For a healthy heart and long life, munch on a variety of nuts everyday

If you’re looking for superfoods to remain healthy, this is it. Include nuts in your diet plan. Eating five weekly servings of walnuts, peanuts or other kinds of tree nuts was linked to a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 20% lower risk of fatal complications due to hardened arteries, said the report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Walnuts appeared to be the healthiest option, according to the findings, based on more than 210,000 people who answered regular surveys as part of a nurses’ study that spanned…

We give people their humanity back’: inside Croatia’s pioneering mental health centre

High walls still surround the oldest asylum in the Balkans, an 18th-century building pocked with the artillery scars of last century’s civil war, but the gates are no longer locked. Handles have been replaced on internal doors and bars removed from windows. “The jail,” said Darko Kovaoic, a 53-year-old poet with schizophrenia who lives here, “has broken open.” The institution in Osijek, eastern Croatia, is run by Ladislav Lamza, a former social worker who is taking on the government, the health minister, and his own staff to transform the lives of…

‘Our political issues must not affect health care’

Sylvana Sinha, a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, hopes to build a series of primary health-care centres with diagnostic facilities and pathological laboratories, called Praava Healthcare. Praava recently entered into an agreement with Narayana Hrudayalaya, based in Bengaluru. The mission, she tells The Hindu, is to have India’s neighbours cooperate and provide health care to millions in the process. Excerpts. Bangladesh’s health indicators have been better than most of South Asia for years. Where do you think the country lags? It is true that Bangladesh is doing better than any other country…

Did you know a heart attack can affect men and women differently? Here’s how

Previous studies on heart attacks suggests that causes, symptoms, treatments, and outcomes can all differ between men and women. Adding to that, researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) Germany analysed patient data collected from two studies with a total of 4,100 participants. They found that within one year of having a heart attack, the women in the sample were 1.5 times more likely to die than men with similar case histories. The team are now urging doctors to provide intensive support to female heart attack patients, especially in the first 365…

Eating almonds could boost ‘healthy’ cholesterol levels, suggests new study

They make a great go-to snack and are packed with nutritious goodness, so it may come as little surprise that eating almonds on a regular basis could boost levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, dubbed the ‘good’ cholesterol, while improving the way it removes low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (or ‘bad’ cholesterol), according to a new study. The researchers looked at HDL cholesterol levels and function in 48 people who ate 48g almonds (around a handful) on a daily basis over six-weeks, and the HDL levels of the participants when they swapped their almonds…

Dark chocolate enriched with olive oil is good for your heart, study suggests

Chocolate is so often demonised as being bad for your teeth and waistline but the fact is that, in moderation, it can have some pretty surprising health benefits– especially when it comes to your heart. A new Italian study has found that a daily serving of dark chocolate enriched with extra virgin olive oil boosted participants’ cardiovascular health and lowered the risk of potentially fatal problems later in life. Couple this with previous studies suggesting that the sweet treat can also reduce stress and even prevent diabetes, and chocolate is well on its way…