Research carried out in China has demonstrated that rats fed capsaicin (the chemical that makes chillis hot) had more relaxed blood vessels and lower blood pressure than mice given a diet without capsaicin. The researchers suggest that eating chillis may be a promising lifestyle intervention for people with hypertension. Until further research is done, people [...]
Archive for the ‘Heart disease’ Category
Flavonoids in chocolate cut heart risks
Posted: Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Recent research carried out in Sweden has been widely reported in the media because it claims that chocolate can reduce the risk of heart failure in elderly and middle-aged women. The researchers asked thousands of people to complete questionnaires listing which foods they commonly eat and found that older women who eat one to two [...]
High fat diets may cause emotional disturbance
Posted: Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behaviour (SSIB) has found that a prolonged high fat diet is associated with changing levels of a brain chemical called dopamine. This chemical conducts signals in the brain that control movement, emotional responses and the ability to feel pleasure [...]
Nitrate content of beetroot juice lowers blood pressure
Posted: Saturday, July 3rd, 2010
Researchers at the Queen Mary University of London and UCL have published a study that found that the high nitrate content of beetroot causes blood vessels to dilate, lowering blood pressure. Healthy volunteers who were given beetroot juice or nitrate tablets had their blood pressure reduced within 24 hours. Beetroot is a good source of [...]
Trans fats still a risk for coronary heart disease
Posted: Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Despite the recommendation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that trans fats should be banned, in line with current legislation in Denmark and New York City, the Government has today announced that it will neither ban the fats nor advise manufacturers to flag them up on food lables . Trans fats are hydrogenated oils that [...]
NICE recommends banning trans fats
Posted: Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has claimed that 40 000 lives could be saved each year if the amount of saturated fat and salt in food was cut and if toxic artificial fats called trans fats were eliminated. Trans fats are added to food in order to prolong shelf life, but they [...]
Body fat linked to Alzheimer’s
Posted: Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
A study published last week in Annals of Neurology has suggested that people with fat stomachs could be at greater risk of developing dementia. The research, carried out by the University School of Medicine in Boston, demonstrated that levels of visceral fat that surround the organs are associated with smaller total brain volume. Dr Susanne Sorensen, head [...]
Kebab Houses and Burger Bars serve unhealthy snacks to school children
Posted: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
New research has found that many takeaway meals sold near London schools contain much higher levels of salt and saturated fat compared to outlets such as McDonalds and Burger King. Many children are leaving school to buy these burgers, kebabs, pies and chips for their lunch. The London Environmental Health Food Teams undertook the study on behalf [...]
Processed meats increase the risk of heart disease
Posted: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
A review by the Harvard School of Public Health has found that people who eat one serving (50g) daily of processed meat such as bacon, ham, sausages or salami have a 42% higher risk of heart disease and a 19% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Unprocessed red meats, such as beef, lamb or pork, [...]
‘Healthy’ snacks are loaded with sugar.
Posted: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
The Times reported last week that supermarket snacks that are marketed as healthy may contain up to 69% sugar; more than three times the amount found in chocolate ice cream. It is common for low fat options to have more sugar than conventional products as manufacturers attempt to make these products more palatable. Most processed [...]
