Healthwise 82     January 2007

Healthwise is a regular column written especially for laterlife.com members and visitors by Helen Franks, journalist and author. Welcome to healthwise 82.  

For previous articles in the healthwise series visit 'more healthwise'

 
Oily fish latest on Alzheimers and heart disease

New research into higher omega-3 intake (ie contained in oily fish) is significantly related to a reduced risk of cognitive decline in later life and also protects against cardiovascular arrhythmias in patients who have suffered from heart attacks.

Kinds of oily fish include herrings, sardines, mackerel, salmon, fresh tuna, and the ideal consumption is twice a week. The canned variety does not contain omega-3. If you don’t get enough oily fish, then get it via supplements. Equazen, Eskimo, Pulse, Higher Nature all do supplements.

Salt reminder

Around 75% of the salt we eat comes from processed foods, so the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been working with the food industry to encourage reductions in the levels of salt in these foods.

To help guide the food industry as to the type of foods in which reductions are required, and the level of reductions that are needed to help reduce consumers' intakes, the Agency developed proposals for targets for salt levels in a wide range of food categories (72 categories in total).

While some concerns have been expressed by some industry interests regarding the acceptability to consumers of products containing lower salt levels, there is evidence to suggest that consumer palates can readily adapt to lower-salt products, particularly if these reductions are made in small steps.

Dirty dozen?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) in the US, has produced a new shoppers' guide listing the fruits and vegetables that are the most contaminated with pesticides (the "dirty dozen"), as well as those that generally contain the lowest amount of pesticides (the "cleanest 12").

The information is based on nearly 43,000 tests. The last EWG Guide was issued in 2003, and there have been several revisions to the list. Carrots have been removed from the most contaminated list, but lettuce has been added. Likewise, cauliflower is no longer listed as one of the cleanest vegetables, but cabbage is now one of those "clean" 12. The guide may not apply in the UK, but it’s useful to know.
 

The “dirty dozen” list includes:

• Peaches

• Apples

• Sweet bell peppers

• Celery

• Strawberries

• Spinach

• Cauliflower

• Lettuce

And the "cleanest 12"includes:

• Onions

• Avocado

• Cabbage

• Pineapple

• Asparagus

• Broccoli

• Carrots

Game contributes towards healthy eating

It’s too simplistic just to say “fat is bad for you”. Some fat in our diet is vital, as it helps the body absorb certain types of vitamins. Fat is also a good source of energy and a way of providing us with the essential fatty acids that the body can't make itself.

Too much fat can, of course, make you fat, but in addition to cutting down our consumption of dietary fat, we should also try to cut down the type of fat that is less likely to benefit our bodies – saturated fat, which raises cholesterol levels in the blood .

Research carried out by the food research organisation, Leatherhead Food International, has revealed that when three different types of game meat - partridge, venison and pheasant - were tested, all were shown to have fat levels of approximately 1g/100g of meat.

This was compared with the much higher 11g/100g for beef and 9.9g/100g for lamb. More importantly, there was virtually no saturated fat in the game meats compared with both the beef and lamb.

Pancreatic cancer and vitamin D

A survey of just under 50,000 women and 76,000 men showed that taking the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D (5 International Units) can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43%.

The survey was carried out by researchers at Northwestern and Harvard universities. Vitamin D is provided by the sun and by supplements and the researchers don’t know which is more effective.

Meanwhile, it wouldn’t hurt to get the vitamin via supplements.
 

Drinking overtime

Researchers from the Royal Bolton Hospital report that some over 60s are drinking too much alcohol. Among 208 inpatients over 5 years, highest weekly intake was 371 units for men, and 200 units for women.

Not surprisingly, drunkenness, falls, circulatory problems, liver disease, were reasons for the patients being admitted. The recommended intake for men is 21 units, and for women 14 units.

Change of name for Bristol Cancer Help Centre

One in three people in the UK are now living with cancer and living longer too. The Bristol Centre has been a pioneer in holistic care and is now changing its name to commemorate its co-founder, Penny Brohn.

The new name is: Penny Brohn Cancer Care, and the website is: www.pennybrohncancercare.org.

 

Useful websites

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk : the helpline to get advice and find nearest doctor/dentist/optician.

www.besttreatments.co.uk : British Medical Journal source regarding common conditions.

www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions : good for complementary and orthodox therapies.

 

If in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.

IN THE PREVIOUS EDITION

In edition 81:-

A real headache

How do you know if the symptoms are migraine?

Exercise and bowel cancer

New research claims that regular exercise can significantly reduce one of the early signs of bowel cancer in men.

NICE recommends drug for NHL

A study shows that this is the first therapy in over 20 years to increase the overall survival in patients with aggressive NHL

Eat lots of veg and stay mentally alert

Over-65s who eat up to three servings of vegetables a day reduce the decline in their cognitive abilities by up to 40 % compared with those who eat almost no vegetables.

Osteoporosis risk formula

A formula has been devised that can predict the risk of bone fractures in women suffering osteoporosis.

Useful websites

Useful health related websites

The complete family health guide

Essential medical reference that's a must for every home. Published in association with the BMA, it includes comprehensive coverage of every important aspect of health and medicine, as well as user-friendly charts for at-a-glance information and easy reference. Also lists the best medical websites...

Maximise your memory

This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and sample exercises that show the reader how to build a system of personalized frameworks for storing and recalling information on demand.