GoodClean Living Keeps A Heart Healthy
Chad Collins
B,Sc.,R.D/ Nutrix Ltd
Heart disease is the number one cause ofdeath in men and women in North America. Historically, most studiesof heart disease were done on men only.
The largest prospective study on healthis the Nurses' Health Study of 122,000 women who were healthyin 1976 when the study began. A paper from this study in the July6, 2000 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine indicatesthat greater adherence to healthy lifestyles translates into agreatly reduced risk of heart disease.
The following factors predicted less riskof heart disease: exercise, being in an ideal weight range, consumptionof at least half a drink of an alcoholic beverage a day, a healthydiet, and lack of smoking.
A healthy diet was characterized by highintake of cereal fiber, fish-derived fatty acids, folate, a highratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat, low intake of transfatty acids and a low glycemic load. The last factor reflectsthe extent the diet raises blood sugar.
Most of the good behaviours were correlated.That is, women who exercised more ate better, smoked less, etc.Combining all the healthy behaviours was associated with a riskof heart disease of only 17% as compared with all the other women.
Eighty two percent of the heart diseasewas attributed to not adhering to the low-risk lifestyle. Changesin lifestyle suggested by this study are inexpensive, have noside effects, and may offer considerable health benefits.
Chad Collins, B.Sc.,R.D.
Registered Dietitian
Nutrix Ltd., 946-8749