A new clinical research study shows that a Mediterranean diet significantly reduces cardiovascular disease risk. 

MEDITERRANEAN DIET REDUCES CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK

As I have discussed in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, a Mediterranean diet appears to significantly reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract in particular. In general, a Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and poultry. The use of unsaturated cooking oils, like olive oil and canola oil, and the avoidance of saturated fats, are also hallmarks of a Mediterranean diet, as is the decreased intake of red meat, processed meats, and dairy products. A Mediterranean diet has also been viewed by many experts as a heart-healthy diet, although most of the studies that have looked at the effects of a Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease risk have relied upon dietary surveys to collect data, which is a less rigorous method of doing research when compared to prospective randomized clinical research trials. However, a newly published prospective randomized clinical trial now provides the high level research data needed to properly assess the impact of a Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease risk. This important new clinical study appears in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. 

In this study, 7,477 research volunteers were randomized into one of three different study groups. The first group consumed a Mediterranean diet that was supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil. The second group consumed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with tree nuts. The third group, which served as the control group, was given advice on how to adhere to a low-fat diet, but the diets of the volunteers in this control group were not modified or controlled by the study’s researchers. Research dieticians closely followed the food intake of the volunteers in this study, and they worked intensively with the volunteers assigned to the two Mediterranean diet groups to modify the diets of these volunteers. All male study volunteers were between the ages of 55 and 80 years, while the female volunteers ranged in age from 60 to 80 years. None of the study volunteers had cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, when they entered into this clinical trial, although they all had one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including diabetes or at least three of the following risk factors: smoking, high blood pressure, increased LDL cholesterol levels, overweight or obesity, or a family history of early-onset coronary artery disease. 

After an average of almost 5 years of follow-up, the impact of a Mediterranean diet on these research volunteers was highly significant. Both groups of volunteers who adhered to a Mediterranean diet in this study experienced a significant reduction in cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke, or death from any cardiovascular cause (when compared to the control group).Indeed, both the group that adhered to the olive-oil-supplemented Mediterranean diet and the group that was placed on the nut-supplemented Mediterranean diet experienced 30 percent fewer cardiovascular events when compared to the control group that did not adhere to a Mediterranean diet! 

In summary, among a group of middle aged and elderly men and women with one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or tree nuts significantly reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death due to these or any other cardiovascular causes. 

As I discuss in A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle not only reduces your risk of dying from cancer, but also reduces your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease as well!This new research study also shows that it is never too late to adopt a healthier diet, and that health benefits derived from switching to a Mediterranean diet can be enjoyed by even middle aged and elderly men and women. 

At this time, more than 8 percent of Americans are unemployed.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty between September 2001 and December 2011 is more than 12 percent.  A new website, Veterans in Healthcare, seeks to connect veterans with potential employers.  If you are a veteran who works in the healthcare field, or if you are an employer who is looking for physicians, advanced practice professionals, nurses, corpsmen/medics, or other healthcare professionals, then please take a look at Veterans in Healthcare.  As a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, I would also like to personally urge you to hire a veteran whenever possible. 

Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physicianbeforemaking any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity

Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author

I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people from around the world who visit this premier global health information website every month.  Over the past 12 months, more than 2.8 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious readers.  As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. 

A new study finds that saturated fat decreases metabolism and physical activity, and increases anger and hostility. 

HIGH FAT DIET DECREASES METABOLISM AND INCREASES ANGER AND HOSTILITY

As I have written about extensively in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, a diet low in saturated fat and meat products, such as the Mediterranean diet, has been linked to a decreased risk of cancer (and cardiovascular disease) when compared to the traditional Western diet, which is rich in saturated fat and meat. Now, a new study has linked a Mediterranean-type diet, low in saturated fat, to other potential health benefits, including greater levels of physical activity, a higher metabolic rate, and, somewhat surprisingly, less angry and hostile moods. This study appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

In this prospective randomized clinical study, 32 young adults were separated into two groups. The first group used cooking oils high in saturated fat, while the second group used cooking oils low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. After three weeks, both groups were “crossed over,” and had their cooking oils switched for an additional three weeks.(This clinical study’s “crossover” design is a powerful means of eliminating potential biases that can lead to false conclusions.)Another important aspect of this study was that all food consumed by the study’s volunteer research subjects was provided (and controlled) by the researchers. Moreover, the food provided to both groups of study volunteers was the same, and only the cooking oil differed between the two study groups. 

All research volunteers were continuously assessed with regards to physical activity levels and resting metabolic rates (“resting energy expenditure”).Due to the observed differences in physical activity levels between the two groups of volunteers, the researchers also subjected study volunteers to a validated mood assessment questionnaire, to see if differences in mood might account for the significantly different levels of physical activity between the two groups of research volunteers. 

The results of this intriguing prospective randomized clinical study were quite interesting. Firstly, continuous measurements of physical activity showed that the monounsaturated oil (Mediterranean-like diet) group was 12 percent more active, physically, than the saturated fat group (Western-type diet).Secondly, the resting metabolic rate of the monounsaturated oil group was almost 5 percent higher than that of the saturated fat cooking oil group, suggesting that the young adults who were consuming primarily monounsaturated fat were burning more calories at rest than the group that was using saturated fat. Finally, the monounsaturated fat group scored significantly lower on the anger-hostility scale of the mood assessment questionnaire than the volunteers who were using cooking oil containing saturated fat. 

To summarize, this innovative prospective clinical research study found that a Mediterranean-like diet, low in saturated fat, was associated with increased levels of physical activity, a higher resting metabolism rate, and less anger and hostility, when compared to a Western-like diet that was rich in saturated fat. These findings add further evidence to the data that I extensively discuss in A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, showing that a Mediterranean diet low in saturated fat and meat products, and high in unsaturated oils, whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetable, fish, and poultry, is an important strategy for good health. 

At this time, more than 8 percent of Americans are unemployed.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty between September 2001 and December 2011 is more than 12 percent.  A new website, Veterans in Healthcare, seeks to connect veterans with potential employers.  If you are a veteran who works in the healthcare field, or if you are an employer who is looking for physicians, advanced practice professionals, nurses, corpsmen/medics, or other healthcare professionals, then please take a look at Veterans in Healthcare.  As a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, I would also like to personally urge you to hire a veteran whenever possible. 

Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physicianbeforemaking any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity

Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author

I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people from around the world who visit this premier global health information website every month.  Over the past 12 months, more than 2.8 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious readers.  As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. 

A new study finds that 1 in 10 deaths in the United States are linked to excessive salt intake. 

EXCESSIVE SALT INTAKE LINKED TO 10% OF ALL DEATHS

In the United States, and throughout much of the world, salt is liberally used as a seasoning for many types of food. Unfortunately, however, the salt content of most prepared foods (and fast foods and processed foods in particular) far exceeds the daily recommended allowance of 1,500 milligrams (mg) per day, or less than a teaspoon of salt per day, as recommended by the American Heart Association. 

Excessive salt intake has been linked to a variety of serious health problems, including congestive heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. Additionally, as I discuss in detail in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, excessive salt intake also increases the risk of certain types of cancer as well. 

At the ongoing annual meeting of the American Heart Association, in New Orleans, newly presented research data strongly suggests that at least 10 percent of all deaths in the United States, and as many as 15 percent of deaths worldwide, are related to excessive salt consumption. The data from this study was collected as part of the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases Study, which was performed by an international collaborative network of researchers from 303 institutions in 50 different countries. In addition to collecting salt intake data from participating research volunteers, the scientists conducting this public health research study also analyzed more than 100 previously published prospective randomized clinical research trials linking specific levels of salt intake with adverse health outcomes. 

Based upon data collected in this important new public health study, the researchers calculated that excessive salt intake directly contributes to 1 out of every 10 deaths in the United States (and 1 out of every 7 deaths worldwide).According to the findings of this study, 60 percent of salt-associated deaths occur in men, and 40 percent occur in women; and heart attacks cause 42 percent of salt-associated deaths, while strokes cause 41 percent of salt-associated deaths. 

Although humans appear to be biologically programmed to seek out salty foods, the unnaturally high salt content of most prepared and processed foods today means that we are ingesting far greater amounts of salt, on a daily basis, than our bodies require (or were designed to handle).As a consequence of this salty evolution of our “modern” diets, our bodies are at risk of becoming overloaded with salt, and the increased amount of fluid that this salt causes our bodies to retain. The end result, for a shocking percentage of people around the world, based upon the findings of this study, is an increased risk of congestive heart failure, heart attack, stroke and kidney disease, and a significantly increased risk of premature death due to these illnesses. Additionally, as I discuss in A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, high salt intake has also been clearly linked to an increased risk of several deadly types of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract. 

To help you to decrease excessive salt intake, I recommend the American Heart Association’s online guide on this topic. 

At this time, more than 8 percent of Americans are unemployed.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty between September 2001 and December 2011 is more than 12 percent.  A new website, Veterans in Healthcare, seeks to connect veterans with potential employers.  If you are a veteran who works in the healthcare field, or if you are an employer who is looking for physicians, advanced practice professionals, nurses, corpsmen/medics, or other healthcare professionals, then please take a look at Veterans in Healthcare.  As a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, I would also like to personally urge you to hire a veteran whenever possible. 

Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physicianbeforemaking any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity

Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author

I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people from around the world who visit this premier global health information website every month.  Over the past 12 months, more than 2.7 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious readers.  As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.