How strong is your heart?

   Mental stress decreases the blood supply to the heart.(ischemia) Anger has a greater effect on blood supply to the heart. Anger and hostility are strongly related to heart attack

There are three tests which can assess the effect of the mental stress and anger on the blood supply to the heart.

• Mental arithmetic test 
• A speech task
• Anger recall test

These are psychological stress tests

Mental arithmetic test:

person is asked to subtract serially 7 from 3505 for 6 minutes. Subjects were rated on the basis of speed and accuracy

This test induces significant changes in ECG in patients with heart disease. and also in otherwise healthy individuals.

 

A speech task:

A potent psychological stressor, which reliably increases the blood pressure and heart rate. The person

speaks on a hypothetical situation in a department store where he is accused of stealing the belt he is wearing. The subject was given 3 minutes to prepare the speech and 3 minutes to give a speech defending himself and prove that he bought the belt he is wearing.









Anger recall test:

He is asked to recall an incident during the last 6 months, that still made him frustrated,angry and upset.Then he is asked to describe and recreate the incident





After each test, the subjects are rated how anxious and angry the task made them and how angry they were during the anger task compared to the anger during the recall test.




, It could also reveal the coronary heart disease in persons with a normal ECG both at rest and during exercise. 

Soybean is good for your heart

The Food and Drug Administration(US FDA) has granted the following health claim for soy and can be printed on the pack of soy product.

 "25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet (which is  low in saturated fat and cholesterol), may reduce the risk of heart disease" 

An American Heart Association(AHA) review says: 
"many soy products should be beneficial to cardiovascular and overall health because of their high content of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and low content of saturated fat"

Anti cancer potential:

Soybeans have high levels of antioxidants. This makes them good for preventing the onset of various cancers. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are harmful byproducts of cellular metabolism. 

 American Institute of Cancer Research, concludes that soybeans are rich in fiber content which is linked to a lower risk of colon cancer 

Soy products:

Soybeans have become popular in recent decades.  

The high levels of protein make these soy products an ideal protein source for vegetarians and the variety of soy products has created a massive new market altogether.

Tofu
It is a soybean product, made from the curds of soya milk (so it's similar to cheese, just using soy milk as a base rather than milk). Those curds are pressed into blocks and can be made into different textures — soft, firm and extra-firm.

Soybeans are important source of protein for those with a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. It is an excellent alternative for animal proteins.

The biological value of soy protein is superior to other vegetable proteins:

Soybean                          80
Rice                                 78

Wheat                              66

Bengal gram(chole)         74

Groundnut                        55

Maize                               50

Soybeans are processed for their oil. Soybean oil is a  polyunsaturated oil which also contains omega-3 fats, which are heart-healthy. 

Ideal cooking oils are those with high omega-3 contents. 
Mustard oil has the highest omega- 3 contents followed by coconut oil, pure ghee and soybean oil.

You can use any of these 4 oils as per your choice.