Cardio Blog

New study: ‘Garlic ineffective against cholesterol’

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Garlic may add flavor to your meals but if you think that it would help you reducing your cholesterol level too, then you are wrong. Actually, this idea of researchers from Stanford University, California has come out refuting the previous assumptions according to which garlic may help reducing cholesterol level. According to the report published, whether it was raw garlic, aged garlic or garlic extract, it was not associated in any way with cholesterol level. Before bringing out this report researchers studied 192 volunteers with moderately high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also called ‘bad’ cholesterol, by dividing them into four groups. One group was provided with raw garlic, one received Garlicin powdered garlic, one received Kyolic aged garlic and one received a placebo. Finally, results that came stated that it wasn’t found that garlic intake helped reducing cholesterol level. Touting ineffectiveness of garlic against increased cholesterol level, Christopher Gardner, a Stanford professor of medicine who led the study said: It (garlic) just doesn’t work. If garlic was going to work, in one form or another, then it would have worked in our study. The lack of effect was compelling and clear. This is definitely a significant finding but its reliability is still ambiguous because previous studies (which had touted garlic quite effective against cholesterol) had also wrapped their findings with scientific facts. Still this fact can’t be spurned away that the promulgation of this new idea is a serious concussion to the older ones. To know precisely what previous studies stated about garlic and cholesterol association just go through the following links:- Garlic Cholesterol – Lower cholesterol with garlic Garlic and ‘bad’ cholesterol Cholesterol Lowering Benefits from Garlic Garlic Helps To Reduce Cholesterol in Rats Via: Reuters

Transcendental meditation: An effective way to reduce heart failure

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:29:00 +0000

Stress-reducing meditation technique called, Transcendental meditation may effectively decrease the severity of congestive heart failure. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania came out with this notion after studying about 23 African American men and women who had been hospitalized recently with New York Heart Association class II or III congestive heart failure. The average age of these participants was 64 years. During the course of study, some participants were randomly selected for Transcendental Meditation with usual medical care. Then researchers measured changes in participants’ heart function, depression level, etc. After an intensive study of six months, lead author of the study Ravishanker Jayadevappa, Ph.D., concluded that groups of patients who underwent Transcendental Meditation classes showed tremendous improvement. Moreover, the TM (Transcendental Meditation) group showed improvements in quality of life measurements, depression. In addition, such patients underwent less hospitalization. This is good finding that I hope would help lots of people, especially in countries like U.S. where about 500,000 new patients are diagnosed with congestive heart failure every year-and 300,000 patients die each year from this disease. Image credit: Shola Via: DNA India

Brush your teeth daily to cut down heart risk

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:28:00 +0000

If you want to enjoy better cardiovascular health, then brushing teeth regularly may help you a lot by staving off gum diseases. Yes, you read it right. Actually, a new study conducted by British and American researchers, states that warding off gum disease can directly improve the health of blood vessels by helping the flow of blood through arteries. Before making this conclusive statement, researchers studied two groups of patients. In this study, About 120 middle-aged patients with gum disease but without any heart problems were studied. These patients were advised either to treat their gum disease themselves or to avail intensive dental treatment, including the removal of plaque and the removal of teeth that could not be saved. After six months researchers found that patients, receiving more intensive treatment, showed better gum health. Moreover, these patients noticed significant improvement in their blood vessel function. Uncovering the significance of this study professor John Deanfield of the UCL Institute of Child Health who worked on the study said: This is the first time that a direct link has been made between treatment for gum disease and improved circulatory function, which is relevant to some of the UK’s biggest killers: heart attack and stroke. Here it is worth mentioning that previous studies had also brought out the notion that better oral care is must for enjoying better cardiovascular health. However, this new study has tired to do this by keeping more concrete proofs, which makes this study quite convincing. Following are the links that would help you understanding that how important oral health is for enjoying overall good health:- Oral health: A window to your overall health The Effects of Oral Health on Overall Health Gum and heart disease linked Oral health linked to Alzheimer’s risk Oral health and overall health: Why a healthy mouth is good for your body Gum and heart disease linked Image credit: Myanmar Via: Scotsman

Confluence of depression and diabetes ups heart death risks

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:27:00 +0000

Depression and type 2 diabetes were already known to increase heart attack’s risk but according to a new study, confluence of these two could be more deadly than thought. During the course of this study researchers found that patients with type 2 diabetes and depression were carrying 20 to 30 per cent higher risk of dying than patients just suffering from depression and no diabetes. Throwing more light on this equation of diabetes and depression, researcher Anastasia Georgiades remarked: We found a trend showing that the probability of death increases as the level of depression increases in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease. It means this association between depression and type 2 diabetes can be horrendous. Therefore, it is important to cure any of the symptoms earnestly to avoid further complications. Image credit: Harmony nutrition Via: Post Chronicle

Heart attack on weekends may prove fatal

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:27:00 +0000

Believe it or not, heart attack on weekends can be deadlier than other days, a new study by the health experts suggest. This finding is based on an analysis of 231, 164 heart attack patients admitted to New Jersey hospitals from 1987 to 2002. As per the findings of this study, where mortality rate of patients incurring heart attacks on weekends was 12.9 per cent at the same time mortality rate of patients meeting with heart attacks on weekdays was just 12 per cent. Experts, who conducted this study, believe that the fundamental reason behind ‘weekend & higher mortality rate’ equation was lack of skilled medical experts during weekends, as most of them aren’t available on weekends. In the words of Dr. Redelmeier: …the most skilled and savvy people don’t work weekends. Further, he says that in most of the heart attack cases it was found that patients died due to insufficient care on weekends. Where this study shows that heart attacks on weekends may prove fatal at the same time it exposes the darker side of the healthcare facilities too, which heart patients are provided, especially on weekends. Therefore, I strongly believe that lackadaisical attitude adopted by hospitals during weekends, as this report shows, should be dealt with strongly and that is possible just by revamping the whole Medicare system. Image credit: Weird News Today Via: USA Today

CABG linked to bone mineral loss in men: Study

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:26:00 +0000

Going for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may not doubt, ensure better cardiovascular health but unfortunately, at the cost of bone mineral loss. A new study published in the American Journal of Cardiology brings out this fact. As per the findings of this study, bone mineral content declines significantly in men who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting. This assumption is based on the findings in which Dr. Larry E. Miller, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and colleagues evaluated changes in bone mineral and body composition in 26 men, between the ages of 50 and 79 years. On the basis of the finding, looming out of this study, it could be asserted that after undergoing CABG patients turn more susceptible to bone fractures, for bone mineral loss means weaker bones. In the words of Miller: Because there is a strong correlation between bone mineral and fracture risk, CABG patients may be at increased risk for osteoporotic fractures unless preventative steps are taken to minimize bone losses. Image credit: Yahoo Via: Reuters

Firefighters, more susceptible to heart attack risks

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:25:00 +0000

Few months back news came in stating, firefighters are more prone to prostate cancer and this time researchers have come out giving another shock to these firefighters, transpiring the fact that firefighting increases firefighters’ vulnerability to coronary heart disease (CHD) by up to 100 times than non-emergency duties. However, this is not for the first time that firefighting has been linked to heart diseases because several studies conducted earlier have also shown that how percentage of patients with heart diseases is growing alarmingly among firefighters. Like- In firefighters 50% of deaths results from heart attacks Heart Attacks Claim More Firefighters Than Any Other Cause Health Inferno: Firefighters’ Greatest Risk May Not Be Fires, But Killer Heart Attacks However, this study is somewhat more convincing than the studies conducted earlier on this issue because results or conclusions looming out of this study are utterly based on long analysis of statistical studies. In the latest study, experts reviewed the data of the past 11 years, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency of all deaths on duty on firefighters between 1994 and 2004. Interestingly this data didn’t include those firefighters who linked to the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks. In the words of Stefanos Kales of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA states:- Instead, this is a statistical analysis with several different models that allowed us to estimate duty-specific risks. We think we’ve provided the strongest evidence to date that specific firefighting activities can indeed trigger heart events in susceptible firefighters. According to an estimate, heart disease accounts for 45 per cent of deaths among the firefighters from the U.S. alone, which indirectly suggests that firefighters are at higher risk of heart diseases. Unfortunately, heart disease is not the only threat for these firefighters but cancer is also getting over them, which confirms the fact that from health point of view firefighters are not safe. Have a look at the increased vulnerability of firefighters to cancer:- Firefighter cancer risk ‘higher’ Firefighters Face Increased Risk For Certain Cancers Raised cancer risk in firefighters On the basis of this study and by ruminating over the previous studies it could he asserted that a great threat is constantly hovering over the health of these firefighters. Therefore, it becomes quite important to bring out more effective as well as preventive methods so that these valiant firefighters may protect their health in the same way as protect others’. Via: Xinhua Net

Dark chocolate improves blood vessel function

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:24:00 +0000

Don’t curb your feelings when next time you stumble upon a big bar of dark chocolate, eating a modest amount will do nothing but benefit your blood vessels. A small clinical study showed that dark chocolate improves the function of blood vessels. Dr. Valentine Yanchou Njike of Yale Prevention Research Center, a co-investigator of the study says: In this sample of healthy adults, dark chocolate ingestion over a short period of time was shown to significantly improve (blood vessel) function. A study was done on 45 people over a period of six weeks in which they were given 8 ounces (227 grams) of cocoa without sugar, cocoa with sugar or a placebo each day. In the test, the FMD(flow mediated dilation)- upper arm artery’s ability to relax and expand to accommodate increased blood flow, was measured before and after daily cocoa or placebo consumption, using a high-frequency ultrasound. The result of the 39 subjects who completed the test showed an increase in the FDA, though a slight variation was recorded depending on the chocolate form they consumed. The ones who ate chocolate without sugar showed a 2.4% increase, those who had it with sugar gained 1.5% and the placebo group registered a 0.8% increase. Though the researchers say that the findings are clear, yet they have called for higher studies on this issue. The findings of the research was presented at the annual American College of Cardiology scientific meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr Nikje said: While the findings from this study do not suggest that people should start eating more chocolate as part of their daily routine, it does suggest that we pay more attention to how dark chocolate and other flavonoid-rich foods might offer cardiovascular benefits. Source.

Good fat keeps heart healthy

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:23:00 +0000

It’s commonly said that heart patients should not include fat in their diet. According to new research of American Heart Association, patients with heart trouble should adopt a mediterranean-style diet that should have “healthy” fats. In a conference at an American College of Cardiology, doctors suggested that patient on Low fat diet and Mediterranean -style diet can minimize the risk of suffering another heart attack, a stroke, death or other heart problem compared with heart patients eating in the usual way. “Both diets are prudent choices” How To Deal With for people at high risk of heart disease, said Dr. Katherine Tuttle of Providence Medical Research Center and Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash. Patient should take saturated fat and cholesterol that should be less than 200 milligrams a day. The Mediterranean dieters were allowed to intake 40 percent of calories, with the extra coming from healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and foods like olive oil, avocados and especially fish. The fish is recommended three to five times per week because it has omega-3 fatty acids that is good for heart. Research: The study was done on 202 people who had suffered heart attacks in the previous six weeks. 50 were on low-fat diet and fifty one followed and 51 on the Mediterranean diet. Both group has receive individual diet counseling sessions n the first month and six group sessions over the next two years. All were prescribed standard heart care drugs like aspirin, beta blockers and statins to lower cholesterol. Results (After four years): 83 percent of those on the low-fat or Mediterranean diets had survived without any further heart attack or stroke Cholesterol levels improved Doctor Katherine Tuttle recommends using olive oil instead of margarine or butter. Dr. Steven Nissen, a Cleveland Clinic heart specialist and president of the College of Cardiology who had no role in the study, said the study gave an important choice to people who want to reduce their risk. Via

Study questions reliability of angioplasty

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:22:00 +0000

Angioplasty is normally considered a boon for patients with heart diseases. However, a new study by the American Cardiology Meeting in the United States has come out raising questions on its reliability, after it was found not saving lives from heart attacks. Before reaching this conclusion, researches studied a group of almost 2,300 patients with stable heart disease. During this period, all patients were given drugs to lower cholesterol and blood pressure level in order to improve their cardiovascular health. Finally, these researchers concluded that there were similar rates of deaths, heart attack, stroke and hospitalization among those treated with drugs and those getting an artery-clearing angioplasty. No doubt, patients with angioplasty had slightly better relief from chest pain but that was just temporary. On the basis of these findings, researchers are believing that in patients with stable heart disease priority should be given to medication than angioplasty. Giving somewhat similar view Bill Boden, chief of cardiology at Buffalo General Hospital said: The results demonstrate that two treatments are not always better than one. Image credit: South Coast Via: ABC