FDA food labeling has a real impact on American’s health.

In a good way!

The research shows just how effective these strategies can be when attempting to change behaviors.

By labeling and banning trans fats a significant, positive change has occurred.

Blood levels of trans fat declined 58 percent from 2000 to 2008. FDA began requiring trans-fat labeling in 2003. During the same period several parts of the country — New York most famously — passed laws limiting trans fats in restaurant food and cooking. The makers of processed food also voluntarily replaced trans fats with less harmful oils.

The decline, unusually big and abrupt, strongly suggests government regulation was effective in altering a risk factor for heart disease for a broad swath of the population.

Those at risk for heart attack might surprise you.

For people with genetic risk factors and a family history of heart disease, a “healthy” lifestyle may not be enough.

Aggressive dietary and exercise changes and early screening for signs of illness are a must.

Dr. Dean Ornish, who has researched the relationship between lifestyle and health, says even the most malignant family history can be overcome.
“I don’t think anyone is doomed to have heart disease,” said Ornish, founder and president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute.
“You know, even if your mother and your father and your sister and your brother all die from heart disease it doesn’t mean you need ever to die from it,” he added. “It just means you need to make bigger changes in your life than someone else who doesn’t have those kinds of genes.”

The good news is that drinking green tea can lower cholesterol.

Good because we can all do it.

Green tea is accessible and affordable. It also, makes a great replacement for sugary caffeinated drinks because it offers a lift with just a hint of caffeine along with cancer fighting, fat busting polyphenols and flavonoids

Advocates say green tea’s heart-healthy benefits are due in part to a large concentration of polyphenols, which block the absorption of cholesterol in the gut. But skeptics argue that any beneficial effect would be small, and the side effects from a few too many cups a day not worth it.

As part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, the benefits of green tea are hard to ignore.