Stories tagged heart disease
Students at Rice University are attempting to brew beer that contains resveratrol, a chemical that lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer. They plan to genetically engineer yeast, which is used in fermentation, to produce the chemical.
No word on how one can sign up to be a test subject.
Tags : Be still my heart: Day Light Savings switch could lower heart attack risks
Saturday night/Sunday morning we have the annual fall back of switching off of Daylight Savings Time. We've discussed that topic a bunch over the years here on the Buzz. But here's a new study that says heart attack risks drop significantly in the days after we fall back in the autumn. Conversely, heart attack rates go up in the spring in the week after springing ahead to DLS. So this Saturday, I'll guiltlessly eat a huge steak covered in bacon and real butter!!!!
The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that children as young as eight-years-old, who are at risk for heart disease, be treated with drugs to lower high levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol.
According to this report recent research has also shown that cholesterol-fighting drugs are generally safe for children, and that many are already being treated with them. Personally, I question the wisdom of going this route. Wouldn't a life-style change be a better approach? Do we really know the long-term effects of this kind of treatment? And do I have any legitimate medical school diplomas on my wall? Any thoughts on this out in Buzzland?
A European study has found that women taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills) are at a higher risk for blood clots and heart disease.
Handy ultrasound: This new device on the market, the Acuson P10, is a handheld ultrasound machine that weighs less than two pounds. It's being marketed as a new way to detech artery blockages in the neck, a sign of heart attacks that might be coming. (Photo courtesy of Siemens Medical Solutions)Dr. Bones McCoy may have had some nifty gadgets to do quick diagnoses on the Starship Enterprise. One of his gadgets my soon be coming to a clinic near you.
Doctors are now able to buy a miniature ultrasound device. It weighs less than two pounds and can be simply held in one hand. Marketers describe it as a fast, easy way to do initial screenings for heart and circulatory problems.
By using the Acuson P10, medical professionals can quickly see if there are any blockages in arteries around a patient’s neck. When there are blockages there, there are very likely blockages in arteries around the heart, which can lead to heart attacks.
The first symptoms of heart trouble, in about one-third of cases, are a heart attack. So doctors are hoping this quick, easy scanning process could help eliminate a lot these difficult ways of finding heart problems. Women with heart problems are especially prone to not showing any physical signs of heart disease.
This is all a good thing, right?
Some critics aren’t so sure. Non-specialists using the equipment may over react to what they’re seeing, some doctors warn, and send patients on for costly, unnecessary treatment. Drug companies are promoting the new devices heavily, which some skeptics point out may be a way to get more patients prescribed on their medications.
The American Heart Association is among a group of cardiology concerns that say conventional ultrasounds are a great way to find coronary problems but are not convinced the new, smaller scanners are effective. Several medical groups are currently working to draft guidelines on who should use, and what types of patients should be scanned with, this new technology.
Also, few medical insurance companies have agreed to provide coverage on such treatments. And there are reports of some non-medical professionals setting up shop in malls to give people quick scans.
What would like to see develop with this mini-ultrasound technology? Does it need more regulation or research? Is it an idea ahead of its time? Or is this just the latest version of medical hoaxes? Share your thoughts here at Science Buzz.
Is this poor kid headed for later heart break?: Photo by Sean Dreilinger courtesy Flickr.A new study shows an association between drinking soda pop – including diet brands– and an increased risk of heart disease.
I’m not a big soft drink consumer, I like to have a glass once in a while with certain foods, but this seems a little far-fetched to me. However, check the statistics that came out of the report that appeared this week in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Of the nearly 9000 middle-aged men and women who participated in the study, those who said they drank one pop or more per day had:
- A 31 per cent greater chance of developing obesity;
- A 30 per cent increased risk for gaining inches around the waist;
- A 25 per cent chance of developing high blood sugar levels
- A 32 per cent greater chance of developing lower "good" cholesterol (HDL) levels.
The one-or-more-a–day consumers were compared to non-frequent consumers, and adjustments were made for total caloric intake, saturated and trans fat intake, dietary fiber consumption, physical activity and smoking.
Scientists involved with the study were puzzled why even diet soda drinkers came up with the same results.
"We were struck by the fact that it didn't matter whether it was a diet or regular soda that participants consumed, the association with increased risk was present," said Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine who participated in the study.
The researchers offered little explanation other than it could be that the sweetness of diet and regular soda may make a person desire even more sugar, or that diet soda drinkers may eat more at other times.
"Our study was observational, and so right now all we demonstrate is an association. We have not proven causality," said Dr. Ravi Dhingra, lead author of the study and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Not surprisingly, the study has raised the hackles of the soft drink industry.
"This study doesn't prove any link between soft drinks and increased risk of heart disease. Its assertions defy the existing body of scientific evidence, as well as common sense. Even the researchers acknowledge that their study can't support a link," said Susan K. Neely, president of the American Beverage Association in a statement.
The ABA has a point, but each year soft drink companies produce 557 cans of soda pop for every person in the US, and last year, we drank an average of 814 8-ounce servings of soda, up 26 percent in the past two decades. You have to admit that’s a lot of sugar from carbonated beverages.
Hey, I have a better idea. Somebody should do a study about how much CO2 all those carbonated beverages (and let’s not forget beer) contribute to the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere each year. Just a thought
Veggies: Vegetables are an important part of a low fat diet. Image courtesy Icarus Diving.
The Women's Health Initiative is a clinical trial sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, an institute of the National Institutes of Health. It included the largest ever study of a low-fat diet in postmenopausal women to see if such a diet reduced their rate of contracting certain diseases. 48,835 women aged 50-79 participated for an average of 8 years. The results of the low-fat diet trial showed no significant reduction in the rate of breast cancer, heart disease, or stroke and no effect on the risk of colorectal cancer. However, the women in the study had trouble sticking to the recommended amount of daily fat and they did not necessarily cut out the types of fat considered most harmful (saturated fats and trans fats).
What About Nutritional Supplements?
The study also followed 36,282 women of the same age range to find out if calcium and vitamin D supplements reduced the rate of broken bones from osteoporosis. Again the results appeared to show no appreciable advantage to taking the supplements, although there was an average of 1% gain in bone density.
X-Ray: Osteoporosis can lead to broken bones. Image courtesy Retrogradeheart.
Drop the Supplements and Forget the Low-Fat Diet?
Researchers found that the trend in positive results was going upwards for the group on the low fat diet enough to encourage the researchers that continued monitoring of the women over the next few years will show a positive result. And people connected with the calcium/vitamin D supplement study say that despite the slightly elevated risk of kidney stones that was seen in some women, the overall gain in bone density was great enough to make a difference for some women and to have a positive impact on money spent on health care for osteoporosis-related injuries.
The upshot is that there are still opportunities to learn more information about how diet and supplements affect the health of these postmenopausal women, including why some subgroups of women were affected in ways that others weren't. Doctors and researchers aren't changing their overall advice yet, although people should always discuss their diets with their doctors as cases can differ from person to person.
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