American Heart Association reports FDA Expands Health Claim for More Fruits, Vegetables

American Heart Association Can Now Certify These Foods as Heart-Healthy

Dallas, TX – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an interim final rule removing the low fat and positive nutrient requirements which will apply to nearly all fresh fruits and vegetables, allowing them to make a heart health claim and be eligible for food certification programs like the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark program.

The ruling was in response to a petition submitted by the Association in September 2012.

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Tennessee Department of Agriculture says it’s time for Local Honey and Sorghum

Nashville, TN – Autumn is generally regarded as a sweet season, the year’s peak harvest time. You could say Tennessee’s sweetest harvest is contained in the jars of honey and sorghum syrup now lining shelves at farms, orchards and farmers markets across the state.

Honey is often harvested twice per year, in spring and fall. Flavor is determined solely by the nectar source, giving some honeys stronger flavor than others. As a rule, the lighter the honey’s color the milder its flavor, but buying directly from the beekeeper is the best way to learn the characteristics of a particular honey.

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Tennessee Department of Agriculture says State received plenty of Rain making Sorghum Crop a Sweet Success

Nashville, TN – Sorghum is one of several crops in Tennessee that seems to have benefited from a rainy summer. Some highly anticipated fall crops, like pumpkins, have suffered in some parts of the state due to excess moisture and lack of sun. Others, like corn and sorghum, are on track for record harvests if current patterns of sunny, less-humid weather hold.

Sorghum syrup is a treasured traditional Tennessee food produced when the extracted juice from the sorghum plant is boiled down. Tennessee is one of the nation’s leading states in sorghum syrup production.

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American Heart Association says DNA particles in the Blood may help speed detection of Coronary Artery Disease

High blood levels of these DNA particles may eventually help identify patients at risk for further serious heart problems.

Dallas, TX – DNA fragments in your blood may someday help doctors quickly learn if chest pain means you have narrowed heart arteries, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

The study involved 282 patients, ages 34 to 83, who reported chest pain and were suspected of having coronary artery disease. Researchers used computed tomography imaging to look for hardened, or calcified, buildup in the blood vessels that supply the heart. Blood samples also were tested for bits of genetic material. Release of small DNA particles in the blood occurs during chronic inflammatory conditions such as coronary artery disease. [Read more]

American Heart Association says Vitamin D supplement fails to lower cholesterol in short term

These results contradict the association between higher vitamin D levels and healthier cholesterol levels.

Dallas, TX – Taking vitamin D supplements to compensate for vitamin D deficiency didn’t improve cholesterol — at least in the short term, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.

Researchers studied 151 people with vitamin D deficiency who received either a mega-dose (50,000 internationals units) of vitamin D3 or placebo weekly for eight weeks. Participants’ cholesterol levels were measured before and after treatment. [Read more]

Consumer Reports Investigates Vitamins and Supplements: Ten Dangers That May Surprise You

Plus, advice for protecting yourself against hazards associated with vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other nutritional supplements

Yonkers, NY – In a new report in its September issue and online at www.ConsumerReports.org, Consumer Reports identifies ten hazards that might surprise the large swath of American adults—more than 50 percent—who take vitamins, herbs, or other nutritional supplements.

“Patients sometimes assume that supplements are safe because they are ‘all natural,’ but not all supplements are truly natural. In fact, one of the greatest safety hazards to consumers involves supplements that have been spiked with prescription drugs or toxic metals,” said Jose Luis Mosquera, M.D., medical adviser, Consumer Reports, and an internist who specializes in integrative health and medicine. [Read more]

How Sunscreen Works

Washington, D.C. – Everyone needs some sun exposure; it’s our primary source of vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones. It doesn’t take long for most people to get the vitamin D they need.

Too much exposure to the sun’s rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, and immune system suppression.

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American Heart Association states Eating low-fat dairy foods may reduce your risk of Stroke

Dallas, TX – If you eat low-fat dairy foods, you may be reducing your risk of stroke.

In a Swedish study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke, people who drank low-fat milk and ate low-fat yogurt and cheese had a lower risk of stroke compared to those who consumed full-fat dairy foods.

Among 74,961 adults 45 to 83 years old, those who ate low-fat dairy foods had a 12 percent lower risk of stroke and a 13 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke than those who ate high-fat dairy foods.

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Easy Ways to Build Strong Bones

New York, NY – Most of us think of our bone structure as a solid, static mass that is hard and unchanging. The fact is our skeletal structure is replaced approximately every ten years.

Our bones are dynamic, living tissue that consists of about 25% water, 25% protein and approximately 50% mineral salts including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Since bone remains are regularly found that are thousands of years old, why are we witnessing a rise in bone deterioration? Osteoporosis is apparently a new disease. [Read more]

Don’t Take a Vacation from Good Nutrition This Summer

June Is Dairy Month Serves as a Healthy Eating Reminder for Moms and Kids

SACRAMENTO, CA — During June Is Dairy Month, Dairy Council of California reminds moms that milk provides the nutrition kids need when they’re out of school and not benefiting from the essential nutrients found in school breakfast and lunch programs.

By design, school lunches provide one-third of the recommended daily allowances of protein, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and calories that kids need for healthy development. However, only a fraction of children have access to food programs over summer vacation. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service agency, of the 18.5 million children who received free or reduced-price breakfast or lunch during the 2008 school year, only 3.5 million children had access to summer food programs. [Read more]