad with that sandwich at lunch, and at dinnertime, fill your plate three-quarters full with a variety of veggies, i.e. carrots, salad, squash, peas, asparagus, green beans, or whatever strikes your fancy.  Fill the other quarter of the plate with your protein source.  You will be surprised at how easy it is to embrace good eating patterns as long as you stick to a variety.  Aside from the health benefits, you should also discover a smaller waistline.

Grab a fistful of radishes and that sauté pan.  You are on your way to a healthier you.  And who knows? You might end up liking veggies as much as chocolate.  Okay-maybe almost as much!

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Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/30680, “Adolescent Vegetarians: How Well Do Their Dietary Patterns Meet the Healthy People 2010 Objectives?” Perry CL, McGuire MT, et al, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, May 2002;156:431-437.