PETER'S PRINCIPLES - August 27-August 31, 2007
Ryan from Wixom emails asking me to clear up all the numbers on cholesterol- just how low should his bad cholesterol be?
That's a good question. Keeping your cholesterol in check is critical to staying healthy and avoiding heart disease.
Two new studies followed almost 2 thousand patients with heart disease whose LDL levels-the bad cholesterol was 100 or less. They put the group on therapy to lower their cholesterol and found lower is better at reducing events such as heart attack, stroke even death.
Those who lowered their number to 40 or less saw a 39 percent reduction in cardiac events. Compared to only a 20 percent reduction for those who reduced their bad cholesterol to between 60 and 80.
Mike from West Bloomfield emails asking about the health benefits of fish.
Mike, fish is so good for you because of the omega 3 fatty acids. They can fight off prostate cancer, cut your risk of heart disease, fight diabetes and protect your eyes from macular degeneration. In fact a new study found people who ate about 11 ounces of fish per week reduced their risk of an irregular heart beat by almost 30 percent.
The best sources of Omega 3's come in fish such as salmon, tuna, trout and herring. It's also found in nuts and green vegetables. But choose wisely-foods enhanced with Omega 3's such as eggs, vegetable oil, cereal, yogurt and milk won't give you as much of the fatty acid as you think.
Your best source comes from you guessed it-fish!
Nancy from Romulus has a family history of colon cancer. Is there something she can do to help prevent the disease?
Believe it not, coffee may help.
Researchers studied more than 96 thousand men and women between 40 and 69 years old. They found women who drank three or more cups of coffee a day cut their risk of developing colon cancer in half! They did not see the same benefit in men.
Experts believe two things in the coffee may be helpful. First- the caffeine could stimulate the working of the colon . The second could be the antioxidants in the coffee help fight off disease.
Doctors aren't recommending you start drinking coffee, but for those who like it-it'll give you an extra benefit.
Emily from Troy says her teenage daughter is having trouble sleeping, when she took her to the doctor, he prescribed medication. Should she be concerned?
This is a troubling issue and you're not alone. A new study found more than 80 percent of American children who visit a doctor for help with sleep problems are given prescription medication. The big problem is-no sleeping pills are currently approved for use in children.
Experts are concerned prescribing sleep medication is ignoring the bigger issue. They say children shouldn't have sleep problems; If they do there is an underlying issue such as stress, caffeine or a problem at home or school.
They believe it's better to combat that issue first rather than turning to medication.
Jan from Warren e-mails that her teenage son is constantly drinking pop and fruit flavored drinks. She wants to know about the possible health consequences.
Jan.. You're right to be concerned! Those drinks contain high levels of fructose. Fructose is found in fruits and some vegetables, but only in small amounts. The major sources of fructose in our diet are the sugar additives in foods like soft drinks, fruit flavored drinks, candies .. and some baked products. Researchers at the University of Minnesota gave subjects a high fructose diet for 6-weeks. The subjects showed a big increase in the blood fat triacyglycerol (try-uh-sigh-gliss-erol)., hich can increase the risk of heart attack.. the silent killer!
Your kids should get the small amount of fructose in a healthy diet from fruits and vegetables. Remember.. good habits start early!
Do you have a question you've been working on? Send me an email!
