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