| Issue Number 4 |
Thursday, February 22, 2001 |
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Don Hall DrPH, CHES
Pres. Wellsource, Inc.
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Nutrition Information
Weight Management
Food
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Salt
Intake and High Blood Pressure
It's true, eating too much salt increases your chances of high blood
pressure. It's also true that if you cut back on your salt intake
you can lower blood pressure, even if you don't have high blood
pressure. In the January 4, 2001 issue of the New England Journal
of Medicine, researchers report that lowering salt intake is
an effective way to reduce blood pressure, contrary to what many
people have been saying lately.
The average American
eats about 3,500 mg of sodium daily. This level was used as the
"control diet". Then people were put on a carefully controlled diet
for 30 days where they lowered sodium to 2,300 mg/day (a 50% reduction).
Blood pressures dropped. So they cut the sodium intake in half again
(1,200 mg/day) for another 30 days. The people's blood pressures
dropped even further than the first sodium reduction.
They found that
if they combined the low salt diet with a healthy diet previously
found to lower blood pressure called the DASH diet, they even got
better results. The dash diet emphasizes fresh fruits, vegetables,
legumes, whole grains, nuts, lower fat dairy and meat foods, and
limited sweets and sugary drinks such as soda pop.
The health
affects of this drop due to healthier food choices were estimated
to reduce high blood pressure in the U.S. by 34%, reduce coronary
heart disease by 12%, and reduce the risk of stroke by 30%. Think
of the cost savings in dollars and lives saved this small but consistent
change in eating habits could effect.
What can
we learn? If you want to stay healthy, watch the salt intake.
Keep your sodium intake below 2,300 mg/day. If you have a tendency
for higher pressures, keep it at 1,200 mg/day. Watch for salt in
already in foods (chips, cheese, tomato juice, commercial soups,
gravies, sauces, soy sauce, processed foods, pickled foods etc.
Look
for sodium content on food labels. It's a revelation! Use the
saltshaker sparingly on the table. Buy "Lite" salt. It has less
than half the sodium of regular salt. In time, your taste for salt
will diminish and you will enjoy foods with less salt as well as
usual. It's not necessary to eliminate all salt, just cut it's use
in half or more.
Try this quick and healthy dessert!
The Guilt Free Banana Split
Split a banana lengthwise. Then spoon
over the top a ½ cup of your favorite low-fat yogurt. Top with fresh
berries and chopped nuts. It's delicious and good for you!
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Stress and Coping
Mental Health
Wholistic Health
Spiritual Health
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Consider these Definitions of Health
Health is a resource for everyday life
- a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources
as well as physical capabilities. Ottawa Charter of Health
Promotion Health is physical, mental, social,
and spiritual well-being, not merely the absence of disease and
infirmity. World
Health Organization Health is capacity for living.
Health care must move from a focus mainly
on cure toward one increasingly concerned with life enhancement
. . . turning the eyes of medical scientists toward the basic
mechanisms of life rather than disease and death. Nuland
If we all thought of health in these
terms, would it change the way we deliver health care?
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Proactive Health Care
Preventing Disease
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Strategies for Reducing Breast Cancer Risk
Breast cancer is a leading cause of death for women. One
in eight women will get breast cancer sometime in their lifetime.
The good news, however, is that much can be done to prevent it or
find it early while it is still treatable. In a recent study of
44,788 pairs of twins to determine the role inheritable factors
played in the development of breast cancer, it was found that only
27 percent of breast cancer was explained by inheritable traits
leaving over 70 percent caused by environment or lifestyle factors1.
That means that a large majority of breast cancer cases could and
should be preventable.
A
quick review of breast cancer risk factors2, 3 can
also help determine what strategies are most helpful in reducing
risk.
Age is a major factor. Risk climbs
quickly after age 50. Women over 50 are at 6.5 times greater risk
for breast cancer than women under the age of 50.
Family history. If you have one first
degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who developed breast
cancer, your risk doubles. If you have two first degree relatives
your risk increases five-fold.
Age at first live birth. Women having
their first baby after the age of 30 Vs before age 20 have up to
twice the risk.
Early menarche. Risk increases 20
to 50 percent with menarche earlier than 12 years Vs 14 years or
older.
Late menopause. Menopause at age
55 or older Vs younger than 55 increases risk by 50 to 100 percent.
Hormone replacement therapy for
five or more years can increase risk slightly-in some studies up
to 50 percent.
All
risk factors above, other than age and family history, appear to
be related to hormone levels, factors we generally don't have a
lot of control over.
Lifestyle factors associated with lower risk of breast cancer
include:
Alcohol. One study showed that women
who have two or more drinks per day have a 40 percent increased
risk. The Nurses Health Study showed that even as little as ½ to
1 drink/day resulted in an increase in breast cancers.
Excess weight. Excess fat increases
risk, especially in women who gained 45 pounds or more since age
18.
Sedentary lifestyle. Regular physical
activity reduces risk of breast cancer. In the Nurses Health Study,
those women who got even as little as an hour of physical activity
a week reduced risk up to 20 percent.
Unhealthy diet. A large study of
42,031 women by the National Cancer Institute looked at diet and
cancer mortality. They found that the 25 percent of women who ate
the healthiest diet were 40 percent less likely to die from breast
cancer than the 25 percent of women who ate the least healthy diet4.
Numerous studies have found that a high intake of fruit and vegetables
is particularly protective against breast and other cancers.
Everyone benefits from a healthy lifestyle, but if you have one or
more risk factors you have the most to gain from adopting the prevention
strategies listed below.
Choose healthy foods high in fruits, vegetables, unrefined grains,
and low in animal fats and refined calories. Engage in regular physical activity
such as brisk walking; 30 minutes or more each day is ideal. Keep your weight in a healthy range.
If you are overweight, join a group that can help you reach your
objective. Avoid alcohol. If you choose to drink,
limit intake to special occasions. And as an added precaution, get regular
physical exams including a breast exam and mammograms as recommended
by your doctor. Mammograms are usually recommended for all women
starting at age 40 (sooner if there is high risk). Don't forget
to practice monthly self-breast exams.
Medications For those women at very high risk there
is also a medication, Tamoxifen, that is now available to reduce
risk. In a clinical trial of 13,388 women followed for four years,
Tamoxifen reduced the odds of breast cancer by nearly 50 percent5.
Tamoxifen was also found to help maintain bone density in postmenopausal
women. As with all drugs, however, it does have side effects. If
you are a high risk you may want to discuss this option with your
physician.
References:
1.The New England Journal
of Medicine, July 13, 2000;343:78-85.
2.The New England Journal of Medicine,
Feb. 24, 2000;342:564-571.
3.Harvard, Women's Health Watch, Oct. 2000.
4. Journal of the American
Medical Association, April 26, 2000;283:2109-2115
5. The New England Journal of Medicine,
July 20, 2000;343:191-196.
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Physical Activity
Exercise and Health
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How
Fit are Americans?
40% -- The number of people
in the U.S. age 18 and above who within a typical week, never do
even 20 minutes of moderate activity or 10 minutes of vigorous activity
(in other words, don't get any regular physical activity.)
15% --
The number of adults in the U.S. who report getting the minimum
recommended amount of physical activity each seek; 30 minutes of
moderate activity at least 5 days per week.
Source: DHHS,
Tracking Healthy People 2010
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Interesting Facts
Health Stats
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Diabetes, One of America's Fastest Growing Diseases
National data indicate that 10.3 million Americans have
been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (mature onset diabetes). Another
5 million people have diabetes but haven't been diagnosed (are at
risk but don't know it yet.)
If you are over
40 and have any risk factors for diabetes (family history,
overweight, inactive, eat a lot of highly refined foods such as
white bread, soda pop, and other sweets), you are at increased risk.
Have your doctor do a fasting blood glucose test. If your fasting
glucose is 110 to 125, you are above normal values, some times called
"Pre-diabetic", and are at increased risk. If your fasting blood
glucose is 126 or higher, you have diabetes. If you don't know what
your numbers are, get it checked!
Source: American
College of Sport's Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal,
Jan/Feb 2001
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Products
Seminars
News
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New WellAssured Titles Available
Our newest WellAssured
Guide titles include: Women's Health, Congestive Heart Failure,
Healthy Living, and Living Well with Arthritis. Give them as hand-outs
to your members or use them in small group instruction sessions,
whatever works best for you. The guides are comprehensive, flexible,
easy-to-use, and you'll find a hundred ways they can help keep your
clients and patients healthy.
Call us at 1.800.533.9355,
and ask for a complimentary sample.
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Wellsource Inc.
15431 SE 82nd Dr.
Portland, OR 97015
(503) 656-7446
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About
Making Healthy Choices
Making
Healthy Choices is written by Don Hall, DrPH, CHES president of
Wellsource Inc. with contribution from associated health professionals.
It is available as a resource to Wellsource
clients and other select organizations involved in promoting health.
Content
is general health information from evidence based research. Its
purpose is not to treat disease but to promote healthy lifestyles.
Persons with health problems should consult their physician for
specific guidance.
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