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Healthwatch
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Healthwatch
Is The Portfolio Diet The Best Diet Ever?
~5.0 mins read
Maybe — but that could be the wrong question.
What goals are most important? A goal might be weight loss, improved health, avoiding disease, or something else.
How do you define "best"? For some people, best means the diet with the highest number of health benefits. For others, it may focus on one specific health benefit, such as lowering cholesterol. Still other people may prefer a diet that delivers the greatest benefit for the lowest cost. Or a diet that is healthy and also easy to stick with.
What health problems do you have? One diet may have an advantage over another depending on whether you have cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or none of these.
Which foods do you like best? Your tastes, culture, and location may shape your dietary preferences, and powerfully affect how likely you are to stick with a specific diet.
plant-based proteins such as soy, beans, tofu, peas, nuts, and seeds
high-fiber foods such as oats, barley, berries, apples, and citrus fruit; other examples include bran, berries, okra, and eggplant
phytosterols, which are a natural compound in plant-based foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts (other sources are foods fortified with phytosterols or dietary supplements)
plant-based oils high in monounsaturated fat such as olive oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, and peanut oil.
red meat
highly processed foods
refined grains and added sugar, which may contribute to chronic inflammation
butter, cream, and other dairy products high in saturated fat and cholesterol.
not smoking
getting regular exercise
maintaining a healthy blood pressure and weight
preventing diabetes when possible, or getting good medical care to treat it if necessary
taking prescribed medications such as cholesterol-lowering drugs.
News flash: What we eat can play a pivotal role in warding off — or treating — disease and enhancing quality of life. You may already believe this, and certainly mounting evidence supports that idea. But on the cluttered shelf of diets claiming top health benefits, which one ranks as the absolute best?
That's a trick question. In fact, there is no single best diet. A good diet for me may be different from what's best for you. And for either of us, there may be several good choices with no clear winner.
How can you choose the right diet for you?
When thinking about what diet might be best for you, ask yourself:
Which diets are high in health benefits?
Two very well studied diets demonstrate clear benefit, including lowering risk for heart disease and stroke and reducing high blood pressure: the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.
But the portfolio diet may be as good as or better than these plans, at least for combatting cardiovascular disease that contributes to clogged blood vessels, heart attacks, and stroke. What? You've never heard of the portfolio diet? You're not alone.
What is the portfolio diet?
Just as a financial advisor may recommend having a diverse investment portfolio — not just stocks, not just bonds — the portfolio diet follows suit. This largely plant-based diet focuses on diverse foods and food groups proven to lower harmful blood lipids, including LDL (so-called bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.
If you choose to follow this eating pattern, you simply need to learn which foods have a healthy effect on blood lipids and choose them in place of other foods. For some people, this only requires small tweaks to embrace certain foods while downplaying other choices. Or it may call for a bigger upheaval of longtime eating patterns.
Which foods are encouraged in the portfolio diet?
Below are the basics. Eating more of these foods regularly may help lower levels of harmful blood lipids:
See? Some of your favorite foods make the cut. That's a major strength of this approach: the list of recommended foods is long. So, it's likely that you're already eating and enjoying some of the recommended foods.
Which foods are not part of the portfolio diet?
It's worth highlighting foods that are not on this list, such as
What can the portfolio diet do for you?
Researchers have shown that the portfolio diet can improve blood lipids. But can it also lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems?
Yes, according to a 2023 study published in Circulation. More than nearly 17,000 people kept careful food diaries for 30 years. Those who most closely followed the portfolio diet, compared with those who followed it the least, were more likely to have favorable lipids and inflammation. They were also 14% less likely to have a heart attack, and 14% less likely to have a stroke.
This was true even after accounting for factors that could affect cardiovascular disease risk, such as taking cholesterol-lowering medications, exercise, smoking, or having diabetes or a family history of cardiovascular disease.
Because this was an observational study, it can't conclusively prove that the portfolio diet, rather than another factor, was responsible for the observed cardiovascular benefits. And we don't know how much benefit came from reducing or eliminating certain types of foods, rather than from the specific foods eaten.
Does the portfolio diet help people lose weight or deliver other health advantages?
What about the portfolio diet for weight loss? Although some people lose weight on the portfolio diet, it's not billed as a weight-loss diet. Understanding its potential benefit for other conditions such as obesity, cognitive decline, diabetes, and cancer awaits further research.
Go beyond diet to boost health
Of course, diet is not the only way to improve cardiovascular health and your overall health. You'll stay healthier by
The bottom line
It's probably best to move past the idea of there being a single best diet. The overall pattern of your diet and your portion sizes are probably more important. For most people, it's also a good idea to move away from restrictive diets that are nearly impossible to stick with and toward healthier overall eating patterns. The portfolio diet checks both those boxes.
There's a lot of overlap between the portfolio diet and other healthy diets. So, no one should be suggesting it's the best diet ever. But if you're trying to eat healthier, it's a great place to start.
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Healthwatch
Shining Light On Night Blindness
~3.6 mins read
Trouble seeing at night? Here's what may help.
glaucoma, a disease that damages the eye's optic nerves and blood vessels
cataracts, cloudy areas in the lens that distort or block the passage of light through the lens
dry eye syndrome.
Wash the lenses of your glasses regularly. And take them to an optician to buff out minor scratches.
Keep both sides of your front and rear car windshields clean so that you can see as clearly as possible.
Dim your dashboard lights, which cause glare, and use the night setting on your rearview mirror.
Animals renowned for their outstanding night vision include owls, cats, tarsiers (a tiny primate in Southeast Asia) — and even the dung beetle.
But humans? Not so much.
Over time, many people suffer from night blindness, also known as nyctalopia. This condition makes seeing in dim or dark settings difficult because your eyes cannot adjust to changes in brightness or detect light.
What are the dangers for those experiencing night blindness?
Night blindness is especially problematic and dangerous when driving. Your eyes cannot adjust between darkness and the headlights of oncoming vehicles, other cars may appear out of focus, and your depth perception becomes impaired, which makes it difficult to judge distances.
Night blindness also may affect your sight at home by making it hard for your vision to quickly adjust to a dark room after turning off the lights. "This can cause people to bump into furniture or trip and suffer an injury," says Dr. Isabel Deakins, an optometrist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
What happens in the eye to create night blindness?
The ability to see in low-light conditions involves two structures in the eye: the retina and the iris.
The retina, located in the back of the eye, contains two types of light-detecting cells called cones and rods. The cones handle color vision and fine details while the rods manage vision in dim light.
The iris is the colored part of your eye. It contains muscles that widen or narrow the opening of your pupil to adjust how much light can enter your eyes.
If your irises don't properly react, the pupils can dilate and let in too much light, which causes light sensitivity and makes it hard to see in bright light. Or your pupils may remain too small and not allow in enough light, making it tough to see in low light.
What causes night blindness?
Night blindness is not a disease but a symptom of other conditions. "It's like having a bruise on your body. Something else causes it," says Dr. Deakins.
Several conditions can cause night blindness. For instance, medications, such as antidepressants, antihistamines, and antipsychotics, can affect pupil size and how much light enters the eye.
Eye conditions that can cause night blindness include:
However, one issue that raises the risk of night blindness that you can't control is age. "Our eyes react more slowly to light changes as we age, and vision naturally declines over time," says Dr. Deakins. "The number of rods in our eyes diminish, pupils get smaller, and the muscles of the irises weaken."
What helps if you have night blindness?
If you notice any signs of night blindness, avoid driving and get checked by an eye care specialist like an optometrist or ophthalmologist. An eye exam can determine if your eyeglass prescription needs to be updated.
"Often, a prescription change is enough to reduce glare when driving at night," says Dr. Deakins. "You may even need separate glasses with a stronger eye prescription that you wear only when driving at night."
Adding an anti-reflective coating to your lens may help to cut down on the glare of the headlights of an oncoming car. However, skip the over-the-counter polarized driving glasses sold at many drug stores. "These may help cut down on glare, but they don't address the causes of night blindness," says Dr. Deakins.
An eye exam also will identify glaucoma or cataracts, which can be treated. Glaucoma treatments include eyedrops, laser treatment, or surgery. Cataracts are corrected with surgery to replace the clouded lens with an artificial one. Your eye care specialist can also help identify dry eye and recommend treatment.
Ask your primary care clinician or a pharmacist if any medications that you take may cause night blindness. If so, it may be possible to adjust the dose or switch to another drug.
Three more ways to make night driving safer
You also can take steps to make night driving safer. For example:
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Healthwatch
Shining Light On Night Blindness
~3.6 mins read
Trouble seeing at night? Here's what may help.
glaucoma, a disease that damages the eye's optic nerves and blood vessels
cataracts, cloudy areas in the lens that distort or block the passage of light through the lens
dry eye syndrome.
Wash the lenses of your glasses regularly. And take them to an optician to buff out minor scratches.
Keep both sides of your front and rear car windshields clean so that you can see as clearly as possible.
Dim your dashboard lights, which cause glare, and use the night setting on your rearview mirror.
Animals renowned for their outstanding night vision include owls, cats, tarsiers (a tiny primate in Southeast Asia) — and even the dung beetle.
But humans? Not so much.
Over time, many people suffer from night blindness, also known as nyctalopia. This condition makes seeing in dim or dark settings difficult because your eyes cannot adjust to changes in brightness or detect light.
What are the dangers for those experiencing night blindness?
Night blindness is especially problematic and dangerous when driving. Your eyes cannot adjust between darkness and the headlights of oncoming vehicles, other cars may appear out of focus, and your depth perception becomes impaired, which makes it difficult to judge distances.
Night blindness also may affect your sight at home by making it hard for your vision to quickly adjust to a dark room after turning off the lights. "This can cause people to bump into furniture or trip and suffer an injury," says Dr. Isabel Deakins, an optometrist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
What happens in the eye to create night blindness?
The ability to see in low-light conditions involves two structures in the eye: the retina and the iris.
The retina, located in the back of the eye, contains two types of light-detecting cells called cones and rods. The cones handle color vision and fine details while the rods manage vision in dim light.
The iris is the colored part of your eye. It contains muscles that widen or narrow the opening of your pupil to adjust how much light can enter your eyes.
If your irises don't properly react, the pupils can dilate and let in too much light, which causes light sensitivity and makes it hard to see in bright light. Or your pupils may remain too small and not allow in enough light, making it tough to see in low light.
What causes night blindness?
Night blindness is not a disease but a symptom of other conditions. "It's like having a bruise on your body. Something else causes it," says Dr. Deakins.
Several conditions can cause night blindness. For instance, medications, such as antidepressants, antihistamines, and antipsychotics, can affect pupil size and how much light enters the eye.
Eye conditions that can cause night blindness include:
However, one issue that raises the risk of night blindness that you can't control is age. "Our eyes react more slowly to light changes as we age, and vision naturally declines over time," says Dr. Deakins. "The number of rods in our eyes diminish, pupils get smaller, and the muscles of the irises weaken."
What helps if you have night blindness?
If you notice any signs of night blindness, avoid driving and get checked by an eye care specialist like an optometrist or ophthalmologist. An eye exam can determine if your eyeglass prescription needs to be updated.
"Often, a prescription change is enough to reduce glare when driving at night," says Dr. Deakins. "You may even need separate glasses with a stronger eye prescription that you wear only when driving at night."
Adding an anti-reflective coating to your lens may help to cut down on the glare of the headlights of an oncoming car. However, skip the over-the-counter polarized driving glasses sold at many drug stores. "These may help cut down on glare, but they don't address the causes of night blindness," says Dr. Deakins.
An eye exam also will identify glaucoma or cataracts, which can be treated. Glaucoma treatments include eyedrops, laser treatment, or surgery. Cataracts are corrected with surgery to replace the clouded lens with an artificial one. Your eye care specialist can also help identify dry eye and recommend treatment.
Ask your primary care clinician or a pharmacist if any medications that you take may cause night blindness. If so, it may be possible to adjust the dose or switch to another drug.
Three more ways to make night driving safer
You also can take steps to make night driving safer. For example:
Worldnews
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Worldnews
Missiles In Skies: Panic In Indian Frontier Cities As War Clouds Gather
~4.5 mins read
Millions of people in cities near the border in India and Indian-administered Kashmir are on edge amid blackouts, explosions. New Delhi, India — Aqib Parray was standing at a local shop near his home in Jammu, in Indian-administered Kashmir, when all the lights went out late in the evening on Thursday, May 8. Loud bangs followed. Panicked, everyone on the streets started rushing home, 24-year-old Parray said. From the terrace of his home, he said, “I saw that the missiles were scattered in the skies.” Then his internet also went off. “We have never seen Jammu like this.” Two generations of Indians and Pakistanis have not witnessed a fully fledged war, with blackouts and the threat of missiles raining on them even if they are far from any battlefield. In 1999, the nations fought a war over the icy heights of Kargil, but the conflict was contained. Now, as India and Pakistan edge closer to a fully fledged war, millions of people on both sides are witnessing scenes unprecedented in their lifetimes. They include the 750,000 people of Jammu, and millions more in Indian cities that on Thursday evening came under attack, according to the Indian government. Eight missiles were fired from Pakistan-origin drones towards Jammu and nearby areas of Satwari and Samba, also targeting military stations in Udhampur and Indian Punjab’s Pathankot, said India’s Ministry of Defence. India says they were all brought down with no casualties. Shortly after, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar denied that the country had targeted any locations in Indian-administered Kashmir or across the international border. Yet the mounting anxiety across cities in India and Indian-administered Kashmir close to the frontier with Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir is real. Seventeen days after gunmen killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam, and two days after India hit at least six Pakistani cities with missiles, the prospect of a war looms over communities close to the border. Soon after dusk, authorities in Indian Punjab issued complete blackout orders in several districts, including its capital city of Chandigarh, and Jalandhar, Pathankot and Mohali. Sabarpreet Singh, a 46-year-old businessman from Amritsar, Punjab’s second-largest city, said he is learning to react during sudden blackouts. “Things are changing very quickly. I have not been able to sleep at night,” he said. “I’m thinking of leaving the city with my children [and wife]; they are scared when sirens go off.” Late on Wednesday, a blackout was imposed in parts of Kutch, in Gujarat; and in bordering areas of Rajasthan, where the border with Pakistan goes through the Thar Desert. The situation is much more dire along the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Both armies traded heavy artillery as civilian injuries and deaths continued to rise. Amid gunfire, India has moved to evacuate thousands of people, who now sleep in shelters overnight. “There were attempts to target military sites in Jammu, including the defence airport,” a local intelligence official told Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the media. “We have confidence in [Indian] defence systems, however, the security situation is deteriorating. We are monitoring every moment closely.” That India should be on edge is understandable, said Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. After India struck deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on May 7, killing at least 31 people – “terrorists” according to India, civilians (including two children) according to Pakistan – Islamabad and its military are under immense pressure to respond forcefully, he said. “Pakistan was bound to retaliate. Neither the government nor the civil society in Pakistan was willing to de-escalate without a response,” Donthi said. In a media briefing on Thursday, New Delhi said that Pakistan had earlier that day attempted to “engage military targets” in several cities in India and Indian-administered Kashmir, including Srinagar and Amritsar, using drones and missiles. While Indian officials said that forces “neutralised” these attempts, New Delhi said it responded by targeting Pakistan’s air defence systems at several locations, including in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-biggest city. Islamabad said its air defence system brought down 25 Indian drones overnight in several cities, including Lahore and Karachi. At least one civilian has died, and five people were wounded, the Pakistani military said. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reiterated on Thursday that any forthcoming Pakistani attack would be responded to by New Delhi. He insisted that India was merely responding to escalation by Pakistan, also referring to the Pahalgam attack as “the original escalation point”. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by denying any attacks on India or Indian-administered Kashmir, noting, “Any escalation based on false pretences will be met with full resolve and determination.” Referring to global calls for restraint and de-escalation, Sumantra Bose, a political scientist focusing on the intersection of nationalism and conflict in South Asia, said, “The situation needs an urgent intervention by the international community, with effective diplomatic efforts to de-escalate.” “There is no support in the world for this senseless conflict,” said Bose, which he said, “has been rather mismanaged – and should never have been allowed to get to this point.” “Things have gotten out of hand very quickly and it is looking to get worse,” he said, reacting to the drone warfare and the alleged attacks on Jammu. “In the escalatory spiral, it is just retaliations; an endless loop of retaliations from both sides.” Later on Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “We are remaining engaged with both governments at multiple levels.” Acknowledging that Pakistan wants an “independent investigation” into the Pahalgam attack, Bruce said that the United States wants “the perpetrators to be held accountable and are supportive of any efforts to that end.” However, Indian Foreign Secretary Misri had already rejected the calls for an independent investigation earlier in a media briefing, citing “no confidence in the Pakistani establishment for cooperation”. The Trump administration, Donthi said, had, at least until May 7, “appeared willing to let the situation unfold between India and Pakistan”. “Unless the US and other international powers intervene more proactively to defuse the situation, it could lead to a full-blown war,” Donthi told Al Jazeera. Bose, the political scientist, argued that “it is already a state of war.” “It would be much worse unless there is urgent, and effective, diplomatic intervention that makes the key decision makers, namely the Indian government and Pakistan’s military, to end this senseless belligerence and the spiral of escalation.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...
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