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Less Salt Can Mean More Life

March 9th, 2010 at 07:13am Under Health report

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A new study shows a cut of three grams of salt a day prevent tens of thousands of deaths among Americans

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.

The result: thirteen percent fewer heart attacks. Eight percent fewer strokes. Four percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings.

Researchers found it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year.

The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco, was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams, or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University.

Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium, which is how foods may list their salt content.

The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.

Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute shows how that idea can influence what parents order for their children.

Ninety-nine parents of three to six year olds took part. Half had McDonald’s menus clearly showing how many calories were in each food. The other half got menus without the calorie information.

Parents given the counts chose an average of one hundred two fewer calories when asked what they would order for their children. Yet there was no difference in calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves.

Study leader Pooja Tandon says even small calorie reductions on a regular basis can prevent weight gain over time. The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. What do you think is a government’s duty on issues like salt or fats? Let us know at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Faith Lapidus.

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Vitamins: D and the Diet

December 5th, 2009 at 12:24pm Under Health report

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Vitamin D helps bones and muscles grow strong and healthy. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to problems like rickets and osteoporosis. Rickets is a deformity mainly found in children. Osteoporosis is the thinning of bone, a common problem as people, especially women, get older.

Studies in recent years have suggested that vitamin D may also have other uses. Studies have shown that low levels of D may increase the risk of heart attacks in men and deaths from some cancers. Other studies have shown that people with rheumatic diseases often have low levels of D.

The easiest way to get vitamin D is from sunlight. The ultraviolet rays react with skin cells to produce the vitamin. But many people worry about skin cancer and skin damage from the sun.

Also, darker skinned people produce less vitamin D than lighter skinned people. Production also decreases in older people and those living in northern areas that get less sunlight.

Not many foods naturally contain vitamin D. Foods with high levels include oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, and fish liver oils. Boston University researchers reported in two thousand seven that farmed salmon had a lot less vitamin D than wild salmon.

Small amounts of D are found in beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. And some people take dietary supplements containing the vitamin. But most of the D in the American diet comes from foods like milk with the vitamin added.

These days, more doctors are testing for vitamin D levels in their patients. But as research continues, some experts worry that if people take too much D, it might act as a poison. Also, skin doctors warn people to be careful with sun exposure.

How much vitamin D does a healthy person need? Nutrition experts who advise the American government set the current recommendations in nineteen ninety-seven. The daily amount is two hundred international units from birth through age fifty. Then it rises to four hundred I.U.s through age seventy, and six hundred for those seventy-one and older. But some groups say these amounts are not high enough.

The nutrition experts are taking another look at how much vitamin D and calcium people should get. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies expects to release a report by this coming May.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I’m Bob Doughty.

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