It may seem counterintuitive, but a new study review suggests that consuming too little salt could be harmful to heart failure patients. Doctors currently recommend a low-sodium diet to lower blood pressure and avoid fluid buildup and swelling, which can be common symptoms for heart failure. The condition develops when the heart muscle becomes too weak or stiff to effectively pump blood to the rest of the body. But the new meta-analysis of nine randomized, controlled trials found that restricting dietary sodium intake below the standard recommended maximum of about 2.3 grams per day did not bring additional benefits, and it also may increase the risk of death. The findings will be presented March 5 at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting, in New Orleans. “Our findings showed that restricting dietary sodium to less than the usual recommendation was counterproductive in the management of heart failure,” said study lead author Dr. Anirudh Palicherla, an internal medicine resident at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb. “Limiting sodium is still the way to go to help manage heart failure, but the amount of restriction has been up for debate,” Palicherla said in a meeting news release. “This study shows that the focus should be on establishing a safe level of sodium consumption, instead of overly restricting sodium.” While the average American eats about 3.4…  read on >  read on >

THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Plant-based beverages that use oats, soy, almonds, cashews and other products instead of dairy can continue to call themselves milk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released new draft rules on Wednesday, and the agency will accept comments on the draft through April 23. These products don’t pretend to be from cows, the FDA guidance said, and American consumers aren’t confused by the “milk” name. Producers of these products, made from the liquid extracts of plants, will need to clearly label them with their plant source, calling them, for example, “soy milk.” The FDA is also asking for voluntary extra nutrition labels on the products if they have lower levels of the nutrients than dairy milk contains, including calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. While the National Milk Producers Federation, an industry trade group, approved of the decision asking for extra nutrition information, they rejected the FDA conclusion that the word milk is a “common and usual name,” the Associated Press reported. The Good Food Institute, an advocate for plant-based products, said “the guidance misguidedly admonishes companies to make a direct comparison” with cow’s milk, the AP reported. Key nutrients are already listed on labels of plant-based milk. Fortified soy milk is the only plant-based option that meets U.S. dietary guidelines for dairy. While plant-based milks do big business,…  read on >  read on >

You’re in your doctor’s office, and the nurse checks your blood pressure as a matter of course. But your numbers are high, and the doctor steps in with some advice, and possibly a prescription for medications that can lower it. So, now that you have high blood pressure, what is it and what can you do about it? The American Heart Association (AHA) describes blood pressure as the measure of the force pumping blood through the arteries, which carry blood from the heart throughout the body. Measured by two numbers, the top number (the systolic pressure) is the force of the blood when your heart pumps, and the bottom number (diastolic pressure) is when your heart is resting and filling with blood. Normal blood pressure can vary from individual to individual, and it can rise and fall throughout the day, said Dr. Michael Blaha, a Johns Hopkins cardiologist. He recommends regularly measuring blood pressure at home and keeping track of trends. Generally, blood pressure is considered healthy when it is 120/80 or less. “As a physician, I’m much more interested in what a patient’s blood pressure looks like at home, under their normal conditions, than what it looks like at a single point in time in my office,” Blaha said. “Knowing your blood pressure over time best helps your doctor identify whether you have a…  read on >  read on >

Sticking to a consistent sleeping routine may help keep your arteries clear as you age, new research suggests. Conversely, older adults who slept for a varying number of hours each night and tended to fall asleep at different times were more likely to develop hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke, the researchers reported. “Sleep is super important to our overall health and well-being, and anything we can do to improve sleep will improve our [heart health] and overall well-being and happiness,” said study author Kelsie Full. She is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of epidemiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. The study wasn’t designed to show how sleep irregularity causes heart disease, but researchers have some theories. “One potential mechanism is that sleep irregularity may lead to a disruption of our circadian function, which can lead to inflammation, a known risk for heart disease,” Full said. (Circadian rhythm is the 24-hour internal clock that controls the release of the hormone melatonin to encourage sleep.) What’s more, irregular sleep patterns may also travel with unhealthy behaviors such as late-night eating, poor diet or lack of exercise, she noted. Her advice? “Set a regular bedtime, and just pay attention to how much you are sleeping each night, and strive for sleep that is as regular…  read on >  read on >

Having the information to make good food choices and being physically active can help prevent disease, including cancer. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers some tips for Americans who want to improve their nutrition. “Fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide you with nutrients and dietary fiber that can help lower your risk of developing cancer in the long term,” said Amy Bragagnini. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist and oncology nutrition specialist who serves as national spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Eating a variety of foods from all food groups keeps your meals interesting and healthful. Fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables all make your meal preparations easy,” Bragagnini said. She recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and veggies at each meal. “Add fresh berries to your low-fat or fat-free yogurt in the morning. Eat a dark green leafy kale salad for lunch. Stir fry some spinach, broccoli and cabbage to add atop a bed of riced cauliflower for dinner,” Bragagnini suggested. Getting in more legumes — such as beans, peas and lentils — can also add nutrition. She suggests adding black beans to an omelet and using a carrot stick as an edible spoon with hummus for a snack. A big pot of chili or lentil soup can be a healthy dinner. Making sure whole grains…  read on >  read on >

Young American children are not getting enough fruits and vegetables, but they are consuming too many sugary drinks, a new state-by-state government report shows. To come to that conclusion, the survey questioned the parents of more than 18,000 children between the ages of 1 and 5 about their kids’ eating habits. “This is the first time we’ve had state-level estimates on these behaviors,” senior study author Heather Hamner, a senior health scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN. “It’s a really good time to think about the programs and policies that states have in place and areas where they can continue to work and improve to make the nutrition environment the best it can be for our young children.” Almost half of kids did not eat even one single vegetable every day, the report published Feb. 17 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found. In Louisiana, 64% of kids didn’t eat a daily veggie. About one-third of children overall did not have fruit each day. In Louisiana, that was half of all children. Young kids in Vermont ate the most fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, about 57% of kids overall had at least one sugary beverage each week. In Mississippi, that was nearly 80%. In Maine, it was 38.6%. “Compared with children living in food-sufficient households, those living…  read on >  read on >