Red Wine & the French Paradox

Heard of the French paradox? Wondering why albeit their high fat diet, the French still maintains a low mortality for heart diseases. This arouses the attention of scientists and they discovered that Red Wine is the answer.

Picture taken from telegraph.co.uk

Red wine contains many antioxidants which prevent the free radicals from attacking the healthy cells. The most studied antioxidant Resveratol, a derivation of grape skin and seeds, has been scientifically proven for the prevention of heart disease and cancer. On the contrary, white wine contains less Resveratol than red wine because the skins of the grapes are removed during the wine making process.

Resveratol prevents the blood clots from forming. This would allow a good flow of blood, supplying oxygen efficiently to all parts of the body. When blood clots are formed, ischemia(lack of oxygen) would occur. If ischemia occurs in vessels near the brain or heart, it might cause a stroke or a heart attack.

If you have read my article on Cholesterol, you would know that Low-density lipoprotein(LDL) are the bad cholesterol that you would not want too much of them in the body. These LDL cause plaque in the arteries which results in atherosclerosis. What Resveratol does is that it prevents the oxidation of LDL and thus preventing the formation of plaques.

Resveratol also has anti-cancer properties as it has the ability to neutralize the free radicals. Research has shown that Resveratol can cause the apoptosis(self destruction) of certain cancer cells. It can also suppress the formation of tumor by preventing the formation of new blood vessels around the tumor. Hence, cutting of the supply of nutrients to the tumor.

If alcohol is part of your daily diet, Jin's Health tips suggests that you make red wine your choice. Recommended consumption is a glass of red wine daily for women and two glasses for the men. It's important to note that over consumption of alcohol has detrimental effects to the body, especially the liver.

For people who don't drink, please do not start drinking red wine because grape is definitely the better choice as does not contain alcohol at all.

If you have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Cut down your Cholesterol - Jin's Health Tips

Everyone knows that high cholesterol causes cardiovascular diseases and stroke. These diseases are life threatening and if you belong to a high risk group, a good understanding of cholesterol will definitely help you with your health. Are all cholesterol bad? Are there good cholesterol? In this article, Jin's Health tips will share with you what are the different types of cholesterol and tell you the kind of diet and lifestyle you can adopt to keep your cholesterol within acceptable levels.

If you go for health screening often, you would notice HDL counts and LDL counts on your results.

• HDL(The GOOD) is called High Density Lipoproteins. These are good cholesterols which removes cholesterol from the arterial walls. It also helps to reduce blood clots and constriction of blood vessels. Target Level: >1mmol/L
• LDL(The BAD) is called Low Density Lipoproteins. These are the sticky cholesterols which likes to stick onto the arterial walls. This is the cause for blockage(atherosclerosis) and heart attack. Target Level: <2mmol/l

Figure showing actions of HDL and LDL

Diet

Maintaining good cholesterol level requires a healthy diet. Jin's Health tips recommends a low fat, low cholesterol and high fibres diet.

• Eat plenty of fish, fruit, dark green and leafy vegetable, beans (sources of HDL)
• Avoid high fat food, fried food, pastries, sugared drinks (sources of LDL)

Lifestyle

In addition to a good diet, a healthy diet is required to combat High cholesterol levels.

Jin Health tips advices:

• Mild to moderate exercises at least 30mins a day
• No smoking
• Be more health conscious

Go for your health screening regularly and ensure that your cholesterol is within acceptable level. If you belong to the high risk group, it is time you start to change your diet and lifestyle as these two are the key to recovery.

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health Tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Preventing Hypertension - Jin's Health Tips

Hypertension, also know as High Blood Pressure has become one of the most pressing health issues especially in developed countries. Although there are several forms of treatment available, hypertension cannot be totally cured. As the old saying goes "Prevention is better than cure", therefore, Jin's Health tips would like to share with you ways on preventing high blood pressure.

Let me first give you a brief description on what is hypertension. Hypertension is the increase in blood pressure of the arteries. This increase in blood pressure opens up the Pandora's box of many other health problems such as atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, dementia, ischemic attack, kidney failure and even loss of vision.

Classification	Systolic pressure		Diastolic pressure
	mmHg	kPa	mmHg	kPa
Normal	90–119	12–15.9	60–79	8.0–10.5
Prehypertension	120–139	16.0–18.5	80–89	10.7–11.9
Stage 1	140–159	18.7–21.2	90–99	12.0–13.2
Stage 2	≥160	≥21.3	≥100	≥13.3
Isolated systolic hypertension	≥140	≥18.7	<90	<12.0
Source: American Heart Association (2003).[5]

This is a guide as to which category does your blood pressure falls under.

Symptoms

If you exhibit the following symptoms, please consult your doctor to check if you have hypertension:

1. Chest pain
2. Breathing problems
3. Dizziness
4. Irregular heartbeat
5. Blood in urine
6. Problems with vision
7. vomiting

How to Prevent Hypertension

1. Regular exercise
2. Reduce dietary sugar
3. Reduce dietary salt
4. Refrain from smoking
5. Reduce stress
6. Abstain from alcohol

Modern medication such as ACE inhibitors, ARB drugs, alpha blockers, beta blockers and diuretics works to reduce the blood pressure which lowers the risk of suffering from the effects of hypertension. However, Jin's Health tips strongly recommends that a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and healthy diet to achieve the best result.

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com