Category Archives: Heart & Vascular Health

Physically Active, Physically Inactive, or “Active Sitting Potato”: Where Do You Fit in?

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Too much sittingImagine your day: After 8 hours of sleep, you get up and exercise for 30 minutes first thing in the morning. After 45 minutes of preparing to meet the day and having breakfast, you drive to work for 1 hr. Then you spend a total 8.5 hours sitting at your desk, working on a computer before and after lunch, and then you drive back home for 1 hr. After having dinner for 1 hour, you watch TV, surf the Internet, or read for another 3 hrs or so before bedtime. Then the cycle starts again.

If something like this is your schedule, do you realize that you actually spend only about 3% of your daily waking hours being physically active? Would the term “active sitting potato” describe you more properly?

You are not alone. Recent research shows that about 25% US adults spend ~70% of their waking hours sitting, 30% in light activities, and little or no time in exercise. The modern technologies in our lives—watching TV, using computers, playing video games, surfing the Internet, and engaging in social media—offer us a more sedentary lifestyle than at any time in human history. Consequently, we move less and sit more.

Evidence has emerged that sedentary behavior (prolonged sitting) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and some cancers, as well as for all-cause mortality. Notably, these health consequences that result from too much sitting can be separated from those that are simply due to the lack of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (too little exercise).

So, what does prolonged sitting do to our bodies? Well, first we know that exercise improves the metabolism of muscles and prevents the loss of muscle mass, provides health gains for the heart and blood vessels, and improves immunity and overall well-being. Sedentary behavior, on the other hand, has a deleterious effect on the cardiovascular system and can lead to developing metabolic syndrome, which is primarily associated with metabolic function in the skeletal muscle. With prolonged sitting, reduced muscle contractions may result in decreased enzymatic activity for lipoproteins, decreased clearance of triglycerides and/or sugar load, and decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

It is a big cause of concern for both man pdxcommercial.com tadalafil india online and his partner. Either do it manually or set it to download and install latest viagra sales in australia updates automatically. cheap cialis In just one click your order will be process and deliver on your doorstep in due time. You can become expert within few months with hard work and determination. levitra 20mg price To help prevent multiple chronic conditions, current public health recommendations emphasize that US adults should participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day for 5 days a week; or vigorous exercise for 20 minutes each day on 3 days per week. Surprisingly, recent surveys show that about 79% of adults do not meet these physical activity guidelines.

Today, I challenge everyone reading this, including myself, to make frequent and purposeful efforts to get out of the chair and engage more in daily activities, i.e. those things we do routinely but are not included in prescriptive exercise guidelines. Here are some suggestions for getting physically active:

1.      Do it first. Do your exercise in the morning. Set it as a priority, and get it over with if you consider it a task. Morning exercises, which can be as simple as walking, also invigorate and increase your mental sharpness.
2.      Do it creatively and strategically. For example, purposely walk more by parking your car farther away from the stores you shop at or your workplace.
3.      Do it more. Little bits add up. Doing house chores, running up and down the stairs, playing with the kids, gardening, yoga, jogging, hiking—some and often many of these ways of exercising are usually available to us every day. And you can probably identify even more. The more activities you can find to do each day, even if some of them are only for one or a few minutes, the greater the additive health effect.
4.      Try something new. Excitement or at least reduced boredom makes you more likely to stick with it.

Finally, let me conclude this post with the wisdom from Lao Tzu: “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small,” and, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

These quotes emphasize how a great thing starts with single little steps, and advise a practical approach to breaking big projects into small, easy, and durable tasks for execution. I hope the quotes and this blog inspire you to find ways to get up out of the chair and move more on a daily basis.

A Message in Salt: Packed with 20 Tips …

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Salt_spoon_1414416Do you have any idea how much salt you consume every day? Do you know about 1 in 3 adults in U.S., as well as one-third of the world’s population, have high blood pressure (or hypertension)?

Hypertension is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease, and responsible for about 50% of deaths from stroke or heart disease. Despite slight debates over the issue, overwhelming evidence supports that increased dietary salt intake raises blood pressure and a reduction in salt intake lowers blood pressure, thereby lowering blood pressure-related diseases. In addition, there is a link between excessive salty food intake and stomach cancer.

Sure, food without salt is boring. At a physiological level, we, humans need a small amount of sodium for fluid balance, muscle contraction and nerve function. However, dietary sodium intake in Americans has reached an alarming, potentially pathological level, largely from excessive salt/sodium hidden in foods in our everyday lives.

Too much salt is damaging. Edema develops when fluid retention occurs with high levels of sodium in the body. I spoke to someone who suffers from atria fibrillation and had edema on the legs. When he simply stopped one thing – eating salty potato chips every day, his edema ceased.

The message:
Added sodium provides more harm than benefit. Sodium doesn’t cause illness alone; however, with multifaceted factors, it plays a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancer. So, moderation is the key.

The good news:
You can control your dietary salt intake and take preventative measures against cardiovascular disease, cancer and other illnesses.

And here I’m providing you with Top 20 Tips for Limiting Salt Intake.

1.      Know the limit of your daily intake.
Current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends less than 2,300 mg a day of sodium intake (~1 teaspoon of table salt), but 1,500 mg a day for those who are
- at age of 50+
- African-American
- having hypertension
- having diabetes and chronic kidney disease
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2.      Track salt in your foods. How? One is to use SuperTracker, a great tool to track what’s in your foods. If you prefer note-taking, you can download a printable Sodium Tracker from our website (on “Education” page).
3.      Have the number of your own intake, and go from there to plan your modification. Cut down sodium seriously in various ways, whether it’s sodium-free, super-low sodium, or low sodium.
4.      Know your body, because salt sensitivity varies among individuals, and even hypertension has a salt-sensitive or salt-resistant form.
5.      Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, fresh or frozen, which you know for certain no added sodium.
6.      Avoid processed or packaged foods.
7.      Cook your own food so that you know what’s in it. For example, steamed veggies (essentially salt-free), and a spiced dish (either salt-free or salt-reduced).
8.      Keep your favorite food but choose sodium-free or sodium-reduced version.
9.      Mix half of your favorite item with an half of a sodium-free choice.
10.  Choose a low-sodium version of convenient frozen dinner food when necessary.
11.  Shop smart, read the labels, and compare with other foods.
12.  Remove salt from the table – “out of sight, out of mind”.
13.  Replace salt with spices and herbs in your cooking or at the table.
14.  Limit added salt whenever possible, even dinning at the restaurant.
15.  Make a wiser choice by substituting sodium-loaded order or item with sodium-reduced one without sacrificing the taste.
16.  Replace salty snacks with nutritious dried fruits.
17.  Replace salty nuts with un-salted ones.
18.  Purchase canned vegetables labeled “no sodium added” or “reduced sodium”, or rinse the veggies thoroughly to wash out some salt before serving.
19.  Drink “low-sodium” version of vegetable juice, and even better, make your own fresh veggie juice.
20.  Create, share salt-free or salt-reduced recipes, and bring salt-free or salt-reduced dishes to your next potluck to help promote public health.

What is your approach to limit salt intake? Please share.

Image credit: By jarsem

“Sweet” in Perspective

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Colored_Jellyballs_889257Sugar is sneaking into all kinds of our daily foods, from coffee, breakfast cereal, bread, sauces to soda, fruit/flavored drinks, candy, cookies, ice-cream and other desserts. What is the impact?

How bad is it?
American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 to 9 teaspoons daily intake of added sugar. In comparison, one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 8 teaspoons of sugar, which saturates your daily consumption before counting any extra amount from whatever sources.

High sugar consumption can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer in both adults and children, because too much sugar can
-          alter insulin sensitivity, resulting in elevated blood sugar.
-          accumulate fat in the body and speed up weight gain.
-          lead to inflammation, thereby raising the risk of heart disease and cancer.
-          feed cancer cells growth.
-          cause various chronic illnesses including obesity and bone loss.

How many types of sugar? 
Sugar in our diet can be either natural or added or both. Added sugars are defined as sugars that are eaten separately at the table or used as ingredients in processed or prepared foods. Whether it’s high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), refined sugar, or any other sweetener, the sweets are delightful, but not sweet to your health at all.

The amount does matter. Fructose itself is a natural sugar in many fruits and vegetables. So, it’s not as bad as many folks think. However, fructose can be found in other forms in our daily foods, i.e. from table sugar (containing fructose and glucose, each 50%) to HFCS in almost everything such as soda, fruit drinks, cereal, baked foods, desserts, and many packaged/processed convenience foods.

Reg. Soda_AHAHow does sugar become popular?
Sugar-loaded food is often delicious, and we tend to eat more not only during the holidays but also under stressed conditions.

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How to limit sugar intake?
1.      Know sugar sources, be especially aware of some hidden ingredients with many different names.
The major sources of added sugars are:
-          regular soft drinks, soda, fruit/flavored drinks or punch, sports beverages
-          sugars, candy, cakes, cookies, pies, jam
-          dairy desserts and milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk)
-          grains (breads, cinnamon toast and honey-nut waffles).
-          processed snacks, bars, and breakfast cereal.

2.      Limit your intake, because added sugars supply zero nutrients and potential poison, other than extra calories, thereby putting harm and extra pounds in your body. So, drink water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.

3.      Choose healthy alternatives for food tastes or flavors, and sugar-free items.

4.      Consider your children, and look beyond sugar.

In short, over-consumption of sugar can negatively impact your health.

Many folks are unaware of this, please share. Thanks.

Image credit: By JGPHOTOS, AHA

4 Proven Strategies for Having Tasty Foods without Bad Fats

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

“Help me – I’m a meat and steak lover. Tell me what this has to do with being overweight and what I can do to better my health.” from Anonymous.

This post will answer your questions, and make it clear that you need fat, but not high fat, above all – not bad fat.

You need fat in your diet. 
Fat is one of the structural components for the cells in the human body. Fat provides energy for body functions and facilitates absorption of essential nutrients. In addition, fat adds flavor to food.
The question is how much you need. As recommended Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adult daily fat intake should be 25 to 35 percent of their total calories. For example, if your food intake is 2000 calories a day, you should consume 500 to 700 calories of fat (or 55 to 78g of fat) or less daily.

You need to stay away from a high-fat diet, esp. “bad fats”.
Research shows that consumption of a high-fat, high-sugar diet significantly increased weight gain and abdominal fat. Overweight and obesity lead to an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. A high-fat diet dramatically exacerbates the development of insulin resistance (a condition where your cells fail to respond to insulin, thereby poorly managing sugar), hyperglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia, hence risks for various illnesses. It also promotes chronic inflammation, and weakens immune functions.

That’s the danger posted by Standard American Diet (SAD), which is characterized with excessive animal fats or saturated fats (“bad fats”), but lack in fibers, fresh fruits and vegetables. Saturated fats are packed in red meats, processed meats, butter and cream, as well as fast or junk food. Trans fats are very harmful and mostly hidden in processed, fried foods (such as deep-fried potato chips and cheese sticks).

Are you aware of high-fat diet associated abdominal obesity?
Abdominal obesity refers to excessive fat build up around the stomach area (so-called belly fat), a condition can even present in normal-weight individuals. Many folks are unaware of this. Accumulating evidence indicates that abdominal obesity per se is positively associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. One study examined 44,636 women with 16 years of follow-up, and concluded that abdominal obesity is significantly linked to increased deaths from cardiovascular disease in normal-weight women.

Among multifaceted mechanisms possibly involved in abdominal obesity, lifestyle including high-fat diet is a modifiable factor. Thus, you have the power to make the change.

You can definitely benefit from healthy fats 
Some fats such as omega-3 fatty acids are essential for our normal metabolism, but the human body cannot make them. So, your diet is the source to obtain these fats. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include:
-          Fish: salmon, sardines, tuna
-          Nuts & Seeds: walnuts, flaxseeds
-          Oil: canola oil or soybean oil
-          Others: winter squash, beans (esp. kidney beans)
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Other sources of healthy fats (i.e. “good fats”, unsaturated fat) include olive oil, avocado, and nuts. These are flavenoids-rich foods; increased intake can lower your blood cholesterol and your risk of heart disease and cancer.

How to trim-down high-fat diet and prevent weight gain: Four Proven Strategies

1.  Modify your diet.
A healthy, balanced diet is a must, period. You need to say NO to Trans Fat, avoid or at least limit intake of animal fats, red meats, and processed meat products, eat a plenty of fruits, vegetables, and plan-based foods.

2.  Replace bad-fat foods with healthy alternatives.
Here are some examples:
Replace deep-fry foods with baked or grilled food
Replace red meat with salmon, tuna or beans
Replace butter with avocado or olive oil
Replace cheese in salad with almond
Replace ice cream or sweet pie with fruit cake, or ice-cold fruit juice (important: fresh-made, not artificial or commercial one)
Replace whole milk with non-fat (skim) or 1% fat milk.

3.  Replace high-fat diet with high-fiber diet.
Fiber has no fat and is beneficial for weight control. Fiber is abundant in whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. Here are some tips to get 30-35 grams of fiber a day as recommended:
-          Breakfast: Have high-fiber cereal or oatmeal.
-          Lunch: Eat lots of veggies and beans, use whole wheat bread for your sandwiches.
-          Dinner: Consume whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or potato with skin, and more veggies.
-          Snack: All-bran or Multi-grain crackers, high-fiber bars, fresh or dried fruits, and nuts.

4.  Do exercise esp. endurance exercise.
Exercise is an effective way to maintain a healthy weight and redistribute abdominal fat. To keep heart healthy and long-term wellbeing, stick with a fixed schedule of treadmill (or other routine) for 30 min/day, 5 days/week at least.

Seven Simple Steps to Weight Loss

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Obesity represents a pressing public health problem. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the seriousness of the problem. It’s fine for people to feel comfortable with their body. However, it’s dangerous to feel comfortable with obesity since it significantly increases the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and several types of cancer, and it also contributes to chronic diseases like dementia. In all of these ways and more, obesity can lead to quality of life being seriously compromised.

Weight control is challenging for some folks, and there is no magic pill or drug therapy that works. And actually, it’s better not to resort to a pharmaceutical solution, because doing so can result in drug dependence with significant adverse side effects. It’s better to manage weight the old-fashioned way, with self-understanding and self-discipline. If controlling weight is a challenge for you, here are seven simple steps to help empower your efforts.

1. Raise you awareness and will power. 
Know that you are not determined by your genes alone. Even if you have a family history of obesity, you have the power to make a healthy change. Obesity is preventable.

2. Identify one or two key factors that cause your weight gain.
Uncontrolled food intake? Sedentary lifestyle? Too much junk in your diet? Busy schedule causing an unbalanced diet and no time for exercise?

3. Know how to measure your results (using a simple equation/formula). 
Weight control is based on energy balance. The simple yet important formula is:

Energy IN = Energy OUT

Which means:
Calories IN (most by food intake) = Calories OUT (most by daily activity or exercise)

This is critical to understand. The average daily energy expenditure for adult men is 2000 to 3000 calories. Therefore, the recommended daily food consumption for men is 2000 to 3000 calories, depending on activity level and base metabolism. Similarly, the average daily energy expenditure for women is 1600 to 2400 calories. So for women, the recommended daily food consumption is 1600 to 2400 calories, depending on energy expenditure and base metabolism. However, most Americans exceed the calorie intake needed to balance their energy expenditure and so live in a state of energy imbalance. This is why about 65% of Americans are overweight or obese.

A common way to measure your results if you are attempting to lose weight is to use pounds lost as a measurement. Remember, to lose one pound, you need an expenditure of approximately 3500 calories more than your food intake. You can achieve this by either decreasing food intake or increasing daily exercises or doing both.
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4. Have a lifestyle modification plan in the short term. 
-          Make it personalized. Include a specific daily diet (type and amount of food consumption) and specific physical activity or exercises (routines, time, and duration).
-          Make it measurable, with a specific number of pounds to lose.
-          Make it attainable. Whether it’s losing 5 pounds or 50, make sure it’s doable and within your capabilities.
-          Make it realistic. Can you completely give up your sweets-pleasure? Would it be better just to limit it? Don’t set any unrealistic goals, which will only frustrate and discourage you.
-          Have a timetable, say two or three months. Accomplishing short-term goals is an effective enabler. It will give you satisfaction and the confidence to achieve more.
The bottom line is to have a road map for your healthy-weight journey. And then stick to it.

5. Follow the golden rules.
There are some rules not only effective for weight loss but also beneficial for well-being and longevity. Particularly,
Rule #1 Always eat to a maximum of 70-80% full.
Rule #2 Never eat a big meal one or two hours before your bedtime.

6. Get armed with antioxidants by reinforcing a lifestyle change.  
Recent research shows that oxidative stress plays a role in obesity-related health problems. Obesity is characterized by lowered antioxidant defense and enhanced levels of free radicals. In part, this can be attributed to the fact that obese individuals may have a lower intake of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods, while also being relatively physically inactive. To boost your antioxidant status, keep moving! In addition, modifying type of food intake is one of the most effective strategies for weight control.

7. Get a helpful hand.
Find a coach or a buddy to work along with you. This might also be a family member or a friend, but it should be someone who can hold you accountable, monitor your progress, and send you an alarm when you’re drifting off course.

Related topic: Dos and Don’ts to Control Weight and Defend Colon Cancer

Image credit: By lockstockb

9 Invaluable Lessons from Tobacco Smoking

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Subjects on smoking are probably very boring. Some folks may say, “I don’t smoke, and I don’t care” or “Smoking is really bad, I know it…”. Yes, smoking can be harmful to the health of smokers and that of people around them; but its impact, is far beyond.

For the Summer Healthcare Education Series, let’s start with cigarette smoking – the first of 10 causative factors that cardiovascular disease and cancer have in common, see what we all can learn and do.

1 Cigarette_1379962Lesson #1: Cigarette smoking can kill you silently and aggressively but you don’t have to be a victim. 

Quoted by Unknown “One thousand Americans stop smoking every day – by dying.” Sadly, this is the reality. Cigarette smoking causes about 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States each year. It is the leading cause of many preventable diseases and death, from gum, lung and heart disease, diabetes to cancer.

Lesson # 2: You can protect your cardiovascular health with “No Smoking Policy”.

The toxic chemicals in tobacco smoking damage the structure and function of your heart and blood vessels via:
-          making the vessel walls thicker, stiffer and harder, and the lumen narrower, leading to less oxygen supply;
-          making your heart work harder by increasing your blood pressure and heart rate;
-          modifying your cholesterols, i.e. elevating LDL (“bad cholesterol”), lowering HDL (“good cholesterol”);
-          facilitating plaque buildup in your arteries through inflammation.

Evidently, smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. When combined with other risk factors (such as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and overweight or obesity), smoking further raises the risk of heart disease.

Lesson #3: You lower cancer risk if you stop letting tobacco products poison your body.

Tobacco products damage almost every organ in the body, from mouth, eyes, lungs, digestive organs, reproductive organs to bladder and bones. A cigarette releases more than 7000 chemicals (including nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, hydrogen cyanide, etc), and millions of free radicals, among them about 70 are carcinogens (i.e. cancer-causing substances). These harmful agents cause genetic mutation and DNA damage; consequently abnormal cells grow out of control and develop to cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States; a large majority of lung cancer deaths (~90% in men and ~80% in women) are due to smoking. Cigarette smoking also contributes to many other types of cancer, including cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, cervix, and some leukemia.

Lesson #4 You learn that the list of smoking-rated diseases is getting long.

Tobacco smoking poses a serious threat to your overall health, just to mention some consequences here:
-          Oral health problems, e.g. periodontal disease
-          Chronic respiratory diseases, e.g. asthma, chronic bronchitis
-          Gastrointestinal ulcers
-          Adverse impact on orthopedic conditions, e.g. fracture healing, wound repair
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Lesson #5: You learn to avoid secondhand smoking.

Secondhand or passive smokers inhale many of the same toxic chemicals and carcinogens as active smokers do, leading to approximately 49,000 deaths each year. Furthermore, average 5000 non-smokers die of lung cancer each year as a result of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Let’s work together to create Smoke-free indoor environment, which means asking co-workers, friends and family members who smoke not to do so in the room, house and car.

Lesson #6: Your learn to protect your children’s health and their long-term quality of life. 

Evidence is rapidly accumulating that tobacco exposure in the uterus is associated with the development of a variety of diseases in the offspring’s later life, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain childhood cancers and respiratory disorders. Nevertheless, early life insult from tobacco causes low birth weight and defects in newborn babies. Secondhand smoking also raises children’s risk of future cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension, hyperlipdemia and heart disease.

Lesson #7: You learn how smoking affects others and the world around you. 

Cigarette smoking itself is lack of consideration of others and consequences. What does smoking do? It contaminates the environment, pollutes the air, and damages people’s health, thereby affecting virtually everyone around and beyond. So, quitting smoking is not all about you. For love, compassion, and respect, it’s worth giving up a “self-pleasure”.

It’s hard to quit smoking, but with self-determination and help, quitting is possible and can be done.

Lesson #8: You learn how to age gracefully and prolong your lifespan.

Smoking speeds up aging and shortens your lifespan. Quitting can help you look younger and feel better by preventing face wrinkles (esp. around the mouth), averting stained teeth, and improving your skin. That’s from the outside. Aging inside is even worse, because it’s a risk factor for cancer and heart disease.

Quitting can reverse smoking’s negative impact, and it’s never too late to quit. According to the American Heart Association, smokers who quit between ages of 35-39 add 6-9 years to their lives, and smokers who quit between ages of 65-69 improve their life expectancy by 1-4 years.

Lesson #9: Smoking is costly for smokers and society. 

Smoking involves both human and economic costs. And sure it’s economically costly. 1 pack of cigarette costs from $4.84 to $12.50, depending on the states. Let’s do some simple math. Just 1 pack (average $8.67) a day, it costs $3164.55 a year, and $63,291 during 20 years; needless to say, there is much more tobacco consumption by most smokers. Why would some people spend a huge sum of money to hurt their own body, besides adding millions of dollars to the cost of health care?

In summary, tobacco use or smoking is unquestionably a major contributor to illness and death. It is everybody’s concern.

Therefore, for those who smoke, you can start here – Free Help to Quit Smoking from credible organizations. For non-smokers, please share this post, step up to help, and spread the word!

Image credit: by ime

What Do Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Share in Common?

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Proverb’s wisdom tells us “He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.”

Heart disease and cancer are the No. 1 and No. 2 killers for men. The good news: they are largely preventable! There has been a link between cardiovascular disease and cancer. In this post I’ll show you 10 common causative factors that cardiovascular disease and cancer share in common, so as to raise your awareness and knowledge for prevention.

1.   Tobacco use (cigarette smoking)
2.   Overweight and Obesity
3.   High fat diet, esp. animal fats (red, processed meats), but lack of fibers, fruits and fresh vegetables
4.   High level of sugar in food and subsequently in blood
5.   Excess sodium intake
6.   Physical inactivity
7.   Chronic inflammation
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9.   Hormonal imbalance
10. Stress

Now, sit back and look at the list, did you see that a majority of them belongs to “modifiable risk factors”? This means that by lifestyle modification you can achieve prevention.

Research has demonstrated that patients with vascular disease have a 19% higher cancer risk compared to the general population, likely due to shared risk factors and common pathogenesis. Together, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes cause more than 25 million deaths worldwide each year.

In the following weeks of posts, I’ll discuss the risk factors in more details and provide you with preventative strategies that will promote a healthier, happier and longer life.

So stay tuned!

Image credit: by svenic

Chocolate Buzz and Relevance to Cancer Prevention

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

chocolate_heart_sxcWhat is the reality of chocolate? How to maximize your benefit for cancer prevention and your experience of pleasurable eating as well? This blog post helps.

Many people fall in love with chocolate, I’m one of them. It’s a tasty food or a delicious treat all year long, regardless of the buzz in February. Now, let’s take a look at what’s in it and how it serves us.

The Anatomy of Chocolate

There are two categories of chocolate: milk and dark.

A basic component of dark chocolate is cocoa bean, the seed of cacao tree (called Theobroma cacao). Cocoa bean is a rich, natural source of some specific antioxidants such as polyphenols or procyanidins, flavanoids, resveratrol, and catechins; just like those nutrients found in fruits, vegetables and tea. Interestingly, cocoa bean contains little caffeine.

After all, chocolate is a calorie-rich food with sugar and fat as well as other additives, which may explain limitations of milk chocolate. Milk chocolate might contain enough phenylethyamine and/or theobromine to stimulate mood or sexual sensation, but with less cocoa, more milk, and probably more sugar, it provides little health benefits.

Essentially, cocoa-derived polyphenols and/or flavonoids are effective antioxidants, promoting good health and preventing many diseases.

So, the higher the percentage of cocoa, the more antioxidants; or simply speaking, the darker the chocolate, the more beneficial for you.

The Hub of Cancer

Cancer is a complex process of multiple chronic diseases. Apparently, some lifestyle-related factors (e.g. tobacco use or smoking, excess alcohol intake, and poor nutrition) play an enhancing role. However, virtually all human cancers involve the initial effects of cancer-causing agents (i.e. carcinogens) that are toxic to the genetic materials such as DNA.
Consuming eriacta drug also needs cautious approach to be undertaken as it creates impacts on few men like allergic buy viagra soft reaction or interactions due to intake of those drugs are tremendous. Menopause among women is triggered buy cialis by end of production of cholesterol. The purchased that purchase viagra online doctors also stated that within six months of treatment, symptoms of ED may resolve permanently. However, ordering the medicine through online sources is an ideal choice. buy cialis from canada
All free radicals, the harmful molecules generated from our normal metabolism or taken from external sources, can modify DNA, and one of the consequences is oxidative damage to DNA. Research points it out clearly that free radicals are involved in both the initiation and progression of cancer, which explains why antioxidants, particularly those naturally occurring, are cancer protective.

The Delightful Benefits of Dark Chocolate

As mentioned above, health benefits of dark chocolate including cancer prevention depend largely on the type and the amount of chocolate you consume. Scientific findings suggest the following strong characters of cocoa-derived antioxidants:

  1. Anti-inflammatory property: it may lower your risks of cancer and chronic diseases.
  2. Anti-growth and anti-proliferation effects on abnormal cells: they may slow down the developmental process of cancerous cells in your body.
  3. Antioxidants defense and chemopreventive effects: they may protect you from adverse effects of free radicals.

Keep it in mind that research evidence for any beneficial effects of cocoa has been gathered predominantly from laboratory experiments or animal models.

A Word of Wisdom

When all’s said and done, in moderation, regular intake of dark chocolate is health beneficial, so is frequent consumption of foods packed with effective antioxidants.

 

Image Credit: by Ambrozjo

10 Joyful Moves to Boost Your Physical Activity during This Holiday Season

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Skating people_3203723978_6ae227e970_nIt’s the holiday season. We all tend to eat a lot and watch TV a lot, especially for football fans or other sports fans. To avoid physical inactivity, and consequently weight gain, here are 10 practical moves that benefit a healthy lifestyle and cancer prevention:

  1. Take a family walk, whether it is long or just around the blocks, or add extra walking by parking a little further from the stores or malls.
  2. Stretch frequently or move during TV time, or walk up and down the stairs as often as you can.
  3. Play a game with kids. It’s absolutely fun and invigorating!
  4. Dance at parties.
  5. Practice yoga together as a family activity. It’s fun and everyone can do it. Your body can tell you what’s the best or the most natural position. Inhale to breathe in joy, happiness and peace, then exhale to breathe out stress, hassles and worries.

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  6. Go to a gym or local recreation center to engage in any physical activity.
  7. Go ice skating outdoors or indoors.
  8. Bike, if possible.
  9. Visit a museum, walk more.
  10. Keep up your daily exercise routine. Yes, it’s a challenge during the holidays, and my husband sets the best example!

Still feel less interested or less motivated? One secret – connect your activity with something greater than yourself. It could be for getting healthier to see the grandkids’ graduation, or being happier around the family, or more energetic to help others, etc. you get the idea.
Photo credit: By Let Ideas Compete

Are You Heart and Breast/Prostate Healthy?

Heart, Breast & Prostate Health_CPDToday let’s talk about some KEY strategies for heart health and cancer prevention, i.e. the “kill two birds with one stone” approach.

Okay, first thing first. Take simple, small lifestyle actions day by day, which is what will help you win the battle of fighting cancer and heart disease. Rome wasn’t conquered in a day, and probably not in a week either.

To reduce risks of cancer, you need to incorporate lifestyle changes, as WHO’s message on the World Cancer Day 2010. These changes can also benefit your heart.

Here are 9 simple, healthy strategies:

1. Eat a healthy and balanced diet. I know that ice cream is appetizing, but fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as foods low in saturated fat but high in fiber can serve as cancer-fighting and cholesterol-fighting agents.
2. Exercise regularly. Best suggestions are about 30 minutes a day. Find various ways to stay physically active, which will help you lower cholesterol, maintain healthy weight, and prevent cancer.
3. Maintain a healthy weight with a body mass index (BMI) lower than 30. Overweight and/or obesity increases your risks for heart disease and cancer. Need help? You can get a FREE diet profile here.
4. Stop cigarette smoking and avoid second-hand smoking. Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing an estimated 1 out of every 5 deaths each year, according to National Cancer Institute (NCI). Noticeably, research reveals a link between elevated CRP and obesity as well as smoking.
5. Limit alcohol intake. Alcohol consumption is linked to increased risk of various types of cancer including breast, colorectal, mouth, esophagus, larynx, and liver cancer. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure and heart failure.
6. Reduce inflammation and cancer-causing infection. Stay away from factors that make us susceptible to infection and inflammation, such as toxic chemicals, pollutants, stress, inadequate intake of nutrients, a diet high in sugar, fat and animal proteins. Strengthen your immune system.
7. Avoid or minimize your exposure to air pollutants. Air pollutants mediate inflammation, thereby contributing to cancer and a troubled heart. It’s difficult to control the air in our outdoor environment, but we can control the air in our homes. Pay attention to occupational hazards, take preventative measures in workplace too.
8. Relax! Reduce stress. Stress can weaken the immune system, trigger inflammation, subsequently leading to heart attack, stroke and cancer. Have a positive outlook and find your own “secret” stress reliever.
9. Know your numbers. Regular health checkup can help you monitor your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Consult your physician on cancer screenings.

Finally, a Bonus for Valentine’s Day and chocolate lovers.

Substantial research suggests that flavonoid-rich food could help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer based on its anti-inflammatory effect. Cocoa is the richest source of flavonoids, but current processing reduces its content considerably. Dark chocolate is flavonoid-rich (with at least 70% cocoa). So, what’s the catch? In comparison, milk chocolate is sugar- and fat-rich. To learn a few quick tips on how to consume chocolate wisely, check out our “Tip of the Week“.

What’s your thought on fighting cancer and heart disease? If you like this post, please share it.

Photo credit: by CPD