Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Exercise Enhances Omega 3’s Benefits In Reducing CVD Events In Midlife

Concurrent physical activity modifies the association between n3 long-chain fatty acids and cardiometabolic risk in midlife adults. Muldoon MF, et al. J Nutr. 2013. Show full citation Abstract Greater consumption of n3 (ω3) polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can reduce risk for cardiovascular disease events, yet their effects on metabolic […]

Erectile Dysfunction as a Marker for Cardiovascular Disease

April 14, 2015 The Journal of Sexual Medicine TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This study evaluated the effect of screening men presenting with erectile dysfunction (ED) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, as well as determined the cost-effectiveness of this screening protocol. The study utilized the known incidence and prevalence of ED and CVD, the rate of undiagnosed […]

What the Evidence Really Says About PUFAs

4/14/15 by Kamal Patel MPH, MBA Keith Ayoob recently wrote a piece for MedPage Today concerning the benefits of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). In it, he recounts his advice to patients to cook and fry with high-PUFA oils such as corn oil, rather than expensive olive oil. Aside from cost issues, is corn oil actually healthy? Let’s take a step […]

Heart Health Begins to Decline in Childhood

Veronica Hackethal, MD March 24, 2015 Most US children start life with optimal cardiovascular health (CVH), but it declines substantially over time, suggests a study published online March 18 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. “Our findings indicate that, in general, children start with pretty good blood pressure. But if they have a horrible diet, it will drive a worsening […]

Diet Soda Contributes to Belly Fat

What Diet Soda Does to Belly Fat March 17, 2015 More evidence that diet soda contributes to weight gain, not weight loss A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that people who drank diet soda gained almost triple the abdominal fat over nine years as those who didn’t drink […]

Fish-Oil Supplementation May Lower Thrombosis Risk

MAGNA: Fish-Oil Supplementation May Lower Thrombosis Risk Deborah Brauser March 17, 2015 SAN DIEGO, CA — Although lively debate has raged about whether fish-oil supplementation (FOS) really is beneficial for preventing cardiovascular events, new research suggests that it may reduce the “overall atherothrombotic risk profile” in patients with suspected CAD[1]. Results from the Multi-Analyte, Thrombogenic, and Genetic Markers […]

Folate Supplementation in HTN May Lower Risk for First Stroke

Deborah Brauser March 16, 2015 SAN DIEGO, CA — After years of negative trials from Western researchers examining folic-acid supplementation for prevention of cardiovascular events, researchers from China are reporting significantly positive results from use of the substance[1]. As part of the Joint Symposium of the Chinese Society of Cardiology and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) […]

Increased Nut Consumption Associated With Reduced Mortality

3/11/15 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Researchers evaluated Americans of African and European descent and Chinese individuals to determine the association of nut consumption with mortality. Increased nut consumption was significantly associated with reduced total mortality and specifically cardiovascular disease mortality among all ethnic groups. Researchers suggest that nuts may be a cost-effective option to reduce cardiovascular risk. […]

Early Hot Flashes May Predict Heart Disease

by Shara Yurkiewicz MD Staff Writer, MedPage Today SAN DIEGO — Early-onset and frequent hot flashes and night sweats in women were associated with poorer endothelial function, two observational studies showed. Using menopausal vasomotor symptoms as a marker for adverse changes in vasculature may point to particular subgroups of women who would benefit from targeted cardiovascular […]

Vitamin B3 / Niacin Side Effects, Benefits, & Foods

Vitamin B3, also called niacin and niacinamide, is an important water-soluble vitamin that can be found in many common foods including certain types of meat and organ meat, tuna fish, seeds, mushrooms, and others. Niacin is a part of the vitamin B complex, along with other B vitamins including Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and […]

Current But Not Past Smoking Increases the Risk for Cardiac Events

March 3, 2015 European Heart Journal TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this trial of patients undergoing coronary CTA, patients were grouped by smoking status and followed for major adverse cardiovascular events. Patients with a history of smoking were significantly more likely to have a higher plaque burden than never smokers. There was no difference between never smokers […]

Fish Oil Supplementation and Markers of Atherothrombotic Risk in Cardiovascular Disease

March 03, 2015 The American Journal of Cardiology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The association between fish oil supplementation and atherothrombotic risk was examined in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients who received fish oil but not lipid-lowering therapy exhibited significantly lower levels of remnant lipoproteins, triglycerides, IDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL-C, collagen-induced platelet aggregation, AtherOx, shear elasticity, […]

Moderate Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Coronary Calcium

March 3, 2015 By Larry Husten Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD People who drink moderate amounts of coffee might be less likely to have atherosclerosis, a Heart study suggests. In a sample of more than 25,000 people in South Korea without known cardiovascular disease, researchers examined the relationship between coffee consumption and […]

Testosterone Therapy and Cardiovascular Risk

February 23, 2015 Mayo Clinic Proceedings TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors performed an extensive literature search to examine the association between testosterone therapy and cardiovascular risk. In many studies, normal testosterone levels correlated with a decrease in cardiovascular risk and mortality. Serum testosterone concentrations were inversely associated with incident coronary artery disease, severity of coronary artery […]

Statins stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure: pharmacological mechanisms

Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2015 Mar;8(2):189-99. doi: 10.1586/17512433.2015.1011125. Epub 2015 Feb 6. Statins stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure: pharmacological mechanisms. Okuyama H1, Langsjoen PH, Hamazaki T, Ogushi Y, Hama R, Kobayashi T, Uchino H. Author information Abstract In contrast to the current belief that cholesterol reduction with statins decreases atherosclerosis, we present a perspective that statins may be causative in coronary artery […]

Dietary sodium content, mortality, and risk for cardiovascular events in older adults

Dietary sodium content, mortality, and risk for cardiovascular events in older adults: The health, aging, and body composition (Health ABC) study JAMA Internal Medicine, 02/11/2015  Clinical Article Kalogeropoulos AP, et al. – In this study, authors want to examine the association between dietary sodium intake and mortality, incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), and incident heart failure […]

Mediterranean Diet Fights Stroke Risk?

The analysis of data from the ongoing, prospective California Teachers Study, which was designed to examine dietary patterns and breast cancer risk, found that following a Mediterranean diet reduced ischemic stroke risk by up to 18%, stroke neurologist Ayesha Sherzai, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, said. Mediterranean Diet Followers Had Lower […]

Isolated Systolic Hypertension in Young and Middle-Aged Adults and 31-Year Risk for Cardiovascular Mortality

February 06, 2015 Journal of the American College of Cardiology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this large prospective study, the authors followed young and middle-aged adults with hypertension long term for development of complications. Individuals with isolated systolic hypertension had higher risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease–related mortality compared with patients with isolated diastolic hypertension […]

The Lipid Paradox: LDL Cholesterol and In-Hospital Mortality Following Acute MI

January 13, 2015 The American Journal of Cardiology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this study examined the relationship between lipid levels and all-cause mortality in 115,492 patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) between 2002 and 2006. The risk for in-hospital mortality for patients with LDL-C levels in the second to fourth quartiles was decreased […]

Sleep Duration and Predicted 10-Year Cardiovascular Risk Among US Adults

January 12, 2015 Journal of the American Heart Association TAKE-HOME MESSAGE A total of 7690 men and nonpregnant women between the ages of 40 and 79 years who participated in a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed to evaluate the association between self-reported sleep duration and predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk. After adjustment for […]