Ramanisblog

Tag: cardiovascular disease

  • ‘Saturated Fat No Link With Cholesterol Heart Attack

    ‘Saturated Fats‘ has been accepted universally as the culprit for the increase in Cholesterol and t=increases the risk of heart Attacks has now been questioned.

    In fact the medicines one takes to reduce the Saturated fats, increases the  risk of a Heart Attack.

    This is how one can understand Cholesterol report
    Reading Cholesterol Levels.

    A couple of days I ago had my Annual Medical Check up.

    The report indicated that there was a slight Liver damage.

    I have no issues with the Liver and I do not Drink nor do I have a History of any problem with Liver Function.

    The Consulting Doctor opined that there i nothing to worry as the slight damage will be self-regulated by the Liver( Liver is an Organ which repairs itself with out our being aware of it, and is also the reason when we come to know of Liver damage , it is late.

    On being asked about the values of the Test Result, the doctor explained that this Liver damage could br due to the Statins medications I have been taking to control  Cholesterol.

    ( please read my post on Understanding your Health reports).

    Now to begin with as far as I could get information Fats i general do not have anything to do with Heart Attacks and Cholesterol has no link with Heart attacks.

    Now information is on that

    ‘

    Scientists universally accept that trans fats—found in many fast foods, bakery products, and margarines—increase the risk of cardiovascular disease through inflammatory processes.1 But “saturated fat” is another story. The mantra that saturated fat must be removed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease has dominated dietary advice and guidelines for almost four decades.

    Yet scientific evidence shows that this advice has, paradoxically, increased our cardiovascular risks. Furthermore, the government’s obsession with levels of total cholesterol, which has led to the overmedication of millions of people with statins, has diverted our attention from the more egregious risk factor of atherogenic dyslipidaemia.

    Saturated fat has been demonised ever since Ancel Keys’s landmark “seven countries” study in 1970.2 This concluded that a correlation existed between the incidence of coronary heart disease and total cholesterol concentrations, which then correlated with the proportion of energy provided by saturated fat. But correlation is not causation. Nevertheless, we were advised to cut fat intake to 30% of total energy and saturated fat to 10%.”3 The aspect of dietary saturated fat that is believed to have the greatest influence on cardiovascular risk is elevated concentrations of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Yet the reduction in LDL cholesterol from reducing saturated fat intake seems to be specific to large, buoyant (type A) LDL particles, when in fact it is the small, dense (type B) particles (responsive to carbohydrate intake) that are implicated in cardiovascular disease.4

    Indeed, recent prospective cohort studies have not supported any significant association between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular risk.5 Instead, saturated fat has been found to be protective. The source of the saturated fat may be important. Dairy foods are exemplary providers of vitamins A and D. As well as a link between vitamin D deficiency and a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, calcium and phosphorus found commonly in dairy foods may have antihypertensive effects that may contribute to inverse associations with cardiovascular risk.6 7 8 One study showed that higher concentrations of plasmatrans-palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid mainly found in dairy foods, was associated with higher concentrations of high density lipoprotein, lower concentrations of triglycerides and C reactive protein, reduced insulin resistance, and a lower incidence of diabetes in adults.9 Red meat is another major source of saturated fat. Consumption of processed meats, but not red meat, has been associated with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus, which may be explained by nitrates and sodium as preservatives.10“

    ”

    he article points out that saturated fat is believed to raise levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (so-called “bad” cholesterol), which in turn raises cardiovascular risk.

    Yet only one type of LDL cholesterol seems to be associated with saturated fat intake, the article says. This type of cholesterol is called large buoyant (type A) LDL particles.

    The second type of LDL cholesterol – the small, dense (type B) particles associated with carbohydrate intake – is linked to cardiovascular disease.

    Recent studies have found no significant association between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular risk, writes Dr Malhotra. Instead, saturated fat has been found to be protective of the heart.

    He points out that dairy foods provide important dietary sources of nutrients that have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, such as vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus.

    Dr Malhotra’s article states that fat has been “notorious” for its higher energy content per gram in comparison with protein and carbohydrates.”

     

    Sources:

    http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6340

    http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/10October/Pages/Saturated-fat-link-with-heart-disease-questioned.aspx

    Related:

    Medicine has no clue about the linkage of Cholesterol and Heart attack.

    Please follow the Link.

    http://www.avoidheartattack.com/755280.html

    Gingely oil has been used by people of India for ages.

    To the best of my knowledge they did not get heart attacks.

    It is said that Gingely oil is good for over all Health including Heart.

    Best is to follow time tested Food Habits that have been arrived at by the society over hundreds of years by the process of elimination, taking into account the climate as well.These will vary from Region to Region.

    Let us follow them.

    A recent large government study found that raising levels of HDL “good” cholesterol using a drug did not reduce the risk of heart disease. ..

    As The New York Times reported:

    Patients taking the medicine along with Zocor had higher levels of H.D.L. and lower levels of triglycerides, a fat in the blood. Despite these seeming improvements, the patients fared no better and may have done slightly worse than those taking Zocor alone. That is why the entire theory behind trying to increase H.D.L. levels in patients with heart disease may need rethinking…

    http://ramanisblog.in/2011/08/14/cholesterol-and-heart-attack-not-linked/

  • Heart Disease in Women.

    Signs of heart disease in women.

    The most important sign is feeling really tired–even if after enough sleep. Other signs of heart disease in women are:

    • Trouble breathing
    • Trouble sleeping
    • Feeling sick to the stomach
    • Feeling scared or nervous
    • New or worse headaches
    • An ache in the chest
    • Feeling “heavy” or “tight” in the chest
    • A burning feeling in the chest
    • Pain in the back, between the shoulders
    • Pain or tightness in the chest that spreads to the jaw, neck, shoulders, ear, or the inside of the arms
    • Pain in the belly, above the belly button

    There is good news: You can take steps to keep your heart healthy.

    Don’t wait to get help!

    Go to your doctor or clinic if you have any warning signs.

    Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

    • Find out if heart disease runs in your family.
    • Visit your doctor or clinic often. Find out if you are at risk.
    • Don’t smoke. Stay away from other people who are smoking.
    • Get your blood pressure checked often. You might need medicine to keep it at the right level.
    • Control your diabetes.
    • Get your cholesterol checked often.
    • Stay active. Walking every day can lower your chances of a heart attack.
    • Eat right and keep a healthy weight.
    • Eat less salt.
    • If you take birth control pills, don’t smoke.
    • Hormones for menopause should not be used to prevent heart attacks.
    • Being stressed, angry or sad a lot may add to your risk of heart attack.
    • If you’ve had a heart attack, talk to your doctor about medicine. Some medicines can help cut down the risk of having another heart attack.

    High Blood Pressure

    • High blood pressure adds to the chance of having heart disease.
    • High blood pressure is called the “silent killer”. Most people who have it do not feel sick and don’t know that they have it.
    • Have your blood pressure checked each time you go to the doctor or clinic.

    To learn more:http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForWomen/ucm118528.htm

    Related:

    Middle-aged women who take steps to lower their blood pressure could reduce their risk of having a stroke, heart attack, or developing heart failure, a new study shows.

    Researchers say they found that high systolic pressure — the blood pressure when the heart contracts — is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and its complications in middle-aged and older women.

    Doctors say 36% of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes are preventable by lowering blood pressure in women, compared to only 24% in men.

    For the study, investigators examined data on 9,357 adults in 11 countries in Europe, Asia, and South America for a median of 11 years. The researchers looked for absolute and relative risks of cardiovascular disease that were associated with systolic blood pressure.

    They report that three major risk factors account for 85% of the modifiable risk for heart disease in men and women — high systolic (the top number) blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. And high systolic pressure is the most important risk factor, according to the researchers.

    Prevention of Heart Disease

    “I was surprised by the study findings that highlight the missed opportunities for prevention of heart disease in older women,” researcher Jan A. Staessen, MD, PhD, of the University of Leuven in Belgium, says in a news release.

    He says the research team found that a relatively small increase of 15 points in systolic blood pressure increased the risk of cardiovascular disease by 56% in women and 32% in men.

    For the study, the researchers looked at ambulatory blood pressure, which involves measuring blood pressure at set intervals for 24 hours during a person’s daily routine and when asleep, and conventional blood pressure readings taken in doctors’ offices.

    The researchers say ambulatory blood pressure readings have less potential for error and provide more accurate estimates of usual blood pressure and prognosis for cardiovascular disease.

    The monitor used for ambulatory readings was a small, portable device programmed to take blood pressures at specific intervals. In the study, ambulatory readings were taken at intervals of 15 to 30 minutes during the daytime, and 30 to 45 minutes at night.

    Nighttime readings are a better predictor of heart disease than daytime readings because the readings taken at night are more standardized, the researchers say. And blood pressure at night is less likely to be influenced by physical activity.

    Quality of Life

    “It is recognized that women live longer than men, but that older women usually report lower quality of life than men,” Staessen says. “By lowering systolic pressure by 15 [points] in hypertensive women, there would be an increased benefit in quality of life by prevention of cardiovascular disease.”

    The researchers say that women and their doctors ought to become more aggressive in diagnosing and treating high systolic blood pressure.

    The study is published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association

    http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20110124/heart-benefits-for-women-who-cut-hypertension?src=RSS_PUBLIC

  • The Dangers of Hormone Therapy: Why Is It Still Prescribed?


    Martha Rosenberg and Rowan Chlebowski, a lead investigator of the Women’s Health Initiative, talk about why doctors still promote hormone therapy despite its health risks.|

    In the following interview Martha Rosenberg and Rowan Chlebowski, MD, a lead investigator of the Women’s Health Initiative, talk about why doctors still promote hormone therapy despite its cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clot risks.

    Martha Rosenberg: The Women’s Heath Initiative findings about hormone therapy (HT) were definitive enough that both the estrogen and estrogen plus progestin arms of the study were terminated. Yet claims of heart and memory benefits for women, if HT is started early enough, continue in the media. Is there new information that has changed the risk/benefit ratio?

    Rowan Chlebowski: The new information was a secondary analysis of WHI data which ran in JAMA in 2007 and found HT may not be as detrimental for coronary heart disease as previously thought, if started in early menopause. Risk for stroke did not change, however, and there are indications that breast cancers appeared earlier, when hormones were started earlier.

    M.R.: Why are some doctors and Continuing Medication Education courses presenting HT as cardioprotective?

    R.C.: That claim is heard more from the gynecological community which had been the biggest HT prescribers rather than from the general medicine or the oncology community. The FDA has not changed the prescribing label on the basis of the WHI secondary analysis. HT is still not a desirable chronic disease risk reduction agent though for short term relief of vasomotor systems like hot flashes no other therapy comes close.

    M.R.: Do you believe the “timing theory”–that HT has greater benefits than WHI revealed because women began therapy too late–will be found to have merit?

    R.C.: Of course, the timing theory is just a theory. It would require a very expensive study to investigate. So far, on the basis of secondary analysis from WHI at seven years, the National Institutes of Health has not indicated an interest in a new study about timing.

    M.R.: What about memory and cognition benefits and the claim that HT could prevent dementia?

    R.C.: The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study which was a substudy of women 65 or older found, after four years of HT, all types of dementia doubled in women. Some of these findings could be related to the increase in stroke that was seen in this group.

    M.R.: Why do doctors still promote HT despite its cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clot risks? Are they influenced by drug companies?

    R.C.: Certainly the estrogen drug used in the trials, Premarin, and the estrogen plus progestin drug Prempro are best selling products of Pfizer, previously Wyeth. These companies are also big supporters of the gynecology community. It is reasonable for companies to support groups who use their products so it becomes a chicken and the egg question. The gynecology community tends to focus more on heart problems than the data about breast or lung cancer that is increasingly emerging from WHI.

    M.R.: Why is WHI billed as a landmark study? Haven’t a lot of studies looked at these issues like the PEPI, HERS, the Million Women Study and the Nurses’ Health studies?

    R.C.: The PEPI study[Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions Trial] largely investigated estrogen’s effect on the uterus and led to WHI’s addition of a progestin to estrogen to prevent endometrial cancers. The HERS study[Hormone Therapy Estrogen Cardiovascular Protection Clinical Trials] looked at women with established coronary heat disease and found no beneficial effect of HT looking at cardiovascular end-points. The Million Women Study in the UK is an observational study and the Nurses’ Health Study also is an observational study at Harvard of younger women. The WHI trial is the only fully powered randomized, placebo controlled trial able to address the most frequent causes of death and disability in postmenopausal women–cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.
    http://www.alternet.org/story/145944/the_dangers_of_hormone_therapy%3A_why_is_it_still_prescribed