It’s the help your heart needs when your heart needs help the most: A new study finds that the curry spice turmeric can help you survive bypass surgery and avoid a heart attack during your recovery.

Researchers from Thailand randomly assigned 121 bypass patients to either a gram of curcumin — the main compound in turmeric — taken four times a day, or a placebo for three days before and five days after the procedure.

Those who got the curcumin were 65 percent less likely to have a heart attack in that time than those who got the placebo, even after adjusting for other possible risk factors.

Those who got the real deal also had lower levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein as well as malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress — and I’m sure that’s because curcumin is both a powerful anti-inflammatory and a terrific antioxidant.

And you don’t have to be a heart patient to enjoy those benefits.

Get some now, and you can lower your risk of even getting those cardiovascular problems in the first place, since studies on mice have shown that curcumin can help clear fatty deposits from the arteries.

Other studies have shown it may help prevent arrhythmias, while still other research has found that curcumin can fight everything from inflammatory bowel disease to cancer to arthritis.

One study I just told you about found it might even help reverse the damage of Parkinson’s disease.

Indian foods might be the most delicious way to get curcumin, but it’s not the most efficient — especially here in the United States, where most people simply don’t eat it all that often.

Fortunately, curcumin supplements are inexpensive and easy to find — just make sure yours comes from a company you trust and not the local dollar store.

Any time I use the words “soda” and “study” in the same sentence, it’s never good news for soda. I can’t recall a single study that shows soda benefits anything other than the bank accounts of the people who sell it.

And the latest research is no exception.

A new look at data on 42,883 men between the ages of 40 and 75 finds that those who drank the most sugary drinks had a 20 percent higher risk of a heart attack during the 22-year study — a link that held even after adjusting for risk factors such as smoking, activity levels and a family history of heart problems.

What’s more, the researchers found that for each serving of a sugary drink you down in a day — like one 12-ounce cola — your risk of cardiovascular disease is boosted by 19 percent.

In addition, the men who drank the most sugary drinks also had lower levels of HDL cholesterol — that’s the good stuff — and higher levels of deadly triglycerides.

Think that’s bad? Hold on — because the study in Circulation gets even worse: Men who drank the most soda had the highest levels of C-reactive protein, or CRP. That’s an inflammation marker that can mean anything from heart disease to cancer to an autoimmune disorder.

But none of this should be surprising, since all of these problems have been linked to sugar before — and drinks are one of the biggest sources of sugar in the modern diet.

A single can of soda, for example, has roughly 40 grams of the sweet stuff. That’s like going to Starbucks and ordering a “tall” (or what the rest of us call a “small”) 12-ounce coffee… and putting 10 sugars into it.

It’s an insane amount of sugar.

For some incredible visuals on just how much of it is in each can, bottle, and Big Gulp, check out the images on the “Sugar Stacks” website.

All that sweet stuff is bound to play havoc with your body. Along with all the risks I mentioned earlier, even a moderate soda habit can cause your blood sugar levels to spike — eventually leading to metabolic syndrome and even diabetes.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll be any safer switching to diet either. Other studies have found that diet soda drinkers actually gain weight — and at least one study linked diet soft drinks to an increased heart risk of its own, along with an increased risk of stroke.

I’m not done with soda yet — keep reading for more.

The FDA has dished out some pretty bad advice over the years… but this one takes the cake: Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, has been approved for completely healthy people with normal cholesterol levels.

I warned you this day would come… but that doesn’t make this dose of bad news any easier to take.

Under the new guidelines, docs can now give this dangerous drug to people with “other” risk factors for heart problems –-such as elevated levels of C-reactive protein.

But this decision didn’t come after an exhaustive series of studies… and it wasn’t based on the overwhelming body of scientific evidence.

It was made based on a single study funded by the drug’s maker. Not only that, but they pulled the plug on this study two years early–essentially the moment they got the result they wanted.

And even then, the researchers didn’t uncover any real stunners. In fact, a recent article in the New York Times points out that 500 people would have to take Crestor for an entire year–at a combined cost of $638,000–to avoid a single usually survivable heart attack.

That’s a lot of prescriptions–and a lot of money–for not much benefit. Those pills cost $3.50 each–and you’ll be paying for them whether or not you actually take Crestor, since the FDA approval means insurance companies will have to cover it. That can lead to higher premiums for everyone, and more money will be needed for taxpayer-funded medical plans.

Of course, it’s not about cost alone–most of us would gladly pay nearly any price for something that could truly help us to live longer, healthier lives.

But statins aren’t going to do that for you.

These meds have been linked to debilitating muscle pain, liver damage and even an increased risk of diabetes. And they’re not even the best way to achieve their original goal of lower cholesterol levels.

Lifestyle changes will beat these meds every single time. You don’t need to make dramatic changes–just simple choices like eating better and getting more movement into your life will do the trick.

The time to act is now–before your own doctor begins pressuring you to take these meds.

Then again, even if you’re perfectly healthy, you can expect to hear a statin sales pitch any day now thanks to the FDA.

Being obese is never good at any age, but for years many have considered chubby kids something to worry about later.

Now, we have some real reasons why your child’s weight is something you might want to be concerned about today.

The latest research finds that obese kids, some as young as 7 years old, already show indications that heart trouble might be in their adult future, according to a study presented in June at a meeting of the Endocrine Society.

Obese kids had 10 times the normal levels of C-reactive protein, a compound associated with inflammation and linked to heart disease. They also had high levels of fibrinogen, also linked to heart disease in adults.

The kids, who were all in the top 5 percent of weight for their age, did not show other indications of potential heart problems – they were not suffering from high blood pressure or cholesterol levels.

But it is worrisome, especially when you consider how big a problem obesity has become, and how many overweight adults battle coronary problems.

At the same time, don’t panic. If your child is overweight, don’t rush to put him or her on a diet. For most children, dieting isn’t really a great idea, in part because their bodies are changing so much.

Instead, no matter how much your child weighs, take a close look at what he or she is eating. It’s never too early to teach them good eating habits, and that starts with the foods you give them every day.

If you start enforcing good eating habits in your home, chances are your kids will do pretty well, and most will eventually end up weighing right around what they should once they stop growing.

That means keeping them away from the sugary snacks, sodas and candies they love. It also means staying far away from any place with a drive-through window.

It’s cheaper and healthier to make good meals at home, and these meals don’t have to be time-consuming to be delicious.

Stick to healthy meats, good fats and fresh veggies – and go organic if you can.

If you don’t have kids – or if yours have already flown the coop – it’s still a good idea to take a look at your own eating habits now and again.

Diet is one of those issues that can be a lifelong challenge for many. But if you stick with good eating habits, that life has a much better chance of being a longer one.

Food is overrated, but your child’s health is not.