A salty truth
Published:Wednesday | July 6, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Charlyn Fargo, Contributor
If your blood pressure is fine, should you still be concerned about salt? Experts say "yes", because diets high in sodium (a component of salt) have been linked to an increased risk of hypertension, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. And too much sodium can make blood vessels less flexible, which may cause or worsen atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a single high-salt meal (with about 1,500 mg of sodium) reduced the ability of blood vessels to dilate in healthy people within 30 minutes, even though blood pressure was not affected. A high sodium load can even trigger heart failure in people with impaired heart function. High sodium intakes can also affect bone health, kidney function and stomach tissue.
So, the new dietary guidelines are right that it's best to lower sodium intake - 1,500 mg is the new recommendation. The easiest way to do that is to limit processed, packaged and restaurant foods.
- University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2011
Too old to exercise?
Q: Am I too old for exercise to make a difference?
A: It's never too late to start. Many studies have linked frequent exercise to a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Just how intense does it need to be to reduce a woman's risk? Researchers at Harvard followed 95,396 women, all participants in the landmark Nurses' Health Study, for approximately 20 years. They found that women who walked three to four miles per hour - a brisk pace - for roughly one hour daily, had a 15 per cent reduction in their risk of developing breast cancer.
What's more, women who were not very active at the beginning of menopause, but increased their activity levels as they got older, were 10 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who remained inactive. The lesson: It's never too late to start.
- John Hopkins Medical Letter
Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian for the Creators Syndicate, website at www.creators.com.