health briefs

Eat Strawberries to Improve Blood Vessel Health

A new study from Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology demonstrates that strawberries increase flow in blood vessels and reduce systolic blood pressure. In the randomized, controlled, double-blind anete lusina/Pexels.com trial, overweight and obese adults with moderately high cholesterol were assigned to drink either a beverage containing 25 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder or a similar drink without the strawberry powder twice daily for four weeks, followed by a four-week washout period. An hour after consumption, the strawberry powder improved flow-mediated dilation, indicating healthier blood pressure function; systolic blood pressure was lower even four weeks later.

Skip Southern Food to Avoid a Heart Attack

The fried foods, added fats, eggs, organ meats, processed vittaya_25/AdobeStock.com meats and sugarsweetened drinks of a Southernstyle diet can have dire consequences for people’s hearts, reports the American Heart Association. A 10-year study of 21,000 people found that those that eat the Southern diet regularly have a 46 percent higher incidence of sudden cardiac death compared to those that don’t eat those foods. By contrast, people that closely follow the Mediterranean Diet—which emphasizes vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains and legumes with little meat or dairy—have a 26 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death.

Drink Green Tea to Ward Off Flu

Green tea, a staple of Japanese culture now enjoyed in many American homes, contains compounds called catechins that have significant antiviral activity against influenza, report researchers from Thailand’s University of Phayao in the journal Molecules. They analyzed eight studies involving 5,048 people and found that gargling or drinking green tea reduced the risk of influenza by 33 percent in randomized controlled trials and by 48 percent in longitudinal cohort studies.

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Consider Barberry to Reduce Diabetes Markers

Barberries (Berberis integerrima), the tart, red fruits that grow on bushes, have been used for centuries in traditional medicine for digestive issues, and now evidence has emerged petra kopásková/Pexels.com from Iranian researchers that barberry extract can help lower Type 2 diabetes markers. For eight weeks, 30 patients were given 1,000 milligrams of barberry extract daily, along with the standard anti-diabetic medication metformin, while another 35 patients were given only metformin. Afterwards, fasting blood sugar levels were significantly lower among the barberry group as were HbA1c levels, which measure blood sugar levels for two to three months.

Exercise More to Counter Risks of Poor Sleep

Poor sleepers can cut their health risks by exercising more, reports a new study of 380,055 middle-age people in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Both physical inactivity and poor sleep are independently blue bird/Pexels.com linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and death, but Australian researchers found that more exercise lowers the consequence of poor sleep. People that ate better, drank less alcohol and were more physically active also tended to sleep better. The lower the sleep score, the higher were risks of death from any cause, including cardiovascular disease and ischemic stroke. Those at the bottom of the scales with both poor sleep scores and little physical activity had a 57 percent higher risk of death from any cause. People that were younger, female, thinner or better off financially tended to have healthier sleep scores, as did those that ate more fruits and vegetables, spent less time seated, had no mental health issues, never smoked, didn't work shifts, drank less alcohol and were more physically active.

Avoid Infant Formulas with Added Sugar

Early exposures lithiumphoto/AdobeStock.com to certain foods shape preferences that endure through adulthood, studies show, which is why research from the University of Kansas Medical Center and the University of Buffalo has raised concerns about the added sugar prominent in many baby formulas, especially cows’ milk formulas. The researchers tested 97 infants and 44 toddlers that were either breastfed or given various formulas for up to 15 months. The infants given formulas with added sugar had significant weight gain compared to infants that were breastfed or given formulas without added sugar. The sugar in formulas was found to be almost double the amount of sugar in breast milk. The researchers theorized that the added sugar not only raised the risk of weight gain, but also made it likely the children drank a greater amount. “Efforts by policymakers and pediatricians to educate mothers on lower-sugar options when breastfeeding is not feasible may enhance preventive measures of childhood obesity,” write the authors.

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