Mediterranean and DASH Diets Rank High for Older People
A new review of popular diets, like the Atkins, NutriSystem, and Ornish plans, cautions that certain ones might not be appropriate for older adults. The research, published in this month's issue of Clinical Geriatrics, compared many weight-loss regimens, to judge their appropriateness for aging adults, for whom obesity is a growing problem.
Most of the diets resulted in weight loss, with Atkins, the Zone, Weight Watchers and Ornish diets proving equally effective at reducing weight over a period of a year. The University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers, warn however, that low-carbohydrate, high-protein regimens like Atkins and the Zone, may not be a wise choice for older adults, since they may not contain the nutrients required for healthy digestion, and the maintenance of bone health and muscle mass. These include fiber, calcium, potassium, and B vitamins.
Don't Stress the Cocoa Content
How much cocoa do you need? (Sharon Basaraba ©)
With Valentine's coming up, you might be concerned about confining your chocolate consumption to very dark products, that is, 75% cocoa, or higher. Turns out, what makes that chocolate the healthiest, has less to do with the percentage of cocoa, and more to do with how it's processed.
Much of the cocoa on the market undergoes a procedure called "Dutch-processing", or "alkalization", to make it darker, less bitter, and more easily dissolved in beverages. Trouble is, this 200-year old process destroys much of the healthy antioxidants in cocoa, called flavanols, leading researchers to push for labeling chocolate products with flavanol levels instead of cocoa content.
The good news is, some major studies indicating chocolate's beneficial effect on heart health did not distinguish between dark chocolate or milk chocolate products. Last August, a major meta-analysis of seven studies, involving more than 114,000 people, revealed that the risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke were all diminished by eating chocolate - of any kind - more than twice a week. The greater point of concern is to keep your portions small, to minimize the chance of gaining weight. There's no point reaching for chocolate, to ward off a heart attack or stroke, if eating it makes you gain weight, which increases your risk of - you guessed it - heart attack and stroke!
So choose small amounts, and spend time really savoring it. Enjoy!
Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Chocolate and Longevity
Source:
Adriana Buitrago-Lopez et al. "Chocolate Consumption and Cardiometabolic Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. BMJ 2011;343:d4488. http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4488
Long Love Affair With Chocolate
(MIB Pictures / Getty Images)
If you give your loved ones chocolate this Valentine's Day, you could be offering them a delicacy - and a longer life. There's a growing body of evidence showing chocolate may enhance your longevity, mostly through a reduction in cardiovascular events. Even consuming just a small amount, regularly, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
Though much attention has been focused on choosing dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, many nutrition researchers are now advocating for chocolate with labels showing flavanol levels instead - as flavanols are the compounds believed to be most beneficial in chocolate. However, they are largely destroyed during cocoa processing. In fact, cocoa and chocolate have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, in less processed form.
Exotic Foods to Help You Live Longer
The Price of White Teeth
Americans spend more than $1.4 billion a year on over the counter teeth whitening products, says the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry - in an effort to look younger, and more attractive. According to news reports like this one from ABC News, dentists have coined the term 'bleachorexia", for the obsessive pursuit of white teeth. This, despite growing evidence that over-whitening can thin enamel, which, ironically, will make teeth appear more yellow.
Unfortunately, even many foods which are great for you - berries, red wine, chocolate, even green tea - can cause stains on teeth and make you look older. Don't despair! There are ways to prevent teeth stains, so you can eat foods that help you live longer, and still keep your tooth enamel intact.
Read more:
Healthiest Chocolate Comes in Small Packages
A little goes a long way (Sharon Basaraba ©)
Attention all chocolate lovers (and that's a club with a lot of members): when it comes to choosing which chocolate is the healthiest, quantity, and frequency, may be more important than quality. A couple of fairly recent research reviews looking at the effect of chocolate consumption and cardiovascular disease, analysed how often, and how much, chocolate people ate, without distinguishing between milk or dark chocolate. For example, in a British Medical Journal review of seven studies involving about 114,000 subjects, University of Cambridge researchers concluded those who ate chocolate more than twice a week had a 37 per cent lower chance of developing heart disease, and a 29 per cent lower risk of stroke - whether they ate their chocolate dark, in drinks, baking or as nutritional supplements.
When Counting Sheep Doesn't Work
(Digital Zoo/Getty Images)
Whether it's a rare bout of insomnia, or a chronic pattern of sleeplessness, getting the zzzz's you need can be tougher as you age. Chronic pain, the effects of certain medications, and anxiety, can all affect how soundly you sleep, or the duration of your sleep.
Regardless of the cause, fractured sleep can often be improved through progressive relaxation techniques. Counting sheep might work, possibly because it's just boring enough to help you doze off. As someone with a busy mind that sometimes just won't shut off, I've discovered something that really does help, though it sounds a bit eccentric.
Winter Help for Hands and Nails
If you're like me, winter is a time of barely-recognizable hands. Granted, I live in Calgary, home of 20% relative humidity and this week, -40 degree temperatures with the windchill (whether you use Fahrenheit or Celsius scales, it's the same number). But even if you are in a more moderate climate, forced-air heating and cold weather can wreak havoc on aging nails and hands, not to mention hair. Not surprisingly, pharmaceutical companies sometimes do research in these extreme climates to find out what works.
I've interviewed dermatologists who say this is a common complaint among patients. Apparently, petroleum jelly is a popular remedy for skin cracks on hands, as is Krazy Glue!
Cybercycling May Save Cognitive Ability in Seniors
A new study suggests that watching virtual reality tours on-screen while riding your stationary bike, will ward off more than boredom - it could help you avoid dementia.
Published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, the research examined whether exercising on a 'cybercycle' would offer greater protection against cognitive decline when compared with exercise alone.
World Leaders Age, Too
An aging Margaret Thatcher is revealed in theaters this week, with the release of the new film "Iron Lady". Meryl Streep portrays the now-86 year old former British prime minister - from her years as the first female leader of England (1979-1990), to today, as she struggles with dementia and frailty.
In a radio interview with the BBC, the current Conservative prime minister, David Cameron, applauds Streep's "staggering piece of acting," but questions the timing of the film's release.
"It's a fantastic piece of acting by Meryl Streep," Cameron said in the interview. "But you can't help wondering why do we have to have this film right now? It is a film much more about aging and elements of dementia rather than about an amazing prime minister."
School Aims to Improve Students' Longevity with Medical Report Cards
One in three American adults is obese; in Canada, it's almost one in four. This epidemic of obesity is now starting in childhood, shortening the lives of citizens in both countries.
Obesity is based on BMI calculations using weight and height measurements, and a BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese.
As CBC correspondent Pauline Dakin reported this week, a high school in Canada's eastern province of New Brunswick is hoping to short-circuit the trend early, by issuing medical report cards to its grade 10 students. Now in its second year, the program measures BMI, heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.