A Little Fish Oil Can Do Much Good
Heart and Sole
You may remember me going on about the wonders of fish oil in previous columns. Now I have another chorus to add when I sing its praises. Fish oil contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, pretty much the healthiest fats you can eat. A recent study confirms just how much good a little fish oil can do you.
Scientists found that when you add a healthy helping of fish oil - one that contains 1,800 mg in the form of EPA - to low doses of statin drugs, you can cut your risk of a heart attack by 19 percent more than by using statins alone. And even though fish oil didn't boost the cholesterol-fighting power of the statin drugs, it did help prevent future heart attacks among people at risk. As an added bonus, study participants who took fish oil reported a 20 percent decrease in joint pain than folks who didn't get the extra EPA.
Some fish oil patients - almost 4 percent - did report one small side effect: burping with a fishy odor. If you don't want to burp up a fishy taste - and who does? - talk to a sales person at your local health food store. He or she should be able to help you pick a brand that provides enough omega-3 fats without a lingering fishy taste.
Like fish oil, another topic you'll hear me bring up time and again is exercise. I often tell my patients that it's one of the best ways to keep yourself in good health and to lower your risk of some very common - and sometimes dangerous - conditions.
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Physical Fitness Beats Metobolic Syndrome
Among my patients, metabolic syndrome is becoming more and more common. It comes with a laundry list of symptoms, including high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all of which place you at greater risk for deadly cardiovascular disease. And being physically unfit bumps that risk factor up even higher, especially among women.
The St. James Women Take Heart Project found that physical fitness is a key factor in reducing the risk of death in older women with metabolic syndrome. Just a moderate level of fitness can diminish the increased risk you face from having metabolic syndrome.
But what counts as a moderate level of fitness? Being able to jog a mile in twelve minutes. If you aren't quite there, don't worry. Every increase in your base level of physical fitness decreases your risk, so you can work your way up to that twelve-minute mile.
This study adds weight to what I tell my patients every day: becoming physically fit is one of the most important things you can do to keep your body healthy.
Physical fitness can also contribute to mental fitness by alleviating stress, which can reduce many other health risks. I recently had a patient who was plagued by recurring vaginal yeast infections. As we talked, we realized that the likely cause for her continual discomfort was stress. A recent study linked the two conditions.
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Recurrent Yeast Infections Linked to Stress
If you suffer from persistent yeast infections, chronic stress just may be the cause. Learning to deal with that stress could provide a solution.
In a recent study, researchers recruited 70 women, half of whom suffered from recurrent vaginal yeast infections. The scientists took morning saliva samples from the women and measured how much of the stress hormone Cortisol was present. The women with yeast infections had lower levels of morning Cortisol than normal; that's right, lower levels.
Cortisol normally rises in the morning, and a low morning count is a sign of chronic stress. The conclusion: there's an association between chronic stress and recurring yeast infections.
Chronic stress can wreak all kinds of havoc on your body including yeast infections, weight gain, increased sickness and memory decline. Talk with your doctor about the different ways you can reduce stress. You may be surprised by how much better you feel.
Until next time,
Dr. Alan Inglis
House Calls
