fitnessROCKS.org » Heart Health

Knowledge Is Not Always Power: An Interview with David Katz, M.D.

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:34:34 +0000

In the August 10, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine there was yet another medical study verifying that living a healthy lifestyle is good for our health. A healthy lifestyle was defined in the paper by the four habits of not smoking, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, exercising every day, and maintaining a healthy body weight – what I have called “The Magic Formula.” People in the study who adhered to all four habits had an 80% overall reduction in the risk of developing a major chronic disease during 8 years of follow-up.

Play Podcast 145

In an invited commentary about the article Dr. David Katz of Yale Medical School argued that this is not new information, we have known that lifestyle habits play a powerful role in preventing chronic diseases for decades. Dr. Katz went on to say that the problem we face is how to get people to live a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Katz has written several books on nutrition and health both for the general public and for practicing physicians. He has published numerous scientific articles and over a thousand articles for the lay press. One of his most popular books is The Way to Eat: A Six-Step Path to Lifelong Weight Control
.

You can visit Dr. Katz’s website at www.davidkatzmd.com.

I had the great privilege of interviewing Dr. Katz for this podcast.

References:

Healthy Living is the Best Revenge

Dr. Katz’s Commentary in the Archives of Internal Medicine

David Katz, M.D.

Lifestyle and Heart Disease: an interview with Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:17:39 +0000

Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School. In 2008 he published an article in the journal Circulation entitled “Beyond Established and Novel Risk Factors: Lifestyle Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease.”

Play Podcast 143

I had a conversation with Dr. Mozaffarian this past week about his article and his thoughts on the role of lifestyle in the promotion or prevention of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Mozaffarian emphasizes that the simple habits of eating a diet based on whole foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts; exercising moderately every day; and not smoking represent powerful interventions for preventing heart disease.

References:

Beyond Established and Novel Risk Factors: Lifestyle Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

Sodium, Potassium and Cardiovascular Disease

admin — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:00:21 +0000

We all know that too much sodium in our diet is unhealthy. A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that the ratio of sodium to potassium in our diet has a significant impact on our risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Play Podcast 129

References:

Effects of Sodium and Potassium Ratio on the Subsequent Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Fitness Rocks in the Media

admin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:48:10 +0000

I was interviewed by Mindy Todd on WCAI, my local NPR station here on Cape Cod, about the JUPITER study. You may recall that I talked about the JUPITER study in Fitness Rocks Podcast 121.

You can listen to my NPR interview with Mindy Todd by clicking this link: Fitness Rocks on NPR

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Sleep Duration and Heart Disease

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:03:24 +0000

This week on Fitness Rocks I review a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association about the relationship between sleep duration and the risk of coronary artery calcification. Are you getting enough sleep?

Play Podcast 127

References:

Fitness Rocks Podcast 070 – Poor Sleep and Chronic Inflammation

Short Sleep Duration and Incident Coronary Artery Calcification

Big Money, Bad Science – Drugs and Heart Disease

admin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:27:52 +0000

This week the JUPITER study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It is being haled in the lay press as a study that may fundamentally change how we approach the prevention of heart disease. It could result in millions of additional people being prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs. Is it good science or good marketing?

Play Podcast 121

References:

JUPITER Study

Editorial on JUPITER Study

Lancet Editorial

Lifestyle Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease with Lifestyle

Diabetes Prevention Program

Lifestyle and the Risk of Stroke

admin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:05:55 +0000

In an article published in the journal Circulation researchers looked at the relationship between healthy lifestyle habits and the risk of stroke. I review the article in this episode of Fitness Rocks – you should listen!

Play Podcast 120

References:

Primary Prevention of Stroke Through Healthy Lifestyles

Is Overweight or Obese a Health Risk – or Not?

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:20:52 +0000

This week I talk to Dr. Rachel Wildman about her recent article in the Archives of Internal Medicine reporting the research work of her and her colleagues into the relationship between obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Some normal-weight people have a lot of cardiometabolic risk factors and some obese people don’t have a lot of cardiometabolic risk factors. One of the things that stands out in her research is the role of exercise.

Play Podcast 110

References:

Obese and Normal-Weight People With and Without Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

Editorial in Archives of Internal Medicine on Dr. Wildman’s paper

Music:

Charlie Crowe – Crowe Jam

Jon Schmidt – All of Me

Ten Facts About Chronic Diseases

admin — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:26:06 +0000

Check out this brief, but informative, slide show produced by the World Health Organization about the impact and prevention of chronic diseases worldwide:

Click here to see the slide show: Ten Facts about Chronic Disease

Antioxidant Supplements and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

admin — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 03:27:37 +0000

Listen to Podcast: Fitness Rocks Podcast 062

This week we’re looking at a recent study that investigated whether taking vitamins C, E, and beat carotene alone or in combination might help with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

References:

The Women’s Antioxidant Cardiovascular Stud y

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Music:

Charlie Crowe – Crowe Jam

Jon Schmidt – All of Me