Go Nuts -- New Research Shows It’s Good for You (ARA) - If you’re among the many people who love to munch on nuts, but who gave them up because of health concerns, here’s good news: recent research shows that nuts, in moderation, are actually a boon to your heart.

Nuts used to be something people felt guilty about eating because they’re high in fat, says nutritionist Gigi Acker, MPH, RD, of NutritionInsights in Los Altos, Calif. But not all fat is bad. Healthy monounsaturated fats, like those found in nuts, actually reduce the risk of heart attack. The recent Nurses Health Study found that nurses who ate nuts five times a week had less heart disease and on average were thinner compared with those who did not eat nuts.

And a study published in the April 2002 Journal of Nutrition had people replace half the fat in their daily diets with almonds for six weeks. Researchers found that the almond eaters’ LDL (bad) cholesterol went down 6 percent, and HDL (good) cholesterol went up 6 percent. In addition, their triglycerides (blood fat) dropped 14 percent. These studies and others indicate it’s the combination in nuts of monounsaturated fats and protective plant compounds known as flavonoids that reduces the risk of heart disease.

* For a fresh twist on an old standby, try a peanut butter with fresh fruit sandwich.
* Add peanuts to Indian food like curried rice dishes.
* Drizzle peanut sauce over grilled chicken or tofu.
* Make your own trail mix -- peanuts, raisins and chocolate chips.
* Sprinkle a few cashews on chicken salad or in Chinese stir-fry dishes.
* Try cashew butter -- use it as a bagel spread instead of cream cheese, which has no protein and lots of fat.
* Add an ounce of cashews to your granola.
* Top your salad with toasted walnuts and a little blue cheese.
* Bake cookies and breads with walnuts. If you buy raw nuts, simply toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until you start smelling their wonderful aroma. Courtesy of ARA Content

New Options to Prevent Brain Damage during Stroke (ARA) - Every 45 seconds someone in the United States experiences a stroke, or brain attack. When a stroke happens, brain cells start to die due to a lack of blood flow carrying much needed oxygen and nutrients.

According to the National Stroke Association (NSA), the deadliest form of stroke is a ruptured brain aneurysm, also known as a hemorrhagic stroke. A brain aneurysm is an abnormal, balloon-like bulging of the wall on an artery. Statistics show that up to 18 million Americans have unruptured aneurysms, which may or may not need medical attention. A study recently published in the scientific journal the Lancet found that a relatively newer treatment for ruptured aneurysms, called coiling, which has been performed since the early 1990s and involves inserting a catheter through an artery in the leg. An endovascular surgeon then runs the catheter through the body into the brain and fills in the aneurysm with tiny platinum coils. Coiling is the placement of little slinkies that are passed (into the body), says Dr. Murphy. We gently fold them into the aneurysm like a ball of yarn one by one and stop the flow of blood. Before rupturing, most aneurysms exhibit no symptoms. However, an expanding aneurysm may cause headaches, double vision or loss of vision, numbness in the face, or a drooping eyelid. If an aneurysm ruptures, patients often describe experiencing the worst headache of their life.

The National Stroke Association urges patients experiencing any of the symptoms of a possible brain aneurysm or hemorrhagic stroke to call 911 immediately. Patients should also ask their doctors about what facility would be best to treat hemorrhagic stroke. For more information on brain aneurysms and stroke, contact the National Stroke Association at (800) STROKES or www.stroke.org. Courtesy of ARA Content

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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- Sweating it out over a big date this weekend? If you're a guy, that could be just the ticket, according to a human biology study released by the University of Pennsylvania.

Biologists said they found male perspiration had a surprisingly beneficial effect on women's moods. It helps reduce stress, induces relaxation and even affects the menstrual cycle. "This suggests there may be much more going on in social settings like singles' bars than meets the eye," said Charles Wysocki, an adjunct professor of animal biology at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine. In a study to be published in the journal Biology of Reproduction, researchers collected samples from the underarms of men who refrained from using deodorant for four weeks.

The extracts were then blended and applied to the upper lips of 18 women, aged 25 to 45. The women rated their moods on a fixed scale for a period of six hours. The findings suggested something in the perspiration brightened their moods and helped them feel less tense.

Blood analyses also showed a rise in levels of the reproductive luteinizing hormone that typically surge before ovulation. Wysocki, a study co-author, said the research could point to a "chemical communication" subtext between the sexes that enables men and women to coordinate their reproductive efforts subliminally.

There was no sign women were sexually aroused by male perspiration. In fact, the women never suspected they had men's sweat under their noses and believed they were helping to test alcohol, perfume or lemon floor wax. "The study was done in quite a sterile environment. It's not strange that they were not thinking sexual thoughts," said Wysocki. "In a more sensual setting, exposure to these odors might facilitate the emergence of sexual mood or feelings." Funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers said the study could lead to new fertility therapies and treatments for premenstrual syndrome if the active agent in male perspiration could be isolated.

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MIAMI BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Bulletin from the medical front: Eating fast food and sitting hours on end in front of the TV are really terrible for the waistline.

As obvious as this might sound, there actually is little firm scientific data to prove the point, especially against fast food. But now a large study released shows just how bad super-sized burgers and nonstop tube time can be for one's health. "Fast food emphasizes primordial preferences for salt and fat," said researcher Mark Pereira. "This may promote overeating." The project did turn up one surprise: While a lot of fast food is clearly bad for white people, it seems to make no difference at all for blacks.

The reason for this is unclear, but the researchers said the data suggest that black people's diets are often just as unhealthy at home as they are at the drive-through window. So a lot of fast food doesn't make matters any worse than they already are.

The analysis, conducted by Pereira of Boston's Children's Hospital, was based on a 15-year follow up of 2,027 whites and 1,726 blacks between ages 18 and 30 in Chicago; Minneapolis; Birmingham, Alabama; and Oakland, California. He presented the data at a meeting in Miami Beach of the American Heart Association.

The key findings:
• Whites who eat fast food twice or more a week have a 50 percent greater risk of obesity than do those who eat this way once or less.
• Their risk of abnormal glucose control, an inability to break down sugar efficiently that often foreshadows diabetes, is double.
• Whites who eat fast food more than twice a week and also spend at least 21/2 hours a day watching television have triple the risk of both obesity and abnormal glucose control, compared to those who eat out once or less and watch no more than an hour and a half of TV.

"It's clearly the composition of fast food meals that we feel plays a role, with a lot of saturated fat and low quality carbohydrates, white bread and lots of soda," said Pereira. "And what you are not getting is also critical, including fiber and more healthful types of fats. It's a dietary pattern that is the opposite of what's recommended for health."

And of course, there are all those calories. A supersize fast food meal may exceed 1,600 calories, more than many people should eat in an entire day. Many of the men and women in the study had fast food more than three times a week. Exactly what they ate didn't seem to matter much. Fries, burgers, breakfast sandwiches and nuggets all meant a greater risk of obesity.

Dr. Robert Eckel, director of clinical research at the University of Colorado, noted that the people studied are at unusually high risk of weight gain, since people pile up the most pounds between ages 25 and 34. While the hazards of hyper-caloric meals and vegging out in front of the tube are clear, people who do these things probably have other bad habits, as well. "I suspect it relates to an overall lifestyle that is not conductive to good health," Eckel said. Pereira said the lack of ill effect of fast food on young blacks was "very surprising." The reason may be that "blacks have a much poorer diet than whites, with less fiber and greater intake of soda," when they eat at home, "so blacks who don't eat much fast food still have a much poorer diet." On the other hand, whites eating at home often appear to get reasonably healthy food, more like the menus recommended by the heart association and other health organizations. In January, a federal judge in New York City threw out a class-action lawsuit blaming McDonald's food for obesity, diabetes and other health problems in children. He said this risk is common knowledge.

Dear Flabby,

My boyfriend loves sports and I feel a lot of pressure to be more active. I sort of want to be involved with him but I don't want to play hockey and football and get hurt.

Flex-challenged in Tacoma

Dear Flex,

You should be more active, regardless of what your lover wants. So give it a try, but meet him halfway: join a co-ed flag football league to start. I've never seen co-ed hockey but I'm sure it exists. And you can always go jogging, swimming and hiking together.

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