Cardiovascular System

Sleep irregularity increases CVD risk

Huang T, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2019.12.054. Oldenburg O, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2019.12.055. March 2, 2020 Excess variations in sleep duration and timing were associated with an increased risk for CVD independent of sleep quantity and/or quality and traditional CVD risk factors, according to a study published in the Journal of […]

Serum Urate and Atherosclerosis: Ties Shown in Men

— Odds ratios doubled for coronary artery calcification among men, but not women, with high serum urate levels by Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today February 25, 2020 High levels of serum urate were associated with the presence of coronary artery calcification in men, though not in women, Swedish researchers found. In a multivariate […]

Associations of Processed Meat, Unprocessed Red Meat, Poultry, or Fish Intake With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality

February 3, 2020 Associations of Processed Meat, Unprocessed Red Meat, Poultry, or Fish Intake With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality Victor W. Zhong, PhD JAMA Intern Med. Published online February 3, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.6969 Key Points Question Is consuming processed meat, unprocessed red meat, poultry, or fish associated with incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality? Findings […]

Intraoperative Ischemic Stroke in Elective Spine Surgery

A Retrospective Study of Incidence and Risk Ishak, Basem MD SPINE: January 15, 2020 – Volume 45 – Issue 2 – p 109-115 doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000003184 Study Design. Retrospective study. Objective. To determine incidence, risk factors, complications, and early postoperative outcome in patients with intraoperative ischemic stroke during elective spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Overall, […]

Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A meta-analysis with a particular focus on subgroups

BMC Medicine — Gelbenegger G, Postula M, Pecen L, et al. | November 14, 2019 Thirteen randomized, controlled trials on the effect of aspirin for primary prevention of CVD vs control were included in this meta-analysis to examine the benefit-risk ratio of aspirin for primary prevention of CVD with a special focus on subgroups. Researchers […]

Insomnia increases CVD risk

Zheng B, et al. Neurology. 2019;doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000008581. November 6, 2019 Symptoms of insomnia, specifically difficulties in falling and staying asleep, early morning awakening and daytime dysfunction, were independent risk factors for the incidence of CVD, especially in young adults or those without hypertension, according to a study published in Neurology. “These results suggest that if we […]

Omega-3 fatty acids with statin therapy reduce major adverse CV events

Doshi R, et al. Am J Cardiol. 2019;doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2019.10.009. November 5, 2019 Eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, combined with statin therapy significantly reduced the incidence of major adverse CV events, according to a meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Cardiology. “Overall, this study demonstrated that EPA (in a higher dose, 1,800 mg/day) in conjunction with standard statin […]

Association of low serum magnesium with diabetes and hypertension: Findings from Qatar Biobank Study

Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice | November 04, 2019 Shi Z and Badi Abou-Samra A – In this cross-sectional study, researchers explored the connection between serum magnesium and diabetes and hypertension among Qatari adults. Data were used from 9,693 Qatari participants (aged ≥ 20 years) from the Qatar Biobank (QBB) Study. Using serum magnesium as […]

Review Links Periodontitis to Increased Odds for Hypertension

October 23, 2019 Five of 12 interventional studies confirmed reduction in hypertension after periodontal treatment TUESDAY, Oct. 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Periodontitis (PD) is a possible risk factor for hypertension, according to a review published online Sept. 24 in Cardiovascular Research. Eva Muñoz Aguilera, from University College London, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to […]

No need to cut down red and processed meat consumption

Newswise | October 01, 2019 Most people can continue to eat red and processed meat as they do now. A panel of international scientists led by researchers at Dalhousie and McMaster universities systematically reviewed the evidence and have recommended that most adults should continue to eat their current levels of red and processed meat. The […]

Risks of Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke in Meat Eaters, Fish Eaters, and Vegetarians

September 25, 2019 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The EPIC-Oxford prospective cohort study examined incident cases of ischemic heart disease and stroke in 48,188 participants with no history of cardiovascular disease or stroke who were classified as meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians (including vegans) over an 18.1-year period. UK National Health Service data were used to detect […]

Eating cheese may offset blood vessel damage from salt

MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events | September 17, 2019 Cheese lovers, rejoice. Antioxidants naturally found in cheese may help protect blood vessels from damage from high levels of salt in the diet, according to a new Penn State study. In a randomized, crossover design study, the researchers found that when adults consumed a high sodium diet, they also […]

Obesity and Fibromyalgia

~ Research reveals overweight FMS patients experience more severe symptoms September 5, 2019 by Julie Maurer Contributing Writer, MedPage Today While patients with fibromyalgia frequently battle pain, fatigue, and depression, some believe that those who are also obese may experience more severe symptoms. This is a topic explored in a study published in the journal Nutrients, by […]

Effects of isometric resistance training on resting blood pressure: Individual participant data meta-analysis

Journal of Hypertension — Smart NA, Way D, Carlson D, et al. | September 05, 2019 Researchers analyzed evidence from controlled trials reporting the influence of at least 3 weeks of isometric resistance training (IRT) on resting systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), via a systematic exploration and individual participant data […]

Baseline plasma zinc and risk of first stroke in hypertensive patients: A nested case-control study

Stroke — Zhang J, Cao J, Zhang Y, et al. | August 29, 2019 Using a nested case-control design including 599 first stroke cases and 599 matched controls, researchers investigated the relation of baseline plasma zinc with the risk of the first stroke, and examined any possible effect modifiers in hypertensive patients. The study population […]

Could Eating Local Food Reduce Blood Pressure and Diabetes Risk?

Published Friday 26 July 2019 By Tim Newman Fact checked by Isabel Godfrey A recent pilot study finds that consuming local foods with fewer additives might reduce abdominal fat, blood pressure, and diabetes risk. The study is small-scale, but the findings are intriguing. The food that we eat has a huge effect on our overall […]

One Diet Has the Best Heart-Health Evidence

But some question if any warrant recommendation by Nicole Lou, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today July 09, 2019 If any nutritional intervention has health benefits backed by the scientific literature, it may be the low-salt diet — but even then, the evidence is only of moderate certainty, a review found. Reduced salt intake lowered all-cause mortality […]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: ‘Red Flag’ for Subsequent ATTR, Heart Failure

Goal is to catch cardiac amyloidosis early, clinicians say by Nicole Lou, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today July 01, 2019 Carpal tunnel syndrome may be an early warning sign of amyloidosis and heart failure, a Danish study showed. Matched by age and sex to the general population, people who got carpal tunnel surgery had higher risks […]

Ultra-processed food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study (NutriNet-Santé) – Full Text Article

BMJ 2019; 365 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1451 (Published 29 May 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;365:l1451 Abstract Objective To assess the prospective associations between consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk of cardiovascular diseases. Design Population based cohort study. Setting NutriNet-Santé cohort, France 2009-18. Participants 105 159 participants aged at least 18 years. Dietary intakes were collected using repeated 24 hour dietary records […]

Coffee Not As Bad For Heart As Previously Thought

Drinking coffee might keep us up at night, but new research has given us a reason to sleep easy knowing that the popular drink isn’t as bad for our arteries as some previous studies would suggest. The research from Queen Mary University of London has shown that drinking coffee, including in people who drink up […]