Healthy Heart

Q. I keep reading about the health benefits of spicy peppers, but I can't eat spicy foods. Is there any way I can get these benefits without eating hot peppers?

Here's another reason besides blood pressure to hold the salt: New Australian research says salt causes you to eat more food and consume more calories. Researchers tested four different combinations of macaroni and sauce on 48 volunteers, mixing high- and low-salt choices with high- and low-fat.

Worried about drinking enough water? Our Special Report on hydration in the June newsletter should help. And there's also this update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published just after we went to press: Most Americans are getting roughly enough fluids, though only about a third comes in the healthiest form of plain water.

Two recent studies suggest egg lovers aren't at higher risk of type 2 diabetes or coronary artery disease. In a new meta-analysis, egg consumption was largely unrelated to risk of type 2 diabetes. And in a population study, egg consumption was not associated with increased incidence of coronary artery disease among men, even those with a genetic risk factor.

Every cell in your body needs water to function. Water transports nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, and carries away waste materials. Water makes up most of your body, ranging from about 75% of body weight in infancy to 55% of body weight at older ages. Your brain and heart are almost three-quarters water, your muscles and kidneys are almost 80% water, and even your bones are about 30% water.

Losing weight can improve your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as your waistline, according to a major new intervention study. The study found similar weight loss amounts could be achieved by lower-fat or lower-carbohydrate diets, whether the lower-carb diet was rich in walnuts or in monounsaturated fat (as in canola or olive oils).

Two faculty at Tufts' Friedman School have been named to Thomson Reuters' list of the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds. The listing identifies scientists in 21 fields who published the most papers between 2003 and 2014 cited highly by other scientists. Named to the list were Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, and Jeffrey B. Blumberg, PhD.

More evidence that Americans are getting the message about the negatives of added sugars in liquid form comes from a report showing a sharp drop in the percentage of adults drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day.

The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans call for limiting sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams daily. Although the 2015 revision put less emphasis on more restrictive limits for people 51 and older, African-Americans, and those with hypertension, diabetes or kidney disease, that shouldnt be interpreted as a green light to load up on salt.

If you've got your AARP card but you're still eating the way you did in your 20s, it's time for your diet to act your age. While most nutritional guidance is "ageless," you do need to make some adjustments to fit the changing needs of your aging body.