| They all help cut your risk of heart disease, | | | | production of nitric oxide, a substance that |
| the top cause of death among women. Are you | | | | helps fight plaque. There are plenty of tasty |
| ready to drink milk and groove to jazz? | | | | ways to take your medicine: More than 130 |
| | | | pomegranate products were introduced in 2006. |
| Heart problems? Me? If that's your reaction | | | | |
| when you hear all of the healthy-heart | | | | |
| messages during American Heart Month in | | | | 5. Sprinkle on the soy |
| February, here's a wake-up call: Fact is, | | | | |
| heart disease kills far more women each year | | | | A daily dash of dark soy sauce (not light) in |
| than cancer does. It's also true that | | | | marinades, dipping sauces, salad dressing, or |
| preventing heart problems is getting easier. | | | | soups and stews can help fight heart-damaging |
| Health gathered the latest tricks â€all | | | | substances linked to smoking, obesity, or |
| backed by solid research†to take care | | | | diabetes, according to research from the |
| of your heart. | | | | National University of Singapore. The sauce |
| | | | has 10 times the antioxidants in wine, which |
| 1. Get milk | | | | is also heart-healthy (in moderation). But |
| | | | watch out: Soy sauces often have a ton of |
| A new study sponsored by the National Heart, | | | | salt, which can raise blood pressure. Check |
| Lung, and Blood Institute found that, among | | | | labels for lower-salt versions. |
| people who didn't eat a lot of saturated fat, | | | | |
| those who consumed more than three daily | | | | 6. Laugh it up |
| servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese had | | | | |
| systolic blood pressure (the top number) | | | | Something for your funny bone: People who |
| almost four points lower than those who ate | | | | watched comedy films like There's Something |
| only half a serving daily. High blood | | | | About Mary had better blood flow, compared |
| pressure can damage your arteries, increasing | | | | with those who watched dramas like Saving |
| your risk for heart attacks and stroke. | | | | Private Ryan, according to a study at the |
| Researchers say low-fat dairy is the smart | | | | University of Maryland School of Medicine in |
| choice, because it's lower in saturated fat. | | | | Baltimore. Principal researcher Michael |
| | | | Miller, MD, director of the Center for |
| 2. Try new moves | | | | Preventive Cardiology, recommends 15 minutes |
| | | | of daily laughter. |
| Thirty minutes of Tai Chi â€a gentle | | | | |
| Chinese martial art that includes sequences | | | | Don't have enough time for movies or sitcoms? |
| of slow, relaxing movements â€may also | | | | Get your giggles anytime from YouTube's |
| lower your blood pressure. In one study, | | | | comedy section (youtube.com/categories). |
| after 12 weeks of Tai Chi, participants | | | | |
| showed a decrease in systolic pressure of | | | | 7. Don't skimp on sleep |
| almost 16 points. To find a class in your | | | | |
| area, visit Taoist.org. | | | | Women who sleep less than 5 hours each night |
| | | | have a 30 percent higher risk of heart |
| 3. Go fishing | | | | disease than those getting 8 hours, according |
| | | | to a study from the Brigham and Women's |
| How fast your heart beats when you're at rest | | | | Hospital in Boston. Too little sleep may play |
| can be an indicator of heart attack risk. In | | | | havoc with your hormones, blood sugar, and |
| fact, higher resting heart rates have been | | | | blood pressure. So after getting your 15 |
| linked to an increased risk of sudden death. | | | | minutes of laughs, turn off that PC and turn |
| The good news is that eating fish can lower | | | | in. |
| your heart rate. In a new Harvard Medical | | | | |
| School study, people who ate five or more | | | | 8. Breathe deeper |
| servings per month of fish such as tuna or | | | | |
| salmon (baked or broiled) averaged 3.2 fewer | | | | You can lower your blood pressure by taking |
| beats per minute than those who ate less than | | | | 10 breaths per minute (instead of the usual |
| one serving per month. Researchers credit the | | | | 16 to 19) for 15 minutes a day over 2 months, |
| omega-3 fatty acids in fish, though it's not | | | | studies show. Researcher David Anderson, PhD, |
| clear how they help. (Our Kitchen Assistant | | | | a hypertension expert at the National |
| search tool can help you find dozens of | | | | Institute on Aging, says shallow breathing |
| healthy and delicious fish recipes.) | | | | (more beats per minute) may delay your body's |
| | | | excretion of salt, a high-blood-pressure |
| 4. Hit the juice | | | | trigger. |
| | | | |
| Pomegranate juice seems to stave off | | | | 9. Feel the beat |
| hardening of the arteries â€and may even | | | | |
| reverse it. A recent study in the Proceedings | | | | A group of University of Oxford researchers |
| of the National Academy of Sciences found | | | | found that slow, meditative musical rhythms |
| that pomegranate juice reduced the rate of | | | | can lead to a healthy drop in heart rate, |
| cholesterol plaque buildup in mice by 30 | | | | while faster rhythms speed up breathing and |
| percent. And heart cells treated with the | | | | circulation. Got Sheryl Crow on your iPod? |
| juice showed a 50 percent increase in the | | | | Try mixing in some smooth jazz, too. |