HEART HEALTH C
CONTROL MIDLIFE BLOOD PRESSURE TO IMPROVE
hanges in blood pressure dur- ing middle age can affect the lifetime risk for heart disease and stroke, according to a recent study
published in Circulation, the American Heart Association’s weekly journal. Data from nearly 62,000 individuals whose blood pressure readings were tracked for an average of 14 years confirms that people who kept or lowered their blood pressure to normal levels by age 55 had the lowest lifetime risk for heart disease—22 to 41 percent, compared with 42 to 69 percent for those with high blood pressure.
Spuds Lower Blood Pressure T
Build Muscles to Beat Diabetes
I
he potato’s rep as a fattening food is getting
a much-deserved revi- sion. In a recent report in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricul- tural and Food Chemistry, scientists note that two small servings of purple potatoes a day reduce blood pressure by about 4 percent— nearly as much as oatmeal—without causing weight gain. The researchers say that decrease may potentially reduce the risk of some forms of heart disease. In the study, 18 volunteers that were overweight or obese with high blood pressure ate six to eight golf ball- sized purple majesty potatoes, with skins, twice a day for a month. The researchers used purple potatoes because the pigment in darker fruits and vegetables is especially rich in beneficial phytochemicals. They monitored participants’ blood pressure, both systolic (the first number in a blood pressure reading, such as 120/80) and diastolic, and found that the average diastolic pressure dropped by 4.3 percent, while the systolic pressure decreased by 3.5 percent. None of the volunteers gained weight. Although they aren’t yet certain, the researchers be-
lieve that red- and white-skinned potatoes may offer similar benefits. Pass on the butter or sour cream, though, and don’t even consider French fries—the study’s potatoes were cooked without oil.
natural awakenings June 2012 9
ncreasing lean muscle mass—known to be a key in fighting frailty associat- ed with aging (a condition called sarcopenia)—may also help protect against diabetes. A new study re- ports that every addition- al 10 percent of skeletal muscle mass is associ- ated with reductions of 11 percent in insulin resistance and 12 percent in prediabetes or diabetes. Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, of the University of California, Los Angeles, and her colleagues recently evaluated the data on 13,644 participants in the Na- tional Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, from 1988 to 1994, and discovered the connection. After adjusting for other contributing factors for dia- betes, including generalized and abdominal obesity, they found that individuals with the greatest muscle mass were 63 percent less prone to the disease. “Our findings suggest that beyond focusing on losing weight to improve metabolic health, there may be a role for maintaining fitness and building muscle mass,” says Srikanthan. “This is a welcome message for overweight patients that experience dif- ficulty in achieving weight loss, as any effort to get moving and keep fit should be seen as contributing to metabolic change.”
Source: Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter
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