Dr. Ann

If you love your morning coffee as much as I do, you will be pleased to hear that your daily java ritual may be perking up the function of your blood vessels. In a study conducted in 27 healthy adults who were not regular coffee drinkers, drinking a single cup of caffeinated coffee increased blood […]

In a review of 11 published studies including 247,510 adults, researchers concluded that consuming potassium rich foods was associated with significant stroke prevention.  People who consumed 1.64 grams or more of potassium a day (equivalent to 5 servings of fruits and veggies) were 21 percent less likely to have a stroke than those getting the […]

Enjoying a generous handful of walnuts daily can improve the quality of your diet and boost your cardiometabolic health-without sabotaging your waistline. That was the encouraging conclusion from a clinical trial conducted to test the effects of a daily dose of walnuts on cardiometabolic health. For this study, researchers provided diet counseling to 112 adults […]

Eat 1 ounce (a generous handful) of any variety of nut each day. Enjoy up to 1/3 of an avocado daily. Include ½ cup or more of any variety of beans (canned best) daily. Choose a small piece (up to 1 ounce) of high quality dark chocolate as your daily treat of choice. Did you […]

Eating for pleasure and eating to make your heart healthier tomorrow than it is today can go hand in hand. Here are 7 easy ways to do it: Extra Virgin Olive Oil– This highly flavored, for real make-me-healthier fat provides four separate benefits to your arteries – making it hands down the very best oil for your […]

In an uplifting report that adds to the well-deserved and glowing reputation of omega- 3 fats for heart health, scientists determined that increasing our intake of these precious and vital fats helps lower blood pressure. The analysis combined the data from 70 formally published clinical trials and found that study subjects who increased their intakes […]

In a landmark report that speaks volumes to the power we possess through our diets to turn off bad genes, enjoying a Mediterranean diet proved to be a winner for stroke protection. In this study, researchers involved with the PREDIMED clinical trial, a prestigious study that compared the health effects of a Mediterranean diet to […]

Minimize consumption of saturated fats. Fatty cuts of beef, pork, and lamb, poultry skin, whole dairy products (milk, cream, full-fat cheeses, ice cream), palm and coconut oil. Saturated fat is the primary dietary culprit that elevates your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Follow these simple strategies to raise your HDL (good) cholesterol level.  Lose weight, if overweight. […]

If you enjoy eating strawberries, your heart and arteries should be thanking you. In a first-of-its-kind published study, investigators monitored how eating a large daily dose of strawberries affected the key blood lipid markers – total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglycerides. For this study, the researchers had 23 healthy volunteers consume 500 grams of […]

We already know that walnuts are one of the most effective foods on the planet for the prevention of heart attacks and a new study finds they may be potent cancer-fighters too.  Researchers at the UC Davis Cancer Center fed lab rats genetically engineered to get prostate cancer rat chow supplemented with the human equivalent […]

Over the past 20 years there has been a dramatic uptick in our intake of dietary fructose (largely from high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners) and 2 studies add to a large swath of others that our health may be taking a beating as a result. In the first evaluation, scientists determined that among […]

For advocates and followers of low-carb/high protein diets, a provocative, report generating some of the first data on specifically how this diet pattern impacts vascular health, I hope will serve to douse any remaining Atkins’ enthusiasm once and for all. Reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Aug 09), scientists found that […]