H E A L T H
C E N T R A L
D I E T
The right dose of D
D
espite all the much-heralded benefits of vitamin D—including protection against hypertension, hardening of the arteries
and diabetes—increasing your intake to levels higher than what
health professionals recommend offers no advantages and may be harmful.
Those are among the findings of new research from Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, published online in The American Journal
of Medicine. People who have normal blood levels of vitamin D are at
lower risk for stiffening of the blood vessels and cardiovascular problems
than those who have high blood levels of the vitamin, according to
Johns Hopkins researchers.
To find out how much vitamin D you should be getting and the best
sources for it, visit the National Institutes of Health website at
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/. •
Grape expectations
for heart health
Empty stomach,
empty wallet?
Besides their juicy texture and sweet
taste, grapes have the potential to
reduce heart failure linked to hypertension, report researchers at the
University of Michigan Health System
in Ann Arbor.
Grapes, which are high in antioxidants and other beneficial substances,
act by increasing the activity of
genes that are responsible for helping
support heart tissue, according to
the scientists, writing in the Journal of
Nutritional Biochemistry.
The researchers also plan to study
the effect of consuming the whole
grape compared with consuming
distilled plant nutrients from the
grape, speculating that whole
grapes will prove superior. •
Grocery shopping when you're hungry
may be a hazard to your health and
your wallet: You're likely to purchase
both more food and higher-calorie
food, according to a new study from
Gains for ex-smokers
28
SPI RIT O F WOM EN
FA L L 2 013
w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m
about six pounds over four years,
but they maintained their lower risk of
heart disease. •
SHUTTERSTOCK
If concerns about adding unhealthy
pounds have kept you from quitting
smoking, your argument doesn't
carry much weight. Even if you gain
a little, you'll still improve your heart
health overall when you put out your
last butt, according to a new study
from the National Institutes of Health.
Looking at information from more
than 3,000 adults, researchers found
that people without diabetes who quit
smoking had about half the risk of
cardiovascular problems as those
who smoked. Recent quitters gained
Cornell University, published online in
JAMA Internal Medicine.
In one experiment, 68 volunteers
were either given crackers to curb
their appetites or asked to abstain
from eating for five hours. The participants then shopped in a simulated
grocery store. Those who hadn't
eaten bought almost 19 percent more
food, including 31 percent more highcalorie snacks.
In a second experiment, participants went to an actual grocery store
either just after lunch, when they
tended to be full, or just before dinner,
when they were more likely to be
hungry. The before-dinner shoppers
purchased fewer low-calorie foods
than the after-lunch crowd. •