Cardiovascular System

Adults With Depression More Likely to be Obese

Marcia Frellick October 20, 2014 Among adults with depression, 43.2% were obese compared with 33.0% of adults without depression, according to an October National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) data brief. Laura Pratt, PhD, and Debra Brody, MPH, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s NCHS in Atlanta, Georgia, also report several other major findings: […]

What Is Good for the Heart Is Good for the Head and Vice Versa

David Rakel MD, FAAFP Story Source Two studies published last month add to the vast amount of evidence on the positive effect that lifestyle choices have on disease risk. Tangney and colleagues showed that eating a Mediterranean diet or a DASH diet were each associated with less cognitive decline in elderly individuals.1 This was equivalent to […]

Vertebral Artery Dissection in a Patient Practicing Self-manipulation of the Neck

Written by Editor Saturday, October 18, 2014 09:10 AM The purpose of this case report is to describe a patient who regularly practiced self-manipulation of her neck who presented with shoulder and neck pain and was undergoing a vertebral artery dissection. A 42-year-old female patient sought care for left shoulder pain with a secondary complaint […]

Prostate Cancer Recurrence Risk Rises With Triglycerides

Published: Oct 10, 2014 By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Elevated triglycerides after radical prostatectomy significantly increased the likelihood of prostate cancer recurrence, data from a retrospective cohort study showed. The risk of recurrence rose about 3% for every 10 mg/dL increase in triglyceride levels. Overall, other lipid parameters — total cholesterol, LDL, and […]

Mediterranean Diet May Reverse Metabolic Syndrome

Published: Oct 14, 2014 By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Although it didn’t prevent the development of metabolic syndrome, the Mediterranean diet seemed to help reverse some of its symptoms, researchers found. In a secondary analysis of data from the PREDIMED trial, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome didn’t differ whether patients were on […]

Coffee consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer

Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Oct 15;180(8):763-75. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwu194. Epub 2014 Aug 24. Coffee consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis. Crippa A, Discacciati A, Larsson SC, Wolk A, Orsini N. Abstract Several studies have analyzed the relationship between coffee consumption and mortality, but the shape of the association remains […]

34.6% of Cardiac Stress Tests Probably Inappropriate

Study: Unneeded Stress Tests Too Common Published: Oct 14, 2014 By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Cardiac stress tests done with imaging have risen substantially and more than a third appeared inappropriate, according to a national study. While the annual frequency of cardiac stress testing stayed constant after adjustment for other factors, the […]

EMA Panel Says No Heart Risk With Testosterone

Published: Oct 13, 2014 By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today A European Medicines Agency (EMA) review committee has concluded that there’s no consistent evidence that testosterone increases the risk of heart problems in men with hypogonadism. The agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) said the drug’s benefits outweigh its risks but warned that it […]

Science-Based Medicine Blog Takes on the Movie ‘Fed Up’

Does the Movie Fed Up Make Sense? Posted by Harriet Hall on October 14, 2014 The 2014 film Fed Up is an advocacy documentary. Its message: There is a worldwide epidemic of obesity. It is endangering our children. Increased sugar consumption is responsible. The food industry is responsible for our increased sugar consumption because it puts hidden […]

Vulnerability to Fructose Varies, Health Study Finds

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR OCTOBER 13, 2014 9:20 PM Fructose, a sugar widely consumed in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, may promote obesity and diabetes by overstimulating a hormone that helps to regulate fat accumulation, researchers reported on Monday. The study, carried out at Harvard Medical School, marks the first time that scientists have identified a hormone that rises […]

Obese Kids Face Greater Risk for Heart Disease

Published: Oct 8, 2014 By Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Action Points Higher values of BMI and systolic and diastolic BP in childhood and adulthood were significantly associated with higher LV mass index and LVH. Higher values of BMI and BP in childhood and adulthood were significantly associated with eccentric hypertrophy and concentric hypertrophy […]

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Associated With Predisposing Arteriopathies

PracticeUpdate.com RESEARCH · October 07, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this prospective study, patients with nonatherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (NA-SCAD) who presented with myocardial infarction were evaluated for fibromuscular dysplasia with angiography, CT, or MRI of their peripheral and cerebral vaculature as well as precipitating stressors. The majority of patients with NA-SCAD were found to […]

Hypertriglyceridemia Is Associated With Increased Risk for Stone Recurrence in Urolithiasis

October 06, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This Korean study evaluated the correlation between stone formers and serum lipid levels. Following 321 patients over 2 years, the authors found that stone formers with hypertriglyceridemia (HT) had significantly higher urinary calcium, sodium, uric acid, magnesium, and potassium excretions than stone formers. Recurrent stone formation was found in 46% […]

Lower Cholesterol with this Nutrient

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S. When it comes to lowering cholesterol, the pharmaceutical companies have attempted to duplicate nature and created a drug called Niaspan®. Niaspan® is a prescription time-released form of niacin. For over half a century niacin or vitamin B3 has been found to be good for lowering cholesterol and increasing the […]

This Blood Test Predicts Death, Even When Everything Else Looks “Great”

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S. Story Source As I discussed in a recent article, I mentioned the prognostic power of the blood test brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Remember there is a 25% increase in death if the BNP is elevated one year after a heart attack. And don’t forget a BNP persistently over 80 […]

American Society of Clinical Oncology Position Statement on Obesity and Cancer

Jennifer A. Ligibel Journal of Clinical Oncology October 1, 2014, doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.58.4680 © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology Abstract Rates of obesity have increased significantly over the last three decades in the United States and globally. In addition to contributing to heart disease and diabetes, obesity is a major unrecognized risk factor for […]

Whole food versus supplement: Comparing the clinical evidence of tomato intake and lycopene supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors

Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 09/29/2014  Review Article Burton–Freeman BM, et al. – In this study, authors want to compare the clinical evidence of tomato intake and lycopene supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors. With the exception of blood pressure management where lycopene supplementation was favored, tomato intake provided more favorable results on cardiovascular […]

Long-term high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation and blood pressure in healthy adults

Hypertension, 09/26/2014 Clinical Article Scragg R, et al. – This study aims to determine whether long–term high–dose vitamin D taken for 18 months lowers BP. Long–term vitamin D supplementation, which increased mean 25–hydroxyvitamin D3 concentration >100 nmol/L for 18 months, had no effect on systolic or diastolic BP in predominantly white, healthy adults without severe […]

Stroke Rounds: Fish Oil Flops Again in Afib Study

Published: Sep 30, 2014 Story Source By Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Action Points High-dose fish oil did not reduce atrial fibrillation recurrence compared to placebo in patients with a history of atrial fibrillation who were not receiving conventional antiarrhythmic therapy. Additionally, fish oil did not reduce markers of inflammation or oxidative stress in […]

Intestinal Flora May Promote Atherosclerosis

Published: Apr 24, 2013 | Updated: Apr 25, 2013 By Crystal Phend , Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Story Source Action Points The gut microbiota appears to play a role in atherosclerosis through a complex metabolic pathway that involves dietary lecithin. Point out that levels of atherosclerosis-related trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) released by the process were dependent […]