Healthy Heart

Seeing you're down several pounds or finding your clothes are fitting looser may sound like a good thing - but not when you aren't trying to lose weight. Unwanted weight loss is of special concern in aging since it could point to an undiagnosed illness, leave you prone to infections or decrease your independence.

Should you buy the big 2-quart bottle of vegetable oil for $2.50 or spend $12 on a 1-quart bottle of extra-virgin olive oil? "Olive oil has been regarded by many as a unique oil for cardiovascular health, but the data dont really support it as being superior to common vegetable oils," says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, director of Tufts' HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory.

Have you read your groceries lately? Many of them tout reasons why health-minded shoppers should buy them, such as to lower cholesterol, reduce risk of osteoporosis or prevent cancer. Some sport bright red hearts claiming the products are heart healthy. But can you trust such health claims?

Beetroot juice is currently a 'hot' nutritional supplement for its touted effects both on reducing cardiovascular disease risk and its potential to improve endurance exercise performance. Beetroot is naturally high in nitrate, which is converted to a signaling molecule called nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide has beneficial effects on vasodilation (relaxation and widening of blood vessels, increasing blood flow).

Setting specific limits on sugar intake can alarm groups that profit from sugar use. A recent study in Annals of Internal Medicine reviewed the evidence for limits on sugar intake advised by nine public health groups. The conclusion was that sugar intake guidelines are based on low-quality evidence.

Hearing loss increases with age, affecting 40 to 66% of adults over age 65 and 80% of adults over age 85. Scientists are exploring whether iron deficiency contributes to the problem. Using clinical data from electronic medical records of 305,339 young to elderly adults, scientists examined the relationship between hearing loss and iron deficiency anemia.

About 1 in 6 Americans suffer a foodborne illness each year, often in their own homes, so safe food handling practices cant be overemphasized. Recently, scientists watched 100 episodes of cooking shows from 24 celebrity chefs preparing meat dishes and tracked the chefs food safety behaviors.

Could the daily multivitamin (MVI) many people take "just in case" their eating plan falls short help heart health? New evidence suggests it may require sticking with a MVI for a long time to realize a heart benefit, if there is one.

In a one-year weight loss trial based on dietary counseling, 175 obese adults with metabolic syndrome and at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea lost less weight and were 70% less likely to lose at least 5% of their weight, compared to those at low sleep apnea risk (assessed by a standard screening survey). Sleep apnea causes shallow breathing or breathing pauses during sleep.

Claimed to be the second largest eating extravaganza next to Thanksgiving, the Super Bowl is infamous for indulgent fare such as pizza, fried hot wings, chips, rich dips, sugary sodas and beer. As with any food-centric celebration, it's wise to have a game plan of what you'll eat, especially if you're watching your weight or managing a health condition.