Taking aspirin to prevent heart disease and strokes may be more dangerous than you think, according to researchers at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, underscoring the need for a healthy lifestyle.
“When you are in a low-risk group of people, then the benefit [of taking aspirin] is minimal in comparison to risk of bleeding complications,” study co-author P.K. Shah tells me. The current guidelines, which generally recommend routine use of aspirin for primary prevention of heart disease in men and stroke in women, do not take this new data into account.
More precisely, Shah and his colleagues analyzed nine earlier trials and found that when used for prevention, aspirin decreased risk by 10 percent but increased risk of bleeding by 47 percent, and did not reduce the number of deaths. In contrast, among people who already have heart disease, the upside of aspirin may be greater than its risks, although each individual patient’s circumstances should dictate treatment decisions.
The Cedars study, presented at a recent conference held by the American College of Cardiology, analyzed data on more than 104,000 patients.
Shah cautions that heart disease can be present without any visible symptoms. If you seem healthy but have a family history of the disease, or have diabetes or high blood pressure, you should get checked out. In all cases, a heart-healthy lifestyle offers protection.
The Right Diet
Although the American Heart Association once recommended low-fat diets, these are no longer the gold standard. The heart needs, in Shah’s words, “the right-fat diet.”
The right-fat approach is more traditionally called the Mediterranean diet. Among people who have already suffered a heart attack and followed this type of diet for two or three years, the risk of a repeat attack was reduced by 70 percent, Shah says. And eating Mediterranean-style is some of the best health insurance for anyone.
Mediterranean vs. American
Despite being touted for years, the Mediterranean approach to food is not well understood. To get an idea, picture these:
• A Mediterranean dinner plate is filled mostly with several different vegetables, lightly cooked, seasoned with olive oil and spices, some beans or legumes, some (mostly whole) grains and a small piece (perhaps one-quarter of the plate) of fish, seafood, or lean meat.
• An American plate typically contains a large piece of meat, half or two-thirds of the plate, perhaps one non-starchy vegetable with a sauce, and a starch.
• A Mediterranean salad would contain an assortment of four or five raw and/or grilled vegetables, lightly tossed with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and a variety of seasonings.
• An American salad likely contains lettuce, quite possibly iceberg, a few lonely tomato slices, perhaps a little cucumber, and it’s usually covered in some type of creamy dressing, such as thousand island or blue cheese. It might be accompanied with pre-packaged croutons laced with artificial flavoring.
• Mediterranean dessert might be a piece of fresh fruit, or occasional sorbet, rather than a big piece of American pie with ice cream, or cake made with refined flour and, unless it’s homemade from scratch, an assortment of food additives and artificial coloring.
• A Mediterranean snack might be a small piece of one or two cheeses and a little fruit, or a small handful of nuts.
• A common American snack consists of a big bag of chips, a large candy bar, or an ample quantity of cookies.
• Sugary soda, regular or diet, is not part of traditional Mediterranean cuisine.
Start Simply
If you want to go a little Mediterranean, start by buying some extra virgin olive oil and a pouring spout (so that you can easily drizzle the oil on food). For a few dollars, you can pick up a spout at a supermarket, an Italian food market, or a specialty store for cooks. They’re re-usable and fit most bottles. If you don’t know what they look like, check out www.cheftools.com.
Then, introduce yourself to a variety of fresh vegetables you’ve never tried before, add your old favorites, and head home for a feast. Steam or grill the veggies and, once they’re on your plate, drizzle a little olive oil on them and season with salt and pepper.
Just keep things simple and enjoy some flavorful food. And, don’t forget to go for a walk.
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