Weekly Bulletin

As a Harvard alum, I was heartened to read the April, 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter, which looked at how to manage seven common medical conditions through simple lifestyle changes rather than via medication. Here’s a summary:

1. Arthritis: Losing weight often makes arthritis less painful, and exercise can also improve mobility.
2. Poor Cholesterol Ratio: Your LDL level may drop by 5% if you avoid foods that are high in saturated fat. Additional soluble fiber may reduce LDL levels as well.
3. Cognitive Decline: Memory training and other “brain exercises” seem to help, but physical exercise may benefit the brain in healthy older adults even more.
4. Depression: Regular physical activity has been shown to have a potent antidepressant effect.
5. Diabetes: Regular physical activity exerts powerful control over blood sugar levels. Reason: the exercised muscle becomes more receptive to insulin, which in turn helps it pull sugar in from the bloodstream. Eating foods with lower glycemic loads also helps.
6. High Blood Pressure: Weight loss, exercise, and consuming less sodium all lower blood pressure.
7. Osteoporosis: Weight-bearing exercise stimulates bones to deposit more minerals and become stronger.

I was delighted to see such sensible advice in this excellent publication. Diet and exercise are indeed not only wonderful, proven ways to begin reversing many common health conditions; they are also excellent lifelong strategies to help prevent them from manifesting in the first place.

More Health Advice
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Green Tea for Your Brain
Six to 10 cups of green tea per day may help reduce memory and concentration problems – at least among people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. These problems can develop from the loss, over time, of brain cells due to the drop in oxygen and the inflammation associated with sleep apnea. Researchers at the University of Louisville tested the effect of green tea’s antioxidant polyphenols in rats that were intermittently oxygen deprived for two weeks. During this period, one group of animals imbibed plain drinking water and the other received water to which green tea polyphenols had been added. Then the rats’ memory was tested in exercises that required them to remember the location of a hidden platform in a water “maze.” The rats that drank the green tea did much better than the ones that drank plain water. Drinking green tea won’t help you overcome sleep apnea (you’ll still need to use your breathing device) but may lessen any memory or concentration problems associated with the disorder. The study was published in the May 15, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Want Better Sleep?
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Beet Juice for Blood Pressure
British researchers have come up with a novel approach to lowering blood pressure: drinking two cups of beet juice daily. The investigators, who published their findings in the Feb. 4, 2008 online edition of Hypertension, checked the blood pressure of 14 healthy volunteers before and after drinking either two cups of beet juice or two cups of water. They started checking an hour before the beet juice was consumed and continued for 24 hours afterward. Blood pressure started dropping an hour after drinking the beet juice, reached its lowest point 2.5 to 3 hours later and remained at lower levels for 24 hours. The researchers credit the nitrate in beet juice (high levels are also found in spinach, lettuce and other leafy greens) with the blood pressure effect. Nitrates are converted in saliva into nitrites, which have the effect of protecting against endothelial dysfunction - any problems blood vessels may have contracting or expanding to handle blood flow. Nitrites also can help prevent formation of blood clots. If beet juice doesn’t appeal to you, get your nitrates by increasing the amount of leafy greens you eat: there’s compelling evidence showing that diets high in fruits and vegetables help lower blood pressure.

Is Your Blood Pressure Too High?
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Robust Beet Salad
Beets are a colorful source of anthocyanins, the purple pigments also found in blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage. They are powerful antioxidants and may help protect against cancer and heart disease. This dish brings to mind pickled beets - with a grown-up slant. It keeps well in the refrigerator, as does our recipe for Pickled Carrots. Enjoy!
View Recipe

Healthy Aging Tip
Courtesy of Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging
An Exercise to Do Every Day: Resistance work. In order to live actively and vitally, you must be able to efficiently squat or bend to pick up objects, as well as push, press and pull things in the world around you. Resistance training is a great way to keep your physical independence, promote healthy bone mass, and tone up muscles. One technique Dr. Weil recommends is Pilates. It emphasizes correct posture and makes use of stretching as well as working muscles against resistance. You can opt for classes, or work your muscles at home with resistance bands - a low-cost way to achieve similar results. 

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Do you know (of a) brand of soy milk without carrageenan? I cannot find (one). 

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