Obstructive Sleep Apnea Increases Risk of Heart Failure
A study has found that men aged 40 to 70 who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a higher risk of heart failure and coronary heart disease.
This link was not found in women or in men over 70.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which sleeping patients repeatedly stop breathing for at least 10 seconds. Heart failure occurs when the heart is weakened to the point that it cannot supply enough blood for the body’s need. Coronary heart disease is the inability of the blood vessels of the heart to supply sufficient blood to heart muscles.
A total of 1,927 men and 2,495 women free of heart problems were tested. Men – but not women – with significant OSA were found to have a 68 percent greater risk of coronary heart disease and were 58 percent more likely to develop heart failure.
If you suspect you might have OSA, talk to your health practitioner. A brief summary of this study was released July 12, 2010 and will appear in a future issue of the journal, Circulation. The full-text version is available online with a subscription to the journal
at: http://bit.ly/bwdrER.
What’s Your Salt Intake?
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that only ten percent of American adults manage to keep their dietary sodium intake below the maximum recommended daily intake level. That grim statistic is even worse in light of the sharp recent reduction in the recommended intake level from 2,300 mg daily – which was the level set in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans – to 1,500 mg, the maximum set in the 2010 version, which came out last week.
The new study was based on those former, much higher recommendations and adherence to the new guidelines would be even lower. Although found naturally in some foods, sodium is a key element in added salt. Excessive salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, which in turn is linked to increased risks for stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure and kidney disease.
The new report was released June 25, 2010 and is available to read online at: http://bit.ly/aNqHYL.