A cup of Earl Grey 'as good as statins' at fighting heart disease, study finds

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10732973/A-cup-of-Earl-Grey-as-good-as-statins-at-fighting-heart-disease-study-finds.html
By Alice Philipson 

Scientists believe bergamot, a key ingredient in Earl Grey tea, can significantly lower cholesterol

Drinking Earl Grey tea could help guard against heart disease, it has emerged, after a study found that bergamot extract - a key ingredient in the hot drink - is just as effective as statins at controlling cholesterol.

Scientists believe bergamot, a fragrant Mediterranean citrus fruit which gives Early Grey tea its distinctive flavour, can significantly lower cholesterol.

They say it contains enzymes known as HMGF (hydroxy methyl glutaryl flavonones) which can attack proteins in the body known to cause heart disease.

The study found bergamot could even be as effective as statins, used to control cholesterol but which can have side effects in patients.

Researchers from Italy's University of Calabria, writing for the Journal of Functional Foods, used concentrations of HMGF on the proteins which cause heart disease and 'bad' cholesterol.

They then compared the effects with that of statins used to treat the same proteins and found the bergamot extract with HMGF worked just as well.

Not only did it reduce levels of LDL – so-called 'bad cholesterol' which leads to heart disease – but also increased HDL, which doctors call 'good cholesterol'.

Citrus foods have long been part of the famed 'Mediterranean diet' which has been hailed as one of the best ways to avoid heart disease – the biggest killer in the Western world.

The journal's report said: "High cholesterol is a common health concern for us all and often statins are given to help treat the condition.

"Extract from bergamot – most commonly used in Earl Grey tea – reduced total cholesterol, and LDL levels but there was an increase in HDL levels (good cholesterol).

"Therefore a daily supplement of bergamot fruit extract could be very effective for the treatment of high cholesterol."

Bergamot has long been used in traditional 'folk' medicines in the Mediterranean not only as a protection for the heart but also to treat wounds, inflammation and as an antiseptic.

The extracts have even been used in jams, ice cream and perfumes in the region, said the researchers.

A 2012 study by the University of Cantanzaro in Italy, found Bergamot could help you lose weight and protect against diabetes.

It also comes in tablet form as a food supplement and is known as BergaMet.

Given as a 1000mg tablet to be taken before meals it also reduced blood sugars by 22 per cent and raised 'good' cholesterol by 41 per cent.

BergaMet blocks the same enzyme responsible for cholesterol production as statins, but works at a different place on the enzyme, meaning it does not appear to have side effects in the muscles and the liver.

However, a new study has found that statins could have ohter medical benefits.

Researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the US found the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs may offer added benefit for men with erectile dysfunction.

It is thought the statins may work to improve erectile function by helping blood vessels dilate properly and improving vascular blood flow to the penis, which is often restricted in men with erectile dysfunction.

One Teaspoon of Salt a Day

http://www.fitsugar.com/One-Teaspoon-Salt-Day-125973

You often hear how salt is bad for you and that you should avoid it as much as possible. It is true that eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which can in turn; triple your risk of developing heart disease.

What is the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of salt? The Food Standards Agency says you should eat no more than 6 grams of salt a day.

6 grams of salt is about a teaspoon or 2,300 mg of sodium. That is not a lot considering that 75% of that amount is already in the everyday foods we eat (not including the salt we add).

If you haven't had your blood pressure checked recently - you should, just to make sure. It is heart health month, after all.

If it's high, you can help to lower it by decreasing your salt intake. Want to know how? Then read more

To reduce your salt intake:

• Always read labels on pre-packaged foods. If salt is one of the first 5 ingredients, you'll want to avoid it.
• Choose fresh, frozen, or canned foods without added salt.
• Select unsalted nuts or seeds. And when possible, cook with dried beans, peas, and lentils - the ones in the can have added salt.
• Limit the amount of salty snacks you eat, like chips and pretzels.
• Avoid adding canned vegetables to homemade dishes - fresh ones have much less sodium.
• Use unsalted, fat-free broths and bouillon cubes when making soups.
• Select fat-free or low-fat milk, low-sodium, low-fat cheeses, as well as low-fat yogurt.
• Specify what you want and how you want it prepared when dining out. Ask for your dish to be prepared without salt.
• Use spices and herbs to add flavor and enhance the taste of your food.

WHO issues new guidance on dietary salt and potassium

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2013/salt_potassium_20130131/en/

GENEVA - Adults should consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium, or 5 grams of salt, and at least 3,510 mg of potassium per day, according to new guidelines issued by the WHO. A person with either elevated sodium levels and low potassium levels could be at risk of raised blood pressure which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Sodium is found naturally in a variety of foods, including milk and cream (approximately 50 mg of sodium per 100 g) and eggs (approximately 80 mg/100 g). It is also found, in much higher amounts, in processed foods, such as bread (approximately 250 mg/100 g), processed meats like bacon (approximately 1,500 mg/100 g), snack foods such as pretzels, cheese puffs and popcorn (approximately 1,500 mg/100 g), as well as in condiments such as soy sauce (approximately 7,000 mg/100 g), and bouillon or stock cubes (approximately 20,000 mg/100 g).

Potassium-rich foods include: beans and peas (approximately 1,300 mg of potassium per 100 g), nuts (approximately 600 mg/100 g), vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and parsley (approximately 550 mg/100 g) and fruits such as bananas, papayas and dates (approximately 300 mg/100 g). Processing reduces the amount of potassium in many food products.

Currently, most people consume too much sodium and not enough potassium.

“Elevated blood pressure is a major risk for heart disease and stroke – the number one cause of death and disability globally,” says Dr Francesco Branca, Director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition for Health and Development. “These guidelines also make recommendations for children over the age of 2. This is critical because children with elevated blood pressure often become adults with elevated blood pressure.”

The guidelines are an important tool for public health experts and policymakers as they work in their specific country situations to address noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Public health measures to reduce sodium and increase potassium consumption and thereby decrease the population’s risk of high blood pressure and heart disease can include food and product labelling, consumer education, updating national dietary guidelines, and negotiating with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in processed foods.

WHO is also updating guidelines on the intake of fats and sugars associated to reduced risk of obesity and noncommunicable diseases.

For more information please contact:

Gregory Härtl
Coordinator, News, Social Media and Monitoring
Telephone: +41 79 203 6715
E-mail: hartlg@who.int

People should cut their sugar intake to just six teaspoons a day, says World Health Organisation

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2573986/People-HALVE-sugar-eat-want-improve-health-World-Health-Organisation-says.html
By SOPHIE BORLAND and DANIEL MARTIN

Children should not be given fizzy drinks because they contain dangerous amounts of sugar, UN health chiefs said yesterday.

They also warned adults should halve their average intake to six teaspoons a day to avoid obesity, heart disease and other serious illnesses.

The guideline amount has been slashed dramatically amid fears that sugar poses the same threat to health as tobacco. 

Experts blame it for millions of premature deaths across the world every year.

Graham MacGregor, a London cardiologist and health campaigner, said: ‘Added sugar is a completely unnecessary part of our diets, contributing to obesity, type II diabetes and tooth decay.

‘We have known about the health risks of sugar for years and yet nothing substantial has been done.

‘The new recommendations will be a wakeup call to the Department of Health and the Government to take action by forcing the food industry to slowly reduce the huge amount of sugar added across the board.’

Chief medical officer Sally Davies has already said a tax may be put on calorie-laden food and drink to curb soaring  levels of obesity. 

Labour suggested last night it would impose a maximum limit on sugar, fat and salt in products marketed at children.

The number of obese British adults is expected to double from one in four to one in two by 2050 – at a cost to the economy of £50billion a year.

The UN’s World Health Organisation said the crisis was being fuelled by hidden sugar in processed food and drink such as yoghurts, muesli, sauces, fizzy drinks, juice and smoothies.

Last night it published the draft guidelines urging adults to eat no more than 12 teaspoons of sugar a day and to aim for six.

And it said children should try for less than six teaspoons and avoid cans of fizzy drink such as Coke, which contains seven spoons.

Francesco Branca, director for nutrition for health and development at WHO, said: ‘Obesity affects half a billion people in the world and it is on the rise.

‘Sugar along with other risk factors might certainly become the new tobacco in terms of public health action. The consumption of a single serving of sugar sweetened soda might actually already exceed the limit for a child. So certainly the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages should be done with great care.

‘It actually is one of the elements that has been more constantly associated to increase weight gain particularly in children.’

The guidelines will now be discussed by academics and medical experts before a final version is published. But Dr Branca said food and drinks manufacturers should drastically alter their products.

A bowl of muesli contains two and a half teaspoons of sugar, a latte has five, a chocolate bar six or seven while some ready-meals have more than eight.

Labour’s health spokesman Andy Burnham said his party was considering setting a legal maximum on the amount of sugar, fat and salt in foods aimed at children. 

‘We have a big ambitious health policy coming out,’ he added. 

‘We feel the Government has lost its way completely on public health, there’s no leadership at all now.’

It is understood the policy would cover products such as Kellogg’s Frosties, which is 37 per cent sugar.

On Monday, Dame Sally told MPs that being overweight had become ‘normalised’.

But David Cameron’s official spokesman yesterday played down the need for a sugar tax and said ministers would rather encourage food and drinks firms to voluntarily make products healthier.

Experts say people are consuming too much 'hidden' sugar in foods such as sweets and fizzy drinks

He added: ‘What we are doing is working with the industry. You have already seen commitments from retailers and food manufacturers to reduce levels of salt, to remove some artificial fats, to reduce calorie content and improve labelling, as well as public health campaigns by local authorities and the NHS.’

The draft guidelines do not address the health effects of sugar substitutes or chemical sweeteners.

Andrew Percy, a Tory MP on the Commons health select committee, raised fears of ‘nanny state’ meddling.

He said: ‘What we need to do is educate people about food, and proper labelling of food is important in that. But, in the end, people must have the discretion to make their own choices.’

Professor MacGregor is a cardiologist at Barts and chairman of the group Action on Sugar.