Heart Disease Prevention - Keeping Cholesterol In Check For Heart Disease Prevention

Excessive amount of cholesterol, especially the LDL, in the bloodstream can raise the risk of developing not only heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke but also Alzheimer's disease. High levels of LDL can form plaque in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the body. More details can be found at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Keeping Cholesterol In Check For Heart Disease Prevention

Heart Disease Prevention - How To Follow DASH Plan To Prevent Heart Disease?

Besides being physical active, eating a heart-healthy diet is equally important in managing blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and other diseases. The so-called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a healthier way of eating that help one to lose weight. When combined with a reduction in salt (sodium), the DASH diet can be more effective at lowering blood pressure than medication. Read more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - How To Follow DASH Plan To Prevent Heart Disease?

What Foods Diabetics Should Avoid?

Diet plays an important role for diabetics in managing their conditions. Whether one likes it or not, consumption of certain foods should be minimized or even avoided.

White rice, for instance, has been an inseparable part of daily diet for most people of Asian origin. But for Type-2 diabetics, white rice consumption should be reduced. This is because researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that people had higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes if they ate 5 or more servings of white rice a week. On the other hand, people who substituted at least a third of their white-rice servings with brown rice had their risk cut by as much as 16 percent. Comparing with white rice, brown rice has more fiber that can help maintain blood sugar levels stable.

Likewise, white bread should be replaced by whole meal bread. White rice is made of refined flour that can be quickly digested by body. The quick digestion can cause the blood sugar to rise. Studies have shown that people who eat more whole grains and fewer refined grains including white bread have less of the type of body fat that can trigger heart disease and Type-2 diabetes.

Though cutting red meat from the diet entirely is unnecessary, eating lots of red and processed meats like bacon and cold cuts, all high in saturated fat, could most likely lead to development of Type-2 diabetes. A large study reported that people who ate processed meat (a hot dog or sausage or 2 slices of bacon) once a day had their risk of getting diabetes more than doubled. The risk can simply be lower by substituting one serving of red and processed meats with healthier sources of protein like nuts and low-fat dairy products.

Nevertheless, one should note that too much protein can raise the insulin, too. Protein can help lose weight and is essential to a healthy blood sugar level, as long as one does not over consume protein powders and eating animal proteins. Most people only need 0.5 grams to 1 gram of protein per body weight per day and those amounts should be split up into multiple servings, and not consumed at one time.

Saturated fats, the prime culprit for heart disease, can be found not only in red meat and butter but also whole-milk dairy products. In several studies, a diet high in saturated fats has been linked to insulin resistance. Switching to no-fat or 1-percent dairy products can get all the benefits of calcium without the drawbacks and reduce calories to help with weight loss.

Caffeine is another one that can increase insulin if excess amount is consumed. Drinking a cup or 2 of coffee a day might be good for the insulin, but more than that can cause the insulin to shoot up. When the insulin surges, one can feel moody, shaky, irritable and craving sweets. This will in turn cause one to reach for more caffeine or more sugar. 

Heart Disease Prevention - How Is Social Relationship Linked To Heart Disease?

A healthy lifestyle is definitely paramount in preventing heart disease and other chronic diseases. People often, however, ignore or unaware of another important factor that is linked to development of heart disease: the quality of one’s relationship! Relationship is a connection between people, like marriage, kinship and friendship. Read more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - How Is Social Relationship Linked To Heart Disease?

Heart Disease Prevention - What Is Metabolism And How To Boost It To Lose Weight?

Undoubtedly, the best way to burn fat and speed up metabolism is to carry out more physical activity and exercises like regular aerobic exercise, strength training and lifestyle activities. But there are other ways of boosting the metabolism by just making simple changes to the daily routine. Click the following link to find out more!

Heart Disease Prevention - What Is Metabolism And How To Boost It To Lose Weight?

What Could Spike Blood Sugar?

Good management of a diabetic’s blood sugar (glucose) level is important because diabetes can eventually lead to chronic medical conditions including heart disease and high blood pressure. But for Type-2 diabetics who has abandoned most simple carbohydrates in their diet and has regularly exercised, their blood sugar can sometimes still spikes.

Actually, there are many things that seem harmless to diabetics can actually affect their blood sugar level.

Dehydration, for instance, can make the blood becomes more concentrated and cause the blood sugar readings to go up. To make the thing worse, when the blood sugar is higher, one tends to urinate more, making him or her more dehydrated. So drinking enough water is important for diabetics, especially after exercises or in the hot weather.

Hormones change can also affect a woman’s blood sugar. One study had revealed that decreased insulin sensitivity during menstruation were the most common issue.  This means that the insulin that patients were taking or the pancreas was producing were not sufficient to lower blood sugar, resulting in high blood sugar level.

Stress is another thing that can affect one’s blood sugar level. When a person is under stress, his or her body releases hormones that can make the blood sugar rise. This is more common for Type-2 diabetics. Hence, learning to relax with deep breathing and exercise, and trying to change the things that are stressful, if possible, is very important.

Certain medications can upset one’s blood sugar readings, too. Corticosteroids such as prednisone, which are used to treat rashes, arthritis, asthma, and many other conditions, can boost blood sugar levels. Diuretics (water pills) that are used to manage high blood pressure, and decongestants that contain pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine can be responsible for blood sugar hike.

While birth control pills, patches, implants, injections, and rings are generally considered to be safe forms of contraception for diabetic women, the estrogen in birth control pills can raise blood glucose levels.

People like to skip meals thinking that this may help them lose weight. In reality, skipping meals can only cause the body to store fat and conserve, not metabolize and burn fat. The reason is that the liver normally produces glucose to be used by the body, such as when someone is asleep, and stops the production when it detects insulin in the blood, such as when someone has eaten. If it becomes resistant to insulin, it does not get the signal to stop producing glucose and keeps pumping it into the blood. This excess glucose in the bloodstream is stored in the body as fat.

To keep a healthy blood sugar level, people should have regular meals. If a heavy meal is consumed and one does not want to have a regular size meal later or the next morning, he or she should at least eat something light.

Heart Disease Prevention - Would Sex Benefit Older Folks?

Several other studies had already shown that having sex even a few times a week has an associative or causal relationship would tend to have some benefits. Other studies also indicated that frequent sex can achieve weight loss and overall fitness, and pain relief, reduce depression, and even have less cold and flu. But a recent study had reported quite different results… Find out more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Would Sex Benefit Older Folks?

Heart Disease Prevention - Does Protein Help One To Lose Weight?

Though there are numerous ways to lose weight, most of them will make one feel hungry and unsatisfied. Unless the person has a very strong determination, he or she will certainly give up quickly. In reality, losing weight might not be that difficult! First, one must eat the right food! Click the following link for more information:

Heart Disease Prevention - Does Protein Help One To Lose Weight?