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DASH Diet for Hypertension
Smokers benefited more from a low-fat, high-fiber diet than nonsmokers, and those with high blood pressure benefited more than those with normal pressure.

The DASH Diet for Control of High Blood Pressure
Food group	Daily Servings	Nutritional Benefit
Low-fat or fat-free dairy	2-3	Calcium, potassium, magnesium and protein
Vegetables	4-5	Potassium, magnesium and fiber
Fruits	4-5	Potassium, magnesium and fiber
Grains and grain products	7-8	Carbohydrates and fiber
Meat, Poultry and fish	2 or fewer	Protein and magnesium
Nuts, seeds and beans	4-5 per week	Magnesium, potassium, protein and fiber
Fats and oils	2-3	This applies to added fat; all other food choices should be low-fat
Sweets	5 per week	Make these treats low-fat whenever possible
Original source: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. A list of SUPERFOODS at SUPERFOODS

A diet that resembles the DASH eating plan, with high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, moderate intake of legumes, nuts, and low-fat dairy products, and low intake of red and processed meats and sodium, was significantly associated with lower risk of CHD and stroke in women.

Researchers found significant trends toward a decrease in total CHD, nonfatal CHD, fatal CHD, and stroke. The few women who were smokers and those who had high blood pressure appeared to benefit the most from being in the highest quintile, compared to nonsmokers and women with normal blood pressure, respectively. In addition, examination of a subgroup of the women found that a higher score was associated with a lower level of indices of inflammation -- which is thought to be involved with an increased risk of heart disease.

Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease (CAD), ischaemic heart disease, atherosclerotic heart disease, is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply the myocardium (the muscle of the heart) with oxygen and nutrients. It is the leading cause of death in the United States.

The biggest problem with the DASH diet is that it does not differentiate between good fats and bad fats, ie. corn oil is bad - fish oil and extra virgin olive oil are good for you.

The DASH diet also does not differentiate between good sweets and bad sweets. Honey is good for you - High Fructose Corn Syrup can kill you.

High Fructose Corn Syrup - What will it do to you?

There is a rising cry of alarm that HFCS high fructose corn syrup is responsible for an epidemic of obesity and diabetes or diabesity. It is getting difficult to find a food product at the grocery store or McDonalds that is not loaded with HFCS. One 20-ounce bottle of Coke, Pepsi, Mt Dew, Sprite or Dr. Pepper is the equivalent of pouring 17 teaspoons of straight sugar into your body. HFCS is the leading ingredient after carbonated water in these beverages. Women who drink at least one regular soda a day are 85 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drink less. It also leads to tooth decay.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is also found in fruit drinks like Capri Sun, Sunny Delight, Snapple, Hawaiian Punch, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice, cookies, ice cream, Campbell soup, Ragu, Aunt Jemima Syrup, Breyers Yogurt, Heinz Tomato Ketchup and breakfast cereal.

There is a 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990. Eight out of 10 Americans over 25 are overweight. The percentage of overweight children in the United States has tripled since 1980.

People who use HFCS as a sweetener increase their triglycerides 32 percent relative to people who use mostly sugar, according to University of Minnesota professor John Bantle. The body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup differently than sugar. It blunts the body's ability to recognize when it is full and increases a person's appetite.

High Fructose Corn Syrup puts people at risk for metabolic syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Having just one of these conditions — increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal cholesterol levels — contributes to your risk of serious disease. In combination, your risk is even greater."

There is a a rise in uric acid in the bloodstream that occurs after fructose is consumed, according to University of Florida researchers. The temporary spike of HFCS blocks the action of insulin, which typically regulates how body cells use and store sugar and other food nutrients for energy. If uric acid levels are frequently elevated, over time features of metabolic syndrome may develop, including high blood pressure, obesity and elevated blood cholesterol levels.

Research by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that high fructose diets shorten the life span of laboratory mice from the normal two years to a mere five weeks.

Overweight Hispanic-American children who consume lots of sugary foods and drinks show signs of pancreatic beta cell decline - a forerunner of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Southern California came to that conclusion after studying 63 overweight Hispanic children, ages 9 to 13, all without diabetes. The team tracked the children's eating habits and also took blood samples before and after giving them sweets.

Beta cells in the pancreas create insulin in response to sugar obtained from food. When beta cells start to function less effectively, they produce less insulin, leading ultimately to diabetes. The USC team found that about 40 percent of the sweets consumed by the children in this study came from sugary drinks such as soda or sweetened juices.

If you compare the population of non-diabetics to diabetics, the average life span is 10 years less. There are many complications that occur with diabetes. They include coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, blindness, kidney disease and loss of sensation in the hands and feet.

Older people may have something to worry about also. The leading theory about the cause of Alzheimer's Disease implicates insulin. Insulin concentrations in the brain drop significantly in early Alzheimer's and continue to fall as the disease worsens, suggesting that Alzheimer's Disease may be Type 3 diabetes. Researchers found that insulin is not just produced in the pancreas, but also in the brain.

If you wish to prevent diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, the prudent thing to do is to read the label of food items and beverages before you buy them at the store. If you see High Fructose Corn Syrup - Don't Buy It!

One tip is to try an ethnic grocery store - such as an Asian or Latino food store, if you have trouble finding HFCS free foods that you like. The American food industry doesn't give two "toots" about your health.

Reprinted with permission from Femhealth.Com

Cancer Tops Heart Disease

For the first time, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the top killer of Americans under 85, health officials report. The good news is that deaths from both are falling, but improvement has been more dramatic for heart disease. In 2002, the most recent year for which information is available, 476,009 Americans under 85 died of cancer compared with 450,637 who died of heart disease.

A third of all cancers are related to smoking, and another third are related to obesity, poor diets and lack of exercise - all factors that also contribute to heart disease.

_An estimated 1,372,910 new cancer cases and 570,260 cancer deaths are expected this year. Five-year survival rates have risen from 50 percent in the 1970s to 74 percent today.
_Lung cancer remains the biggest killer, projected to claim 163,510 lives this year.
_Some 232,090 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and it will kill 30,350.
_About 211,240 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and it will kill 40,410.
The report also highlights cancers caused by germs - 1.5 million cases or 26 percent of cases in developing countries; and 360,000 cases or 7.3 percent of cancers in developed countries like the United States.

These are mostly liver cancer, caused by the hepatitis B and C viruses; cervical cancer, caused by human papillomavirus; stomach cancer caused by the bacteria H. pylori; and AIDS-related cancers caused by infection with HIV.

Olive Oil Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Researchers have found a very good reason to include olive oil as part of a regular diet, it appears to cut the risk of developing breast cancer.

In laboratory tests, researchers from Northwest University in Chicago, found a fatty acid in olive oil called oleic acid, cuts the production of a protein produced by the breast cancer gene that triggers the cancer.

Oleic acid, according to the study, also boosts the effectiveness of a drug called herceptin, which is used to prolong the lives of patients with breast cancer.

The finding may explain why the Mediterranean diet appears to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act

Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you are receiving this it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go and vote on this issue...and send it on to others you know who will do the same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the drive-through mastectomy where women are forced to go home hours after surgery against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support.

PLEASE!!!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.

Sign the petition here

Study finds nearly 60 Percent of American Adults May Have Elevated Blood Pressure
A recent study found that more than half of all adults surveyed (58.2 percent) had blood pressure readings that placed them into the categories of either hypertension or prehypertension, a new, lower-threshold designation set last year in the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, known as JNC7.

Prehypertension is indicated by systolic/diastolic readings of between 120/80 and 139/89. If either the systolic or diastolic blood pressure falls within this range, it indicates prehypertension. Hypertension remains defined as 140/90 or above in the JNC7 classifications.

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