Eat Your Greens, Change Your Genes
You might not be stuck with the genes your parents gave you. New research fromMcMaster and McGill universities found that consumption of fruit and raw vegetables modified a gene called 9p21, the strongest marker for heart disease.
The study involved more than 27,000 subjects from five ethnicities—European, South Asian, Chinese, Latin American and Arab—and the affect that their diets had on the effect of the 9p21 gene. The results suggest that individuals with the high-risk genotype who consumed a prudent diet, composed mainly of raw vegetables, fruits and berries, had a similar risk of heart attack to those with the low-risk genotype.
“We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it,” said Jamie Engert, joint principal investigator of the study and researcher in cardiovascular diseases at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and associate member in the Department of Human Genetics at McGill University. “But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect.”
“Our research suggests there may be an important interplay between genes and diet in cardiovascular disease,” said the study’s lead author Ron Do, who conducted this research as part of his PhD at McGill and is now based at the Center for Human Genetics Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Future research is necessary to understand the mechanism of this interaction, which will shed light on the underlying metabolic processes that the 9p21 gene is involved in.”
The results of the study are published in the current issue of PLoS Medicine.
Is that Statin Drug Necessary?
Tens of thousands of patients at low risk of heart attacks or strokes could be taking statin heart drugs needlessly, a study published in Britain says. The study published in The Lancet medical journal is the latest suggesting too many people are taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs who show no evidence of coronary artery calcium, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.As many as 7 million middle-aged and older people in England are thought to take statins at a cost of $825 million a year to the National Health Service, the Telegraph said. Tens of thousands of patients at low risk of heart attacks or strokes could be taking statin heart drugs needlessly, a study published in Britain says.
The study published in The Lancet medical journal is the latest suggesting too many people are taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs who show no evidence of coronary artery calcium, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
As many as 7 million middle-aged and older people in England are thought to take statins at a cost of $825 million a year to the National Health Service, the Telegraph said.
Researchers said the findings have important public health implications and significant cost savings could be realized if cholesterol-lowering drugs were prescribed only for those who would genuinely benefit.
“The greatest challenge for preventive medicine is identifying people who are at highest risk of heart disease and who should be given drugs, particularly statins, to reduce that risk,” said Peter Weissberg, medical director for the British Heart Foundation.
High Dose Statin Therapy Increases Risk of Diabetes
High-Dose Statin Therapy Increases the Risk of Diabetes
June 21, 2011 (London, United Kingdom) — A meta-analysis of some of the more high-profile statin trials testing the effectiveness of high-dose therapy has revealed a significant increase in the risk of diabetes mellitus associated with statin use in high doses [1]. Compared with moderate-dose therapy across five statin trials, investigators report that treatment with high-dose statins increased the risk of diabetes by 12%.
Senior investigator Dr Kausik Ray (St George’s University of London, UK) said that while there might be consequences from the raised blood glucose levels, researchers do not yet know what these long-term effects mean. The net benefit of high-dose statin therapy “is definitely in favor” of using the drugs, he said.
“One thing we do know is that there does appear to be a dose effect with statin therapy, with the risk of diabetes mellitus increasing with higher doses,” Ray told heartwire . “Statins have multiple effects and cause a number of changes. What we’re seeing is probably an off-target effect, and right now we have no obvious mechanisms. However, lowering LDL-cholesterol levels is probably more important than the increase in blood-sugar levels.”
In their analysis, the number of patients needed to treat with high-dose statin therapy to prevent one cardiovascular event was 155, whereas the number needed to treat to cause one case of new-onset diabetes mellitus was 498. Overall, high-dose statin therapy reduced the risk of cardiovascular events in their meta-analysis by 16% compared with low- or moderate-dose statin therapy.
The results of the study are published in the June 22, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Previous Observed Diabetes Risk
Ray said that the idea for the meta-analysis began two years ago, when the signal for diabetes risk was observed in Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER). The group later performed an analysis of some of the early statin trials comparing the lipid-lowering drugs with placebo in 90 000 individuals and observed a significant 9% increase in the risk of diabetes mellitus. That study was reported in the Lancet in 2010 [2].
In this newest analysis, the researchers included large, randomized, controlled, hard-end-point studies that compared intensive–dose statin therapy with moderate-dose statin therapy followed for more than one year. The trials included in the meta-analysis were PROVE-IT, A to Z, TNT, IDEAL, and SEARCH, five trials that together included 32 752 patients without diabetes mellitus at baseline.
“We wanted to look at the different studies comparing the intensity of statin treatment,” said Ray. “If the diabetes finding was a real finding, we would expect to see it in the statin trials that tested different intensities of treatment in about 33 000 subjects. The trials all ranged from two to five years in duration, and we had information from five trials comparing high versus low/moderate treatment doses. Our results support our initial findings. We observed a 12% increase in risk for those patients treated with high-dose statin therapy.”
In total, 1449 patients treated with high-dose statin therapy developed diabetes compared with 1300 patients assigned to moderate-dose statin therapy. This translated into two additional cases of diabetes mellitus per 1000 patient-years. The odds ratio for new-onset diabetes was 1.12 (95% CI 1.04–1.22). Regarding benefit, 3134 patients treated with high-dose statin therapy and 3550 patients treated with moderate-dose therapy had a cardiovascular event, translating into 6.5 fewer outcomes per 1000 patient-years in the high-dose statin arm, or a relative reduction of 16%.
The investigators did observe differential effects with the different drugs. Whereas atorvastatin 80 mg and simvastatin 80 mg were both associated with similar risks of diabetes mellitus, the benefit differed significantly, with evidence in favor of atorvastatin (22% vs 5% risk reduction for cardiovascular events). The data, said Ray, support the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to warn physicians to not start new patients on simvastatin 80 mg and to be vigilant to the risks of muscle toxicity caused by the drug in those who are still taking it.
Getting Patients to Goal
Dr Brendan Everett (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA), who was not involved in the analysis, agreed with the conclusions of Ray and colleagues, that the signal observed in this latest analysis supports the findings from JUPITER and the Lancet meta-analysis “and supports the idea of a dose effect, that there is an increasing risk of diabetes with increasing doses of statins.”
Everett said the investigators helped clinicians by providing data on the relative benefits and relative harms of high-dose statin therapy. The number needed to treat to prevent one cardiovascular event and number needed to treat to cause one new case of diabetes mellitus clearly support the use of high-dose statin therapy in the patients studied in the five clinical trials.
“The benefits of statins for reducing important macrovascular events is so overwhelming that the balance is clearly on the side of benefit,” said Everett. “This is an important point that shouldn’t be forgotten.”
Dr Roger Blumenthal (Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, Baltimore, MD) agreed, stating that while “it makes sense that higher doses [of statins] would have slightly higher adverse effects,” there is still no proposed mechanism for the increased risk of diabetes. Like the others, the benefits of moderate/high doses of statins outweigh the risks, although he added that some physicians might decide to downgrade the dose based on these new data.
In addition, Dr Steven Nissen (Cleveland Clinic, OH) said that the effect is likely real as it has been observed in enough trials and analyses. That said, “it is notable that despite the increase in the risk of diabetes mellitus, the reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is maintained,” he added. “It leads me to believe that the effect is not very clinically significant.”
Everett added that what is currently unknown is how the risks of diabetes mellitus differ in other patient populations. Clinicians need to understand their patients’ baseline risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus when making a decision about high-dose statin therapy, and it will be important to determine whether patients at greater risk for adverse side effects can be identified. Researchers will also need to determine what effects high-dose statin therapy has on microvascular complications, such as retinopathy.
“The bottom line is that we need to follow up on the signal, but I don’t believe the results should change treatment goals,” said Everett. A failure to aggressively treat patients at high risk for cardiovascular events will result in an excess of clinical events, he added.
Ray suggested that clinicians monitor HbA1c levels when treating patients with high-dose statin therapy.
Like Ray, Everett said the results support the FDA decision regarding simvastatin 80 mg, that the drug is associated with more side effects without a corresponding balance of efficacy. In the interest of getting patients to treatment goal and trying to do so in a cost-efficient manner, some physicians had been using high-dose simvastatin. However, if they are unable to get to goal at 40-mg simvastatin, switching over to other, nongeneric drugs is not difficult, although it does involve extra paperwork when dealing with drug payers, he said.
This Sunday at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2011 Scientific Sessions, Dr David Preiss (University of Glasgow, Scotland), the first author of the analysis, will present their data at a special symposium organized by the ADA and FDA. The presentation will highlight the newly observed risks with high-dose statin therapy, as well as their Lancet analysis of 13 randomized trials comparing placebo and standard-therapy trials.
References
- Preiss D, Seshasai SR, Welsh P, et al. Risk of incident diabetes with intensive-dose compared with moderate-dose statin therapy. JAMA 2011; 305:2556-2564.
- Sattar N, Preiss D, Murray HM, et al. Statins and risk of incident diabetes: a collaborative meta-analysis of randomized statins trials. Lancet 2010; 375:735-742. Abstract
3 Different Approaches to Eating – Which is Healthiest?
ON-AND-OFF DIETING HEALTHIER THAN NO DIETING AT ALL…but look to see which was healthiest
A study has found that repeatedly switching between a low-fat diet and a high-fat diet results in greater health and a longer lifespan than not dieting at all.
Many have suggested yo-yo dieting, with its repeated weight loss and gain, may more negatively affect health and longevity than simply remaining obese and not dieting at all; this belief might discourage obese persons from dieting. However, researchers divided study mice into three dietary groups:
- one fed a consistent high-fat diet;
- another alternating between a low-fat and high-fat diet, mirroring people who yo-yo diet;
- and a third group given a consistent low-fat diet.
The high-fat group consumed more calories, weighed more, had greater body fat, experienced higher blood sugar, became pre-diabetic, and lived an average of 1.5 years.
The health profile of the yo-yo diet group worsened during the high-fat phases but bounced back during the low-fat phases, and they lived an average of 2.04 years.
Similarly, the healthy low-fat control group lived an average of 2.09 years.
This study was presented June 6, 2011 at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society in Boston. It has not yet been published or posted.
Melatonin May Help Control Weight
MELATONIN LINKED TO WEIGHT CONTROL WITHOUT CALORIE REDUCTION
Researchers have uncovered evidence that melatonin, naturally produced by the body as a hormone with antioxidant properties and also found in some foods and supplements, may help control weight gain – even without reducing food intake – and may improve the profile of blood fats, including lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, increasing HDL (good) cholesterol, and reducing triglycerides.
These effects, if confirmed, would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other obesity-related disorders. The researchers suggest that, if this rodent study link can be duplicated in humans, melatonin may help fight obesity and its associated risks, whether taken as a supplement or in the form of melatonin-containing food. (However, although melatonin is found in some supplements taken for sleep disorders and in some foods, especially cherries, no food has been shown to raise blood levels of melatonin in humans.)
The Journal of Pineal Research published only part of this research in its March 2011 issue, and online access to even this part requires either subscription or fee. However, the full study was posted online without charge at http://bit.ly/jpSooK April 27, 2011 by the University of Granada, where the international research team conducted the research.
Is Drinking Diet Soda Worth The Risk?
Diet soda may not be the healthier alternative many had hoped. A new study suggests that the popular drinks may increase the risk for stroke, myocardial infarction, and vascular death.
“People who had diet soda every day experienced a 61% higher risk of vascular events than those who reported drinking no soda,” lead investigator Hannah Gardener, ScD, an epidemiologist from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, told reporters attending a news conference here at the International Stroke Conference.
The risk persisted after controlling for metabolic syndrome, peripheral vascular disease, and cardiac disease history (relative risk, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 – 2.12).
“This is the first report of this association,” said American Stroke Association national spokesperson Larry Goldstein, MD. “I think that it’s always good to do things in moderation. People should look at this information and consider it in the context of their other risk factors.”
The researchers looked at more than 2500 people from the multiethnic Northern Manhattan Study. Participants were asked to report how much and what kind of soda they drank.
During an average follow-up of 9.3 years, 559 vascular events occurred, including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
The researchers also observed a marginally significant increased risk for vascular events among those who consumed diet soda daily and regular soda once or more a month (adjusted relative risk, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.96 – 3.16).
As reported by Medscape Medical News, previous studies have suggested a link between diet soda consumption and the risk for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. But this is the first time diet drinks have been associated with vascular events.
“This is an observational study and not a prospective randomized trial,” Dr. Goldstein, from the Duke Stroke Center, in Durham, North Carolina, pointed out. “This is an association and not yet a proven causal relationship.”
The investigators acknowledge that additional studies are needed. The potential mechanisms for the association between diet soda and vascular events remain unknown.
What should clinicians advise patients on the basis of the information we have today? Steven Greenberg, MD, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, suggests that patients start by concentrating on a healthy diet and regular exercise. “Once the metabolic syndrome is under control and any risk of diabetes, then we can consider cutting back on soda consumption.” Dr. Greenberg is the vice chair of the International Stroke Conference Committee, and during an interview he suggested that patients shouldn’t rush to eliminate diet drinks.
“I do think this is a wake-up call, though,” he said, “and we need to start paying closer attention.”
American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference. Abstract # P55. News conference February 9, 2011.
Tips on How to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA
This article appeared following the publicity on how to reduce blood levels of BPA simply by eating fresh vs. canned food.
BPA is found in some water bottles, plastic food storage containers, plastic food wrap, sealing wrap and inside of food cans (the white plastic-like liner you see in cans) and thermal receipt paper. BPA is a hormone disruptor that is associated with at least heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, infertility and ADHD.
Valuable tips to help you and your family cut back on your exposure to BPA are highlighted in blue. While these suggestions are a good start, they only addresses food sources of BPA. Our bodies are exposed to BPA from non-food sources daily. One doctor suggests a more zen approach to looking at the situation – “we can’t be perfect, but we can be better.”
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Eat Fresh
March 30, 2011 — Families who gave up canned foods and food and beverages prepared and packaged using plastic containers saw their levels of a hormone-disrupting chemical fall by 66%, a new study shows. All it took was three days of eating only freshly prepared, organic foods.
The chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is found in many kinds of plastic food packaging, such as some water bottles, food storage containers, and sealing wrap. It is also used to line the inside of food cans.
BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that has been associated with a host of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, and infertility in adults, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
“The study provides clear evidence that food packaging is the major source of people’s exposure to bisphenol A and the phthalate known as DEHP,” says study researcher Ruthann A. Rudel, MS, director of research for the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass.
Phthalates are chemicals that make plastics strong, transparent, and clear.
“And that we found just by substituting fresh foods with limited packaging for three days, we reduced exposure levels in these participants by more than half,” Rudel says.
The study is published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Avoiding Sources of BPA
For the study, researchers from Silent Spring and the Breast Cancer Fund, in San Francisco, recruited 20 people from five different families in the San Francisco area by posting on listserv sites.
The families were chosen based on answers to questions about how often they ate food from cans, drank water from plastic bottles, drank from an office water cooler, ate restaurant meals, or microwaved in plastic containers — all sources of exposure to BPA and phthalates.
Monica Laurlund, 40, from Alamo, Calif., signed up her son, daughter, and husband because breast cancer runs on both sides of their family.
“To me, it seemed like an interesting way to find out if I’m being as healthy as I can be,” she says.
Researchers took urine samples from each family member before, during, and after the study to check for levels of BPA and other chemicals found in plastics.
For three days, a caterer who had been specially coached to avoid preparing food exposed to chemicals from plastics delivered meals prepared from fresh and organic fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats.
- The cooks were instructed to avoid contact with plastic utensils, and nonstick cookware and foods had to be stored in glass containers with BPA-free plastic lids. Researchers even told food preparers not to overfill the containers so the food wouldn’t touch the plastic lid.
- Microwaving in plastic was out; so was using coffee makers with plastic parts. Coffee drinkers got their morning coffee from French presses or ceramic drip models.
- Participating families gave up water in plastic bottles in favor of stainless steel.
- Eating out was also avoided since other studies have shown some restaurant meals to be high in BPA.
By the end of the study, urine tests showed the average BPA level dropped 66%, from 3.7 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) to 1.2 ng/mL. Levels of DEHP metabolites dropped by about half, from 57 ng/mL to 25 ng/ML.
People who started the study with the highest BPA levels saw even bigger reductions — 76% for BPA and about 95% for DEHP metabolites.
“Especially after finding out the results, we have completely eliminated the plastics and the canned food,” Laurland says. “It’s really very simple things, and overall, those things are healthier for you anyway.”
“What sold me on it is that I can easily take that toxic chemical out of my body and I don’t have to worry about it,” she says.
Why Worry About BPA?
Participants saw their levels drop, but science still doesn’t know whether or not that matters.
“What the question is, is exactly how much risk, and to whom, from this kind of exposure? We’re at a point where that’s still emerging,” Rudel says.
Still, the existing science has been compelling enough for Canada, which banned the use of BPA in baby bottles in 2008.
In the U.S., Eden Organic has started to sell foods in BPA-free cans. Several states have acted to limit the use of BPA, and similar bills are pending around the country.
The FDA is still studying that question, but so far, says that there’s no need for families to change how they eat.
The food industry supports that statement.
“We agree with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that foods packaged in cans with epoxy linings that utilize BPA are safe, and that there is no need for consumers to change their consumption habits,” the Grocery Manufacturers Association says in a statement. “That position is supported by the findings of numerous food safety agencies around the globe, such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the EU, Germany, Japan, UK, Canada, and Australia-New Zealand, which have all repeatedly confirmed the safety of BPA and continue to reaffirm the safety of BPA, including at levels comparable to those found in the exposure survey published in EHP.”
What Studies Show
Animal studies have shown an association with high and low levels of BPA with problems in neurodevelopment and reproductive development.
In 2008, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that found that adults with the highest levels of BPA in the study had more than twice the risk of getting diabetes as adults with the lowest levels.
But most studies such as these can only show associations; they can’t prove that the chemicals are directly causing health problems.
Nira Ben-Jonathan, PhD, a professor of cell and cancer biology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, has studied what happens to cells when they are exposed to BPA in test tubes.
In one study, her team found that BPA exposure protected breast cancer cells from chemotherapy. In another, it made cells ignore a hormone that protects against the development of diabetes.
Even seeing those changes in cells, she said she had reservations about the message of this study.
“Interesting, but not as striking as one would expect,” says Ben-Jonathan, who reviewed the study for WebMD. She said she found it suspicious that even after adhering to such a strict regimen that some chemical traces remained.
“That suggests to me that they’re also getting BPA from nonfood sources,” she says.
And if that’s the case, she wonders, is it practical to advise people to make such big changes if it’s not possible to really avoid the chemical?
“To tell people only to use organic food and they can reduce their BPA levels, I don’t think so,” she says. “It’s so prevalent. … It’s not just food.”
She said the greatest good could be accomplished if manufacturers made packaging changes.
“We are in an industrial world. We are surrounded by plastics. It’s very difficult to avoid it. I think that the food industry and the chemical industry should really avoid using bisphenol A if they can find an alternative. Not all plastics can do this,” she says.
The Can Manufacturers Institute says they are working on alternatives.
Advice for Consumers
Richard W. Stahlhut, MD, MPH, an environmental health researcher and preventive medicine specialist at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York, who has studied BPA exposure, says he tries to take “a Zen approach.”
Stahlhut says when he’s at home he tries to avoid plastics unless he needs them. If he can’t avoid plastics, he tries not to worry too much about it.
“You can’t be perfect, but you can be better,” he says.
Stahlhut, who reviewed the study, says it appears to be well done and shows that you can make a big dent in BPA exposure by making straightforward changes to how you cook and eat.
And that those reductions are probably prudent, even though knowledge about BPA is still incomplete and probably will be for decades to come.
“Since it takes 10, 20, 30 years to find out, the best approach is that if you don’t need an exposure, reduce it when you can. And when you can’t, be Zen about it, because we don’t know for sure that it’s bad anyway.”
In particular, experts said, it’s probably smart to avoid heating food in plastic containers or covered in plastic wrap, since heating makes the chemicals in plastic break down more quickly and leach into food.
“Just say no. But be Zen about it,” he says. “Because that’s where we are in history. 100 years from now, we’ll have new problems, but these are the ones we have now.”
SOURCES:
Rudel, R. Environmental Health Sciences, March 30, 2011.
Ruthann A. Rudel, MS, director of research, Silent Spring Institute, Boston.
Monica Laurlund, study participant, Alamo, Calif.
Statement, Grocery Manufacturers Association.
Lang, I. Journal of the American Medical Association, Sept. 16, 2008.
FDA: “Update on Bisphenol A for Use in Food Contact Application.”
Stahlhut, R. Environmental Health Perspectives, May 2009.
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And the Super Nut is: the WALNUT
WALNUT FOUND HIGHEST IN ANTIOXIDANTS
A study has determined that walnuts have almost twice as much antioxidant power as any other tree or ground nuts, and contain higher-quality antioxidants and more beneficial unsaturated fatty acids. Also, walnut antioxidants were found to have two to 15 times the potency of the renowned antioxidant vitamin E.
Previous research suggests that nuts, which are naturally dairy and gluten-free, offer a fairly unusual combination of nutrients, including high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals, unsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber. Nuts have been linked in studies to a decreased risk of heart disease, certain cancers, gallstones, diabetes type 2 and other heart problems. Also, despite high calorie content, walnut consumption is linked to lower obesity risk. Scientists have not, however, compared the amount and quality of antioxidants among the different nuts.
The current study focused on nine nut types: walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias and pecans. And walnuts offer another antioxidant benefit: nuts are generally roasted, which can destroy some of the antioxidants, but walnuts are eaten raw. This study was presented March 27, 2011 in Anaheim at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society and has not yet been published.
Your Heart Health Needs More than 6 Hours of Sleep
INSUFFICIENT SLEEP INCREASES RISK OF STROKE AND HEART ATTACK
Researchers conclude that chronically getting less than six hours of sleep a night produces hormones and chemicals in the body that are associated with greater risks of developing high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
In fact, regularly sleeping less than six hours a night can result in a 48% higher risk of developing or dying of heart disease and a 15% greater risk of developing or dying of a stroke.
Sleeping over nine hours a night has been linked to illness, including cardiovascular disease.
It is the chronic lack of sufficient sleep that produces long-term risk, not an occasional late night and early morning. The study analyzed data from 470,000 participants from eight countries. This study was released online February 8, 2011 by the European Heart Journal and will appear in a future print issue. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/erusY4 without charge.
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Is Your High Fat/Low Carb Diet Hurting You?
HIGH-FAT DIET HARMS HEART & COGNITIVE FUNCTION
A study concludes that the popular high-fat, low-carbohydrate (HFLC) diet may be detrimental to the both the heart and the brain.
Researchers assigned men aged 21 to 23 to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate (HFLC) diet and at a later time, to an alternate diet. They conducted MR scans, echocardiograms, and computerized cognitive tests. The HFLC diet produced 44% higher “plasma free fatty acids” (fats circulating in the blood). This higher level was associated with impaired cognitive function in the areas of attention, speed and mood; and a 9% lower ratio of cardiac phosphocreatine-to-ATP (indicating reduced energy available to the heart for maintaining its proper functioning).
These results occurred after five days on the high-fat diet and suggest an HFLC diet impairs cognition and heart function, reported the team. Released January 26, 2011, this study will be published in a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the meantime, it is available online at http://bit.ly/eJf9Wc.
Positive Emotions May Buffer Stress & Aging
Positive Emotions May Buffer Stress, Aging
Positive Emotions May Buffer Stress, Aging
United Press International
01-26-11
An optimistic outlook has been shown to combat stress — a known risk factor for heart disease and other illnesses, U.S. researchers say.
Anthony Ong of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., conducted a review of researchers to determine if it is really true that feeling good may be good for health.
“We all age. It is how we age, however, that determines the quality of our lives,” Ong says in a statement.
The review, published in the Current Directions in Psychological Science, suggests positive emotions may be a powerful antidote to stress, pain and illness.
Ong speculates that happier people might take a proactive approach to aging by regularly exercising and budgeting time for a good night’s sleep, or people who have positive emotions may avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and risky sex.
These benefits of a healthy lifestyle may become more important as adults age and their bodies become more susceptible to disease, Ong says.
In any event, the study says people with stronger positive emotions have lower levels of chemicals associated with inflammation related to stress.
Copyright United Press International 2011
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Vitamin E Supplements Can Help Women Reduce the Risk of COPD
VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTS REDUCE RISK OF COPD
Researchers have found that supplementation with 600 international units (IU) every second day is associated with a 10% lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), at least in women.
Previous, observational studies reported links between higher levels of antioxidants and a lower risk of COPD, leading to this randomized, ten-year study on women only, of supplementation with one of the antioxidant vitamins, vitamin E. This benefit was not reduced or increased by a number of other factors: age, multivitamin use, the taking of 100mg of aspirin every second day, dietary vitamin E intake, or smoking of cigarettes. Smoking was found to be a strong predictor of COPD. An important aspect of these results is that the reduction in COPD risk was observed with vitamin E supplementation, but not with vitamin E intake from diet. This study was released January 21, 2011, but will not be published until a future issue of the journal, Thorax. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/gDbKcT.
Low Vitamin D in Pregnancy Affects Children’s Insulin Resistance
LOW VITAMIN D IN PREGNANCY AFFECTS CHILDREN’S INSULIN RESISTANCE
A study found that low blood levels of vitamin D during pregnancy may result in less muscle mass and higher insulin resistance in children. (An effect on musculoskeletal development had long been suspected but metabolic effect was not known.)
Researchers measured vitamin D status at the 28-32 week period of pregnancy. Later, they examined various blood, insulin and strength factors in the children born to these mothers at the ages of five and 9.5 years. At both ages measured, children born to mothers who had shown a distinct vitamin D deficiency had smaller arm-muscle area. Also, at 9.5 years of age, children of D-deficient mothers showed higher fasting insulin resistance. (In insulin-resistant individuals, the hormone insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars and raises the risk of diabetes and early heart disease.)
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released this study on January 12, 2011, although it will not be published until a future issue. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/eEYzbx.
Can a Cup of Red Tea Reduce Cardiovascular Risk?
ROOIBOS TEA REDUCES CARDIOVASCULAR RISK
In South Africa, rooibos or redbush is a plant (Aspalathus linearis) traditionally fermented and consumed like a tea. Despite a medicinal reputation, little data have been available from controlled trials. However, a new study found that a significant daily intake of rooibos improves the status of various factors relevant to heart disease.
Volunteers consumed six cups of traditional, fermented rooibos every day for six weeks, followed by a control period with no rooibos consumption for comparison. After the rooibos phase, their blood indicated lower levels of lipid peroxidation. This is a process in which free radicals damage cells by stealing electrons from the fat in the cell membranes.
Also, the level of one form of glutathione (reduced glutathione) was raised relative to another form of glutathione (the disulfide form), which signifies a reduction in oxidative stress. HDL (good) cholesterol levels were higher and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels were reduced, both significantly.
These measurements suggest rooibos reduces factors relevant to developing cardiovascular disease. This study was published in the January 7, 2011 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/fXsjTi.
The Link Between Sleep & Inflammation
POOR OR INSUFFICIENT SLEEP INCREASES HEART RISK
Researchers have found that insufficient or poor-quality sleep causes higher levels of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
The study team recorded sleep quality, using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index survey, as well as the number of hours of sleep. Subjects regularly getting fewer than six hours of sleep, as well as those regularly getting a poor quality of sleep, had higher levels of three inflammation markers: fibrinogen, IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP). People in the highest third of CRP levels have been shown to have roughly twice the risk of heart attack, compared to those with lower levels, according to the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Previous studies have shown that people getting between seven and eight hours of sleep live longer, while those getting more than eight, or less than seven, are more likely to have high blood pressure, obesity, or psychological stress. Inflammation may be the mechanism by which poor sleep quality increases heart disease and stroke risk. This study was presented in Chicago on November 14, 2010 at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. It has not yet been journal-published.
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How Brushing & Flossing Can Help Your Heart
POOR DENTAL HYGIENE LINKED TO HEART DISEASE
A study suggests that without proper brushing of teeth and regular flossing, bacteria from plaque can escape into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots and generally wreak havoc on the body.
Researchers stressed that people need to maintain good dental hygiene to help ward off blood clots and heart disease in general. The study showed that, once let loose in the bloodstream, Streptococcus bacteria cause blood platelets to bind together and completely encase the bacteria, protecting the bacteria from both the body’s immune system and from antibacterial drugs. This same process creates small clots as well as growths on the heart valves or inflammation of the blood vessels. Dental health may prevent the release of bacteria into the blood and therefore, these other heart-related risks.
The study was released September 9, 2010 at the autumn meeting of the Society for General Microbiology in Nottingham, UK. It has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Iron Deficiency Linked to Chronic Heart Failure
A study has found that iron deficiency is a factor among chronic heart failure (CHF) patients in poor quality of life, intolerance of exercise and diminished heart function. Researchers showed that although typically associated with anemia, low iron levels negatively even affect a third of CHF patients who are not considered anemic. Iron is important for growth, survival and a number of bodily processes. An excess of iron is as risky as a deficiency. Iron levels should be closely controlled because too much of this insoluble mineral can be toxic. However, deficiencies are considered to be relatively common. Cardiologists should become aware of the possible importance of iron deficiency in heart patients. Correction of iron deficiency in CHF patients may lead to important clinical benefits. A key message of the study is that iron deficiency is often present without anemia. Iron in meat is more easily absorbed than iron in vegetables but this mineral is also found in lentils, beans, poultry, fish, leafy vegetables, tofu, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, blackstrap molasses, fortified bread, and fortified breakfast cereals. This study was presented September 5, 2010 at the European Society of Cardiology’s Congress 2010 in Stockholm.
How to Preserve the Health Benefits of Fish
Fish may be known for health benefits but it’s easy to turn those benefits in a health risk.
Frying or sautéing can add excess calories, saturated fat and dangerous levels of free radicals, requiring more antioxidants to mop them up and raising the risk of heart disease, obesity and some cancers. Also, any uncooked seafood carries the risk of coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella. Pregnant women who eat high levels of fish containing significant levels of mercury can cause developmental delays and brain damage in their newborns: especially high in mercury are shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.
On the other hand, canned light tuna (as opposed to other tuna), shrimp, salmon, pollock and catfish generally have a lower amount of mercury but still should be eaten only in moderation.
Baking, broiling, grilling and poaching are the healthiest ways to cook fish. Like any food, fish should be eaten in moderation. Two servings are equal to about seven ounces; eating over 14 ounces may cancel out the substantial health benefits of consuming fish.
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Childhood Physical Abuse Raises Risk of Heart Disease
A new study involving 13,093 people has found a 45 percent greater risk of heart disease in adulthood among those who were abused physically during childhood.
The link remained even after taking into account other factors that could also affect the result, such as stress, parental addictions, mood disorders, income, obesity and other aspects. The study team suggested further research is required to understand exactly what biological mechanism could explain the link behind childhood physical abuse and adult heart disease. The researchers advised that patients known to have been physically abused or neglected during childhood should have their cardiovascular risks managed more aggressively due their higher risk.
Just released, this study will be published in a future issue of the journal, Child Abuse & Neglect. It can be read online at http://bit.ly/b17NdB.
Metformin Increases Risk of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Long term use of metformin, the commonly prescribed “cornerstone” type 2 diabetes drug, increases the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
A deficiency of this vitamin raises levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood; higher levels are considered a risk factor for heart disease.
Metformin causes malabsorption of vitamin B12 and this negative effect increases over time. The study establishing this link was posted online at the site of the British Medical Journal on May 20, 2010 and the full-text version is now available at: http://bit.ly/aml8wr.
Can Tea Raise Arthritis Risk In Women?
A very preliminary study suggests women who drink any amount of tea daily – men were not tested – incur a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). But coffee was not found to be linked to any higher risk of RA, whether the coffee was filtered or unfiltered, caffeinated or without caffeine.
Researchers stressed that the tea-RA effect is not necessarily one of cause-and-effect and were unaware of any specific ingredient in the tea that could affect the onset of RA, which is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s own immune system attacks the body’s joints and tissue.
Further study is needed because a different study in the journal, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, confirming prior research on tea’s health benefits, found a 36 percent reduced risk of heart disease in those consuming 6 cups of tea a day and a 20 percent reduced risk of heart disease in those consuming less than two cups or more than four cups of coffee daily. Those with rheumatic diseases should consult their Naturopathic or Integrative Physician.
The RA-tea study was presented June 18 in Rome at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism. It has not been published and is not yet available in its full-text version.
What Do Diabetes, B-12 Deficiency & Heart Disease Have in Common?
Long term use of Metformin, commonly prescribed for treating type II diabetes, increases the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
A deficiency of Vitamin B-12 raises levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood; higher levels are considered a risk factor for heart disease.
Metformin causes malabsorption of vitamin B12 and this negative effect increases over time.
The study establishing this link was posted online at the site of the British Medical Journal on May 20, 2010; the full-text version is now available at: http://bit.ly/aml8wr.
Brushing Teeth <2x/day = Higher Risk of Heart Disease
Research just released by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests that those who brush their teeth less than twice a day experience a 70 percent greater risk of heart disease.
The 8-year study of 11,869 men and women also showed that those with generally poor dental hygiene had higher levels of certain inflammatory markers – such the C-reactive protein – often seen as heart disease risk factors.
Despite the pronounced difference in risk between those brushing twice daily and once daily, the overall risk of heart disease from inadequate dental hygiene was still low for both groups. Details of the study appear in the May 29, 2010 issue of the BMJ.