Are you eating your way to cancer?

You may want to cut down on the intake of highly or ultra processed foods as a recent study has suggested a possible link between these and cancer. These foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, ready meals and reconstituted meat products — often containing high levels of sugar, fat, and salt, but lacking in vitamins and fibre. These are thought to account for up to 50 per cent of total daily energy intake in several developed countries. Researchers evaluated potential associations between ultra-processed food intake and risk of overall cancer, as well as breast, prostate, and bowel (colorectal) cancers. The study appears in The BMJ.

Low fitness linked with dementia risk 

Regular exercise can help improve brain health and reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, says a study. It says that the lower the fitness levels, the faster the deterioration of vital nerve fibres in the brain. This deterioration results in cognitive decline, including memory issues characteristic of dementia patients. It supports the hypothesis that improving people's fitness may improve their brain health and slow down the aging process. The study has been published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 

Yogurt is good for heart health  

Yogurt has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease. Its intake is associated with lower heart disease risk among hypertensive men and women. High blood pressure (BP) is a major heart disease risk factor. High BP affects about one billion people worldwide and is a major cause of heart problems. Higher dairy consumption has been associated with beneficial effects on heart disease-related comorbidities such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance. For the current analyses, participants included over 55,000 women (ages 30-55) with high BP and 18,000 men (ages 40-75). Higher yogurt intake was associated with a 30 per cent reduction in risk of myocardial infarction among women and a 19 per cent reduction in men. Participants consuming more than two servings a week of yogurt had an approximately 20 per cent lower risks of major coronary heart disease or stroke during the follow-up period. Higher yogurt intake in combination with an overall heart-healthy diet rich in fibre-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains was associated with greater reductions in cardiovascular disease risk among hypertensive men and women. The findings have been published in the American Journal of Hypertension. — Agencies