The analysis showed that walking is not only an accessible form of exercise but almost equal to all different types of exercise that have been studied previously in terms of lowering heart failure risk
A new study found that walking for at least 40 minutes, several times per week, at an average-to-fast pace may reduce risk heart failure risk among post-menopausal women by 25%. The benefit appears to be consistent regardless of body weight.
About 6.5 million adults have heart failure, a condition in which the heart becomes too weak to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. The risk of heart failure rises with age. It is already known that physical activity lowers the risk of heart failure, but there was a misconception that simple walking is not enough to reduce this risk.
The analysis showed that walking is not only an accessible form of exercise but almost equal to all different types of exercise that have been studied previously in terms of lowering heart failure risk. Participants were between 50 and 79 years of age at enrolment. Those in the highest tertile of a measurement that combines walking frequency, duration, and speed were 25% less likely to develop heart failure compared with those in the lowest tertile.
The findings also suggested that walking frequency, duration, and speed each contribute about equally to this overall benefit. Women who walked at least twice a week had a 20 to 25% lower risk of heart failure than those who walked less frequently. Those who walked for 40 minutes or more at a time had a 21% – 25% lower risk than those taking shorter walks. Women walking at an average or fast pace showed a 26% and 38% lower risk of heart failure, respectively, compared with women who walked at a casual pace.
Researchers said the results were consistent across different age categories, ethnicities and baseline body weight in post-menopausal women, suggesting the findings can be generalized to apply to most women above 50 years old. This study was presented in Orlando at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session, in March 2018.
New findings suggest that people who eat more vegetables, fruit, and whole grains may have lower rates of depression over time. People whose diets adhered more closely to the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) were less likely to develop depression than people who did not closely follow this diet.
In addition to fruit and vegetables, the DASH diet recommends fat-free or low-fat dairy products and limits foods that are high in saturated fats and sugar. Studies have shown health benefits such as reduced blood pressure and lower LDL cholesterol. Depression is common in older adults and more frequent in people with memory problems or high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and in people who have had a stroke.
For the study, 964 participants were evaluated yearly for an average of six-and-a-half years. They were monitored for symptoms of depression such as being bothered by things that usually did not affect them and feeling hopeless about the future. They also filled out questionnaires about how often they ate various foods, and the researchers looked at how closely the participants followed diets such as the DASH diet, Mediterranean diet, and the traditional Western diet. People who followed the DASH diet closely were 11% less likely to develop depression than people in the group who did not.
On the other hand, the more closely people followed a Western diet – which is high in saturated fats and red meats and low in fruits and vegetables – the more likely they were to develop depression. This type of study cannot prove that the DASH diet leads to a reduced risk of depression, only that there is a connection. This preliminary report was released February 27, 2018. The complete study was presented at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, held April 21 to 27, 2018.
A new study has shown that people with stage III colon cancer who regularly eat nuts are at significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence and mortality than those who do not consume nuts regularly.
The study followed participants for a median of 6.5 years after they were treated with surgery and chemotherapy. Those who consumed one-ounce servings of nuts at least twice per week demonstrated a 42% improvement in disease-free survival and a 57% improvement in overall survival. Furthermore, disease-free survival increased by 46% among a subgroup of nut consumers who ate tree nuts rather than peanuts. (Tree nuts include almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans, among others. In contrast, peanuts are actually in the legumes family of foods.)
These studies support the hypothesis that behaviours which make you less insulin resistant, such as eating nuts, can improve outcomes in colon cancer.
This study was posted online February 28, 2018, ahead of eventual publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The full-text study can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/y94cj2er for a fee.
(Editor’s note: It has also been found that raw, unroasted, unsalted nuts are healthier for the body because their fats have not been adulterated by heat.)
Chemicals found in grape seeds inhibit growth of colorectal tumours in both cell cultures and in mice
Chemicals found in grape seeds inhibit growth of colorectal tumours in both cell cultures and in mice, according to a study in the October 18, 2006 issue of Clinical Cancer Research. In fact, scientists found a 44% reduction of advanced colorectal tumours. They also uncovered, for the first time, the mechanism by which grape seed extract works to suppress cancer growth. The authors found that the extract increases availability of a critical protein, called Cip1/p21, that effectively freezes the cell cycle inside tumours; it can even push a cancer cell to self-destruct.
“With these results, we are not suggesting that people run out and buy and use grape seed extract. That could be dangerous since so little is known about doses and side effects,” said Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, speaking to Vitality from his office in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Skuggs School of Pharmacy in Denver, Co. “The value of this preclinical study is that it shows grape seed extract can attack cancer, and how it works, but much more investigation will be needed before these chemicals can be tested as a human cancer treatment and preventive.”
The skin and seeds of grapes are a rich source of proanthocyanidins, a class of antioxidant flavonoids that remove harmful free oxygen radicals from cells. Grape juice and red wine are known for their heart healthy effects, especially in lowering levels of blood cholesterol; and grape seeds contain higher concentrations of these chemicals.
(Editor’s note: More recently, Ty Bollinger reported in The Truth About Cancer that: “Some studies have also found that grape seed extract (GSE) may help prevent the growth of various types of cancer cells, including those of the breast, stomach, prostate, lung, and colon, at least in vitro. The University of Maryland Medical Center, while offering the caveat that test-tube studies aren’t necessarily indicative of efficacy in humans, admits that GSE could eventually prove to be a powerful anti-cancer medicine, and I’m of the persuasion that they’re right.” For more on the report by Ty Bollinger visit: https://tinyurl.com/yb2vy7wv)
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