Eating blueberries can improve heart health
London, May 31: Eating a cup of blueberries daily reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by up to 15 per cent, according to a study.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that blueberries and other berries should be included in diets to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Having metabolic syndrome significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes and often statins and other medications are prescribed to help control this rise,” said study lead author Aedin Cassidy, Professor at the University of East Anglia in Britain.
The researchers studied whether eating blueberries had any effect on metabolic syndrome – a condition, affecting 1/3 of westernised adults, which comprises at least three of the following risk factors: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, low levels of ‘good cholesterol’ and high levels of triglycerides.
For the study, the researchers investigated the effects of eating blueberries daily in 138 overweight and obese people, (aged between 50 and 75), and having metabolic syndrome.
“We found that eating one cup of blueberries per day resulted in sustained improvements in vascular function and arterial stiffness – making enough of a difference to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by between 12 and 15 per cent,” said Peter Curtis, co-author of the study.
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Centre approves Rs 1,115 crore to states for disaster mitigation, capacity-building projects
New Delhi (PTI): A high-level committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved Rs 1,000 crore for various disaster mitigation and capacity-building projects in 15 states.
The committee also approved another project for training and capacity building of civil defence volunteers in all states and Union territories at a total outlay of Rs 115.67 crore, according to an official statement.
According to an official statement, a sum of Rs 139 crore each was approved for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Rs 100 crore for Maharashtra, Rs 72 crore each for Karnataka and Kerala, Rs 50 crore each for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and Rs 378 crore for the eight Northeastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.
The committee, comprising Union ministers for finance and agriculture and the vice chairman of the NITI Aayog as members, considered the proposal to mitigate landslide risk in 15 states for funding from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF).
Another proposal for training and capacity building of civil defence volunteers in all states and UT's under-preparedness and capacity building from the funding window of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) was also considered, it said.
Earlier, the committee approved Urban Flood Risk Mitigation Projects in seven cities at a total outlay of Rs 3075.65 crore and Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk management projects in four states at a total outlay of Rs 150 crore from the NDMF.
To fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of disaster resilient India, the Ministry of Home Affairs under the guidance of Shah has taken several initiatives to ensure effective management of disasters in the country, the statement said.
Several steps have been taken to prevent any extensive loss of life and property during disasters by strengthening the disaster risk reduction system in India, it said.
Under the Modi government, more than Rs 21,476 crore has already been released to the states during this year. This includes Rs 14,878.40 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to 26 states, Rs 4,637.66 crore from the NDRF to 15 states, Rs 1,385.45 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 11 states and Rs 574.93 crore from NDMF to six states.
