High Fiber Health

Eating together establishes good habits later in life, researchers at the University of Minnesota say.  In the study, more than 1,500 participants were surveyed once during high school, then again when they were 20 years old.  Participants were asked questions about how often they ate with their families, how much they liked sitting down to dinner with family and friends, if they had a tendency to eat and run, and how often they ate breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The researchers say that those who ate meals with families as adolescents were more likely to eat fruit, dark green and orange vegetables and drank fewer soft drinks as young adults.  The frequency of family meals during adolescence also predicted eating meals more frequently as adults.  Those who experienced more family meals were more likely to have higher intakes of key nutrients, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and the like.  

The researchers say the results show that structured meal times with family are associated with improved diet quality for young adults.  Families should be encouraged to share meals together as often as is practically possible, they say.

The results were originally published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Researchers at Rutgers University have found drinking soda which contains high-fructose corn syrup could contribute to the development of diabetes, especially in children.

Scientists tested beverages containing the syrup and found high levels of reactive compounds that previous studies have found have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage which can cause diabetes.

“People consume too much high-fructose corn syrup in this country,” lead researcher Chi-Tang Ho, professor of food science at Rutgers University, said.  “It’s in way too many food and drink products, and there’s growing evidence that it’s bad for you.”

The findings were first reported at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Did you know that high blood pressure affects 65 million Americans?  That’s one in three American adults.  Blood pressure is the force of blood against the artery walls.  The measure of blood pressure is recorded as two numbers—systolic pressure (when the heart beats) over diastolic pressure (when the heart beats) over diastolic pressure (when the heart relaxes between beats).  Healthy blood pressure is when the systolic number is below 120 and the diastolic number is below 80.  Having high blood pressure can be dangerous because it can make the heart work too hard, and the high force of blood flow can harm arteries and organs, such as the heart, kidneys, brain and eyes.  Developing high blood pressure is something most Americans have to deal with at some point in their lives, because even if you’re 55 and have normal blood pressure, you still have a 90 percent lifetime risk for developing high blood pressure. Source: Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — click here for a free download of the guide.

There are many things you can do to help control blood pressure.  Here are a few steps you can take:

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Be moderately physically active most days of the week.
• Follow a healthy eating plan, which includes foods lower in sodium.
• Drink alcohol only in moderation.
• If you have high blood pressure, take your prescribed medication as directed.
• Here are some of the DASH eating plan tips for reducing salt and sodium in your diet.
• When buying condiments, choose low or reduced sodium versions, or no-salt added versions.
• Eat more vegetables.  If you choose frozen or canned, make sure you buy low-sodium or no-salt added.
• Eat fresh poultry, fish and lean meat, rather than canned, smoked or processed types.
• When choosing a breakfast cereal, choose ones that are lower in sodium.
• Limit cured foods, such as bacon and ham; foods packed in brine, such as pickles, olives and sauerkraut; and condiments, such as mustard, horseradish, soy or teriyaki sauce.
• Cook rice, pasta and hot cereals without salt.  Cut out instant or flavored rice, pasta and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt.
• Choose lower sodium versions of convenience foods, and in general cut back on frozen dinners, mixed dishes such as pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings—because these items often have lots of sodium.
• Rinse canned foods such as tuna or beans before using to remove some of the sodium.
• Learn to use spices for flavoring rather than salt.  Cook with herbs, spices, lemons, limes, vinegar or salt-free seasoning blends.
• Cut your salt intake in half.
• Move the salt shaker away from the table.

If you’re not getting enough sleep, your blood pressure could increase.  Specifically if you’re middle-aged and sleep less than five hours a night, you may be increasing your risk of high blood pressure, a 2006 study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and College of Physicians and Surgeons found.

“People who sleep for only short durations raise their average 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate,” says James Gangwisch, of the psychiatric epidemiology training program at the Mailman School and lead author of the study.  “This may set up the cardiovascular system to operate at an elevated pressure.”

In the study, 24 percent of people ages 32 to 59 who slept for five or fewer hours a night developed hypertension compared with 12 percent of those who got seven or eight hours of sleep.  The analysis was based on data gathered from 4,810 people.

When compared with people who slept seven or eight hours a night, those who slept five or fewer hours a night also exercised less and were more likely to have a higher body-mass index (a measurement to assess body fat).  They were also more likely to suffer from diabetes, depression and daytime sleepiness.

Another finding of the analysis was that high blood pressure often goes undetected.  Of those who had high blood pressure, 30 percent were unaware of the fact.

The study originally appeared in Hypertension: Journal of the American Health Association.

The conventional wisdom when it comes to anorexia and bulimia has been that they were disorders that struck girls and young women.  But according to Alexander Sackeyfio, a psychiatrist and eating-disorder specialist at the Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., it can happen to anyone at any stage of life.  /doctors now agree that a growing number of older women are being diagnosed with eating disorders (Yale Medical Group).

Anorexics tend to be preoccupied with their body weight and shape and often suffer from anxiety, perfectionism and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Bulimics tend to be more depressed and impulsive, and sometimes suffer from other substance abuse issues.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychological disorder, says Doug Bunnell, clinical director of the Renfrew Center in Wilton, Conn.  That rate is somewhere between 10 to 15 percent, he says.

Doctors say they are seeing more middle-aged and even older women coming in for treatment for eating disorders.  Many believe the women have suffered from eating disorders earlier in life but have not previously sought treatment.  Others believe that menopause and other issues older women face, such as grown children leaving home, can set off eating disorders.