Karen Owoc | The Health Reporter

KRON 4 | ★ Blue Star Moms ★

Memorial Dayis a day to remember and honor those who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, but today we thought we’d take the opportunity to remember those who are currently in active duty. KRON 4 Weekend Morning News anchor, Marty Gonzalez, and I go over some much needed items that’ll help boost the morale of…

KRON 4 | Don’t Avoid These If You Want to Lose Weight

According to the American Heart Association, 47 million Americans have  something called metabolic syndrome. That’s almost one out of every six people. Metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X, increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Here’s how you get it and what you can do about it.

Do You Have Metabolic…

KRON 4 | The Link Between Gum Disease, Heart Attacks, and Alzheimer’s

Doctors and researchers have recently started to look at what dentists have been examining for years — your gums. They’re finding a relationship between the health of your gums and your longevity.

Did You Know…

Per a study in Finland, subjects with gum disease were 30% more likely to have a heart attackcompared to subjects without…

KRON 4 | Carcinogens are in Drinking Water

Did you know that drinking water increases your risk of cancer? Contaminants (from known carcinogens to plastic particles) found in public water systems could be the cause of cancer from drinking it over the course of a lifetime. Here’s what’s lurking in the water you drink…

The Research

Researchers from the Environmental Working…

KRON 4 | Chocolate 101

Studies report that chocolate is good for your health, but how so and which ones? Cacao (pronounced “kuh-KOW”), cocoa, Dutch cocoa, and chocolate… what’s the difference? Here’s how it all breaks down along with the ones to eat and ones to avoid.

Heart Benefits

Cocoa and cocoa-containing foods contain high levels of flavanols (“FLAY-va-nole”) — an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and…

KRON 4 | Chocolate for Your Heart

Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib or AF, is the most common irregular heart rhythm in the United States where 2.7 to 6.1 million Americans are living with this dangerous condition. Here’s AFib explained, the risks, and how this one food affects these abnormal heart beats.

A normal heart rhythm ejects blood from the heart into…

KRON 4 | Heart Attacks: Get Your Beta-Glucan

https://vimeo.com/330358546

If you’re at risk for cardiovascular disease or you just want to keep your heart healthy, you’ve probably been told to “watch your cholesterol”. The type of cholesterol that puts you at risk for plaque-lined arteries is LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and diet plays an important role. How are you keeping your plumbing clog-free?

What is Plaque?

Plaqueis a fatty, waxy…

KRON 4 | Is Your Marriage Making You Fat?

https://vimeo.com/328985479

In a study of 43 couples, researchers showed a connection between marital stress and poor food choices. Here’s why your marriage can affect your appetite and your eating patterns.

The Marital Study

Forty-three couples having various BMI’s (healthy weight, overweight, and very overweight) were selected to participate in this study.  These couples frequently had hostile…

KRON 4 | Arthritis, Hypertension, and Dementia: How this Breathing Exercise May Help

https://vimeo.com/325662706

High blood pressure not only damages the arteries in your heart, but also in your brain. It increases your risk for stroke and memory loss later in life along with many other diseases. Here’s how you can improve your brain, heart, and overall health.

Brain-Blood Pressure Link

Your brain is fed by one of the richest networks of blood vessels in your body. When blood…

How to Persevere (Even When You Really Want to Quit)

You set out this year to build new healthy habits. You revised your eating plan, stepped up the exercise, and have been sailing right along. You lost weight! Yay! BUT… today (and last week for that matter) the scale hasn’t budged. It’s not reflecting all your hard work and steady diligence. Your heart sinks. You wonder if all the hard work is worth it.

If this sounds like you, STOPthe negative…

KRON 4 | Eat These to Lower Your Stroke Risk

https://vimeo.com/322544598

Strokes are afflicting more young Americans — it’s no longer a disease of the elderly and is the leading cause of death worldwide. Strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and high blood pressure leads as the cause. Here’s how one particular change in your diet can reduce your risk.

Strokes in Young People

The risk of stroke increases with…

KRON 4 | Can Just One Fatty Meal Be All That Bad?

https://vimeo.com/320995292

You vowed to eat a heart-healthy diet and have been pretty successful, but every once in a while you can’t resist splurging on a big fat juicy cheeseburger and a thick, creamy milk shake. So is that really all that bad? Find out if an occasional surge of fat in your diet is okay.

The ‘Shake and Cake’ Study

The Heart Research Institute in Australia performed the…

KRON 4 | Is Black Rice the New Brown?

https://vimeo.com/319312368

Did you know… that a spoonful of black rice contains more powerful antioxidants than a spoonful of blueberries?

The “Forbidden Rice”

In ancient China, black rice was known as “forbidden rice” because only the emperor and members of the royal family were allowed to eat it. Black rice was first introduced to the United States in the 1990’s.

Uncooked black rice (black)…

KRON 4 | How Exercise and Turmeric Affect Your Arteries

https://vimeo.com/316645726

Research shows if you don’t take care of the “inner lining” of your blood vessels, you may be setting yourself up for heart disease or a stroke. Here are some important tips to improve how long and how well your arteries function.  

The Relevance of “Endothelial Dysfunction” 

The inner lining of your blood vessels is called the “endothelium”. Endothelial function…

KRON 4 | Can You Lengthen Your Life with a Shorter Workout?

https://vimeo.com/313728792

Looking for a way to lower your risk of dying from heart disease, but you’re short on time? Here’s a tip to living longer while working out less.

Common Exercise Barrier

One of the biggest barriers to exercise is time. People often nix working out because they decide they don’t have an hour (or even a half hour) to spare. If that sounds like you, here’s the good news…

KRON 4 | How to Cure Dietary Amnesia

https://vimeo.com/312331331

The inability to manage your stress often results in unhealthy, automatic overeating. You likely eat more than you think, don’t feel satisfied after a meal, nor remember what you ate. If this sounds familiar, here are some tips I shared with Marty Gonzalez, KRON 4 Morning News Weekend anchor, to help cure your dietary amnesia.

Dietary Amnesia

Dietary amnesia occurs…