Sugar kills

            Cholesterol isn’t your only cardiac worry.  Chinese researchers discovered that as your blood sugar creeps upward, so does your risk of heart disease. In a study of 10,000 people, scientists observed that blood pressure, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein—all strong predictors of future heart trouble—consistently increased with rising levels of fasting glucose, the standard measure of blood sugar. 

Tea is For Tension

            The Brits may be onto something: Drinking tea helps reduce stress.  In the U.K. study, men drank either 4 cups of black tea daily, or a placebo beverage that contained the same amount of caffeine, After 6 weeks, they were asked to engage in stressful activities while scientists monitored their anxiety.  The result?  The tea drinkers exhibited 20 percent lower levels of stress hormones than those who drank the faux tea.  They also felt more relaxed.  The scientists aren’t sure why tea relieves stress but think that it could be the combined effect of its many biologically active molecules.

Tomatoes: The New Aspirin?

            Turns out, they’re not just food for prostate health; tomatoes may help prevent a heart attack or stroke, too.  U.K. scientists found that drinking a daily tomato extract beverage equivalent to two tomatoes has a blood thinning effect similar to that of aspirin.  In fact, the tomato drink inhibited blood-clot formation by up to 24 percent.  The extract isn’t yet available to the public, but you can get your daily dose with Campbell’s tomato juice, which provides two tomatoes in every 3 ½ ounces.