Reducing Stress Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Problems

A Review in The Lancet reveals the importance of healthy lifestyle choices to reduce stressors related to cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers from John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore examined records between 1990 to 2006. They observed how stress affects the sympathetic nervous system, impacts physiology, and the effect it has on the cardiovascular system. Lead author, Daniel Brotman, claims "Acute physical stressors such as sugery, trauma, and intense physical exertion are well known triggers of cardiovascular events. Emotional stressors are increasingly recognized as precipitants of such events."

Major life changes connected to phychological or emotional adjustments can increase the chance of cardiac problems. During the month following the 911 attacks, the rise in fear led to two to three times the normal rate of defibrillator firings. Researchers believe that daily fluctuations in stress hormones and endothelial dysfunction account for why people have varying responses to stress and why stress related cardiovascular events are more common in the morning.

From this review, researchers believe that stress is a serious, but potentially modifiable, risk factor for acute and chronic cardiovascular disorders. Doctors should carefully assess symptoms such as chest pain that can arise from negative emotions. Researchers believe that doctors "should help their patients to alleviate unnecssary psychological strain by advising that a healthy lifestyle should include stress reduction, anger management, and treatment of mental illness".

Super Summer Foods

Summer is a great season to enjoy what nature has to offer - fresh fruits and vegetables. Whether you're trying to lose weight or just want to eat healthy, summer provides your pick of produce. Summer fruits and vegetables in addition to having lower calories than snack foods, offer antioxidants. Antioxidants are micronutrients that play a role in the preventing chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, and arthritis. The best way to get antioxidants is not from supplements, but from fresh fruits and vegetables. (However, due to poor dietary choices and habits, and declining food nutrient composition, most Americans probably need to supplement to obtain optimal levels) (Read more)

Tips on Living to Be 100

The number of centenarians in America has been steadily rising over the past century - from about 3,000 in 1950, to 37,306 in 1990, to 73,674 in 2004, the most recent year in which those 100 or older have been counted. And the U.S. Census Bureau expects there to be some 1.1 million in the year 2050 - provided bogeymen such as ever-increasing obesity and diabetes don't wreck the predictions. But the secret of living to be 100 or better isn't just in the genes. In fact, a variety of researchers believe genetic factors account for only 25 percent to 35 percent of a person's longevity. The other 65 percent to 75 percent is determined by one's lifestyle.

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Lifestyle Changes Effective Against Child Obesity

Obese children and teenagers can lose significant weight through lifestyle changes that are occasionally paired with medication, a Dutch team has found in reviewing 64 randomized, controlled studies from five continents. The overview found that what is known as behavioral lifestyle therapy produces good weight-loss results. Such therapy focused on changing children's thinking patterns and behaviors by teaching them, for example, to have breakfast and to eat regular, portion-controlled meals. Teaching kids to reduce inactive conduct such as watching TV, and to increase physical activity, is also beneficial. To change thinking patterns that promoted unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity, children were educated in using techniques such as self-awareness, self-monitoring, stress management and goal setting. (Read more)