New research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggests that the smells of certain aromatic essential oils may have immediate short-term benefits on helping to reduce the risk of certain types of cardiovascular diseases.

No, it's not Morgan Spurlock's latest movie stunt. But if you feel like you can't live without getting a daily dose (or several) of fast food meals from McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King or Pizza Hut, then there is some potentially good news for you coming out of Washington University. Researchers at the St. Louis, MO-based university are looking for individuals who are willing to eat nothing but fast food for three whole months.

Does this mean you should cut down on garlic purchases when shopping at your local natural and organic food store?

No, say Mary Charlson, MD, and Marcus McFerren, PhD, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. They wrote an accompanying editorial in Archives, noting garlic has been used since ancient times to treat cardiovascular and infectious diseases.

“While garlic has been evaluated for its anti-infective, antioxidant and anticancer properties, a large number of recent basic and clinical studies have focused on its potential effect in preventing cardiovascular disease,” they write. Although the recent study’s authors “convincingly demonstrate that raw garlic and two popularly used supplements do not reduce LDL cholesterol more than 10 milligrams per deciliter when used for six months vs. placebo for six months, the results do not demonstrate that garlic has no usefulness in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

“Garlic is one of the top-selling dietary supplements in the United States,” they continue, “in part because familiarity with garlic as a food gives consumers confidence that garlic supplements are safe. In general, they probably are. Do they prevent cardiovascular disease? The jury is still out."

Book Pick of the Day: Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers

As someone who purchases organic food, you likely read labels carefully and watch your salt intake. The American Medical Association believes you’re on the right track, calling on consumers last week to limit their sodium consumption.

“Cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 killer of Americans,” says Dr. J. James Rohack, an AMA Board member and practicing cardiologist. “People who reduce dietary sodium intake are taking an important step in preventing future health problems. We hope these recommendations will encourage food manufacturers and restaurants to modify their current practices of adding unhealthy amounts of sodium to their products.”

Excess sodium greatly increases the chance of developing hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Research shows most Americans consume two to three times the amount of sodium that is healthy, with an estimated 75%–80% of daily intake coming from processed and restaurant foods.

“A serving of lasagna in a restaurant can put a diner over their recommended daily sodium allowance in just one meal,” Dr. Rohack says.

The AMA will:

• Urge the Food and Drug Administration to revoke the “generally recognized as safe” status of salt and to develop regulatory measures to limit sodium in processed and restaurant foods
• Call for a minimum 50% reduction in sodium in processed foods, fast food and restaurant meals, to be achieved over the next decade
• Work with appropriate partners to educate consumers about the benefits of long-term, moderate reductions in sodium intake
• Hold discussions with the FDA in an effort to improve labeling so consumers have a better understanding of how much sodium processed foods contain
• Encourage the FDA to develop label markings and warnings for high-sodium foods