If we make just a few changes to our lifestyles in 2015, it could make all the difference to our future health. So here is a choice of health tips that will have a positive effect on 2015.
Eating five a day is well known to improve our health. Five a day of fruit and vegetables can be difficult. However, it is even more important now that new research has proved that it can improve mental health too.
People who don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables are far more likely to suffer low mental well-being, which is linked to mental illness, and mental health problems such as depression.
Conversely, those who do eat at least five servings of these foods a day are more likely to be optimistic and happy, with high self-esteem, resilience and good relationships with others.
High mental well-being not only protects against common mental problems but also impacts positively on our general health, say researchers from the University of Warwick.
Assessing mental health in nearly 14,000 participants, the researchers said a healthy diet was only one factor in determining a sense of well-being, but when it comes to our mental outlook, it’s an overlooked one (BMJ Open., 2014).
We all walk daily. However, just half an hour of dedicated walking each day can protect against a range of chronic diseases and even help prevent premature death. It can also help prevent obesity and diabetes, reduce the risk of cancers, relieve depression and anxiety and reduce the chances of hip fracture by 40 per cent, says James Brown from Aston University.
In addition, it slows down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, reduces arthritic pain by half and has the overall effect of reducing premature death by around 23 per cent.
“All of these changes are not seen in people who run marathons, they are not seen in people who lift weights in a gym, or spend four hours running on the treadmill. These changes are seen in people who walk, and who walk for half an hour every day,” says Dr Brown.
Olive oil (part of the Mediterranean diet) can help prevent heart failure by making a damaged heart function more efficiently. Oleate, which is a common fat in oil, helps the heart contract and pump blood. Researchers from the University of Illinois say that it may break the vicious cycle of heart failure. In contrast, fats originating from dairy, meat and palm oil (the standard Western diet) produce toxic by-products that worsen heart disease and heart failure.
Just half an hour of dedicated walking each day can protect against a range of chronic diseases
Oleates have a significantly positive effect on heart health even when the heart has started to fail (so it is never too late). Heart failure is not a heart attack. It is a chronic disease in which the heart becomes enlarged due to high blood pressure. Because it has to work harder to pump blood, the heart walls grow thicker while the volume of blood being pumped gets smaller. The failing heart cannot efficiently process or store fats needed as fuel (Circulation, 2014).
Apples have always been said to ‘keep the doctor away’. They can also help you to stay slim, particularly Granny Smith apples, which are known to fight obesity and some of its worst effects.
The apples counteract problems associated with obesity, such as low-grade and chronic inflammation that can lead to diabetes.
All apples have non-digestible compounds like dietary fibre and polyphenols that encourage the growth of friendly bacteria in the colon, but the very best apples for getting these compounds are tart green Granny Smiths.
These contain more compounds than the Braeburn, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious varieties, say researchers from Washington State University.
The season of Christmas and New Year can involve quite a lot of alcohol consumption. Does anyone consider safe drinking guidelines at this time? Here are three questions to ask yourself when assessing your drinking habits:
• Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
• Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, you should consider cutting back on your alcohol intake. Even people who drink the regulated daily amount (one or two glasses of wine a day, for example) could still suffer severe memory loss in old age, say researchers from the University of Exeter.
In fact, people who claim to be moderate drinkers are still twice as likely as non-drinkers to have memory problems.
This discovery was based on an analysis of 6,542 people aged between 51 and 61 in 1992. Included were 164 people who suffered severe cognitive or memory loss during the following 19 years.
A history of alcohol use disorder doubled the chances of severe memory loss, even when the participants were drinking according to the safe guidelines.
The lead researchers said this suggests even the guidelines are not safe and can lead to memory loss that is not reversible (Am. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry, 2014).
kathryn@maltanet.net