An article published online on October 30, 2013 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports a protective effect for the Mediterranean diet against the risk of premature death from all causes in cardiovascular disease patients. The diet, which is characterized by a relatively high amount of fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and monounsaturated fatty acids, and a lower intake of sugar, refined carbohydrates and starches, and meat products, has been associated with several long-term benefits, including protection against cardiovascular disease, however, its effects in individuals with established disease had not been well studied.

These results are of interest because they show that a healthy diet can still be beneficial at an advanced stage of the atherosclerotic process and that following a Mediterranean-style diet pattern may be of benefit for populations outside the Mediterranean area.

The current study included 6,137 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study initiated in 1986 and 11,278 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study established in 1976. Subjects in the current study were limited to those who had experienced a nonfatal cardiovascular event, including heart attack, stroke, angina, or coronary bypass or angioplasty. Dietary questionnaire responses provided by the participants in 1980, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 were used to score adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

“A Mediterranean-style diet pattern was associated with a reduced risk of mortality in men and women with cardiovascular disease,” the authors conclude. “These results support the adoption of a Mediterranean-style diet in patients with cardiovascular disease to prevent premature death.”

Over a median follow-up period of 7.7 years, 1,982 deaths occurred among the men. Among the women, 1,468 deaths occurred over a 5.8 year median. Pooled analysis of the subjects revealed a 19% lower risk of death from any cause among those whose adherence to the Mediterranean diet was among the top one-fifth of participants in comparison with those whose adherence was among the lowest fifth. Among those in the top fifth, the risk of dying from cancer or heart disease was 15% lower than those whose diet adherence was lowest, and the risk of death from other causes was 21% less than the risk experienced by those in the lowest group.

Sufficient sleep reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, a study published in July 2013 reports. The National Health Interview Survey found that nearly 30 percent of adults reported an average of six hours of sleep or less per day.

In addition to the four traditional healthy lifestyle factors, sufficient sleep decreased the risk of cardiovascular disease by 65 percent and reduced the risk of a fatal cardiovascular event by 83 percent.

The study authors concluded, “Sufficient sleep and adherence to all four traditional healthy lifestyle factors was associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk. When sufficient sleep duration was added to the traditional lifestyle factors, the risk of cardiovascular disease was further reduced.”

The investigators evaluated 8,128 men and 9,759 women aged 20-65 years without cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study. The subjects completed questionnaires regarding physical activity, diet, sleep, smoking status and alcohol consumption. The researchers evaluated the data for healthy lifestyle factors, including sufficient physical activity of 3.5 hours per week or greater (such as cycling or sports), a healthy diet determined as a Mediterranean Diet Score of 5 or greater, moderate alcohol consumption of one or more beverage per month, non-smoking and sufficient sleep duration of seven hours or greater. The researchers followed the subjects for 10-14 years to assess the development of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

 
During the follow-up period, 607 cardiovascular disease events occurred, including fatal cardiovascular disease events, non-fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke, of which 129 were fatal events. Those people who met the criteria for the four traditional healthy lifestyle factors—sufficient physical activity, a healthy diet, moderate alcohol consumption and non-smoking—had a 57 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 67 percent lower risk of fatal cardiovascular disease compared to the subjects with none or one of the healthy lifestyle factors.

Stress – A Modern Epidemic

Our modern lifestyles may be contributing to many health complaints commonly seen today. Many of us experience some form of stress; 9 out of 10 Australians report being stressed and 41% of people feel they experience unhealthy levels of stress. Stress and the body’s response to it can affect people in different ways. Small amounts of stress that are easily resolved can help to keep us motivated and achieve our goals. The difference with long term or chronic stress is that it can affect the whole body in a negative way.

Looking for the ‘Off’ Button

Stress can affect each of us differently. Perhaps you are suffering from anxiety, feeling worried, depressed or irritable; even feeling exhausted and overwhelmed can indicate you are under stress. As well as affecting your ability to cope, stress may also be causing a disruption to your health. When under stress for a length of time, you may be more susceptible to tension headaches, high blood pressure, frequent colds and flus, digestive disorders or a worsening of an existing condition. So you can see, there are many reasons why it is so important to manage your stress now, before it starts impacting your health and wellbeing.

How Resilience Begins

Some people seem to deal with stress better than others. That doesn’t mean that the rest of us need to continue suffering. The ability to increase your resilience to stress is something that can be learned and helped with key supplements, combining specific ingredients to support your body’s individual stress response system.

Dis-Stressed to De-Stressed

Go from ‘dis-stressed’ to ‘de-stressed’ with the help of herbs and nutrients:

• Rhodiola and withania are ‘adaptogen’ herbs which enhance the body’s resilience to stress. Rhodiola has been shown to reduce both physical and mental fatigue during times of stress. Withania can reduce the stress hormone cortisol via its effect on the adrenal glands, thereby having a protective effect in chronic stress.

• The herbs, passionflower, zizyphus and magnolia have been traditionally used in Western medicine for reducing stress, anxiety, insomnia and nervous tension.

• St John’s wort is well-known for supporting healthy mood and protecting against the effects of stress.

• Magnesium, glutamine and B vitamins are used in abundance during times of stress, when the body’s requirement for these key nutrients is increased. Magnesium assists in muscle relaxation and calms the nervous system

Lifestyle Tips to Help Manage Stress

Managing your stress is essential for long term health and vitality. With the support of your Practitioner, a variety of stress relief techniques can be introduced, in conjunction with a healthy eating plan to help you stress less. These may include:

1. Exercise: Daily movement is essential for brain health. Aerobic exercise including running, swimming or walking is proven to decrease stress hormones.

2. Enjoy the benefits of spending some time in the sun. Being in nature for 30 minutes per day can help reduce stress hormones and assist recovery after a stressful situation.

3. Meditation and/or yoga can help to increase relaxation whilst benefiting not just the mind, but also the body. Learning to unwind is important for reducing stress.

4. Favourite pastime: create time for YOU! Do something that you love, like listening to music, enjoying a candle lit bath, watching a movie, or starting a creative project – these fun activities can help you become more tolerant of everyday stress.

5. Get creative and express yourself in as many different ways as feels good; singing, dancing, and art projects are but a few ways to do this.

6. Eat seasonally, fresh and organic as much as possible. Include protein at every meal with a variety of fruit and vegetables.

7. Include good fats such as omega 3s from fish, nuts and seeds, and olive oil to help with brain health and mood regulation.

8. Drink plenty of water, a minimum of eight glasses per day and avoid excessive alcohol, caffeine, sugar and salt.

Stress Less for Good Health

Our modern lifestyle is inescapable. The stress of it however, is manageable. You can become more resilient to the symptoms and long term effects of stress through the aid of individualised lifestyle and dietary changes, together with key natural medicines. Supporting a healthy stress response will allow you to feel more energised, resilient and ready to tackle life, so you can maintain the state of health and wellness that you deserve.

• Research from Circulation shows that women who consistently consume blueberries and strawberries have a 32 percent lower risk of heart disease.
• Simply looking at photos of high-calorie foods can stimulate your brain’s reward center, thus weakening willpower.
• 20 mg of iron a day can ease PMS symptoms.
• Grunting or being vocal when lifting weights can increase muscle strength by eight percent.
• The Mayo Clinic finds that people with a financial incentive to lose weight drop an average of seven more pounds than those with no monetary goal.
• Mint gum can make fruit less appetizing.
• According to Emotion, a trip down memory lane can actually make you feel physically warmer.
• A five percent incline increase on the treadmill can burn 15 percent more calories.
• Drinking alcohol can reduce the amount of antioxidants in your skin.
• Women who religiously read nutrition labels weigh approximately nine pounds less than women who ignore those critical stats.
• A shark’s cornea is so similar to a human’s that it has been used in eye surgery.
• People read an average of 25 percent slower onscreen than on paper.
• One in 10 men grind his teeth while sleeping. One in eight snores.
• People tend to chew their food on the same side as their dominant hand. So if you are right-handed, you likely chew on the right side of your mouth.
• 80 percent of 10-year-old girls in the U.S. go on a diet.
• The average person’s vocabulary contains up to 6,000 words.
• After the age of 30, humans begin to gradually shrink in size.
• Every pound over your ideal weight can lower your life expectancy by 34 days. That means that a mere 15 pounds can cost you nearly 1.5 years of life!