Health for life

Overweight and obesity are known to dramatically increase the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia. Excess body fat fuels the flames of systemic inflammation and the release of dangerous chemical messengers or cytokines that damage the delicate inner lining of our arteries and set the stage for vascular dysfunction. As we pass age 35, there is a natural tendency to gain weight due to slowing metabolism, unchanged calorie intake and less physical activity. Following a Mediterranean style diet can help to curb weight gain, improve health and boost your weight loss efforts.

Researchers have been encouraged that the obesity rate has stabilized at 34% over the past 5 years. The number of overweight and obese individuals has also remained steady at just under 70% for the same period. New research released in the journal PLoS Computational Biology uses statistical projections from the Framingham Heart Study to suggest that the upward trend will continue over the next 40 years to peak at 42% of men, women and children registering as clinically obese.

In the early 1900`s 1 in 150 people were obese. By 1971 the obesity rate climbed to 14%. 40 years later that number has jumped to 34%. Something has changed during this time period to create such an explosion in body fat accumulation. We are still the same genetically diverse people we were 100 years ago, yet our metabolism has been dramatically altered toward fat storage. While physical activity may play a small role in the increase, there is one much more compelling reason we`re exposed to every day.

Our diet has been altered considerably over the past 100 years. Natural foods eaten raw or minimally processed have given way to fast convenience items scientifically altered in a lab to appeal to our innate taste for sugar, fat and salt. Fast releasing carbs cause blood sugar to remain high most of the day. Eventually insulin becomes resistant to excess glucose and is no longer able to effectively usher sugar from the blood and into cells. Our grandparents didn`t have this problem, and while they did put on small amounts of weight as they aged it didn’t lead to early onset obesity commonly seen today.

The results of new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that a Mediterranean style diet can help to keep unnatural weight gain in check. Study participants that adhered closest to a diet consisting largely of vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts, seeds and monounsaturated fats such as olive oil were 10% less likely to become overweight or obese and had 26% lower odds of packing on more than 11 pounds over the course of 4 years. This is because the Mediterranean diet is much higher in fiber and provides a feeling of satiety while eliminating sugary junk foods that raise blood sugar and cause dangerous belly fat.

Fiber is the inedible part of plants and whole grains that has been shown to lower the risk from certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes and assist with weight management. Fiber helps to control blood glucose as it is slowly broken down through digestion and also improves healthy cholesterol metabolism. Prior research indicates that it can also lower blood pressure, reduce systemic inflammation and bind with potential carcinogens for removal from the body.

The research consisted of nearly 400,000 men and women taking part in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study over a period of nine years. Participants answered a food questionnaire at the beginning of the study and cause of death was determined by linking personal records to national registries to establish dietary fiber intake over the period.

Researchers found that fiber intake ranged from 13 to 29 grams per day for men and 11 to 26 grams for women. Over the nine year course of the study nearly 32,000 participants died. When the average amount of fiber consumed daily was analyzed by the researchers, they found a significantly decreased risk of death for those with the highest fiber consumption.

For men and women in the top fifth percentile of fiber consumption (29.4 grams per day for men and 25.8 grams for women), the all-cause risk of death decreased by 22% over those in the lowest dietary fiber group (12.6 grams per day for men and 10.8 grams for women). When breaking the statistics down by specific chronic conditions, risk of cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases was reduced by 24 percent to 56 percent in men and 34 percent to 59 percent in women with the highest fiber intakes.

Based on the results of this study, researchers recommend a daily fiber intake of 14 grams for every 1,000 calories consumed. Vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains were found to provide optimal disease protection, while fruit consumption was not found to lower the risk of total, cardiovascular, cancer and respiratory disease deaths. Individuals looking to lower their disease risk profile will want to target 30 grams of fiber each day for optimal health.

Everybody likes chocolate, a fact supported by the annual increase in consumption documented by chocolate manufacturers around the globe. This may be good news for many chocolate consumers, but caution is advised to caully monitor the quantity consumed and the cocoa content of the product purchased. We now have documented evidence to explain how dark chocolate consumption lowers stroke risk in women and slashes heart disease risk in adults.

Researchers publishingthe Journal of the American College of Cardiology found high chocolate consumption correlates with a lower risk of stroke in women. Further proof of vascular benefits is documented in the British Medical Journal as scientists explain that chocolate consumption lowers heart disease risk by more than a third.

A number of recent studies have shown that eating chocolate has a positive influence on human health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity, a primary factor in diabetes development and progression in millions of at-risk children and adults. The World Health Organization predicts that nearly 24 million people will die from heart disease by the year 2030, yet proper diet and lifestyle could significantly lower the mortality rate.

In an effort to confirm past research efforts that suggest a connection between chocolate consumption and lowered risk of heart disease and stroke, Dr. Oscar Franco and colleagues from the University of Cambridge in England analyzed the results of seven studies involving over 100,000 participants with and without existing heart disease. Researchers compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption against those with the lowest, taking into account differences in study design and quality of reporting.

Researchers performing a meta-analysis of all studies examined found a significant correlation between higher levels of chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events. They determined that the "highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with lowest levels." Although the final analysis did not distinguish between dark and milk chocolate consumption, nutritional experts recommend choosing dark chocolate with minimal added sugar and at least 75% cocoa content.

There are many documented lifestyle changes that have been shown to dramatically lower the risk of heart disease and stroke including vitamin D optimization, fish oil supplementation and potent antioxidants such as resveratrol. Chocolate eaten in small amounts several times a week can now be added to the list as research confirms the powerful human health benefits of cocoa.