Preventing A Brain Attack

According to a new study, a low-risk lifestyle can prevent a brain attack by reducing the risk for ischemic stroke by 80%.

Stroke is a cardiovascular disease(CVD) that is preventable by adopting certain lifestyles and ditching others.

The report on the study gave some ways to maintain a low-risk lifestyle, they are:
1-Smoking cessation
2-Women, get off the hormones
3-Eat your vegetables and fruit
 4-Keep blood pressure and cholesterol under control
5-Take aspirin and blood thinners if your doctor orders them

Read about each in more detail.

Smoking and unhealthy eating are key risk factors for non-communicable diseases(NCD's) such as: heart disease, strokes, cancer and other chronic diseases.  There is, therefore, a lot of evidence to support smoking cessation and healthy eating as a ways to reduce strokes.

Healthy eating would include a lot of fruits and vegetables in the diet, this would reduce the risks of high blood pressure and high cholesterol.


I want to add these important actions that will reduce the risk factors that cause cardiovascular disease. They are:
1-Keep physically active
2-Maintain a healthy body weight
3-Avoid second-hand smoke
4- Maintaining clean air


There is a consumer health education program that prepares people to live a healthier lifestyle.
Click here to learn more about it or to start preparing.

Horsemeat Has Healthy Eating Benefits-Study

 Researchers say horsemeat is healthier than other meat, is high in iron, low in saturated fat,  a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a good source of omega-3.

Based on this report it is healthier than other meat and similar to fish, making it ideal for  the prevention if iron deficiency anaemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The participants of the study were men age 20- 50. They were split into two groups as follows:

1. Group 1 ate 2 x 175 g of horsemeat per week for three months
2. Group 2 ate other meat, but no horse meat for three months

Blood tests were done at the start of the study, at 45 days into the study and at 90 days.

Results- The participants who ate horsemeat had a 6% drop in total cholesterol and a 9.1% in bad cholesterol.

Read  more about this study.

For healthy eating  2 servings of fish per week is recommended.

For healthy eating poly-unsaturated  and mono-unsaturated fats are recommended for our fat and oil requirements. Saturated fat; on the other hand, must be limited because it is associated with high choloesterol and obesity.

For a simple guide to our daily food requirements read my Healthy Eating Guide, it is based on Canada Food Guide.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Linked To Healthy Babies

There is another good reason for including a healthy diet in family planning. This time researchers linked Omega-3 to healthier babies and  reduced risk for premature delivery.

Omega-3 is present in oily fish and fish oil and is available as a supplement. Omega -3 is also present in some packaged food products that have it as an additive.

 In a double blind clinical trials study done on Omega-3 fatty acids, researchers found that mothers who took the supplement during pregnancy have healthier babies.

The participants were 154 healthy women. During the last half of their pregnancy there were given either:

1. A daily dose of 600mg of Omega-3
2. A placebo

Result 
There were no adverse effects to taking DHA.

The mothers who took the supplement had babies that weighed more and were longer.

Of the mothers  who took the placebo, 5% had premature births compared to only 0.6% of those who took the supplement.

For the study the researchers took in account:

• Maternal education
• Socio-economic status
• Previous pregnancies
• Smoking
• Health risk factors   

Pregnant women should contact their doctors to see if they can benefit from the supplement. there may be other factors  to consider.

 Women who are not pregnant and are planning to have a family could make healthy eating a part of their plans; healthy eating includes fish,  fish oils and omega-3 food products.

Click Here for our 'Health Eating Guide for non-pregnant women.

Read more about the study. 

Risk Factors For Lung Cancer

 About 1.37 million people die each year from lung cancer.

Most of the lives lost to cancer have been due to cancer of the lungs; it accounts for 1:6 deaths from cancer.

Smoking is the major risk factor, 80-90% of lung cancers are caused by smoking tobacco.

Here are 9 risk factors for lung cancer, they are slide format.

1. Smoking
2. Second-hand smoke
3. Alcohol dependency
4. Physical inactivity
5. Air pollution
6. Exposure to asbestos
7. Unhealthy diet
8. Arsenic
9. Radon

 Click on each slide for photos and more details.

Cancer including lung cancer can be prevented by avoiding or reducing these risk factors. This means making lifestyle changes if necesary. Here are some lifestyle habits to adopt.

• Don't smoke, if you smoke quit now
• Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruit
• Have your home tested for radon
• Avoid prolonged exposure to air pollution
• Avoid exposure to asbestos
• Keep physically active

This consumer health education program prepares people to eliminate health risk factors that cause cancer and other non-communicable diseases.
Click for more information or to participate in it.

Quitting The Smoking Habit

If you've made a resolution to quit smoking or if you are  a smoker you can quit the habit in 2013.

Quitting smoking, at any time has tremendous health benefits, but the younger you are when you quit the greater they are.

Quitting has immediate and long-term effects, the longer you stay quit the greater the effects.

Why Quit
Tobacco is a major health risk factor for non-communicable diseases and a big public health concern.

Almost 6 million people die each year due to smoking and 600,000 who are not smokers die from second-hand smoke.

Smoking delays or prevents recovery from unavoidable illnesses.

Quitting will prevent premature deaths from cancer, heart.attacks and strokes.

Quitting before starting a family will protect the unborn child will insure a healthy one.

Quitting is not easy, those who quit may face challenges that will prevent them from remaining tobacco free.

Quitting.
Many people quit cold-turkey, but many return to the habit. There is more help for smokers who want to quit than any other habit.
When you decide to quit ask for support, tell your spouse or other family members.

If you decide to go cold-turkey, start by cutting down on the number of cigarettes and by delaying the first cigarette until later in the day.

Many people suffer from withdrawal symptoms, they only last a few weeks. There are medications that relieve symptoms and block cravings.

Weight gain is one side effect of quitting, but this can be remedied by a simple weight control strategy.

Counseling combined with medication doubles the chances of success: although each on its own can be used.

Online and local self-help programs offer help, many are free. Checking your local community or health department could give you access to free help.

Text messaging is an alternative to traditional counseling, it is a new form of  mobile health(mHealth) that delivers messages at a time when behavour change is necessary.

If you don't succeed at the first attempt, don't give up. There is a lot of help, try another until you succeed.

Tips for Success

• Identify the situations, events or activities that make you want to smoke and write them down
• Avoid those situations that cause you to smoke
• Hang out with non-smokers
• Tell  your friends who smoke the reason why you can't hang out with them.
• Don't sit for long periods when you can smoke, be physically active instead.

When you succeed you can help others and advocate for smoking cessation initiatives.

There is a Consumer Health Education program that prepares people to quit, it combines healthy eating and weight loss with a strategy to quit.  For those concerned about weight gain it could be the answer.

Click here to read about it.