| They all help cut your risk of heart | | | | cells treated with the juice showed a 50 |
| disease, the top cause of death among | | | | percent increase in the production of |
| women. Are you ready to drink milk and | | | | nitric oxide, a substance that helps |
| groove to jazz? | | | | fight plaque. There are plenty of tasty |
| Heart problems? Me? If that’s your | | | | ways to take your medicine: More than |
| reaction when you hear all of the | | | | 130 pomegranate products were introduced |
| healthy-heart messages during American | | | | in 2006. |
| Heart Month in February, here’s a | | | | 5. Sprinkle on the soy |
| wake-up call: Fact is, heart disease | | | | A daily dash of dark soy sauce (not |
| kills far more women each year than | | | | light) in marinades, dipping sauces, |
| cancer does. It’s also true that | | | | salad dressing, or soups and stews can |
| preventing heart problems is getting | | | | help fight heart-damaging substances |
| easier. Health gathered the latest | | | | linked to smoking, obesity, or diabetes, |
| tricks—all backed by solid | | | | according to research from the National |
| research—to take care of your heart. | | | | University of Singapore. The sauce has |
| 1. Get milk | | | | 10 times the antioxidants in wine, which |
| A new study sponsored by the National | | | | is also heart-healthy (in moderation). |
| Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found | | | | But watch out: Soy sauces often have a |
| that, among people who didn’t eat a | | | | ton of salt, which can raise blood |
| lot of saturated fat, those who consumed | | | | pressure. Check labels for lower-salt |
| more than three daily servings of milk, | | | | versions. |
| yogurt, or cheese had systolic blood | | | | 6. Laugh it up |
| pressure (the top number) almost four | | | | Something for your funny bone: People |
| points lower than those who ate only | | | | who watched comedy films like There’s |
| half a serving daily. High blood | | | | Something About Mary had better blood |
| pressure can damage your arteries, | | | | flow, compared with those who watched |
| increasing your risk for heart attacks | | | | dramas like Saving Private Ryan, |
| and stroke. Researchers say low-fat | | | | according to a study at the University |
| dairy is the smart choice, because | | | | of Maryland School of Medicine in |
| it’s lower in saturated fat. | | | | Baltimore. Principal researcher Michael |
| 2. Try new moves | | | | Miller, MD, director of the Center for |
| Thirty minutes of Tai Chi—a gentle | | | | Preventive Cardiology, recommends 15 |
| Chinese martial art that includes | | | | minutes of daily laughter. |
| sequences of slow, relaxing | | | | Don’t have enough time for movies or |
| movements—may also lower your blood | | | | sitcoms? Get your giggles anytime from |
| pressure. In one study, after 12 weeks | | | | YouTube’s comedy section (youtube.com |
| of Tai Chi, participants showed a | | | | categories). |
| decrease in systolic pressure of almost | | | | 7. Don’t skimp on sleep |
| 16 points. To find a class in your area, | | | | Women who sleep less than 5 hours each |
| visit Taoist.org. | | | | night have a 30 percent higher risk of |
| 3. Go fishing | | | | heart disease than those getting 8 |
| How fast your heart beats when you’re | | | | hours, according to a study from the |
| at rest can be an indicator of heart | | | | Brigham and Women’s Hospital in |
| attack risk. In fact, higher resting | | | | Boston. Too little sleep may play havoc |
| heart rates have been linked to an | | | | with your hormones, blood sugar, and |
| increased risk of sudden death. The good | | | | blood pressure. So after getting your 15 |
| news is that eating fish can lower your | | | | minutes of laughs, turn off that PC and |
| heart rate. In a new Harvard Medical | | | | turn in. |
| School study, people who ate five or | | | | 8. Breathe deeper |
| more servings per month of fish such as | | | | You can lower your blood pressure by |
| tuna or salmon (baked or broiled) | | | | taking 10 breaths per minute (instead of |
| averaged 3.2 fewer beats per minute than | | | | the usual 16 to 19) for 15 minutes a day |
| those who ate less than one serving per | | | | over 2 months, studies show. Researcher |
| month. Researchers credit the omega-3 | | | | David Anderson, PhD, a hypertension |
| fatty acids in fish, though it’s not | | | | expert at the National Institute on |
| clear how they help. (Our Kitchen | | | | Aging, says shallow breathing (more |
| Assistant search tool can help you find | | | | beats per minute) may delay your |
| dozens of healthy and delicious fish | | | | body’s excretion of salt, a |
| recipes.) | | | | high-blood-pressure trigger. |
| 4. Hit the juice | | | | 9. Feel the beat |
| Pomegranate juice seems to stave off | | | | A group of University of Oxford |
| hardening of the arteries—and may even | | | | researchers found that slow, meditative |
| reverse it. A recent study in the | | | | musical rhythms can lead to a healthy |
| Proceedings of the National Academy of | | | | drop in heart rate, while faster rhythms |
| Sciences found that pomegranate juice | | | | speed up breathing and circulation. Got |
| reduced the rate of cholesterol plaque | | | | Sheryl Crow on your iPod? Try mixing in |
| buildup in mice by 30 percent. And heart | | | | some smooth jazz, too. |