You Won't Believe What Might Be Affecting Your Cholesterol!

Hi and welcome to this week’s look at natural health headlines on ihealthtube dot com…

Just how bad are trans fats and does banning them really make a difference?  Early studies indicates that it does.  Trans fatty acids… or trans fats… are commonly found in fried foods and baked goods.  Some communities have banned them… most notably New York City.  A new study by the University of Chicago and Yale looked closer at the New York ban and found that three or more years after the trans fat ban… people living in those areas had fewer hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke compared to similar areas without a ban.   The decline for the combined conditions was more than 6 percent.

The Food and Drug Administration approved a nationwide ban on partially hydrogenated oil in foods, which will basically eliminate dietary trans fat… that goes into effect in 2018.

Cholesterol levels can be affected by many things… but believe it or not… traffic could now be one of them.

New research out of the University of Washington looked at over 65 hundred middle-aged and older U.S. adults from varying ethnic backgrounds… the study found those living in areas of high levels of traffic-related pollution tended to have lower HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol.

The research found higher exposure to carbon typically from traffic-related pollution was significantly associated with lower good cholesterol… and that good cholesterol was lower at higher pollution for both men and women, but the magnitude was greater in women…. 

The study’s lead author indicated that lower levels of HDL observed with high levels of air pollution may put individuals at a higher risk for heart disease later in life.

Finally… inflammation is a strong risk factor for death in the elderly and increases with age… now researchers have a clue as to why this happens…

Mice studies revealed imbalances in gut microbes in older mice caused intestines to become leaky… allowing the release of bacterial products that both trigger inflammation and impair immune function.  This information gives hope that in the future… pre or probiotics may be used to keep gut microbes in place and reduce age-associated inflammation and the cascade that often follows.

That’s a look at what’s making headlines in natural health this week… make sure to go to ihealthtube to stay up to date on the latest in natural health!