Aspirin May Help to Reduce Liver Fat
Researchers from Harvard recently showed that aspirin could help to treat people with fatty liver disease (Meeting of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, November 10, 2023). Eighty patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were randomly assigned to receive either low doses of aspirin (81 mg/day) or placebo for six months. Compared to the placebo group, the 40 patients who took aspirin had reduced amounts of fat in their livers and improved markers of liver inflammation and scarring.
Low-Salt Diet to Help Lower Blood Pressure
A new study found that reducing daily sodium (salt) intake by one teaspoon per day significantly lowered systolic blood pressure in as little as a week. The study participants were 213 adults, ages 50-75, who had• normal blood pressure, or high blood pressure and were taking medication for high blood pressure, or high blood pressure and were not taking medication for high blood pressure.
Merle Haggard: Be Good to Your Lungs
Merle Haggard was a legendary country music singer and guitar player with 38 songs that reached number one on the country charts, and 71 in the top ten. We have lost another great musical talent to the ravages of lung cancer and pneumonia, brought on by this generation’s horrible treatment of their lungs.
Chewing Food Helps to Lower Blood Sugar in Diabetics
Diabetics who have lost teeth and cannot chew properly have significantly higher blood sugar levels than diabetics who can chew their food well. Correcting dental problems so a person can chew food adequately can help to lower high blood sugar levels. The treatment for both diabetes and general weight control should include eating lots of fiber-rich plants, chewing food properly, and correcting dental problems.
Masks Help to Prevent Infections with Respiratory Viruses
Refusing to wear a mask when you have a respiratory infection and are near other people shows total disregard for their health. We have just gone through the major portion of a COVID-19 epidemic and can expect other epidemics from this and other viruses in the future. Many studies show that a proper mask will block some of the viruses, and droplets spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes or talks.
John Nuttall, Distance Runner, Dies of Heart Attack at 56
John Nuttall was a British long-distance runner who competed at the highest Olympic and international levels until he was 31, ran in competitive races until he was 40 and coached world-class international runners until he died of a heart attack at age 56. How could a fit and heathy runner die of a heart attack at such a young age? Research evidence shows that exercise strengthens the heart, helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes, and prolongs lives
Vigorous Exercise Associated with Larger Plaques
It is overwhelmingly established that exercise helps to prevent heart attacks, but a recent study showed that very vigorous exercise may be associated with increased plaque size. For more than six years, researchers followed 289 men, ages 50 -60, who exercised for an average 41 MET hours per week.
How Exercise May Help to Prevent Cancer
A new study from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found a potential mechanism through which intense exercise can help to prevent cancer. Lynch Syndrome is a hereditary condition that affects more than a million North Americans, and puts these men and women at an 80 percent chance of developing colon cancer at a very young age, and the women at a 60 percent chance of developing endometrial cancer.
Matthew Perry’s Addictions
Matthew Perry was an American and Canadian actor who became famous as Chandler Bing on the NBC-TV sitcom “Friends,” which ran from 1994-2004 and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy. Perry made it through all 10 seasons and 236 episodes in spite of being routinely drunk and high or hungover on set, especially during the later shows.
No Need to Add Coconut Oil
Don’t believe ads that say coconut oil is healthful because it contains medium chain triglycerides that can raise the good HDL cholesterol a little bit. Medium chain triglycerides are only a small part of the fat in coconut oil. Ninety-two percent of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, which is 50 percent more saturated fat than is in butter, and is far higher than levels in olive, canola and other plant-based oils.