Highlights
The Rewards of Physical Activity
Previous studies have shown that physical inactivity is one of the risk factors for ischemic stroke "in other words the type of stroke that results from restriction of blood supply to the brain and then may lead to brain function damage (American Heart Association; ). Among the African-American members in ARIC, physical activity related to mild sports was found to lower the odds of having an area in the brain blocked from its blood supply. This was studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to scan for small lesions that had not been previously detected (full details in Dubbert PM and collaborators, Journal of Neurological Science 2009;284:135-9  ).
Another group of ARIC scientists observed that increases in physical activity significantly increased a person’s blood level of "good cholesterol" (HDL-cholesterol) regardless of their gender or race (full details in Monda KL and collaborators, Journal of Lipid Research 2009;50:1685-91 ). Having a lower odds of stroke and increased levels of "good cholesterol" from an active life style will surely please your loved ones and doctor.
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The Benefits of Healthy Choices
A correlation was recently found between the amount of low-fat dairy servings that ARIC participants consumed and their risk of developing hypertension. The more low-fat dairy servings consumed instead of high-fat dairy options, the lower their blood pressures measured every 3 years from 1987-1999 (full details in Alonso A and collaborators, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009;63:1272-5 ).
Previous studies have found that people with a certain genetic variant have lower triglyceride and higher HDL-cholesterol levels in their blood than those individuals without this variant. More recently this rare genetic variant was found in 2% of ~8,500 Caucasian ARIC study participants. Researchers did find that if an individual’s caloric intake was composed of large amounts of carbohydrates, the benefit of having this genetic variant was no longer visible (full details in Nettleton JA and collaborators, Atherosclerosis 2009;203:214-20). This study was unable to tell the difference between different kinds of carbohydrates (which can range from complex carbohydrates such as fruits and whole grains to sources of simple sugars such as candy and carbonated drinks). However, this study does indicate that the best prevention may always be a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
Resources
American Diabetes Association Recipes
Aim for a healthy weight -National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Healthy Lifestyle American Heart Association
The WISEWOMAN Program
Weight Loss and Control- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
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