Berwick Area Heart Support Group

October 2008 Newsletter

Next meeting Wednesday October 1st  at the DayHospital, Berwick Infirmary,  7.0pm until 9.00pm. The speaker this month will be Lynda Bankier, the Berwick Archivist

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September Meeting Report –         

 THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

We had a great talk from Joan Braund. She is a student dietician working with Ann Geddes, the NHS Northumberland Care Trust Dietician. Our thanks go to Ann and Joan for coming all that way. If this was Joan’ first presentation, it did not show. Joan concentrated on the known benefits of the ‘cardio-protective’ Mediterranean Diet. If you are to obtain the benefits, a different type of eating is needed (it is not just a matter of more Olive Oil and Red Wine). Joan was realistic in her approach, noting that individual preferences are going to matter, if you hope to be able to stick with it. She was looking for ‘substitutes’, for example oily fish like mackerel or other darker fleshed fish that have a higher amount of ‘omega 3’ fat in their oil. (Tinned Tuna is not much use, neither is cod-liver oil. You can get other fish oil supplements).  She listed rape seed oil and linseed and dark green veg, such as kale and spinach that also contain some omega-3, along with a lot of other good nutrition. She suggested we reduce total fat content because of the high calories content of fats (each gram scores 9 calories, whereas protein and carbohydrates are only 4 calories per gram, which makes them less than half the calories.) Too many calories means gaining weight. Secondly, we should reduce intake of foods containing much saturated fat. Fish contains far less ‘saturated’ fat than most meat, for example, and we need to remember that the fat in milk, butter and cheese is mostly ‘saturated’.

Foods like olive oil or almonds have a high proportion of monounsaturated fat, and make better choices, as do walnuts that are mostly polyunsaturated fat including omega 3.

Joan split us into groups to look at some different meal menus and asked us to try to find some substitutes. I was in the group looking at the amazing full-English breakfast (similar to the full-Scottish without the black and white pudden). Another group was faced, I think, with the porkpie lunch. Heavy stuff. We had with us a very welcome visitor, Sheila the Canteen Manager at General Mills, Jus’rol, who had given up her evening to be with us. Sheila had been interested in the recent blood pressure testing that our Heart Group had supported at Jus’rol and is keen to support healthier eating and has introduced opportunities for Jusrol’ staff to make healthier choices. She was able also to suggest to us ways of making that scary breakfast a lot leaner, using grilling rather than frying, for example, and using a leaner choice of bacon. I think however we should give the fried bread a miss, even fried with olive oil. (I did an experiment the following day and found that a white slice (85 calories) soaked up 15g of oil from our frying pan to become 220 calories.)

We had all heard of the ‘5-a-day’ fruit and veg recommendation stressed by Joan, even if some of us find it difficult sometimes to manage. She stressed the useful vitamins and healthful substances that fruit and veg bring with them. Also, filling up on fruit and veg will help us to be more sparing with the calories. Fruit can cheer up a whole grain or cereal breakfast, although raisins, for example bring their own sugar. (Joan personally does not like the taste of porridge very much and prefers a little fruit with weetabix, I think it was - or was it shredded wheat? Some of us defended our oats, cooked or uncooked, including the oat bran soluble fibre that helps carry away a little of our cholesterol.) Fruit or dried fruit is also a good substitute for snacks and desserts. A salad starter while waiting for a main meal is also a good idea.

Also at our meeting was Lesley Angell (very much interested in veg and fruit gardening) who briefly mentioned the famous Borders Organic Gardeners“Apple Day”,Sunday 19^th October, 11am – 3pm, Harestanes, nr Jedburgh. Many of us had actually grown the single potato Sharpes Express ‘early-potato’ that Lesley had given us at the end of her talk earlier in the year. Unfortunately we knew too late to notify you that Lesley was coming, so it was only I and my wife Ann (she had planted the tuber and dug the potatoes) who were able to bring our results to show. Anyway, it turned out that members had mostly already eaten theirs!

Thanks again to our Dieticians and to Lesley and Sheila who came along to support us. 
Phil

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Phil adds: QUOTE from an article in a very recent edition of British Medical Journal
**A Mediterranean Diet has been shown to have a beneficial effecton the occurrence of diseases in industrialised and non-industrialisedcountries. All the major scientific associations, in fact, stronglyencourage people to consume a Mediterranean-like dietary patternto reduce their risk of disease**

This study looks at results from numerous studies involving more than a million people, and finds that the more that people can achieve a Mediterranean eating style the lower the risk of arterial and cancer diseases. Importantly, they also find that there are strikingly fewer numbers with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. On a personal note, my family consumed a very ‘non-Med’ diet. Mother died of colorectal cancer; two brothers are now with late-onset diabetes, and one of these has Alzheimer's following a stroke and the other has Parkinson's. I had a heart attack (then drastically changed my ways 19 years ago). At my Institute in Scotland (150 persons all under 60 with proportionately young workforce) in the 8 years period just before I left, there were 7 heart attacks, of which there were 3 survivors. Women are more protected until their 50s and 60s so it was not too surprising that all the heart attacks were in men. Women comprised more than half the staff, so the total number of men over 45 was probably less than 40. Perhaps one in six had an MI before the age of 60?

QUOTES from BMJ article:

The Mediterranean Diet is not vegetarian, but is heavily skewed in that direction.

**... components considered to be part of a Mediterranean diet(vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals [whole grains], fish, and a moderateintake of red wine during meals).

**... components presumednot to form part of a Mediterranean diet (red and processedmeats, dairy products).

** ... Adiet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereals, witholive oil as the only source of [added] fat .

Many vegetarians consider dairy products and eggs to be part of their diet; hence ‘lacto-vegetarian’ and ‘ovo-vegetarian’ types. These food categories, however, would score zero when adding up a score to see how well you complied with a Mediterranean diet style. Some Mediterranean diet studies have allowed a maximum total of cholesterol in food of 300mg per day to be counted as being in compliance with the diet, which is little more than one egg per day. All meat/dairy products have some cholesterol, so an egg a day would reduce these to zero if you were trying to take on the programme. It is a similar situation regarding saturated fat. Meat and dairy are our big sources of saturated fat.
”But” … someone asked me recently … “the Greeks eat plenty of red meat. So why do they [the scientists] call this diet: ‘Mediterranean’?”
That point does need clearing up.
Meat and cheese have always been popular, but historically were in very short and expensive supply. (The Roman army marched on grains and legumes!) The traditional Mediterranean diet was heavily skewed towards vegetarian and so is the scientifically validated modern version, but it is not exclusively ‘vegetarian’.
The reason why the scientific studies focused in the first place on the "Mediterranean" diet is because, traditionally, southern Europe had a much lower incidence both of chronic diseases and of cancer in mid/later life. High rates of these diseases have become typical in industrialised countries. Now that the countries of the Mediterranean, however, have modernised (a good example is post-war Greece), they have rapidly lost their traditional advantage. There are probably no significant numbers now who eat the old 'subsistence' diet. This change has not just happened in the Mediterranean, and the change-over to a modern diet is also now being studied intensively in Asia.  Both cancer and arterial problems get worse as the diet is modernised. If you are interested, there is an extraordinary official data base, GLOBOCAN, that can be found on the internet / web, which gives numbers showing the dramatic difference in incidence of many cancers between 'high West' and 'low traditional East'. For example, prostate and colorectal cancer is each fantastically high in 'the West' compared with traditional Asia

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National Campaign for Cardiac Rehabilitation

A year ago, the BHF-funded National Audit for Cardiac Rehabilitation revealed that only around 40% of heart patients are accessing vital, life-saving rehabilitation programmes.

This month (September), the 2008 audit report will be released, offering us another opportunity to highlight the shortfalls in the provision of this service in many parts of the country  and the effect this has on heart patients. We’ be sending you more on this next week.

Over the last year, with your help, the National Campaign for Cardiac Rehabilitation has achieved so much. 

In England, we have raised the issue up the political agenda, with MPs and ministers directly addressing the failure to meet the Government’s target of 85% of heart patients accessing cardiac rehab.

Progress has also been made on securing a new funding relationship for cardiac rehab programmes in England.

In Wales, the Campaign has gained the explicit support of both the First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, and Edwina Hart, the Minister for Health and Social Services.

Over £3m of additional money for cardiac rehabilitation has been announced and phase 4 rehabilitation has been included in the National Exercise Referral Scheme within Wales.

In Scotland, sustained pressure from patients and within the Scottish parliament led to a direct pledge of support from the Scottish Government. 

As a result, their recently published revised CHD and Stroke Strategy included a section specifically setting out the objective of improving access to rehabilitation.

Visit bhf.org.uk/cardiacrehab for more campaign information.

With your help, in the next stage of the campaign we will target local health service commissioners around the UK to push for local improvements to provision.

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Wally’s Yarn

Skiing Buddies

Jack decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob.  So they loaded up Jack's minivan and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard. So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door if they could spend the night.
"I realize it's terrible weather out there and I have this huge house all to myself, but I'm recently widowed," she explained. "I'm afraid the neighbours will talk if I let you stay in my house"
"Don't worry," Jack said. "We'll be happy to sleep in the barn. And if the weather breaks, we'll be gone at first light."
The lady agreed, and the two men found their way to the barn and settled in for the night.
Come morning, the weather had cleared, and they got on their way. They enjoyed a great weekend of skiing. But about nine months later, Jack got an unexpected letter from an solicitor. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally determined that it was from the solicitor of that attractive widow he had met on the ski weekend.
He dropped in on his friend Bob and asked, "Bob, do you remember that good-looking widow from the farm we stayed at onour ski holiday up north about 9 months ago?"
"Yes, I do." said Bob
"Did you, er, happen to get up in the middle of the night, go up to the house and pay her a visit?"
"Well, um, yes, "Bob said, a little embarrassed about being found out, "I have to admit that I did."
"And did you happen to use my name instead of telling her your name?"
Bob's face turned beet red and he said, "Yeah, look, I'm sorry, buddy; I'm afraid I did." Why do you ask?"
"She just died and left me everything."
(And you thought the ending would be different, didn't you?... now keep that smile for the rest of the day :)

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