Health
5 women’s health tips to prevent and detect strokes, according to cardiologists
One in five women between ages 55 and 75 will experience a stroke in their lifetime, according to the American Heart Association.
There are two main types of strokes.
With an ischemic stroke, a blockage prevents blood from flowing properly to the brain. With a hemorrhagic stroke, a blood vessel bursts in the brain and causes bleeding, which damages brain cells.
While some risk factors such as age, race and family history can’t be changed, others can be mitigated through healthy lifestyle choices.
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Parag Shah, M.D., a cardiologist who practices at Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Florida, shared some specific tips about how women can reduce their risk.
Here are five tips.
1. Avoid air pollution
Research has shown that air pollution tends to impact women more than men in terms of inflammation, infection and heart disease.
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“According to a recent review, elevated levels of ambient air pollution — even just short-term exposure — can increase the likelihood of strokes,” said Shah, who specializes in stroke rehabilitation.
“Health experts recommend checking the air quality in your area and, on high-pollution days, limiting time outside, turning on exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms, and using an air purifier in the home,” he also said.
2. Embrace the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet — a plant-based nutrition plan that mimics the regional cuisines of the countries along the Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy and Greece — can reduce the health risks associated with strokes, according to Shah.
“Current research on preventing strokes is exploring an array of lifestyle factors,” he told Fox News Digital.
“This includes the Mediterranean diet, which highlights the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like fatty fish, walnuts and flaxseed.”
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3. Practice tai chi and yoga
Practicing exercises that promote heart health and lessen stress can help reduce the possibility of stroke, Shah suggested.
“Participating in physical activities like yoga, tai chi and strength training, while also giving importance to mindfulness techniques such as meditation and deep breathing exercises, could provide additional advantages in lowering the risk of strokes,” he told Fox News Digital.
4. Know the less common signs of stroke
Sudden confusion, difficulty understanding, slurred speech, double vision, and numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body, are often overlooked signs of strokes, Shah warned.
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“Recognizing these signs is crucial, because quick identification and immediate medical attention greatly enhance the chances of recovery for stroke patients,” he said.
5. Understand the hidden causes
Beyond the more obvious “textbook” stroke symptoms, there are some warning signs that tend to be overlooked until it’s too late.
“Factors like pregnancy, giving birth and hormonal changes such as menopause can heighten the likelihood of having a stroke,” Shah told Fox News Digital.
The use of oral contraceptives and hormone therapy can also raise this risk, the doctor added, as can hidden biological factors that make women more susceptible.
“Scheduling regular health check-ups and staying knowledgeable about stroke symptoms and prevention methods are essential for maintaining good health,” Shah said.
In addition, know ‘Life’s Essential 8’
“Preventing most strokes is similar to the prevention of heart attacks,” Dr. Laxmi Mehta, a cardiologist and director of preventative cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.
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In her practice, Mehta typically recommends following the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, which provides steps to improve or maintain cardiovascular health.
These include four healthy behaviors and four health factors, as listed below.
1. Quit tobacco. Avoid cigarettes, vaping and other nicotine products, which have been proven to increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
2. Eat better. Following a healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean protein, nuts and seeds can reduce stroke risk.
3. Be more active. Experts recommend participating in 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity weekly.
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4. Get healthy sleep. Adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night to reduce stroke risk, according to experts.
5. Manage blood pressure. A “normal” blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80, according to the National Institutes of Health.
6. Manage cholesterol. High cholesterol levels have a proven link to stroke risk. A healthy range for LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is 100 mg/dL or lower, as published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
7. Manage blood sugar. Excessive levels of glucose in the blood can increase the risk of fatty deposits or clots, which are a factor in strokes.
8. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese is one of the biggest risk factors and is linked to nearly one in five strokes, according to the World Stroke Organization.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
Health
Eating one type of fruit regularly could reduce diabetes risk in women, study suggests: 'Incredibly healthy'
Eating avocados could be helpful when it comes to avoiding diabetes.
A new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics identified a link between eating avocados and reduced diabetes risk in some Mexican adults.
Researchers studied the dietary habits and diabetes diagnosis data from the Mexican National Survey of Health and Nutrition in the years 2012, 2016 and 2018.
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Of the 25,640 qualified respondents aged 20 and older, approximately 59% were female and more than 60% had abdominal obesity.
About 45% of participants reported eating avocados daily — 34.7 grams on average for men, and 29.8 grams for women.
“Among women, this study showed that compared to avocado non-consumers, avocado consumers had more than 20% lower odds of diabetes even after adjusting for various factors such as age, education level, body weight, physical activity and more,” said study author Feon Cheng, PhD, a nutrition epidemiologist at the Avocado Nutrition Center in Mission Viejo, California, in a statement to Fox News Digital.
(Cheng noted that her affiliation with the Avocado Nutrition Center did not influence the research methods or analysis.)
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“This research is especially important considering that Hispanic adults are more likely to develop diabetes in their lifetime than U.S. adults overall and at a younger age,” Cheng said.
The same diabetes-reducing effects were not observed in men.
“It is interesting that there were differences between men and women, which may be attributed to different lifestyle factors,” Cheng noted.
“Although we did not compare lifestyle factors in this study, it warrants future research to explore whether they may help explain the difference seen between men and women.”
They also noted that avocados contain “numerous vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, which can contribute to reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.”
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Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was not involved in the study, but told Fox News Digital that avocados are “an incredibly healthy food choice.”
The fruit is “full of omega-3 fats, low in carbohydrates, and high in fiber, magnesium, potassium and vitamins C, E and K,” the nutritionist pointed out.
Consuming avocados, however, will not completely negate unhealthy food and lifestyle choices, Freirich said.
“While it makes sense that this low glycemic index and nutritious food could be associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, I recommend that people also take into consideration the rest of their diet,” she advised.
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“To reduce your diabetes risk even further, in addition to adding avocados as part of your overall healthy eating pattern, also work on reducing added sugars, choosing high-fiber whole grains and consuming plenty of vegetables.”
Michelle Routhenstein, a New York-based preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com, seconded the notion that avocados alone will not help lower diabetes risk. (She was not involved in the study.)
“We need to assess the whole diet, balance of meals and snacks, timing of eating, and other lifestyle factors like stress management, sleep quality and physical activity,” she told Fox News Digital.
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New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, a consultant for the HASS Avocado Board, shared with Fox News Digital that she is “not surprised” at the new study’s conclusions about reduced diabetes risk and consumption of fresh avocado.
“Unlike most other fruits, avocados contain zero grams of naturally occurring sugar per serving and do not affect the glycemic response,” she said.
“A serving of avocado (one-third of a medium avocado or 50 grams) also provides a good source of fiber, which helps manage blood sugar levels,” Palinski-Wade added.
Previous research has shown that adding avocados to a meal could offer a “variety of benefits, such as lower post-meal glucose levels and improved satiety,” the nutritionist told Fox News Digital.
Consuming avocados will not completely negate unhealthy food and lifestyle choices, experts warned.
Scientists in a clinical trial supported by the Avocado Nutrition Center found that including a half or whole avocado at breakfast “decreased the participants’ glucose and insulin,” according to Palinski-Wade.
“That shows how adding avocado to a meal may support blood sugar management,” she noted.
“The body of evidence on avocados and diabetes is encouraging, and this new study adds to the evidence supporting avocados’ role in diabetes care and prevention.”
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Although the findings are positive, Palinski-Wade emphasized that the research has its limitations, as it does not generalize the results for all people.
“More research is still needed in certain areas,” she said.
“Avocados can be a great way to add more variety to your plate while increasing your intake of good fats, fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals, all nutrients that help to reduce the risk of chronic illness, including type 2 diabetes.”
The study did have some limitations, the researchers noted.
“Although the food-frequency questionnaire is validated and used to assess how often study participants consumed avocados in the past seven days, self-reported avocado consumption may overestimate or underestimate actual intake,” Cheng told Fox News Digital.
“Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of the study cannot establish causation.”
For more Health articles, visit foxnews.com/health
Health
Anger can increase heart attack risk, study finds: ‘Chronic insult to arteries’
Seeing red could spike your heart disease risk, experts are warning.
Feeling angry for as little as eight minutes a day could raise your chances of experiencing a cardiac event, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (AHA).
The study included 280 healthy young adults with no history of heart disease, stroke, serious mental health conditions or other chronic illnesses, according to an AHA press release.
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The participants first spent 30 minutes in a relaxed state, while doctors gauged their blood pressure, blood vessel health and other cardiac measurements.
Next, the participants were randomly assigned eight-minute tasks, while the heart-related measurements were tracked.
One group was told to think about anger-inducing experiences.
A second group was asked to recall memories that triggered anxiety.
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A third group was tasked with reading passages that made them feel sad — and the final group was told to simply count out loud to achieve a neutral mindset.
Among those who were told to recall anger-inducing memories, their blood vessel dilation was reduced by 50% within 40 minutes of the task — which put them at a greater risk of heart attack or stroke.
The restricted dilation was temporary, but experts expressed concern that a longer duration of anger could have more adverse effects.
“We showed that if you get angry once, it impairs your ability to dilate,” said lead study author Dr. Daichi Shimbo, a cardiologist and co-director of the hypertension center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, in the release.
“But what if you get angry 10,000 times over a lifetime? This chronic insult to your arteries may eventually lead to permanent damage.”
Anxiety and sadness did not have this same effect.
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Elizabeth Sharp, M.D., founder and director of Health Meets Wellness in New York, New York, was not involved in the study, but said the results were “not particularly surprising.”
“Anger likely increases cortisol levels, which, in turn, raises blood pressure and could likely decrease vascular dilation,” she told Fox News Digital.
“It’s a well-known adage that ‘stress is a killer,’ and there are numerous physiological explanations for this,” she went on.
“However, I would argue that it’s more about chronic stress, or that a stress response might reveal an underlying condition, such as coronary artery disease (CAD), which was already present.”
“There are three major ways to deal with anger: express it, suppress it or calm it.”
Dr. Jim Liu, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, also offered external input on the study.
“Psychosocial factors play an important role in cardiovascular disease, because the body’s nervous system provides a lot of input in regulating the heart and blood vessels,” he told Fox News Digital.
“This study showed that anger can cause acute, measurable changes in blood vessel function, which could be detrimental to cardiovascular health in the long run.”
The findings serve as a reminder that there are many factors that influence heart health, Liu noted.
“We all know about the traditional risk factors, such as smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure — and with this study, perhaps there should also be an increased emphasis on mental health and psychosocial factors.”
7 smart strategies to cope with anger
People can reduce their heart attack risk by finding healthy ways to manage anger, experts say.
“There are three major ways to deal with anger — express it, suppress it or calm it,” said Dr. Gary Small, chair of the psychiatry department at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.
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“When we suppress our anger, we hold it in and force ourselves to focus on something — often positive thoughts — to distract us,” he went on.
“A potential pitfall of anger suppression is that it festers and can elevate blood pressure and lead to depression.”
Dr. Small shared the following seven strategies to help people cope with anger.
1. Recognize your triggers
Try to develop an awareness of what triggers angry feelings, Small advised.
“For some people, being ignored ticks them off, while others have difficulty accepting criticism,” he told Fox News Digital.
“When you identify what sets you off, you will be better equipped to gain control of your anger.”
2. Learn to relax
Research has shown that daily meditation will improve mood and cognitive function, according to Small.
“This strategy involves regulating our behavior when we are angry by controlling our internal physiological responses like muscle tension and breathing,” the doctor said.
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“Recognizing your triggers gives you a heads-up of when to calm yourself and relax through deep, slow breathing, conjuring up serene mental imagery, and meditation.”
3. Think twice before erupting
“Because of the negative health and social effects of uncontrolled expressions of rage, try to avoid outbursts,” Small advised.
“Rather than exploding, take a pause and recall what triggered your aggression.”
4. Get physical
Engaging in regular physical exercise — maybe even hitting a punching bag at the gym — can help reduce anger-induced stress, Small said.
5. Alter your thinking
“If you find yourself in a fit of rage, you may not be thinking clearly, because your brain’s amygdala (emotional control center) overtakes its frontal lobe (reasoning center),” Small said.
Attempt to replace your angry thoughts with rational ones, the doctor suggested.
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“Also keep in mind that your anger is not going to solve the problem or frustration at hand,” he added.
6. Learn to communicate your needs
Taking an anger management class can help those who tend to “fly off the handle,” Small said, while assertiveness training can help people who suppress their anger learn to communicate their needs to others.
7. Consider professional help
“Anger issues may reflect other underlying mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression,” Small noted.
Seeing a mental health professional can help people identify underlying problems and cope with anger in a more constructive way.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for additional comment on their findings.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
Health
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