Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Low Vitamin C Linked to Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Pauline Anderson May 01, 2014 PHILADELPHIA — A new study finds a link between vitamin C depletion and increased risk for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In a case–control study, researchers found vitamin C depletion was more common among ICH cases than matched controls. “This original study suggests that a low plasma vitamin C concentration is a […]

All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Risk in US Adults

May 01, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this study, the mortality risk of 12,060 adults from the NHANES III and NHANES continuous surveys was estimated according to physical activity, pharmacotherapy, and glycemic control. The results indicated that patients who had uncontrolled diabetes or who had controlled glucose levels but were physically inactive had higher all-cause mortality […]

Addition of Naturopathic Medicine Boosts CV Risk Reduction

Shelley Wood April 29, 2013 TORONTO — The addition of naturopathic care on top of usual care significantly reduced the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease among adults with an increased risk for CVD, a small randomized, controlled trial has found [1]. In the study, 10-year risk, based on the Framingham algorithm, was 7.74% among subjects […]

Diets to prevent coronary heart disease 1957-2013: what have we learned?

American Journal of Medicine, 04/28/2014 Clinical Article Dalen JE, et al. – The Mediterranean–style diet, with a focus on vegetables, fruit, fish, whole grains, and olive oil, has proven to reduce cardiovascular events to a degree greater than low–fat diets and equal to or greater than the benefit observed in statin trials. PubMed Reference Journal […]

Healthy Lifestyle Change and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Young Adults

April 28, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Healthy young adults were followed for the development of subclinical atherosclerosis over 20 years; five healthy lifestyle factors were assessed in these individuals. After 20 years, having more healthy lifestyle factors was associated with decreased coronary artery calcification and lower carotid intima media thickness. Healthy lifestyle changes, which we often […]

Weight Loss, Glycemic Control, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Response to Differential Diet Composition in a Weight Loss Program in Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes Care, 04/24/2014 Clinical Article Rock CL, et al. – The weight loss program resulted in greater weight loss and improved glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Methods This randomized controlled trial at two university medical centers enrolled 227 overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes and assigned them to parallel in-person diet and […]

The Impact of NSAID Treatment on Cardiovascular Risk – Insight from Danish Observational Data – Full Text Article

Anne‐Marie Schjerning Olsen First published: 01 April 2014 https://doi.org/10.1111/bcpt.12243 Abstract This MiniReview describes the present evidence for the relationship between cardiovascular risk and use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with special focus using Danish register‐based data. NSAIDs are among the most widely used drugs worldwide and mainly used for management of pain and inflammatory conditions. […]

Lifestyle Changes Staves Off Diabetes, Death

Published: Apr 2, 2014 | Updated: Apr 3, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points The randomized study assessed the long-term effect of lifestyle intervention (diet and/or exercise) on long-term outcomes among adults with impaired glucose tolerance. At 6-year the cumulative incidence of cardiovascular disease mortality, all-cause mortality, and […]

Are you sitting down? Your heart failure risk is higher

Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY 10:55 p.m. EDT March 31, 2014 Both sitting too much and exercising too little increase the risk of heart failure.   Both sitting too much — sometimes called sitting disease — and exercising too little may increase the chance of heart failure, a new study suggests. The risk of heart failure […]

Glycated hemoglobin measurement and prediction of cardiovascular disease

JAMA, 03/26/2014  Evidence Based Medicine JAMA. 2014;311(12):1225-1233. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.1873. The value of measuring levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) for the prediction of first cardiovascular events is uncertain. To determine whether adding information on HbA1c values to conventional cardiovascular risk factors is associated with improvement in prediction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. In a study of individuals without […]

Diabetes in Pregnancy a Risk Factor for CVD

by Elizabeth DeVita Raeburn Contributing Writer, MedPage Today March 13, 2014 A history of gestational diabetes may be a marker for early atherosclerosis, even in women who were not obese before pregnancy and have not gone on to develop diabetes or metabolic syndrome after giving birth, researchers reported. In 777 women without a diagnosis of […]

Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Changes Also Alter Gene Expression

Marlene Busko March 05, 2014 WINDBER, PA — After a yearlong, intensive diet, exercise, and stress-management program to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, participants who successfully followed the program and lost weight also had positive changes at the molecular level, researchers report[1]. “What’s really new and important about this study is that throughout a year of lifestyle changes, […]

List Depression as Official Heart Disease Risk Factor, AHA Panel Says

Deborah Brauser February 28, 2014 Depression should join the ranks of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking as an official heart disease risk factor, according to an expert panel convened by the American Heart Association (AHA). The recommendation is based on an extensive literature review examining the risks for depression conducted by the panel, which included […]

Pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5, favorably alters total, LDL and non-HDL cholesterol in low to moderate cardiovascular risk subjects eligible for statin therapy

A triple-blinded placebo and diet-controlled investigation Evans M, Rumberger JA, et al Vasc Health Risk Manag, 2014 Feb 27; 10: 89-100. PubMed Reference Journal Reference In a randomized, triple=blinded, placebo-controlled study involving patients with low to moderate risk of cardiovascular disease eligible for statin therapy, supplementation with pantethine – a derivative of vitamin B5 – […]

Lack of Vitamin D Linked to CVD Biomarkers, Inflammation

Marlene Busko February 27, 2014 COLERAINE, UK — Older, healthy individuals who were deficient in 25-hydroxy vitamin D (vitamin D) tended to have higher levels of biomarkers linked with CVD and inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, in an observational study[1]. More specifically, individuals who had a vitamin-D deficiency had significantly higher […]

New Study Presents Evidence that Blood Pressure Should Be Measured in Both Arms

Difference in interarm blood pressure linked to greater risk of future cardiovascular events, reports The American Journal of Medicine Philadelphia, PA, February 25, 2014 As heart disease continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States, practitioners and patients alike are looking for ways to cut risk factors and identify […]

Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk From Hormone Therapy

Published: Feb 13, 2014 | Updated: Feb 13, 2014 By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Moderate physical activity confers a […]

Long-Term Coffee Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

A Systematic Review and a Dose–Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies Ming Ding, MS Circulation. 2014; 129: 643-659 Abstract Background—Considerable controversy exists on the association between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the dose–response relationship of long-term coffee consumption with CVD risk. Methods and Results—PubMed and EMBASE were […]

Intake of trans fat and incidence of stroke

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 02/24/2014  Clinical Article Kiage JN, et al. – The aim of this study was to investigate the association between TFA intake and stroke incidence. The authors show that sex modifies the association between TFA intake and stroke; for every 2–g/d increase in TFA intake, there was a 14% increase in the risk […]

FDA NSAID Panel Nixes Naproxen Heart Safety Claim

Published: Feb 11, 2014 By John Gever, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Toda Full Story In 16-9 vote, the FDA advisory committee assessing NSAID safety said the warning label on naproxen should not be changed to suggest it has a better cardiovascular risk profile than other drugs in this class. Those voting “No” on the question […]