保心饮食

保心从日常生活着手

不时有专家提出警告：要预防心脏病还是多注意自己的饮食健康，饮食中少盐、少油，少吃富含动物性脂肪的食物，如肥肉、鸡皮等，同时也可用橄榄油取代其他食油。日常食物可多吃富含欧米伽—３脂肪酸的鱼类，同时也应多吃大蒜、洋葱及其他各种富含抗氧化剂和抗凝血剂的蔬菜水果，以防止动脉阻塞。　
　
过去有研究显示，地中海区居民的心脏病罹患率比美国人要低得多，地中海边缘国家包括西班牙、意大利、希腊、南斯拉夫、叙利亚等地的饮食具有预防心血管疾病的作用。　　
地中海饮食的特点是含大量谷类、豆类、新鲜蔬果，少吃红肉类，以大量药草香料佐料，不添加防腐剂，以及以橄榄油烹调。专家认为，地中海食物大量的谷类、豆类、新鲜蔬果都是膳食纤维的主要来源，而橄榄油含有丰富油脂酸，为一种单元不饱和脂肪酸，研究证实可提高血液中高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（俗称好胆固醇），同时也能降低低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（俗称坏胆固醇）的浓度。　　

在一日三餐方面，正确的饮食习惯应该是早餐吃得丰富，摄取较高热量食物。晚餐则应少碰油腻食物，饮食宜清淡，摄取热量不超过全天之３０％。专家认为，晚餐吃得过于丰富或油腻，会造成血脂量升高，加上睡眠时人之血液流动较慢，大量血脂易沉积在血管上，会造成动脉硬化、高血压及心脏病。　　
对于那些有心律不整毛病，而又有喝咖啡习惯的人来说，最好控制喝咖啡的数量，每天不要超过两杯。　　

但研究人员也提醒大众，除了注意饮食仍是不够的，要预防心脏病，正确的做法是，配合有规律的健康生活方式，多运动、保持心情愉快，才可远离心脏病。

Stroke warning sighs

If you felt the side of your face go numb or were unable to move your arm - would you know what to do?
According to the National Stroke Foundation you could be experiencing the signs of stroke.
Stroke is Australia's second biggest killer and a leading cause of disability. A stroke occurs in Australia every 10 minutes.

FAST is an easy way to recognise the signs of stroke.
FAST stands for Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to act. Call 000 immediately if you experience even one of the signs of stroke or recognise them in someone else.
In the 2007 National Stroke Foundation survey asked Australians aged over 40 what they know about stroke. Fifteen per cent said they did not know any of the signs of stroke.
This represents at least 1.3 million Australians aged between 40 and 90 may not recognise the signs of stroke in themselves or a loved one.

As part of National Stroke Week (15-21 September), the National Stroke Foundation aims to distribute 1.3 million FAST wallet cards. The wallet cards allow people to carry the FAST message with them at all times.
"There is a simple test for stroke that everybody should know - it's called the FAST test," said Dr Erin Lalor, Chief Executive Officer of the National Stroke Foundation.

The FAST test involves asking three simple questions:
Face - Can the person smile, has their mouth drooped?
Arms - Can the person raise both arms?
Speech - Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time - Act FAST and call 000 immediately.
If the person has difficulties with any of these, act FAST and call 000. Getting urgent medical attention could mean the difference between death or severe disability and a good recovery from stroke.

National Stroke Week is 15-21 September.
For more information about the National Stroke Foundation, FAST and preventing stroke visit http://www.strokefoundation.com.au/ or call StrokeLine 1800 787 653.

(Source: National Stroke Foundation: September 2008.)

Fwd: Broccoli - the anti cancer veg that could do your heart good

If there's a poster veggie for healthy eating, it has to be broccoli - in fact you could paper the walls with good news stories spruiking it's health benefits. There's the one that says broccoli puts the brakes on prostate cancer in mice, and another that names broccoli as a source of glucosinolates - a compound that can help protect the brain from Alzheimer's.

Broccoli's latest triumph is a new report from the University of Warwick in the UK, suggesting that another compound in broccoli called sulphoraphane helps reverse the harm that high blood sugar levels can do to the blood vessels of people with diabetes. Sulphoraphane seems to work in two ways - one is by boosting the production of enzymes that protect the blood vessels, and the other is by reducing the levels of molecules which damage the cells of blood vessels.

Sulphoraphane is the same compound that's been found to reduce bladder cancer in rats and, in other lab studies, to help protect against cancer of the colon and pancreas, according to the American Cancer Society.

(Source: smh)

婚姻幸福的人不易患高血压

心脏健康可能真的和婚姻状况有关！美国的一项研究结果表明，婚姻幸福的人较之单身的人更不易患高血压。
杨百翰大学（Brigham Young University）教授Julianne Holt-Lunstad发现，婚姻幸福的男女24小时的血压比有良好生活圈子的成年单身人士要低4毫米汞柱。
Holt-Lunstad和同事很惊讶地发现，良好的生活圈子无助于成年单身人士和婚姻不幸福者改善血压状况。
Holt-Lunstad在周四的《行为医学年报》（Annals of Behavioral Medicine）上公布了自己的发现：婚姻可能对改善血压状况独具作用。幸福的婚姻是健康的保护神。
研究人员给204名已婚人士和99名成年单身人士全天候地戴上血压检测仪，结果表明婚姻不幸的人血压比婚姻幸福的人和单身人士都高。
睡眠时，已婚人士，尤其是婚姻幸福的人，比单身人士的血压降低得快。夜间血压仍然维持在较高水平的人更易患心血管疾病。
Holt-Lunstad称，已婚人士更容易培养较好的健康习惯，并且无论顺境逆境都能互相扶持，但这只是（血压高低的）一部分原因。
Holt-Lunstad还透露了她的下一步计划：她将对那些去咨询婚姻顾问的夫妻们展开研究，以查明婚姻状况的改善是否必然意味着健康状况的改善。
(Source: Reuters)