Bob Miess on Heart-Healthy Lifestyles

Another day of celebration. Today is the 19th anniversary of my nearly fatal heart attack. I'm still recovering from COVID, and my heart is still pumping. Life is still very good.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/egg-industry-response-to-choline-and-tmao/

Egg Industry Response to Choline and TMAO | NutritionFacts.org How the egg industry funded a study designed to cover up the toxic trimethylamine oxide reaction to egg consumption.

Berries may slow brain aging by as much as two and a half years. Eating just one cup of blueberries a day has been shown to improve long-term memory in older adults. You can even correlate the cognitive improvements with enhanced brain activation by using state-of-the-art brain scan technology to actually visualize the improved blood flow to those same regions of the brain caused by the blueberry consumption.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on children compared about one cup of blueberries to two cups and none at all. What did the researchers find? Blueberries improved cognitive performance, and the more berries, the better. And, the improvements weren't seen after 12 weeks of eating berries, but within hours of just a single meal with blueberries.

If you eat blueberries week after week, you also get chronic benefits, such as reduced artery stiffness and a boost in your natural killer cells, which are one of your body’s natural first lines of defense against viral infections and cancer.

Berries are some of the most healthful foods we should include in our daily routine. This is why they have their own special category in Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen checklist. Download the free Daily Dozen app today, and start ticking off your daily servings of berries.

Learn more and see the study references on NutritionFacts.org:
"Benefits of Blueberries for the Brain" at https://buff.ly/2PeNjAm
"Benefits of Blueberries for Artery Function" at https://buff.ly/2GrESMj
Daily Dozen at https://buff.ly/311l9nc

Having higher levels of C-reactive protein in your blood may increase your risk of dying prematurely by 42 percent. Those with the highest levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), another marker of inflammation, may increase premature death risk by 49 percent. What can we do to lower these levels?

The most pro-inflammatory food component is saturated fat, which is found in meat, dairy, eggs, and junk, along with other pro-inflammatory food components like cholesterol and trans fat.

The most anti-inflammatory food component is fiber. It appears that an increase of just 10 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories would equate to four fewer years of cellular aging. Now, of course, diets high in fiber and diets with significant amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains go hand in hand. So, fiber just may be a marker of eating lots of whole, healthy plant foods.

Anthocyanins, the antioxidant pigments that give berries those bright red, blue, and purple colors, have been demonstrated in dozens of randomized controlled trials to reduce inflammation.

Half a dozen studies combined show that pomegranates, a fruit packed with anthocyanin pigments, can bring down inflammation over time. Turmeric, garlic powder, and ginger powder were also found to reduce IL-6. Antioxidant supplements, specifically vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and selenium, as well as turmeric supplements, however, provided no benefit for reducing markers of inflammation.

How else can we bring down inflammation? When individuals switched to strictly plant-based nutrition, their diets flipped to become anti-inflammatory. Not all plant-foods are anti-inflammatory, though. If all you do is boost your intake of less healthy plant foods, like juice, white bread, white potatoes, soda, and cake, you can end up with more inflammation. A really clean diet of whole plant foods can significantly reduce levels of Lp(a) (which we didn’t even think was possible with diet), as well as drop LDL cholesterol. It can also reduce levels of inflammatory markers. We’re talking about a 30 percent drop in C-reactive protein and a 20 percent drop in IL-6. Cutting down on both animal products and processed foods may be the most effective dietary strategy to combat inflammation.

How Not to Age is out now! Borrow a copy from your local library or order one today: https://buff.ly/48XNwiN

Watch the videos “Which Foods Are Anti-Inflammatory?” at https://buff.ly/33YvZLW and “What to Eat to Prevent Telomere Shortening” at https://buff.ly/4ctCFQA. Learn more about anti-inflammatory diets at https://buff.ly/3Qoa1XT.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-boost-your-endothelial-progenitor-cells-epcs-for-heart-health/

How to Boost Your Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs) for Heart Health | NutritionFacts.org How can we improve the capacity of our blood vessels to repair themselves?

Friday Favorites: Does Ma*****na Cause Strokes and Heart Attacks? | NutritionFacts.org The temporary quintupling of heart attack risk associated with cannabis smoking may be due to the increased heart rate, blood pressure, and carbon monoxide levels.

Swapping out the salt shaker for some salt-free seasoning or salt substitutes could potentially add years to your life. This was shown in a study where five kitchens at a retirement home for veterans were randomized into two groups for about two and a half years. One group served meals salted with regular salt, and the other, unbeknownst to them, a 50/50 blend of regular salt (sodium chloride) and a salt substitute like potassium chloride. Even though the kind of salt served was the only difference between the meals, cardiovascular disease death rates plummeted by 40 percent in the participants getting the reduced sodium blend.

The new difference in life expectancy between the two groups at age 70 was equivalent to that which would have occurred naturally in 14 years. That means that simply switching to even half potassium salt (which has a similar taste to regular salt) appears to effectively make people more than a decade younger when it comes to the risk of premature death.

Watch the video “How Not to Age – Live Presentation” at https://see.nf/47dqCnJ.

Flavonoid Benefits from Apple Peels | NutritionFacts.org Peeled apples are pitted head-to-head against unpeeled apples (and spinach) in a test of artery function. Regularly eating apples may contribute to a

Beans and Gas: Clearing the Air | NutritionFacts.org More than a decade ago, the Quarterly Journal of Medicine published a review entitled: "Vegetarian Diet: Panacea for modern lifestyle disease?" The answer

Sixth on my list of the Anti-Aging Eight: Protein Restriction. Protein restriction was the only intervention I could find that could slow down every one of the 11 aging pathways. This is good news because it’s easier to cut back on protein than it is to cut back on everything and starve all the time. As I discuss in How Not to Age, a protein-restricted diet just keeps protein intake down to the recommended daily amount—0.8 g of protein per kg of bodyweight. For those 65 and older, it’s restricted to 1 g per kg of bodyweight, which is still less than what most older Americans get. Our overall health and longevity aren’t only impacted by the amount of protein we eat, but also the source of protein. Watch the “How Not to Age – Live Presentation” at https://see.nf/45P50wv to get a sneak peak into Dr. Greger's new book, How Not to Age. How Not to Age is out now https://see.nf/HNTABook.