Healthy Heart

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.

Switching to soy flour doesn't help improve cholesterol levels, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers compared muffins made with soy protein, with a mixture of soy and wheat, and with a whey-protein control on 213 adults with elevated LDL cholesterol.

The popular notion - reflected in doctors' advice and clinical guidelines - that caffeine can cause your heart to "skip a beat" is probably wrong. A new study, the first of its kind to actually monitor participants' hearts over a 24-hour span, concludes that frequent caffeine consumption is not associated with premature heart contractions or disturbances of the hearts electrical rhythm.

Two new studies add to the evidence that led the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans to recommend restricting intake of added sugars, nearly half of which in US diets come from sugar-sweetened beverages.

Americans may be getting the message about cutting down on added sugars, a focus of the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,883 US adults reports that 58% say they tried to limit sugar in their diets in the past 30 days. While there's no previous such poll to compare to, that number does exceed those trying to cut down on calories, sodium, fats, cholesterol or carbohydrates. Another sign: Google Trends…

[IMGCAP(1)] Earlier this year, the federal government released the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). (See our March Special Report.) As a cardiologist, public-health advocate and nutrition scientist, I see a lot of good in the DGAs. First, the DGAs emphasize healthful eating patterns and foods. This is an advance over past guidelines, which focused more on isolated nutrient targets. Modern nutrition science tells us that, for preventing major diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancers, its…

Every five years, your Uncle Sam rounds up the latest scientific evidence about nutrition and serves up advice about what to eat and drink for better health. The resulting Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) - whose eighth edition was released in January - provides basic guidance to the American public about healthy eating patterns and shapes nutrition education programs.

When it comes to planning your meals, it's hard to beat seafood as a nutritional powerhouse. Seafood is rich in protein and other important nutrients. Prepared right - without frying, breading, tubs of butter or caloric sauces - it delivers these nutritional benefits without a lot of calories. Many varieties also contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

At least part of the proven cardiovascular benefits of eating nuts can be explained by their effects on cholesterol and other blood lipids, according to new Tufts research.