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Heart Smarts
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By Sid Kirchheimer
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MediZine's Healthy Living Second Quarter 2005
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You know that regular exercise, refraining from smoking, controlling weight and keeping tabs on cholesterol and blood pressure are essential for a healthy heart. Here, other steps that might pay off.
Dental problems such as gum inflammation may be a stronger predictor of heart disease than factors such as high triglycerides. “If there’s inflammation in your mouth, bacteria can enter your bloodstream,” says Michael P. Rethman, D.D.S., president of the American Academy of Periodontology. “Bacteria in the mouth may have a role in the inflammation in atherosclerotic blood vessels associated with cardiovascular disease.”
By day’s end, breakfast eaters typically consume fewer overall calories—and eat less saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. That may explain why, after tracking 3,900 Americans for eight years, a multicenter study found a daily breakfast helped reduce the risk of obesity or diabetes-related insulin resistance syndrome by about 35 to 50 percent in various subject groups.
A study of 37,000 women published in Diabetes Care found that those who ate red meat at least five times a week were nearly one third more likely to develop diabetes than those who ate meat once a week or less. An even bigger increase was linked to deli meats, hot dogs and other processed meats.
Carbs with a high glycemic index (GI)—a measure of how quickly and how much carbs raise blood sugar levels—cause a faster and higher spike, raising risk of diabetes and heart disease. High-GI foods include white bread and highly refined packaged and sweetened foods. Carbs with a low GI index—whole grains and other unrefined carbs, such as legumes, fruits and vegetables—maintain weight or prompt weight loss.
Another benefit of low-GI foods: They tend to be high in fiber, and a recent analysis of 10 studies calculates that for each 10 grams of fiber eaten per day on a regular basis, there’s a 27 percent drop in risk of dying from heart disease. You’ll get 10 grams in 11/2 cups of bran cereal, about one third of the daily recommendation.
Nutritionist Susan Nanney, Ph.D., of Saint Louis University, advises making an effort to eat produce in a variety of colors, including orange, which signals an abundance of beta-carotene; red, which indicates lycopene and vitamin C; and dark green, which lets you know that the item contains a bevy of heart-smart nutrients.
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