That's Fit

When I think interesting and engaging reading material, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition immediately jumps to mind. Nothing gets me going like page after page of almost incomprehensible empirical findings written by some of the most cerebral people on the planet. Okay, fine ... so I don't actually read the journal ... or many of the articles for that matter. I'm more of an abstract guy, probably a carry-over from my Cliff Notes days back in high school.

That all being said, in the course of skimming through a recent edition of this well-respected journal, I happened upon a study on vitamin C that caught my attention. Thanks to the abstract, I learned right away that having higher levels of vitamin C in the bloodstream may help reduce the risk of stroke. Upon further examination of the article itself, I found that this comprehensive study (which included 20,649 British men and women) revealed that people with the highest level of vitamin C had a 42 percent lower risk of stroke than people with the lowest levels.

Even when outside variables -- such as age, sex, smoking, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, exercise habits, etc. -- were controlled for, these findings remained the same. Researchers posit that high vitamin C levels may signal a healthy lifestyle that lowers the risk of stroke, specifically a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

Though stroke is the number three killer in the United States and a condition that doesn't discriminate by age, the majority of Americans don't know how to recognize when someone is having a stroke. Emergency care is crucial to treatment of a stroke, so it's especially important that the general public be aware of signs and symptoms.

I saw a sign the other day while sitting in my doctor's waiting room. It used the word "fast" as a clue to help people remember stroke signs and symptoms:

F -- facial numbness and weakness (especially on one side of the body)
A -- arm numbness or weakness (again, especially on one side)
S -- slurred speech or difficulty speaking and understanding
T -- time to call for help, dial 911

If you see someone exhibiting these symptoms, call for help right away!

Put down the eggs, men! Well, not all of them. For some of you, anyway.

Middle-aged men who ate seven or more eggs per week had a higher risk of earlier death, say U.S. researchers reporting on the 20-year-long Physicians' Health Study. And men with diabetes who ate any eggs at all raised their risk of death.

Eggs have long been controversial -- and this research adds to a growing body of evidence about the safety of the possibly-forbidden food. Here are some initial conclusions:

Roughly a year ago my cousin had a stroke. It shocked and scared everyone in the family because nobody saw it coming. Prior to her stroke she worked at a school, but has yet to return to work. She's made great progress physically, though she still has weakness in one arm. But her bubbly, effusive, and gregarious personality has never quite been the same since the stroke.

According to an Australian study, depression can disable stroke patients almost as much as physical issues. The study followed 210 stroke patients. Of those who eventually went back to work, 33% were diagnosed with post-stroke depression. 45% of those who didn't return to work were diagnosed with depression.

You're head is pounding. Every little sound you hear seems to bounce around the inside of your skull like a duckpin bowling ball. You feel cranky, irritable, and a general malaise. You know why; it's a headache. But is it just a regular, run of the mill headache, or could it possibly be something more serious, like a migraine?

If you experience any of the following symptoms, according to WebMD, it may be the latter:

1. The pain in your head is moderate to severe

2. The headache is throbbing or pulsating on one side of your head

3. You feel nauseous and/or are vomiting

4. Your headache worsens during a workout

5. Light, noise, and sometimes smells bother you

Migraines, especially those with aura, are no joke. Apart from the incredible amount of discomfort they create, they can also be a sign of a more serious health issue, such as stroke risk. If you determine that the pain in your head isn't a passing and relatively benign headache, but is instead a migraine, a visit to the doctor is a must.

Rheumatoid arthritis played a big role in my house growing up -- my dad suffered from it and when I say suffered, I mean suffered. Horribly. He struggled with everyday things--writing, chores, walking down the stairs--and just couldn't do many of the physical activities he used to. So if you have the disease, I really feel for you.

However, here's some potentially hopeful news: Recent studies are showing that adopting a vegan, non-gluten diet can help ease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. It can also help prevent heart disease and strokes in those with arthritis. According to the findings, arthritis sufferers on a vegan diet had lower levels of C reactive protein, a compound that is related to levels of inflammation in the body.

The bad news is that a vegan, non-gluten diet involved cutting out all animal products (including meat and dairy) and many common grains. What can you eat? Lots of nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies.

If you're lean and healthy and you want to stay that way, steering clear of burgers is a wise move. It's an even wiser move for those who are obese -- studies show that obese people are even more affected by burgers and other high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods.

In one study, 10 normal-weight folks and eight obese folks were fed an 1,800-calorie meal consisting of a burger, fries, cola, and apple pie. After two hours, blood tests showed that both groups had increased inflammatory and oxidative stress -- key factors in artery hardening, which leads to heart attack and stroke. Another hour later, the lean eaters' levels were back to normal. The obese group's numbers were still rising. The interesting twist is this: a high-fiber, fruit-based meal full of 1,800 calories had no such adverse effects.

This study, detailed in the March 2008 Reader's Digest, is small and therefore not conclusive. Still, we might learn a lesson from it: Ditch the greasy burgers, especially if you're above a normal weight range, and embrace fiber and fruit. Nothing new, is it? Consider it a friendly reminder.

If burgers are a must-have for you, check out these healthier varieties.

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

Macular degeneration is an eye condition which most commonly affects elderly folks. It's described as a thinning of the inner lining of the eye. This can result in big time vision loss, but the degeneration has more implications according to a new study released by Australian researchers.

If elderly individuals developed this condition before the age of 75, they were twice as likely to die within the next decade from heart attacks or strokes. When considering a later stage development, the risk goes up five and ten times respectively for the two dangerous heart problems.

However, they are quick to note that this correlation should be read carefully because apparently 3,000 study subjects isn't enough to draw definite conclusions. Even so, it took ten years to get these results. If you want to read on further, check out the article here.

For most of us, fiber content usually isn't the first thing we look for when reading a nutritional label. Protein, carbs, fat, calories -- yeah, they all get our attention. Fiber, however, is an oft-overlooked line item. Well, perhaps new research, from the Massachusetts General Hospital, will make us pay more attention to our fiber intake, as it appears to have a profound affect on stroke severity and the chances of recovery.

Studying 50 stroke victims, researchers discovered that the more fiber they ate, the less severe their stroke and the greater the chance they could resume everyday activities. Previous studies have examined the link between fiber and stroke risk, but this new study differed in that it asked whether fiber can decrease stroke severity and improve function thereafter.

As a general reference, to make sure you are consuming enough fiber, follow the diet suggested the newly-structured USDA food pyramid. The USDA also offers a more exact recommendation for fiber consumption, and that is to get at least 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories daily. For a listing of foods that contain high amounts of fiber, click HERE.

The results of this study were presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference.

Metabolic Syndrome, sometimes also referred to as Syndrome X, is a collection of risk factors that make a person more prone to developing heart disease, stroke, or diabetes.

How do you know if you're at risk? Check your stats. If you find that you're not measuring up to healthy standards, you may want to speak with your doctor about starting a regular exercise program and following an appropriate diet.

Now for what I'm sure your final question must be: What are considered unhealthy standards?

• A waistline of 40 inches or more for men and 35 inches or more for women
• Blood pressure of 130/85 mmHg or higher
• Triglyceride level above 150 mg/dl
• Fasting blood glucose level of over 100, mg/dl
• An HDL cholesterol level less than 40 mg/dl for men and 50 mg/dl for women

If some of these numbers seem familiar, you don't need to panic. However, you really shouldn't igrnore the problem, either. Again, the best move would be to talk with your doctor about how you can go about improving your health stats.

Maybe all I need to deflate my small but stubborn belly roll is a healthy dose of whole grains.

In a study of obese adults at risk of heart disease, researchers found that those who trimmed calories and increased their whole-grain intake shed more belly fat and lowered their risk of heart attack and stroke. Those who ate refined grains -- like white bread -- still lost weight but trimmed less fat from their middles. They also didn't shave off any heart risks.

This study, the first to prove that whole grains can lead to weight loss and fewer chronic diseases, might just get me eating more oatmeal, brown rice, and barley. How about you?

Strokes have tripled in recent years for women ages 35 to 54. To blame for this alarming figure is the obesity epidemic.

According to a federal health survey that zeroed in on the years 1999 to 2004, two percent of women in this age group suffered a stroke. In a previous survey, from 1988 to 1994, only one-half of a percent had strokes. Although these percentages are small -- most strokes occur in older people -- the sudden spike in middle age is still worrisome.

Researchers say female waistlines are about two inches bigger than they were a decade ago. This bulge, they believe, is correlated with the increase in strokes.

Also worthy of consideration is the fact that women's average body mass index -- a common yet often inaccurate measure of obesity -- increased from 27 to 29. Female blood sugar levels were also notably higher. Risk factors that did not change from survey to survey are smoking, heart disease, and diabetes. Obesity, then, seems to be the culprit.

Belly fat stands out, says study leader Dr. Amytis Towfighi -- the portion of women with abdominal obesity rose from 47 percent to 59 percent. This change was not so apparent for men which makes sense since studies show abdominal obesity is a stronger risk for women than men.

In the past, men have always suffered more strokes than women. Women are now catching up.

Do you know there's a link between a variety of heart conditions and the risk for dementia? Most people don't.

A survey of more than 2,000 people nationwide, most of them African-American, shows most people don't know about this connection. Specifically, one-third of African-Americans surveyed reported having high blood pressure and one in five said they had high cholesterol. More than half of these folks recognized that these factors put them at risk for heart attack or stroke but only eight percent knew their conditions put them at risk for dementia, a general term for brain disease that causes confusion and memory problems. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia.

Since African-Americans are at greater risk for heart disease, stroke, and dementia, says a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association, they need to take action now to ward off these diseases. The key? The same key used to prevent all sorts of health problems: A healthful, low-fat diet and regular exercise.

Music can assist stroke victims in their recovery, says a recent report from BBC News. Researchers from the University of Helsinki discovered that stroke patients who listened to music for a couple of hours a day appeared to recover faster than those who listened to either books on tape or nothing at all.

Patients listening to music were better able to recover memory and attention skills, and also held a more positive outlook on their situation. After three months, verbal memory improved by 60 percent in the music-listening group, compared with only 18 percent in the audio book group, and 29 percent in the group who listened to nothing at all. Moreover, the ability to resolve conflicts and perform mental operations improved by 17 percent in the music-listening group, but did not appear to improve at all in the other groups.

However, as promising as this discovery may be, researchers admit that further examination into the study still needs to be conducted.

According to the journal Stroke, you can reduce your risk of their namesake type of cardiovascular disease by as much as 20 percent by taking 300 micrograms of folate daily. Fortunately, there's a good chance that you're already getting at least that much, for there are many food sources that contain a fair amount of folate.

This need for an adequate amount of folate is especially crucial for people who live in areas with high levels of pollution. Japanese researchers recently found that living in such a high-pollution area can more than double your chances of dying from a blockage of blood to your brain.

Here's a quick look at how many popular foods stack up in terms of their folate content.

Breakfast cereals (fortified with 100% daily value) = 400 micrograms

Beef liver, cooked, braised, 3 ounces = 185 micrograms

Spinach, frozen, cooked, boiled, 1/2 cup =100 micrograms

Great Northern Beans, boiled, 1/2 cup = 90 micrograms

Asparagus, boiled, 4 spears = 85 micrograms

Avocado, raw, all varieties, 1/2 cup sliced = 45 micrograms

Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice = 25 micrograms

Banana, raw, 1 medium = 20 micrograms