GREETINGS! It’s been a long time since we peered into the medical file and since the drawer is bulging, it’s way past time. So, I leafed through and decided on some healthy lifestyle stories, particularly concerning what you eat.

Our first story is aimed specifically at women. A consortium of researchers from several institutions did a study that showed the risk of developing heart failure is lower for postmenopausal women who frequently ate baked or broiled fish, but higher for those who ate more fried fish. In a large-scale analysis involving more than 80,000 women, the researchers discovered that women who ate the most baked or broiled fish (five or more servings a week) had a 30 percent lower risk of heart failure compared to women who seldom ate it (less than one serving a month).

Previous research has found that the fatty acids (omega-3) in fish may lower risk of cardiovascular disease by decreasing inflammation, resisting oxidative stress and improving blood pressure, cardiac and blood vessel function. This study showed that the type of fish and cooking method may affect heart failure risk. The researchers also found that dark fish (salmon, mackerel and bluefish) were associated with a significantly greater risk reduction than either tuna or white fish (sole, snapper and cod).

Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, the study’s senior author, said: “Not all fish are equal, and how you prepare it really matters. When you fry fish, you not only lose a lot of the benefits, you likely add some things related to the cooking process that are harmful.”

Most whole fish served at fiestas is baked so we have a leg up with this one. The more fish you eat, the healthier you are, as long as you bake it!

Our next story apparently proves a very old adage. Researchers at the University of Iowa were trying to discover a way to prevent the muscle wasting that comes with illness and aging and they’ve found a natural compound that might just do the trick. They have identified a component of apple peels as a promising new drug candidate for the widespread and debilitating condition that affects nearly everyone eventually.

Muscle wasting is a frequent companion of illness and aging, according to Christopher Adams, the lead investigator. It prolongs hospitalization, delays recovery and in some cases prevents people from going back home. It isn't well understood and there is no medicine for it.

They discovered 63 genes that change in response to fasting in both people and mice and another 29 that shift their expression in the muscles of both people who are fasting and those with spinal cord injury. They discovered that a compound called ursolic acid has effects that might counteract those of atrophy.

The researchers gave ursolic acid to mice that hadn’t been fed in a while and found that it protected against muscle weakening as they had predicted. When they added ursolic acid to the food of normal mice for a period of weeks, their muscles grew.

Animals given ursolic acid also became leaner and had lower blood levels of glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides. The findings therefore suggest that ursolic acid may be responsible for some of the overall benefits of healthy eating. Dr. Adams said, “We know if you eat a balanced diet like mom told us to eat, you get ursolic acid. People who eat junk food don't get this.”

So ... all together now ... “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!”