Getting serious about salt? We consume more than you might think

We've heard it before: too much salt in American diets. And since salt is a contributor to high blood pressure - the leading cause of strokes - too much can be serious.

Now, the FDA has issued new guidelines to target the sodium hiding in our diets:

Too much salt can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, as many research studies have demonstrated. "Experts at the Institute of Medicine have concluded that reducing sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day can significantly help Americans reduce their blood pressure and ultimately prevent hundreds of thousands of premature illnesses and deaths," Susan Mayne, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement.

Stroke stats can be confusing - but many strokes can be prevented

News about strokes in the United States is mixed bag these days. Fewer hospitalizations. Fewer total rates. Higher rates among young people. Increases in some stroke risk factors.

And not all of those issues are answered - just speculation about, for example, why young people are seeing an increase in strokes.

One obvious item is stroke prevention, especially for those changeable lifestyle behaviors that could really reduce risk. Check out this piece about different populations and stroke prevention:

Got fruit? You might be doing yourself a bigger favor than you thought

As most runners, I like bananas. Potassium and all.

Now, it seems that I might be doing some stroke prevention work without even knowing it - a study contains clues that fruit every day might help your heart:

Adults who ate fresh fruit, such as apples and oranges, every day had about a one-third reduced risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke, compared to those who rarely or never ate fruit, researchers found.

Why watch the salt? Read the latest facts

How much salt do you need? Probably less than you consume.

If you are a typical American consumer, chances are 9 out of 10 that you consume too much sodium. The problem? It can contribute to high blood pressure, which is the leading cause of strokes.

This has been in the news before, of course, but habits are hard to break. Read more how Americans still consume too much salt:

More than 90 percent of children and 89 percent of adults consume more sodium than is recommended in the new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidelines advise no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of salt a day -- about a teaspoon -- for most adults.

Pass the fried catfish - but only once in a while

Photo: Patrick Woodward via Flickr

This isn't the first time we've seen the warning that Southern diets are linked to stroke risk.

Being a born Southerner - and a lover of fried catfish, fried hush puppies and fried okra - it's hard to admit that the food I grew up on was perhaps not the healthiest. These days, living in the Midwest, I am sparing in consumption of these things.

Check out the latest article that Southern-style diet is least healthy:

Individuals eating foods typical to the Southern region -- think fried chicken, fried okra, sweet tea, buttered biscuits, and lots of gravy -- showed a 56% increase in cardiovascular disease, compared with those rarely eating such foods, in the national, population-based, observational Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) trial.

Stroke prevention: Not glamorous, but more effective than all the high-tech tools we have

This week's postings are devoted to stroke prevention. It's not glamorous or exciting. Very little cutting-edge research using whiz-bang technology.

Instead, it's about high blood pressure, diet, smoking, diabetes and the like.

But controlling those factors could prevent more strokes, keep fewer people disabled and prevent more strokes than any high-tech solution - at least during my lifetime.

So, pass along a recent CDC write-up about American Stroke Month and National High Blood Pressure Education Month:

Stroke is largely preventable. You may be able to prevent stroke or reduce your risk through healthy lifestyle changes. High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for stroke. Others include high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet.

Is something right happening in health care?

Something right might be happening.

In catching up on stroke-related news of late, I was reminded about a story showing that emergency departments are seeing fewer strokes and TIAs:

The rate of adult emergency department (ED) visits for ischemic stroke or TIA fell 35%, from 40 to 26 per 10,000 persons from 2001 to 2011 in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) data. The rates fell across age groups -- a relative 51% in the 55-to-74 range and 26% for those ages 75 and older, Anjali Talwalkar, MD, MPH, and Sayeedha Uddin, MD, MPH, both of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics in Silver Spring, Md., reported in the March issue of NCHS Data Brief.

But among younger people who came to the ED for ischemic stroke or TIA, fewer were arriving by ambulance.

Strokes are generally preventable, with fairly common-sense diet, exercise and medication use leading those methods of prevention. I've put links under each of those categories, where you can read more about stroke prevention.

Stroke treatment is still vitally important, and improving stroke treatment through better medication, better therapy techniques and tools are key elements of stroke treatment. But preventing a stroke is the best treatment of all. So do what you can - the life you save could be your own.

Reducing stroke risk with diet - what's the latest?

You are, the old saying says, what you eat.

Several years ago, that line was used to promote a low-fat diet. The reasoning was that if you eat fat, you'll get fat. Then came Dr. Atkins, high-fat, low-carb diets. Then more refined (and often fad) diets - high protein, low fat, low carbs, no sugar, paleo, vegan, etc. Eggs were bad, now are good. Milk was good and now, supposedly, is bad.

I still drink milk, however.

The latest target is sugar. But like fat, will we find out that certain sugars are good for you, while others are bad? When I had my stroke fat was bad. Then fish oil (aka fat) became good for you and now we buy Omega 3 pills. So will experts someday identify a sugar called, say, Ceti Alpha 5, that's good for you while other sugars are bad?

Watch out for that easy road

The safest road to hell is a gradual one. This is safe road has a gentle slope, without turns, without milestones, without signposts, without warnings.

-C.S. Lewis

First and foremost: I am not a theologian.

Neither, by the way, was C.S. Lewis.

However, that aside, and no matter what you or yours think about hell, his quote carries a lot of meaning in life in general. How much in life leads to bad results by a supposed easy path?

We roll along, perhaps not paying close attention to certain diet, exercise, smoking or other choices we make. Things seem to be going over life's paths that appear to be safe, without warnings.

You know what can happen. A stroke can come at young, old or in between, without warning.

A different road - more thinking through diet selections, deciding how to exercise, making conscious choices about smoking - seems harder. Not necessarily perfect, but at least considered. And with better possible outcomes. Not guaranteed, but more likely.

Again, I'm not here to debate the existence or characteristics of hell. But just be careful what road your life is taking. It might make a difference here on earth.

Preventing a stroke might prevent a death

We all need to encourage better treatment for better outcomes for stroke patients.

BUT, just as important are ways to prevent strokes. For every stroke we prevent, we prevent a possible death or disability. A recent study combined some key methods to reduce stroke risk and, not surprisingly, that healthy lifestyle choices may cut women's stroke risk:

After being followed an average of 10 years, women who ate a healthy diet, drank alcohol moderately, never smoked, remained physically active and had a healthy body weight were 54 percent less likely to have a stroke than women with none of these factors, said study author Susanna Larsson, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

While other studies have looked at single risk factors, "only a few studies have examined the combined effects of a healthy lifestyle on stroke risk," Larsson said.

"We observed that the risk of stroke decreased steadily with an increasing number of healthy lifestyle habits," she said.

While the study found an association between healthy habits and stroke risk, a causal link was not proven.

Take this seriously - the life you save may be your own.

Too much salt can threaten the young

Salt can lead to high blood pressure. Which is the leading stroke cause.

So, it's disturbing that that children consume too much salt:

About two-thirds of that sodium came from prepared or ready to eat “store foods,” 13 percent from fast food, 9 percent from school cafeterias and 5 percent from other restaurants, according to the report. More than 40 percent came from 10 food categories, headed by pizza and bread and including cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, tacos and soup.

“Some of these foods may not taste salty, but they are top contributors because they do have significant sodium content and children eat a lot of them,” said Dr. Ileana Arias, the deputy principal director of the CDC. “A poor diet in childhood can help lay the foundation for future health problems. And the fact that young kids and teens are consuming so much sodium these days and adopting increasingly bad dietary habits is certainly a cause for concern.”

This is particularly disturbing in light of the fact that one in six children already has elevated blood pressure, a risk for high blood pressure as adults and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke, she said.

We owe children better chances in avoiding strokes and heart disease.

Potassium linked to reduced stroke risk

Like the old song says, "I Like Bananas Because They Have No Bones."

Now, another reason. Recent research shows that potassium is tied to lower stroke risk:

An analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) found an inverse relationship between self-reported dietary potassium intake and stroke in postmenopausal women.

Women (mean age 63.6) who consumed the most potassium each day ... had a 12% lower overall risk of all stroke ... and a 16% lower risk of ischemic stroke ... when compared with women consuming very little potassium ..., reported Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, PhD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues.

In addition, among women without hypertension, those in the highest quartile of reported potassium consumption had a 27% lower risk of ischemic stroke than those in the lowest quartile, they wrote in the journal Stroke.

All kidding aside, there are other potassium sources other than bananas. So enjoy your favorite!

Is more protein good for you?

I've been trying to increase my protein intake recently in the hope of improving my knee surgery recovery. Now, perhaps I have more reasons to keep up with protein. A recent story poses the question - more protein equals lower risk?:

From the U.S. Department
of Agriculture

And a dose-response analysis showed that an increased intake of 20 grams of protein per day was associated with a 26% reduction in the risk of stroke (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.65-0.84), they reported online in Neurology.

"This risk reduction would be translated into a reduction of 1,482,000 stroke deaths every year worldwide and is expected to produce overall health benefits by decreasing the level of disability," they wrote.

The authors acknowledged, however, that no large randomized trials have been conducted to directly examine the relationship between protein intake and stroke risk.

Of course, some protein sources tend to have other effects - we've all read how too much red meat might be bad for you, for example. Still, making sure you have enough of the right kind of protein might pay off in multiple ways.

Mediterranean diet: Possible stroke prevention

Diet plays into stroke risk factors - both good and bad ways. A new study (click on the link to read the entire story) reports that a Mediterranean diet may counter the genetic risk of stroke:

Mediterranean diets heavy in two foods -- olive oil and nuts -- are linked to a lower rate of strokes in older people whose genetic makeup boosts their risk of diabetes, according to a new study.

The research suggests but doesn't conclusively prove that the diet lowers or even eliminates the extra risk of stroke, perhaps by lowering the rate of diabetes. Still, "our work has placed a solid step on the ladder of personalized nutrition and successful health," said study co-author Jose Ordovas, director of the nutrition and genomics laboratory at Tufts University's USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

Too many heart, stroke patients keeping bad habits

A bit of a sad note - too many heart, stroke patients keeping bad habits:

Many patients suffering from coronary heart disease or stroke are unlikely to adopt healthier lifestyles, says to a new study led by a McMaster University researcher.

In fact, the study found more than 14 per cent of patients failed to adopt any healthy habits at all.

“We know that people after a heart attack or stroke, if they exercise regularly or they eat a healthy diet and they quit smoking, the risk of having a second event is much reduced,” said McMaster cardiologist Dr. Koon Teo. “Therefore it is just as important to adopt lifestyle changes as it is to take medication.”

Dietary fiber could reduce stroke risk

Eating right benefits everyone. Recently, research made news about how dietary fiber can reduce stroke risk:

Each additional 7 g of daily dietary fiber intake was associated with a significant 7% lower risk of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke combined, Diane Threapleton, MSc, of the University of Leeds, England, and colleagues reported online in Stroke.

"Our study supports current guidelines to increase fiber consumption," the researchers concluded, although they noted that too little data were available to narrow down what sources or types of fiber were most protective.

So - remember the fiber. Good for you in surprising ways!

Study: Whole world uses too much salt

I admit it: I like salt. But that being said, I try not to consume too much of it, especially after reading that a recent study finds the whole world uses too much salt:

Salt intake worldwide is at least twice what it should be, with a big impact on global health, researchers found.

Daily sodium intake averaged 3,950 mg in 2010, according to an analysis covering nearly all of the world's population by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, MPH, of Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues.

The recommended daily intake is 2,000 mg by World Health Organization standards and 1,500 mg by American Heart Association guidelines.

'Honor God with your bodies'

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

-1 Corinthians 6:19-20

A recent story about salt research can be an example of honoring your body - through controlling salt intake.

Reuters Health reported that a study says U.S.- wide salt reduction could prevent deaths. A snippet:

The Institute of Medicine recommends most healthy people get 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, with an upper limit of 2,300 mg. But the average American eats more like 3,600 mg each day, largely through processed food.

"Reducing sodium intake is important for everyone, not just a small subset of people who are salt sensitive," said Pamela Coxson, the study's lead author from the University of California, San Francisco.

Although the health effects of a salt cutback may be small for the average person, she said, the results show they add up when projected across millions of Americans.

A low-sodium diet can help with high blood pressure, the most common cause of strokes.

Southern diet and stroke risk

This is not shocking news, but more research is showing that Southern - often fried - foods are stroke risk factors. Check out the article about how Southern diet has tight grip on "stroke belt":

Judd said that people in the top quartile ate Southern foods about six times a week, while those in the lowest quartile ate it about once a month.

"Diet is an overlooked risk factor for stroke," Judd told MedPage Today. "While physicians, of course, know that diet is a risk factor, stroke patients or patients with risk factors for stroke are rarely referred for dietary counseling," she said.

"Yet this is something that patients can easily do to reduce risk," noted Steven M. Greenberg, MD, PhD, chair of the ISC program and chair of neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Stroke Research Center.

"Patients are always asking what they can do to avoid stroke. Here is something you can tell them," he said in an interview.

As a born Southerner, I understand the diet. There is still a lot of fried and somewhat unhealthy food consumed in Southern states. And I understand the attraction - my personal fave is fried catfish with fried hush puppies. It can't be beat.

That being said, I also don't eat fried catfish every night. If you've read this blog before, you know that I'm a fan of moderation. Fried foods are OK occasionally - just not routine - and not in huge amounts. I seriously doubt I'll ever stop eating my fried catfish.

(Photo by Ryan Somma [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

Sugary drinks linked to higher stroke risk

Not a huge surprise here - those sugar-laden drinks are associated with higher stroke risk around the world. This one involved research in Japan on women health and found that sugary drinks linked to higher stroke risk:

Women who imbibe sugary soft drinks almost every day are 83 percent more likely to have a certain type of stroke than women who rarely drink sodas and other sweetened beverages, according to a new study from Japan.

Although the findings don't prove that sweet drinks are to blame for the higher stroke risk, other studies have shown links between high sugar intake and clogged arteries, said Dr. Adam Bernstein, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic, who was not involved in the study.

And "as the authors here saw, most of the (increased) risk was with ischemic stroke, the kind of stroke with plaque buildup" in the arteries, Bernstein said.

(Photo from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)