Research

Heart help: Obese men can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease with a three-week, low-fat, high-fiber diet and daily exercise - even though they might only lose a few pounds, say California researchers.

Obese men who consumed a diet high in grains, vegetables and fruit and took brisk daily walks reduced their high blood pressure, a primary risk factor for congestive heart failure, kidney disease, coronary artery disease and stroke.

"This is the first study to show that this type of diet and exercise can reduce oxidative stress, lower blood pressure and improve risk factors for other chronic diseases in a very short time," says Dr. R. James Barnard, senior author and professor of physiological science at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Barnard and his colleagues studied 11 men whose body mass index measured 30 or higher. The meals consisted of less than 10 percent of calories from fat, 15 to 20 percent from protein and 70 to 75 percent from unrefined carbohydrates - grains, fruits and vegetables.

The men walked briskly on a treadmill for 45 to 60 minutes daily.

Hot News

Therapy: Regular exercise and a form of group therapy can alleviate some symptoms associated with Gulf War veterans' illnesses, researchers say.

Fatigue, distress, mental health and mental ability all improve after three months of low-impact exercise, weekly group sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy or both. Researchers followed 1,092 veterans.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System, the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense led the study.

Gulf War veterans share many symptoms experienced by fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome patients, both of whom respond successfully to exercise and group therapy.

Tips

Winter safety: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these tips for safer winter sledding:

• Children under 12 should wear a helmet.

• Avoid slopes that end in a street, parking lot, river or pond.

• Don't slide head first.

• Steer with the feet or a rope tied to the steering handles.

• Sled in well-lighted, designated areas.

• Watch out for trees and other sledders.

Shelf help

Wellness: The Yoga Rx: A Step-by-Step Program to Promote Health, Wellness and Healing for Common Ailments (Doubleday; $17.95) by Dr. Larry Payne and Dr. Richard Usatine offers a yoga routine to alleviate ailments aggravated by stress.

Siting

Click: Check on www.gymgoal.com, a free membership site that features tips, techniques and demonstrations of more than 200 weightlifting moves. An online journal also is available on the site.

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax, 768-8330, or e-mail, pofarrell@enquirer.com