High Cholesterol

Harvard Medical School has derived a number of healthy practices for all of us to emulate. The following article will try to paraphrase the critical points on exercise, and why all of us should do it. And, for the ones who do it, perhaps they need to do more!

The Benefit of Fitness

Probably by now, everyone acknowledges the health benefits of exercise. Everyone should get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Daily is not too much, as human beings we were designed to get a lot more exercise than just daily for 30 minutes. Benefits accrue quickly. Among them are:

Twenty-five years ago in the town of Limone Sugata, Italy, a man went to his doctor for a check up. His doctor discovered that he had very high cholesterol levels, but no signs of heart disease. The same was true of his entire family and many people in his town, who were descended from one couple and shared a unique gene. It appeared that no matter what these families ate, no matter how high their cholesterol levels, it never caused heart disease.

According to a study in the May 17, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, policosonal has not been found to lower cholesterol by researchers at the University of Bonn, Germany. Another clinical trial in the Netherlands also found that it was ineffective.

FDA Finalizes Health Claim Associating Consumption of Barley Products with Reduction of Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has finalized a rule that allows foods containing barley to claim that they reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Specifically, whole grain barley and dry milled barley products such as flakes, grits, flour, and pearled barley, which provide at least 0.75 grams of soluble fiber per serving, may bear the following claim:

Experts say lack of exercise, differences in the foods available and the acculturation of the Hispanic diet into the American system contribute to health problems of the country's largest minority group.

Summaries of the latest research concerning fish oils and cholesterol/triglycerides can be found on the oilofpisces.com database.

In a well-designed mouse study, where animals breathed air as polluted as the air in New York City, the researchers pinpointed specific mechanisms and showed that air pollution can be particularly damaging when coupled with a high-fat diet, according to new research published in the December 21 issue of JAMA.

New York, December 20, 2005--New York University School of Medicine researchers provide some of the most compelling evidence yet that long-term exposure to air pollution--even at levels within federal standards--causes heart disease.

It's not clear whether one grade of olive oil has more health benefits than other grades. The health benefits of olive oil are primarily related to its high levels of monounsaturated fats.

Although processed differently, extra-virgin, virgin and regular olive oils are all excellent sources of monounsaturated fats. When used in place of saturated fats, such as butter, monounsaturated fats appear to improve cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attack. They may also play a role in lowering the risk of some cancers.

Fat substitutes are ingredients that mimic one or more of the roles of fat in a food. They're classified into three categories based on their nutrient source:
Carbohydrate-based fat substitutes use plant polysaccharides in place of fat.