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| Fri, 09-02-2005 - 10:45am |
story:
Many people will stand up and cheer for this next Dr. Oz tidbit—coffee is actually good for you, in reasonable amounts.
Coffee actually has been shown to reduce liver cancer and to be effective with (or with symptoms of) Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases," Dr. Oz says. "So there are a bunch of different places where coffee can play a role. The reason it got a bad name is because it does have side effects, for example, migraine headaches and heart palpitations. But if you're not having them, coffee is reasonable."
Did we mention, it's good for those bowel movements, too? Dr. Oz suggests 24 ounces of coffee a day is a rational amount.
Dr. Oz is on the New York Presbyterian Hospital team that operated on President Clinton during his recent quadruple bypass operation. While in office, President Clinton underwent daily health screenings, but the tests never showed he was on the verge of a major heart attack. The President had experienced tightness in his chest after exercising that would eventually go away. He finally decided to consult doctors after experiencing tightness in his chest unrelated to exercise—a decision that saved his life.
"I'm much more careful about what I eat and I have resumed a vigorous exercise program," President Clinton says. "I'm convinced that if it hadn't been for the fact that I was in pretty good shape, I might not have survived it."
Dr. Oz says that the president had done the right thing in listening to his body and pushing to cure what seemed wrong. But President Clinton had stopped taking his medications after he had seen a drop in his cholesterol.
"Fifty percent of Americans don't take their medications the way they need to," Dr. Oz says. "And he's the President of the United States. He's as well tested as you can be. And that take-away point is you cannot test for safety. You've got to live to be safe. As clean as your arteries are, and his were three months before he had this problem, they can become problematic if you're not taking the proactive healthy living steps that we're talking about."
So what can you eat to make your heart healthy and happy? Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are the best, says Dr. Oz. Salmon, walnuts and hazelnuts are great sources. Keep nuts in your refrigerator so they don't oxidize. Garlic and onions are also heart-healthy.
You've heard it before, and we'll say it again—yay, red wine! So why is red wine healthier than white?
"Red wine has a chemical in it called rezveritrol, which is a very strong antioxidant that's also been shown to be heart-healthy," Dr. Oz says. "Red wine has the material from the skins of the grapes . The white wine has that skin stripped away. So if you're going to drink wine and you're going to take the hit on calories, drink red wine."
So, what do you think??

