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The crunchy goodness of peanuts, walnuts, cashews and other nuts may be just what the cardiologist ordered, new research suggests. The study couldn’t prove cause-and-effect. However, the analysis of health data on more than 61,000 Swedes aged 45 and older found regularly eating nuts was tied to lower risks for heart failure and an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation (“a-fib”). One U.S. heart expert said it’s fine to include the food in your diet. “There certainly is no harm, as nuts — in moderation — are a healthy sort of protein compared to other diets and possibly can be associated with better cardiovascular health,” said Dr. Rachel Bond. She helps direct women’s heart health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. In the new study, a team led by Susanna Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm tracked the health of the study participants for 17 years or until death, whichever came first. After factoring out age and gender, along with several other well-known heart risk factors — lifestyle, overall diet, diabetes and family history — high nut consumption was tied to lower odds for a-fib and heart failure. The more often people ate nuts, the lower their risk of a-fib, the investigators found. Specifically, the risk of the stroke-linked heart rhythm disorder was 3 percent lower among those who ate nuts one… read on >

Anger isn’t just an emotional reaction — it can affect you physically, too. It’s been shown to raise your risk for heart disease and other problems related to stress — like sleep trouble, digestion woes and headaches. That makes it important, then, to diffuse your anger. Start by figuring out what it is that makes you angry. Researchers from George Mason University, in Virginia, studied just that, and identified five common triggers: Other people. Distress — psychological and physical. Demands you put on yourself. Your environment. Unknown sources. Anger was more intense, the investigators found, when people were provoked by issues with other people or by influences that couldn’t be pinpointed. Once you’ve identified the sources of your anger, take steps to change how your deal with it, the researchers suggested. Decades ago, people often were encouraged to let their anger out. Primal screams and pounding pillows were suggested tactics. Today? Not so much. Studies have shown that therapies that involve letting anger out in a rage don’t really help. They might even make you more angry. Still, it’s important to not keep anger bottled up. But, managing it can keep you from saying or doing things you might regret once the anger has passed. What to do? Start by becoming a calmer person in general. Practice a relaxation technique every day — yoga or… read on >

If you suffer from allergies, you already know that pollen is in the air — even in the parts of the United States with unseasonably cool temperatures. So what kind of allergy season can we expect this year? Will we see a return of the pollen vortex? Might we have a blooming bombogenesis of pollen? Don’t scoff: There is some evidence that climate change and increasingly warm temperatures may lead to more pollen each year. “Just like weather forecasting, it’s hard to know eventually what climate change will do to pollen counts. But what we’ve seen is unpredictability. The winters haven’t been as cold, and pollens may not become as dormant, so the allergy season might last longer,” said Dr. Punita Ponda, assistant chief of allergy and immunology at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y. Or, as some areas of the country have seen this year, fluctuations between warm and then cold weather can lead to “shorter, but more impactful pollen seasons,” Ponda said. And some of what people experience as the “worst allergy season ever” may be a matter of perception, she said. “In situations like New York has had this year — [with cold and warm weather alternating instead of a gradual progression to warmer temperatures] — trees will bloom because they’re dependent on the light cycle, not the temperature,” Ponda explained. “But… read on >

It’s no secret that weight gain results from consuming too many calories. But at its core is an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy habits. On one side of the scale — the healthy side — are foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protein and plant-based fats. On the other side are the not-so-healthy options — sugary foods, those high in saturated fats, and packaged and processed foods. It’s not just the foods, though, that can cause weight issues. Unhealthy behaviors play a role, too. That’s because they can lead you to take in more calories, sometimes without even realizing it. A group of researchers in Spain identified key habits that promote a poor-quality diet. Things like frequenting fast-food restaurants, snacking from vending machines and eating while watching TV. But the researchers also determined that significant weight gain usually isn’t due to just one bad habit, but rather to a combination. To learn more, they followed 1,600 people for up to four years, focusing on the effects of seven specific unhealthy habits: Not planning how much you’re going to eat. Consuming pre-cooked or canned food. Buying snacks. Eating in fast-food restaurants. Not choosing low-calorie foods. Not removing visible fat from meat or skin from chicken. Eating while watching TV or sitting on the sofa. The more of these unhealthy habits people had, the… read on >

Something like this has happened to most of us: You wake up, wide awake, only to discover that it’s 3 a.m. Suddenly your mind fills with worry about how hard tomorrow will be if you don’t get more sleep. The problem is, you toss and turn and can’t get back to sleep. What to do? First, don’t keep your eyes trained on the clock. That just adds to your distress. Instead, clear your mind and relax your body. Tighten a muscle for a few seconds and then release. One by one, try this with a few muscle groups — your feet, legs, stomach, for instance. Focus on how relaxed your body is becoming. If you’re still awake a few minutes later, though, get up and out of bed. In fact, leave the bedroom. Go to another room to listen to soothing music or read a boring book — not a heart-racing thriller. If you start to feel drowsy, return to bed. If not, be productive and do a chore you’ve been putting off. You might feel tired later on, but you’ll have a sense of accomplishment about completing the task. One night of disrupted sleep is not uncommon — it’s something most everyone has experienced. But if insomnia becomes a pattern, it’s time to correct lifestyle habits. Are you drinking too much caffeine? Using electronics… read on >

(HealthDay News) — If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you’ll probably feel very tired during the day. And you may not feel alert and refreshed when you wake up. While everyone has a sleepless night now and then, chronic lack of sleep can lead to a host of medical problems and should be discussed with your doctor, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says. Here is the agency’s list of issues you should mention to your physician: How long you’ve had trouble sleeping and how often it occurs. How long it typically takes you to fall asleep, how often you wake up at night, and how long it takes you to fall back asleep. Do you snore loudly or wake up gasping or feeling out of breath? Do you feel refreshed when you wake up, or are you tired? How often you doze off or have trouble staying awake during everyday tasks, especially driving.

Forget what a hot chili pepper can do to your stomach: A new case report suggests that eating some of the hottest ones may give you a headache that can send you to the emergency room. A young man was taking part in a hot chili pepper eating contest and ate a particularly potent type called the Carolina Reaper, according to doctors from Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, N.Y. Some call the Reaper the world’s hottest chili pepper. The man immediately suffered dry heaves and over the next several days experienced intense neck pain and headaches, each of which lasted just a few seconds. After finally seeking emergency care, the man was tested for a number of neurological conditions, but all the results came back negative. However, a CT scan revealed that several arteries in the man’s brain had narrowed, leading to a diagnosis of thunderclap headache due to reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). The syndrome doesn’t always have an obvious cause, but can occur as a reaction to certain prescription medications or illegal drugs, according to the report in the April 9 issue of the journal BMJ Case Reports. The researchers said this is the first such case linked with eating hot chili peppers, but they noted that consuming cayenne pepper has long been associated with a sudden narrowing of the coronary artery and… read on >

Staying physically fit can help ward off heart trouble, even if your genetics put you at higher risk for clogged arteries, a new, large study suggests. The researchers looked at nearly 500,000 middle-aged and older adults and found those with higher fitness levels were less likely to develop heart disease over six years. And that was true even for people who carried gene variants that raise the odds of heart problems. That does not mean exercise erases the effects of genes, the researchers added. But if you do have a genetic vulnerability to heart disease, you’re better off being physically fit. “It’s likely that if you try to improve your fitness level through exercise, you’ll benefit,” said senior researcher Dr. Erik Ingelsson, a professor of medicine at Stanford University in California. How much, or what type, of exercise is “enough”? The study cannot answer those questions, Ingelsson said. His team did not test any particular exercise regimens. The researchers looked at how people’s fitness levels — gauged during a stationary bike workout — correlated with their risk of developing heart disease over the next six years. They found that regardless of the genes people carried, higher fitness levels meant a lower risk of heart trouble. Among the one-third of people at highest genetic risk, those with the highest fitness levels were 49 percent less likely… read on >

Whether you want to lose weight, maintain your weight or just eat healthily, you need to know about protein. Protein in the foods you eat helps build and maintain your bones, muscles and skin. However, you need to consume protein every day because your body doesn’t store it the same as it stores carbohydrates and fats. Most adults should eat 5 to 7 ounces of protein daily, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Knowing the best sources of protein can boost your health as well as help you feel more satisfied on fewer calories. But, you need to choose carefully. Seafood is an excellent source of protein. Your options are many, with dozens of types of protein-rich fish and shellfish to try. Aim to eat a five-ounce serving at least twice every week. And, for even more benefits, try to include fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and trout. Omega-3s can help reduce risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol and blood pressure. Chicken and turkey are great protein foods, too. For the healthiest approach, remove the skin before eating. Keep in mind, too, that breast meat has less fat — and therefore fewer calories — than dark meat. Including particular vegetables on your menus will ensure you get even more protein. Try beans and peas — kidney, pinto,… read on >

Science says you can get your coffee buzz without fear of cancer, so experts say you can forget that recent controversial California law. Last Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge ruled that coffee shops such as Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts must caution customers that coffee contains acrylamide — a potential cancer-causing chemical that forms as a byproduct of roasting. Acrylamide is also found in fried foods such as french fries, and in cigarette smoke. Finding on behalf of the plaintiff, the Council for Education and Research on Toxics, Judge Elihu Berle said that coffee companies failed to prove that the amount of acrylamide in coffee was safe — or that coffee has health benefits. But Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said coffee lovers still have grounds to stick with the beverage. The judge’s decision may follow the law, Lichtenfeld said, but it stands in opposition to the science on the subject. “To me, this whole issue is really much more legal than medical,” he said. In large quantities, acrylamide is a known cancer-causing chemical according to results from tests with rodents, Lichtenfeld explained. Based on these tests, acrylamide is also likely carcinogenic in humans when consumed in large amounts, he said. However, the key issue is dosage. “There is no good human evidence to show the amount of acrylamide… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Go Nuts for Heart Health

How to Keep Anger From Getting the Better of You

Spring Sneezin’ Season Has Sprung

The Bad Habits That Lead to Weight Gain

Help for When You’re Wide-Eyed at 3 a.m.

Health Tip: Speak With Your Doctor if You Aren’t Sleeping Well

One Man Got a Nasty Surprise From World’s Hottest Chili Pepper

Exercise Cuts Heart Risks, Regardless of Your Genes

Here’s How to Pack Protein Into Your Diet

Despite California’s Warning Signs, Coffee Is Still Safe, Experts Say