Drink Beet Juice to Lower Blood Pressure
Make Lifestyle Changes to Ease Reflux
Hypertension is a global disease that particularly affects people in low-income communities, but a new study by the UK University of Nottingham suggests that beetroot juice may be a practical solution for people with high blood pressure that have little access to diagnostic help or money for medication. Researchers divided 47 people between 50 and 70 years of age in Tanzania into three groups. For 60 days, one group drank nitrate-rich beetroot juice and folic acid; another was given nitrate-rich beetroot juice and a placebo; and the third drank nitrate-depleted beetroot juice. The researchers found that systolic blood pressure dropped by 10.8 millimeters (mm) Hg (mercury) in the nitrate-rich plus folic acid group and 6.1 mm Hg in the nitrate-rich and placebo group. Studies have shown that the high level of nitrates in beets is converted by the digestive system into nitric oxide, which relaxes and widens blood vessels.
The heartburn symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) affect about one-third of Americans, many turning to medications. Based on evidence from 116,000 women in a long-running Nurses’ Health Study, Harvard University researchers have found that GERD symptoms can be reduced by up to 37 percent by adopting five lifestyle strategies: 30 minutes of moderate to heavy exercise per day; not smoking; maintaining a normal weight; limiting acidic beverages like coffee and tea to two cups per day; and following a “prudent diet” with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish and poultry. The more faithfully the guidelines were followed, the lower the risk of symptoms. Benefits were also realized for women using treatments like proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists. According to senior author Andrew T. Chan, M.D., MPH, this study was among the first to link physical activity to the control of GERD. He notes, “Being physically active may help with the clearance of stomach acid which causes heartburn symptoms.”
vercaAdobestock.com
health briefs
New research from Rush Medical College, in Chicago, shows that regularly cheating on a healthy diet undermines its cognitive benefits. For 19 years, researchers followed 5,001 adults over age 65 that were asked to eat the Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on daily servings of fruit, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, fish, potatoes and unrefined cereals, plus moderate wine consumption. Every three years, their cognitive abilities were tested and their diets reviewed, including how often they ate a Western diet of fried foods, sweets, refined grains, red meat and processed meats. After almost two decades, those that adhered most faithfully to the Mediterranean diet were cognitively 5.8 years younger than those that followed it the least.
18
Lancaster-Berks
NALancaster.com | NABerks.com
ninamunhatAdobestock.com
Keep Off Junk Foods for Cognitive Wellness
