Menopausal women may be at high risk of cardiac problems

A study was conducted to more than 5,000 menopausal women found that the 50 percent who suffered from flushing and 50 percent suffered from night sweats were more likely to have high cholesterol and high blood pressure and to be overweight, which put them on a higher risk of having heart disease.

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you should take steps to reduce your cholesterol and blood pressure and lose weight before menopause begins.

Those who have already finished menopause should have a monthly cardiac checkup and you should consult your doctor to advise you on your diet and lifestyle to keep your heart healthy.

On another study it was noted that women who go through menopause quickly may develop atherosclerosis more rapidly. It was also concluded based on a recent published study of women with no coronary artery disease before menopause found that those who have gone through menopause within two to three years have developed more plaque in their coronary arteries than those who took longer to make the transition.

These women should also be examined for other risk factors that may aggravate the coronary artery disease condition. Nonetheless one has to also bear in your mind that early menopause before the age of 50 also increases the risk of heart disease.

Traditional Indian home remedy that has been used ancient times to protect our heart includes consuming the juice from the lotus flower which is effective in healing heart related problems. You must boil the petals of the red lotus flower and drink the juice daily to strengthen your heart. The root of the petal flower are also edible. As for Asian Indians, we use the lotus flower to prepare spicy curry and we also fry the root of the lotus plant and we add into the curry or dal with vegetables. You can also stir fry the roots with celery and other vegetables.

Benefits of eating Yogurt

I would like to share the goodness of eating yogurt in our daily meals.

What are yogurts?

Yogurts come from milk. Yogurt is milk that are cultured with active cultures such as Lactobacillus and H.pylori. It contains good bacteria that protects our body from harmful bacterias that causes disease. Yogurt contains probiotic which are good bacteria that balances the organism in our intestines and directly protects our digestive and immune system.

Yogurt has a high quantity of calcium and Vitamin D which is important to build strong bones. It also contains active cultures that helps with 'gastrointestinal' problems. It helps to prevent colon cancer, gastric problems and bowel disease. One can also take yogurt in other liquid forms such as Nestle Lemon Lime, Peach, Lychee and Strawberry Yogurt drink. One should look out for low fat or fat free or reduced fat or 99% fat free yogurts. One should also check the quantity of sugar as well as type of live cultures. Do not buy those with high fructose syrup or trans fat.

It also helps those who are lactose intolerant or are allergic to dairy products. Yogurt may be an alternative food for these people. Yogurt contains lactose and digestive enzymes that have been cultured to protect the digestive system.

Yogurt also helps to fight urinary tract infection(UTI. This candida or yeast infection normally causeS itchiness and if left untreated can lead to bigger problems. One of the easiest remedy is to take yogurt drinks and eat yogurts which contain active cultures. Some of the popular brands are nestle and dutch lady. A diabetic patient is prone to have frequent vaginal infections. It has been documented that diabetic patients who ate yogurts with active cultures have seen significant changes in their pH level ie their pH level has dropped from 7.0 to 4.0.

Daily consumption of yogurt also fights cholesterol in our body. In recent studies it has been documented that eating yogurt helps to lower bad cholesterol(LDL) and its raises good cholesterol (HDL).

In the book "Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism) by Fabian E, an experiment was carried our against women who consumed probiotic yogurt and pure yogurt(without being cultured). The observation was that women who consumed the probiotice yogurt had significant level of good cholesterol(HDL) being raised and the amount of bad cholesterol(LDL)being decreased successfully. Those women who consumed pure yogurt also was reported that their level of LDL cholesterol has been decreased however their HDL cholesterol did not go up.