Amazing new
research was published in the October 2007 issue of the
Archives of Internal Medicine. This new study shows that
women who eat a healthy diet, drink moderate amounts of
alcohol, are physically active, maintain a healthy
weight and do not smoke have a significantly reduced
risk of heart attack - a reduced risk of up to 92
percent!
Dr. Agneta Akesson, Ph.D., M.P.H.,
of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues
identified dietary patterns in 24,444 postmenopausal
women by analyzing food frequency questionnaires, on
which the women supplied information about how often
they ate 96 common foods.
The low-risk
lifestyle, characterized by a high intake of vegetables,
fruit, whole grains, fish and legumes, in combination
with moderate alcohol consumption, not smoking,
maintaining the proper weight and being physically
active was associated with 92 percent decreased risk
compared with findings in women without any low-risk
diet and lifestyle factors.
Several
components of fruits, vegetables and whole grains such
as fiber, antioxidant vitamins and minerals, have been
associated with a reduced risk for coronary heart
disease, the researchers note. In addition, previous
studies have found beneficial effects of small amounts
of alcohol in preventing the buildup of plaque in the
arteries, which could help prevent heart attacks. "The
combined benefit of diet, lifestyle, and healthy body
weight may prevent more than three of four cases of
heart attack in our study population," Dr. Akesson and
colleagues report.
Wholefood
Farmacy foods make it easy and convenient for you to
enjoy the benefits of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and dietary fiber.
How many servings of fruits and veggies have you, your
family and your children had today?
