SOME HEALTH TIPS

Chocolate 'cuts' heart attack risk 


Despite controversial reports regarding the health benefits of chocolate, a new study shows regular intake of small amounts of cocoa-rich dark chocolate to be heart tonic.

According to the study published in the European Heart Journal, eating 7.5 grams of chocolate, less than a small square of chocolate bars, every day lowers the blood pressure levels, reducing the risk of cardiovascular events by 39 percent.

"Small amounts of chocolate may help prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food, such as snacks, in order to keep body weight stable," said lead researcher Brian Buijsse.

The high flavanols content of cocoa improves the bioavailability of nitric oxide released from the cells lining the inner wall of blood vessels, causing the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen and resulting in its beneficial effects on blood pressure and heart health.

Since there is more cocoa in dark chocolate, this type of chocolate has greater effects in reducing stress and improving blood flow and blood pressure levels.

White chocolate, on the other hand, is believed to be ineffective as it does not contain any flavanols, the study found.

Scientists stressed that individuals should add caution to their daily diet with great caution as even small amounts of them contains large amounts of calorie and saturated fat.

 
Multivitamins 'up' breast cancer risk

A new study finds taking multivitamins for long-term may place older women at an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

More than half of adults routinely use a dietary supplement particularly multivitamins with the aim of protecting themselves against different chronic diseases.

Recent studies, however, have voiced doubt over the belief suggesting that those who take such supplements are not at a lower risk of death from heart disease or cancer compared to those who do not take such supplements.

According to the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, premenopausal women on multivitamins are even 19 percent more likely to have greater breast density and develop breast cancer.

The study found the overall risk to be relatively low.

"If the association is causal, using multivitamins would have a modest effect on breast cancer risk for any one woman," concluded lead researcher Susanna C. Larsson.

Scientists stressed that their findings do not suggest that these supplements directly contribute to breast cancer, adding that more research is needed to study the matter.




Too much cola causes male infertility: Study 


While cola is becoming the most popular drink these days, a new study links the heavy consumption of the beverage with fertility problems in men.

According to the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, men drinking more than one quart of cola every day are at an increased risk of becoming infertile.

Compared to men who did not drink cola at all, these men were reported to have about 30 percent lower sperm count, and were subsequently more prone to fertility problems.

The high caffeine content of soft drinks may not be responsible for the effect as previous studies failed to show such an association between heavy coffee drinkers and a decline in sperm quality, the study reported.

Scientists believe the lifestyle of men drinking too much cola is the main factor accounting for this finding.