Women who imbibe sugary soft drinks almost every day are 83% more likely to have a certain type of stroke than women who rarely drink sodas and other sweetened beverages, according to a Japanese study.
Cardiovascular disease, an umbrella term encompassing a broad spectrum of conditions that includes hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and congenital defects, remains the leading cause of death in industrialized nations. According to World Health Organization statistics, CVD kills nearly 17 milliion people per year, worldwide.
In the search for sources of excess sodium, sometimes the saltiest culprits are the least expected foods. After all, when someone tears into a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips, they have probably already factored a relative sodium wallop into the bargain. Far less likely, though, do they expect to soak up as much as half a day’s sodium from, say, a single cup of chili.
Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), a natural polyphenolic compound produced by plants, is found in the skin of red grapes and in other fruits, and it can also be produced by chemical synthesis. Resveratrol’s benefits are the subject of numerous animal and human studies. Animal studies have shown anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-aggregatory, hypoglycemic and other beneficial cardiovascular effects have been reported, as has blood pressure reduction.
A one-year, double-blind, controlled clinical study suggests cacao flavonoids and soy isoflavones can significantly improve biomarkers of CVD risk in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. The trial, conducted by Peter J. Curtis, Ph.D., et al, funded by a U.K.-based Charity, Diabetes UJK, and supported by Frutarom Ltd., Israel, and cocoa and chocolate processor Barry Callebaut Inc., was published February 2012 in Diabetes Care.
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