Posts Tagged ‘heart disease’

A survey recently released by the American Psychiatric Association has found that American workers are hesitant about seeking mental health care for fear of confidentiality issues and possibly losing status at work. Among the 1,129 people surveyed 76% believed their work status would be damaged by seeking treatment for drug addiction, 73% for alcoholism, and 62% for depression, compared with 55% who thought seeking care for diabetes would affect their work status and 54% for heart disease. In total only about 40% of respondents thought their employers were supportive of employees seeking general and mental health care, which sounds counterproductive, especially since research (and logic) shows that people who receive proper health care are healthier and more productive. [HealthDay/Businessweek]

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Researchers from the Karolinska Institute are embarking on a new paradigm in exercise physiology after publishing a paper in this month’s British Journal of Sports Medicine. The study authors argue that prolonged periods of sitting is an entity distinct from the commonly used terminology “sedentary behavior,” which means a general lack of exercise. Rather, they contend that the use of the term “muscular inactivity” more accurately describes a state of being in which people have prolonged periods when even light physical activity is not achieved. This is important because research shows that periods of prolonged sitting and lack of whole body muscular activity is strongly associated with the development of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer, regardless of whether moderate or vigorous exercise was performed. This goes to show that maintaining an intermittent level of activity that involve total body muscle movement (climbing stairs, walking to run errands, taking a walking break during sedentary work) is just as important as incorporating moderate to vigorous exercise into your routine. [via Medical News Today]

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The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has published an update to their popular cookbook entitled “Keep The Beat.” It’s a collection of recipes that are limited in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium, as well as being moderate in calories. The majority of the recipes were created in collaboration with Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and instructor David Kamen and a James Beard Foundation award-winning registered dietitian based on guidelines from NHLBI. For those with heart disease, or those who simply want to eat healthier, it’s often difficult to find nutritionally sound recipes that are delicious at the same time. Costing only a nominal $5 it may just be the healthiest pocket change you spent in a while. The book can be purchased at the NHLBI website. [via NIH News]

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A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reports that the common complaints of muscular weakness and pain in patients taking statins are in fact due to structural muscle damage caused by the use of these medications. The statin drugs are the most widely used medications in the treatment of elevated cholesterol levels and in reduction of cardiovascular disease risk. By looking at muscle biopsies, researchers noted that those who have taken statins have significant muscle injury, compared to those who have never taken statins. There have been reports of people falling due to muscle weakness, as well as cases of decreased fine motor control. Most will regain muscle function after stopping the medication. However, a small group of patients may continue to have persistent muscle problems. Statins currently available in the US are Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Fluvastatin (Lescol), Lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev), Pravastatin (Pravachol), Rosuvastatin (Crestor), Simvastatin (Zocor). They are also found in the following combination drugs:  Advicor (lovastatin + niacin), Caduet (atorvastatin + amlodipine), and Vytorin (simvastatin + ezetimibe).

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The health benefits of olive oil has been well documented. The US Food and Drug Administration says consuming 2 tablespoons of olive oil each day may reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. However, the time your olive oil sits on the shelf may reduce it’s health benefit potential. Researchers at the University of Foggia in Italy analyzed a variety of olive oils and found that after 6 months of shelf life, almost all of the oils had a 40% reduction in antioxidant activity level. That certainly doesn’t mean the bottle should go into the trash. The benefits of olive oil is attributed to its high content of monounsaturated fats, in addition to antioxidants.

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The American Chemical Society reports new evidence that humans can make their own salicylic acid (SA), the compound largely responsible for aspirin’s effects on pain, fever, and inflammation. SA is a naturally occurring substance that can be obtained directly from eating fruits and vegetables. Researchers have previously shown that vegetarians have much higher levels of SA in their bodies (sometimes as high as in those who take low doses of aspirin). Now, the same research group claims that new evidence suggest that our bodies can actually manufacture SA from compounds we consume in our diet. Could SA be one of the chemicals responsible for the health benefits of a vegetarian diet? Numerous studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which can cause heart attacks), high blood pressure, and diabetes.

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered an enzyme in blood vessels which produces small amounts of hydrogen sulphide, the gas responsible for the smell of rotten eggs and flatulence. The discovery is notable for the fact that the gas signals blood vessels to relax, dilate, and thereby lower blood pressure. Another gas that functions in a similar manner is nitric oxide, which is often used in the treatment of heart disease. Scientists are hoping to base future blood pressure medications on the discovery of this gas.

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Trans fats are once again in the news after governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a ban on the use of trans fats by California restaurants. Trans fat is produced by the food industry to increase the shelf life of food products by making oil solid at room temperature. The problem with trans fats is that they have severe adverse effects on cholesterol levels which increases coronary heart disease risk. But, is selecting foods labeled as containing zero grams of trans fats enough to avoid it? As it turns out, trans fat does not have to be listed if the total fat in a food is less than 0.5 gram per serving (source: FDA). For now, the only reliable way of reducing your trans fat intake is to eat unprocessed foods or follow some of these practical tips from the FDA.

One of the largest studies about the health affects of coffee was published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study found that regular coffee consumption is not associated with increased mortality. Rather, consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee was found to be associated with lower rates of death from heart disease. So should everyone be drinking coffee? Well, that is a complicated question. Although the recent study demonstrated a benefit from drinking coffee on a population level, it is difficult to make individual recommendations for safe coffee consumption. According to Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy of the University of Toronto, safe daily caffeine intake is different from one person to the next due to our bodies’ varying abilities to process caffeine. “That’s why numerous studies have associated coffee consumption with both an increased and a decreased risk for many chronic diseases,” he said. So, again, it appears now that the jury is still out…for coffee. Full story.