Erythritol is a natural sugar substitute made by fermenting corn, called a sugar alcohol. Other sugar alcohols are sorbitol and xylitol. Because they are all natural, the FDA does not consider them to be food additives. Other artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharine are made from chemicals in a laboratory. … Read More
A regular stroke is a 911 emergency. It is an interruption of blood flow to part of your brain. Without blood, brain cells start to die. This stroke causes sudden symptoms like numbness and weakness on one side, loss of speech or the ability to understand speech, dizziness or loss … Read More
Based on some early studies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a warning on statin drug labels that they may cause memory loss and confusion in some people. [1] This warning led to fears that statin drugs might increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, which is the … Read More
While the debate rages on about whether or not sodas should be banned in schools and major cities, one thing is for certain: Each individual can make a personal choice to limit or quit drinking sodas altogether. What about you? Are you ready to kick the colas and discover how to … Read More
It’s Never too Late for Women to Lower Stroke Risk An analysis of data published recently in the journal Stroke found that certain lifestyle changes, even later in life, were associated with lower risk of stroke. Nearly 60,000 women, who were an average of 52 years old at the start … Read More
High cholesterol can have wide-ranging effects—both direct and indirect—on your heart and several other organs served by your vascular system. As cholesterol builds in the arteries of your heart, brain, and throughout your body, it usually does so silently. In some cases, the first signs of atherosclerosis may be a … Read More
Hypertension—high blood pressure readings—is dangerous for your brain, especially in terms of stroke risk. (See "New Hypertension Guidelines: Re-evaluating Blood Pressure Standards.") In fact, of the top risk factors for what causes a stroke, Hypertension is the most powerful, according to results from the very large INTERSTROKE study published in … Read More
Unless you live under a rock, you know that smoking is bad for your health. Tobacco-related diseases kill more than 480,000 people each year in the United States alone, accounting for around 20 percent of all premature deaths. If you’re a smoker, the habit can shorten your life by up … Read More
Few foods are as controversial as the humble egg. Some research shows they're a healthy addition to the diet, while other studies advise against them. For example, two studies show that eggs and cholesterol-containing foods might increase diabetes risk. Researchers used data from two completed randomized trials: 20,703 men from the … Read More
Vascular dementia (VaD) ranks second among memory loss causes after Alzheimer’s disease, yet it is often overlooked. But what is vascular dementia? The condition is caused by vascular problems affecting memory regions and supporting structures in the brain, and is closely associated with cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. Causes of … Read More
