Was it the medication prescribed by your doctor that made you fat?

Maybe you've sometimes wondered whether it was the medication prescribed by your doctor that made you fat. Check out the prescription drugs mentioned on this page and on this. If you conclude that your weight gain may have been caused by one or more or these drugs, then you can easily reduce that excess weight by cutting down on salt and salty food. - Why not try it? It is a safe, fast, effective way to lose weight, lower high blood pressure, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, of stroke, of heart attack and heart disease, reduce your risk of most cancers and of depression, cognitive decline/dementia/senility, frailty, falls and fractures, and a host of allied health problems. - What's not to like? - You will feel sooo much better!

Children's meals in some pubs and fast food chains remain far too high in salt

The Independent reports on new survey findings by CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health). "Children's meals at some of the UK's leading pub and fast food chains contain more salt than they should eat in an entire day, a study has found." Perhaps surprisingly, "Nando's and Wetherspoons both had children's meals containing three times as much salt as a McDonald's Happy Meal of a hamburger and fries. " I recommend that parents read the whole article.

There are healthier options available, but parents are hampered if they are looking for the healthier low salt options for their children because menus lack nutritional information. - Even now! - After years of warnings about the harm that high salt intake does to children and the dangers to their long-term health when they become addicted to salt in childhood. - Even now! - Even now parts of the Food Industry are continuing to ladle vast amounts of salt into children's meals, without providing the necessary information that these levels of salt are dangerous to health. - Heightened risk of high blood pressure, increased risk of stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis, asthma and kidney disease: these are the free accompaniments to highly salted children's meals...

New warning about high salt content of bread

BBC News reports that Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) campaigners are warning again about the high salt content of bread. "A third of breads contain more salt than recommended under guidelines being introduced next year, a survey found. Most breads were within the current guidelines of 1.1g of salt per 100g - but this is being cut to 1g per 100g. Campaign for Action on Salt and Health (Cash), which looked at 300 breads, said it was "outrageous" that bread contained even the current level."

These are the groups of people who are vulnerable to salt. If you are vulnerable to salt you may like to consider cutting down on the amount of bread you eat. At any rate, you could benefit your health by choosing a lower salt bread, using the information given on the CASH website.

The Department of Health remains complacent: "The Department of Health said "considerable" salt reductions had already been made." - That's as in 'considerable' salt reductions from the scandalously high levels of salt most bread has contained for many years. The bread industry has assuredly played a major part in the distressingly high incidence of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and obesity in modern times. It has also helped to cause most people in our country to develop a taste for salt - like an addiction - such that food with little or no added salt tastes too 'bland' to them.

"British Retail Consortium food director Andrew Opie said retailers and manufacturers are to fund independent research to look for ways of meeting the 2012 target - "while still making foods which consumers want to buy"." - I'll translate that for you. - It means that they are doing their damnedest, by means of additives and technology, to lower the salt content by the minimum they can get away with, while retaining the same degree of salty taste in order to keep their customers addicted to salty bread.

NSAIDs painkillers increase risk of heart attack and stroke for heart disease patients

Study: Certain painkillers may raise odds of stroke, heart attack
Heart disease patients with high blood pressure who take a class of painkillers called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are at greater risk for heart attack, stroke or even death, new research shows. NSAIDs include popular medications such as such as aspirin, Celebrex, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).
Read article on the USA Today website

The medical drug-pushers are at it again: Wald still pressing for his polypills to be routinely prescribed to over-55s

In this BBC News report Professor Sir Nicholas Wald makes the dubious claim that when assessing the risk of heart problems, offering drugs to lower cholesterol and blood pressure to all over-55s has the same results as testing for cholesterol or blood pressure problems. He also says it would be simpler and cost effective. Well it might be simpler, and it might very well be cost-effective for Wald himself (see some discussion here of possible conflict of interest, since Wald and Law own a patent on the idea of the polypill) but I strongly doubt that there would be any gain for the NHS.

Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol and Wald wants statins to be part of the polypills. Statins are extremely profitable for drug manufacturers, but they do more harm than good to most of the people who take them. - Click on the STATINS label below this post to see lots of information about this.

There is a simple, safe, cost-free, drug-free way to lower high blood pressure, improve heart health and reduce heart attacks and strokes and many other degenerative illnesses for the over-55s - or indeed for any other age. - That is for GPs and other healthcare professionals seriously to explain to patients and the general public the huge health benefits from eating less salt and salty food. An even more effective measure would be to have a Secretary of State for Health with the guts and sense and decency to push through statutory upper limits for the amount of salt/sodium permitted to be added to processed foods, and especially to bread, which is usually high in salt and yet is a large part of most people's diet. He should also ban the food industry's use of synthetic transfats as additives to biscuits, cakes etc. And he should remove the food and drink manufacturers from the Dept of Health committee that advises on what to do about obesity.

Here's another good idea: tell the truth about Saturated Fats. - You may like to spare 2min 35secs to watch the excellent little video on this page.

Study links antidepressant use with increased risk of heart disease and stroke

Study of 513 middle-aged male twins links antidepressant use with increased risk of heart disease and stroke, as reported by the Times of India.

It should be recognised that antidepressant drugs work no better than dummy pills in any case and should not be being prescribed. Most antidepressants make you fatter and damage your health in many other ways, including causing brain damage years later. It is best to avoid these harmful, useless drugs.

If you think saturated fats are 'bad for you'

I invite you to read this recent blogpost by Dr Briffa. Dr Briffa is a UK medical doctor with a particular interest in good nutrition and its rôle in good health. As you will see, Dr Briffa's article should reassure you that eating saturated fat will not cause heart disease, and indeed that eating saturated fat is associated with reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

My own hobby horse with regard to food is, of course, that reducing salt/sodium intake benefits every aspect of your health, including every aspect of heart health, as well as reducing excess weight in people who are unfortunate enough to be overweight or obese. See safe weight loss by eating less salt and Sodium in Food.

Processed meat risks health, studies suggest; fresh meat OK.

BBC News reports that a Harvard University team which looked at studies involving over one million people from 10 countries found just 50g of processed meat a day increased the risk of heart disease and diabetes, while there was no such risk from unprocessed meat, such as beef, lamb or pork. They posit that the difference may be explained by the salt and preservatives added to processed meats (like bacon, sausages, salami and other luncheon meats).

Well I've been saying for years on my website and in my blogs that salt intake and dodgy added chemicals in processed 'foods' promote degenerative disease and obesity.
See Sodium in foods.

Treating vitamin D deficiency reduces heart disease risk

Read article at physorg.com

Three-year-olds show signs of heart disease

BBC News reports on a US study that found obese children as young as three years old show signs of future heart disease.

It is ever more important that the truth be told about how child obesity comes about, namely that it is caused not by over-feeding children, but by giving them food too high in salt/sodium.

See Child Obesity

And see Sodium in foods

Low levels of vitamin B6 may increase risk of heart disease.

Read article at nutraingredients-usa.com

Concern about growing incidence of dementia and its cost to UK economy

The number of people with dementia in the UK is higher than was previously thought, as BBC News reports here, and it is expected that before 2025 the number will exceed one million.

"Researchers from the University of Oxford compared the cost of caring for a person with dementia to the cost of dealing with cancer, heart disease or stroke - the three main causes of death in the UK.

As well as immediate health care expenses, they looked at the costs of social care, unpaid carers and productivity losses.

Every dementia patient, they found, costs the economy £27,647 each year - nearly five times more than a cancer patient, and eight times more than those with heart disease."

Obviously, with degenerative diseases, prevention is a far cheaper and better option than treatment/cure. Happily, the risk of developing any or all of these degenerative conditions - dementia, cancer, heart disease and stroke and many more - is significantly lowered by cutting down on salt and salty food, because obesity is a common causative factor in all of them, and obesity itself is reduced by eating less salt and salty food.

The need to rein in the continual increase in pharmaceutical drugs being prescribed by NHS doctors is ever more urgent, since scores of prescription drugs cause obesity by weakening the blood vessel walls and thus causing sensitivity to salt. The blood vessels become distended with sodium and water retention and the increased blood volume raises blood pressure as well as weight. Prescription drugs are the major cause of the most serious cases of obesity, namely morbid obesity. - Ironic, isn't it? - The NHS pays loadsamoney for prescription drugs, many of which do serious damage to the innocent patients who take them. (The 'guilty' drugs include steroids, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, and many more. It's best only to take pharmaceutical drugs if you really need them.)

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, boost your lung function and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it!

See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Sodium in foods

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

Omega-3s Good For Heart Disease Patients

Omega-3s May Slow Aging in Heart Patients
Heart disease patients with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids appear to age more slowly than those with the lowest blood levels, according to a new study.
Read article at webmd.com

Ill-informed heart surgeon urges that butter should be banned.

The Express reports that heart surgeon, Shyam Kolvekar, of London’s Heart Hospital, would like butter to be banned and for people to switch to low-fat margarine. What a pity that he is not up-to-date with research in this field and is therefore giving bad advice to people. - See More up-to-date research that concludes that saturated fat does NOT cause heart disease.

High salt intake can contribute to heart disease - as well as to obesity, high blood pressure, and stroke.

See Sodium in foods

Lose weight safely.

Fat retention and fat excretion: the importance of getting enough calcium.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Do YOU believe that saturated fat causes heart disease?

Do you believe that saturated fat causes heart disease? - I invite you to read Dr Briffa's blogpost about saturated fat and heart disease. It may make you change your mind.

High salt intake can cause heart disease - as well as obesity, high blood pressure, and stroke.

See Sodium in foods

Lose weight safely.

Fat retention and fat excretion: the importance of getting enough calcium.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

The Telegraph reports on study indicating that breastfeeding lowers risk of post-pregnancy metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart disease.

The Telegraph reports that breastfeeding lowers the risk of post-pregnancy metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart disease.

Also nursing mothers who breastfeed for longer are helping to prevent their baby from becoming obese. See Breastfeeding for longer helps to protect your baby from obesity

The main reason for this is that human breast milk is low in salt/sodium. Sodium is more harmful to children than to adults because of their small size, and it is particularly harmful to babies.

See Children and Obesity

and advice for pregnant mothers

Some of the many beneficial rôles of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is being appreciated as "nature's antibiotic” as a string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of this nutrient have come to the fore.
Right from the health of your immune system to prevention of heart disease and even vulnerability to influenza, vitamin D is now seen as one of the most critical nutrients for overall health. But it is also one of those most likely to be deficient – especially during winter when production of the "sunshine vitamin" almost grinds to a halt for people.
Read article in The Times of India

Eating walnuts may be helpful for diabetics

Walnut-rich diet may boost diabetic heart health
Daily consumption of walnuts, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, may improve the health of blood vessels, thereby decreasing the risk of heart disease, says a new study from Yale. Supplementing the diet of middle aged diabetics with 56 grams of walnuts led to significant improvements in the function of the blood vessel lining (endothelium), and there was also a trend towards improved cholesterol levels, according to findings published in Diabetes Care.
Read article at nutraingredients-usa.com

Omega-3 may improve blood pressure in kidney disease patients

A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may decrease blood pressure and heart rate in kidney disease patients, says a new study. People with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which increases the risk of heart disease two- to 50-fold, experienced improvements in both blood pressure and heart rate following supplementation with four grams of omega-3 fatty acids, according to findings published in the Journal of Hypertension. Furthermore, when taken in combination with coenzyme Q10 the blood pressure reducing benefits were enhanced, despite CoQ10 alone not being associated with any improvements on its own, report researchers from University of Western Australia and Royal Perth Hospital.
Read article at nutraingredients.com
Comment: The effect upon blood pressure obtained by combining coenzyme Q10 with omega-3 fatty acids is an example of nutrient synergy. The concept of nutrient synergy maximizes the health benefits of micronutrients because of the discovery that they work best in "teams". Minimising salt/sodium intake also reduces blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease.

I've been looking at Kellogg's Optivita. I see that it contains no added salt. - Hurray!

I've been looking at Kellogg's Optivita. I see that it contains no added salt. - Hurray!

It says on the pack "*Kellogg's Optivita can help lower cholesterol because it contains Oat Beta Glucan, the most effective part of the oat." - Well for all I know, that could well be true.

But the MOST IMPORTANT thing is that it contains no added salt/sodium - and lowering sodium intake DEFINITELY lowers cholesterol levels and reduces your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, etc.

I see they have added potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride. (Sodium chloride is the chemical name for common table salt.) - Why can't the Food Standards Agency get some bread manufacturers to make some bread products using potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride, to benefit most people's health? - And don't tell me that salt is necessary for the bread-making process, 'cos I don't believe that for one moment. - I make my own bread, in a bread-maker, and I don't add salt, and it doesn't stop the bread rising or anything. The bread just doesn't keep as long. But bread is better eaten fresh in any case.

Optivita still contains a helluva a lot of sugar though. (Rhetorical question: Why do breakfast cereal manufacturers think that consumers want cereals that are sickly sweet and rot their teeth?)

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver damage and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better! See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk

The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Vulnerable groups

Sodium in foods

See also FAT RETENTION

advice for pregnant mothers

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

Associated health conditions

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

I can be contacted from my website if you need my help. My help is free.