New research published in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation, has shown that most of the salt Americans consume actually comes from eating out at fast food places, restaurants and processed foods. Only 5 percent is added at the table. These findings come from studying the diets of about 450 individuals over a period of time. The researchers found that the study subjects consumed only 10 percent of their salt consumption in the foods they prepared at home--with half being added at the table. But restaurant meals and processed foods, such as crackers, breads and soups, accounted for nearly three-quarters of the participant's salt intake. This study shows that just laying o
A physician and his team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have discovered an enzyme they believe might one day be blocked by a pill. They have identified an enzyme called DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) which becomes more active in mid-life, i.e., the 40s and 50s when most of us tend to get so-called "middle-aged spread." DNA-PK acts to convert the nutrients we eat into fat rather than being used for immediate energy or a ready source of glucose, the basic "sugar" molecule our muscles and bodies use for the activities of daily living. And the enzyme also unfortunately reduces the numbers of mitochondria in our cells, the energy-producing parts that turn food
