The number of American adults with heart failure – in which the heart is too weak to pump blood throughout the body – rose by 800,000 over five years, the American Heart Association (AHA) said in a new report released last week.
The same report also said that heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, even as the death rate from heart disease is heading down.
The number of people with heart failure is expected to rise by 46% by 2030. That means 8 million people will have heart failure by then. Reasons for the rising number of Americans with heart failure include an aging population and a growing number of heart attack survivors, who are at increased risk for heart failure.
Cardiovascular disease includes all types of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, the heart association noted in an AHA news release.
Heart disease and stroke are the two top causes of death worldwide. In the United States, heart disease if first and stroke is fifth, according to the AHA’s 2017 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update.
In the United States, more than one-third of adults (92) million) have cardiovascular disease. In 2014, nearly 808,000 Americans died from cardiovascular disease.
However, one bright spot in the update is that deaths from cardiovascular diseases fell more than 25% from 2004 to 2014.
Heart attacks strike about 790,000 people in the United States each year, and kill about 114,000. The update found similar numbers for stroke. In 2014, about 795,000 Americans had a new or repeat stroke, and 133,000 of them died.
Showing posts with label cardiovascular disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cardiovascular disease. Show all posts
Monday, February 20, 2017
Friday, September 4, 2015
Just 1 in 3 Seniors with Diabetes Has Disease Under Control
“This research gives us a good picture of diabetes control in older adults and gets us thinking about what it means that older Americans are not meting clinical targets and how we should address this from a public health perspective,” study leader Elizabeth Selvin, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said in a school news release.
The study included almost 1,600 diabetes patients, aged 65 and older, in Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi and North Carolina. The researchers looked at whether the participants met American Diabetes Association Guidelines for three key measures of good diabetes control: blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The results showed that only one in three of the patients had diabetes controlled as defined by the ADA guidelines. Some experts consider the ADA guidelines too demanding for seniors. But even using less stringent measures, the researchers found that many of the patients did not have their diabetes under control.
The study appears in the July issues of the journal Diabetes Care.
One reason why seniors with diabetes may have more difficulty keeping their disease under control is that many of them have other health problems that may require more immediate attention from doctors, according to study co-author Chirstina Parrinello, who is also at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The study included almost 1,600 diabetes patients, aged 65 and older, in Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi and North Carolina. The researchers looked at whether the participants met American Diabetes Association Guidelines for three key measures of good diabetes control: blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The results showed that only one in three of the patients had diabetes controlled as defined by the ADA guidelines. Some experts consider the ADA guidelines too demanding for seniors. But even using less stringent measures, the researchers found that many of the patients did not have their diabetes under control.
The study appears in the July issues of the journal Diabetes Care.
One reason why seniors with diabetes may have more difficulty keeping their disease under control is that many of them have other health problems that may require more immediate attention from doctors, according to study co-author Chirstina Parrinello, who is also at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Friday, May 1, 2015
High-Fructose Heart Risks
Only two weeks of modest consumption of high-fructose corn syrup causes cholesterol and triglyceride levels to rise, and the more consumed, the greater the increases.
Researchers divided 85 people chosen for their healthy lipid profiles into four groups. One group consumed drinks sweetened with 25% high-fructose corn syrup; the second with a 17.5% concentration; the third 10%; and the last drinks sweetened only with aspartame.
The results, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were consistent: The more corn syrup, the worse the lipid profile. While LDL (or “bad” cholesterol) in the aspartame group remained the same before and after the diet, the 10% group went to 102 from 95, the 17.5% to 102 from 93, and the 25% group to 107 from 91. Optimal LDL levels are under 100.
Other blood tests of cardiovascular risk – non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid and others – moved in the same negative directions.
“It was a surprise that adding as little as the equivalent of a half-can of soda at breakfast, lunch and dinner was enough to produce significant increases in risk for cardiovascular disease,” said the lead author, Kimber L. Stanhope, a research scientist at the University of California, Davis. “Our bodies respond to a relatively small increase in sugar, and that’s important information.”
Researchers divided 85 people chosen for their healthy lipid profiles into four groups. One group consumed drinks sweetened with 25% high-fructose corn syrup; the second with a 17.5% concentration; the third 10%; and the last drinks sweetened only with aspartame.
The results, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were consistent: The more corn syrup, the worse the lipid profile. While LDL (or “bad” cholesterol) in the aspartame group remained the same before and after the diet, the 10% group went to 102 from 95, the 17.5% to 102 from 93, and the 25% group to 107 from 91. Optimal LDL levels are under 100.
Other blood tests of cardiovascular risk – non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid and others – moved in the same negative directions.
“It was a surprise that adding as little as the equivalent of a half-can of soda at breakfast, lunch and dinner was enough to produce significant increases in risk for cardiovascular disease,” said the lead author, Kimber L. Stanhope, a research scientist at the University of California, Davis. “Our bodies respond to a relatively small increase in sugar, and that’s important information.”
Monday, April 20, 2015
Ritual, Not Science, Keeps the Annual Physical Alive
But the evidence is not on their side. “I would argue that we should move forward with the elimination of the annual physical,” say Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a primary care physician and a professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School.
Mehrotra says patients should really only go to the doctor if something is wrong, or if it’s time to have an important preventive test like a colonoscopy. He realizes popular opinion is against this view. “When I, as a doctor, say I do not advocate for the annual physical, I feel like I’m attacking moms and apple pie,” Mehrotra says. “It seems so intuitive and straight forward, and [it’s] something that’s been part of medicine for such a long time.”
But he says randomized trails going back to the 1980s just don’t support it.
The Society for General Internal Medicine even put annual physicals on a list of things doctors should avoid for healthy adults. One problem, Mehrotra says, is the cost. Each visit usually costs insurers just $150, but that adds up fast.
“We estimate that it’s about $10 billion a year, which is more than how much we spend as a society on breast cancer care,” Mehrotra say. “It’s all a lot of money.”
Monday, July 21, 2014
Bone Marrow Hormone Influences Metabolism and Health
In the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers from the University of Michigan explain how bone marrow adipose tissue is a significant source of the hormone adiponectin, which helps to break down fat and maintain sensitivity to insulin. The hormone has also been linked to reduced risk of various obesity-related diseases, including certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Previous studies of bone marrow adipose tissue have primarily linked it to negative health consequences such as reduced bone mass, and raised risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
But in this study, where they looked at the role of bone marrow adipose tissue in patients having chemotherapy, or who have anorexia, the researchers found that under conditions where calories are restricted, the fat tissue may also do some good.
Senior author Ormond MacDougald, professor of internal medicine at U-M, says the findings are important because it appears bone marrow adipose tissue “may have positive, protective roles, and influence adaptive functions outside of the bone tissue, at least during calorie restriction.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Many Kids May Have High Cholesterol
About one of three Texas kids screened for cholesterol between the ages of 9 and 11 had borderline or high cholesterol, potentially placing them at greater risk for future cardiovascular disease a new study has found.
Friday, March 28, 2014 (WebMD News from HealthDay)
Obese kids were more likely to have abnormal cholesterol levels, but a large percentage of normal-weight children also had borderline or high cholesterol, said lead investigator Dr. Thomas Seery, a pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston.
“The reality is that 35 percent of kids who were not obese had abnormal cholesterol as well,” Seery said. Physicians and parents need to teach kids healthy habits, such as eating right and exercising regularly, or as adults they will me more likely to suffer heart disease and stroke, he said. “Cardiovascular disease in children is rare, but we know that atherosclerosis has its beginnings in childhood,” Seery said. “The better a job we do now, the better they will do later in life.”
Previous studies have indicated that as many as 70 percent of children who have elevated cholesterol levels maintained those high levels as they entered young adulthood, said Dr. Patricia Vuguin, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cohen Children’s medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. “Your cholesterol at 9 is a reflection of where your cholesterol is going to be in your 40s and 50s,” Vuguin said.
Seery and his colleagues undertook their research after new guidelines for juvenile cholesterol screening were issued by the U.S. National Hear, Lung, and blood Institute in 2011 and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
These screenings present “the perfect opportunity for clinicians and parents to discuss the importance of healthy lifestyle choices on cardiovascular health.” he said. “Our findings give a compelling reason to screen all kids’ blood cholesterol.”
MY TAKE:
I like the concept of discussing “healthy lifestyle choices” with parents and children. However, the standard American diet (SAD) has condemned fat for the past 30 years promoting refined carbohydrates and processed foods. This is why cardiovascular disease is on the rise. It has little or nothing to do with cholesterol levels.
High cholesterol as a cause of heart disease has never been supported by research. High fat intake as a cause of heart disease is also not supported by the literature. Over 50 percent of people suffering their first heart attack have normal or even low cholesterol.
The elevated cholesterol in our youth is mostly because the medical norms have gradually been lowered over the course of the past 30 years. Beyond that true elevated cholesterol is most commonly associated with a diet high in trans-fats. The second most common cause is an underactive thyroid, not heart disease. The third is the presence of harmful bacteria in the gut.
“Low fat” or “reduced fat” foods have been developed over the past 30 years in response to the myth that fat is bad. The result is food that has been processed to remove the healthy fat and replace it with trans-fats. Butter is a very healthy fat – Margarine is a very unhealthy fat. However, the total fat content of margarine is lower than butter, so it is touted as being healthy. By trying to reduce our fat intake we have dramatically increased the rate of heart disease.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Encourage your children to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Lead by example and avoid the processed foods as much as possible. Don’t buy into the cholesterol myth. That is just an elaborate ploy to sell statin drugs. If you decide to screen your child for cholesterol, run a glycohemoglobin A1c as well to see if they are insulin resistant. That’s where the heart issues begin.
Friday, March 28, 2014 (WebMD News from HealthDay)
Obese kids were more likely to have abnormal cholesterol levels, but a large percentage of normal-weight children also had borderline or high cholesterol, said lead investigator Dr. Thomas Seery, a pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston.
“The reality is that 35 percent of kids who were not obese had abnormal cholesterol as well,” Seery said. Physicians and parents need to teach kids healthy habits, such as eating right and exercising regularly, or as adults they will me more likely to suffer heart disease and stroke, he said. “Cardiovascular disease in children is rare, but we know that atherosclerosis has its beginnings in childhood,” Seery said. “The better a job we do now, the better they will do later in life.”
Previous studies have indicated that as many as 70 percent of children who have elevated cholesterol levels maintained those high levels as they entered young adulthood, said Dr. Patricia Vuguin, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cohen Children’s medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. “Your cholesterol at 9 is a reflection of where your cholesterol is going to be in your 40s and 50s,” Vuguin said.
Seery and his colleagues undertook their research after new guidelines for juvenile cholesterol screening were issued by the U.S. National Hear, Lung, and blood Institute in 2011 and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
These screenings present “the perfect opportunity for clinicians and parents to discuss the importance of healthy lifestyle choices on cardiovascular health.” he said. “Our findings give a compelling reason to screen all kids’ blood cholesterol.”
MY TAKE:
I like the concept of discussing “healthy lifestyle choices” with parents and children. However, the standard American diet (SAD) has condemned fat for the past 30 years promoting refined carbohydrates and processed foods. This is why cardiovascular disease is on the rise. It has little or nothing to do with cholesterol levels.
High cholesterol as a cause of heart disease has never been supported by research. High fat intake as a cause of heart disease is also not supported by the literature. Over 50 percent of people suffering their first heart attack have normal or even low cholesterol.
The elevated cholesterol in our youth is mostly because the medical norms have gradually been lowered over the course of the past 30 years. Beyond that true elevated cholesterol is most commonly associated with a diet high in trans-fats. The second most common cause is an underactive thyroid, not heart disease. The third is the presence of harmful bacteria in the gut.
“Low fat” or “reduced fat” foods have been developed over the past 30 years in response to the myth that fat is bad. The result is food that has been processed to remove the healthy fat and replace it with trans-fats. Butter is a very healthy fat – Margarine is a very unhealthy fat. However, the total fat content of margarine is lower than butter, so it is touted as being healthy. By trying to reduce our fat intake we have dramatically increased the rate of heart disease.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Encourage your children to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Lead by example and avoid the processed foods as much as possible. Don’t buy into the cholesterol myth. That is just an elaborate ploy to sell statin drugs. If you decide to screen your child for cholesterol, run a glycohemoglobin A1c as well to see if they are insulin resistant. That’s where the heart issues begin.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Taking Vitamin D May Be Losing Its Shine
New Research On The Benefits Of Vitamin D Raises More Questions.
December 6, 2013
Researchers at France’s International Prevention Institute in Lyon analyzed data from several hundred observational studies and clinical trials examining the effects of vitamin D levels on so called non bone health – including links to illness such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
They found that the benefits of high vitamin D levels seen in observational studies were not replicated in randomized trials where participants were given vitamin D to see if it would protect against disease.
Lead researcher, Philippe Autier said “What this discrepancy suggests is that decreases in vitamin D levels are a marker of deteriorating health”. He explained that serious illness like cancer and diabetes may reduce vitamin D concentrations but that does not necessarily mean that raising vitamin D levels would prevent the illness from occurring.
MY TAKE:
After several years of being touted as the next cure all, opinions on vitamin D are beginning to swing back. You will continue to see more studies published that focus on the limitations of vitamin D, rather than the benefits. Vitamin C had a similar run during the 1970’s fueled by the claims of Linus Pauling. He recommended very large doses of vitamin C for every known disease on the planet. The Linus Pauling Institute, founded by him, has since refuted virtually every one on his claims. Today, vitamin C is recognized as an essential nutrient that is an important antioxidant in the body, but not a cure all. Vitamin D will eventually settle in its’ rightful place as well.
Vitamin D is a hormone, not a vitamin. Our body manufactures it from cholesterol (yes, that horrible fat that must be removed from the body by drugs) when sunlight strikes the skin, making vitamin D3. We also get vitamin D2 and D3 in the diet, primarily from oily fish. D2, and D3 are not really vitamin D, they are precursors and are transported to the liver and converted to 25-hydroxy vitamin D. However, it is still not truly vitamin D but rather a stable form that can be accurately measured on blood tests. Every cell in the body absorbs a little of this form, but much of it remains in circulation in the blood stream. The final conversion to true vitamin D occurs in the kidneys and 1,25-hydroxy vitamin D is produced and functions as a hormone controlling calcium metabolism.
Every cell also can make the final conversion, but that vitamin D remains in the cell where researchers believe it oversees protein replication from DNA. This is where all the questions remain. If vitamin D really acts like a librarian, selecting genetics like books in a library, its function could be vital to disease prevention. Currently, we can not measure vitamin D levels in the cell. In fact, we measure the precursor, 25-hydroxy vitamin D, in the blood because the final form, 1,25 hydroxy vitamin D, is used almost as fast as it is made, so blood levels change by the minute.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Don’t give up on vitamin D. When the pendulum stops swinging, it will still have value. However, avoid the high level supplementation that has been so popular. Taking 50,000 IU of vitamin D is a massive overdose. It is using a vitamin as a drug. Stick with doses up to 4,000 IU per day unless you have blood work showing a true deficiency.
December 6, 2013
Researchers at France’s International Prevention Institute in Lyon analyzed data from several hundred observational studies and clinical trials examining the effects of vitamin D levels on so called non bone health – including links to illness such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
They found that the benefits of high vitamin D levels seen in observational studies were not replicated in randomized trials where participants were given vitamin D to see if it would protect against disease.
Lead researcher, Philippe Autier said “What this discrepancy suggests is that decreases in vitamin D levels are a marker of deteriorating health”. He explained that serious illness like cancer and diabetes may reduce vitamin D concentrations but that does not necessarily mean that raising vitamin D levels would prevent the illness from occurring.
After several years of being touted as the next cure all, opinions on vitamin D are beginning to swing back. You will continue to see more studies published that focus on the limitations of vitamin D, rather than the benefits. Vitamin C had a similar run during the 1970’s fueled by the claims of Linus Pauling. He recommended very large doses of vitamin C for every known disease on the planet. The Linus Pauling Institute, founded by him, has since refuted virtually every one on his claims. Today, vitamin C is recognized as an essential nutrient that is an important antioxidant in the body, but not a cure all. Vitamin D will eventually settle in its’ rightful place as well.
Vitamin D is a hormone, not a vitamin. Our body manufactures it from cholesterol (yes, that horrible fat that must be removed from the body by drugs) when sunlight strikes the skin, making vitamin D3. We also get vitamin D2 and D3 in the diet, primarily from oily fish. D2, and D3 are not really vitamin D, they are precursors and are transported to the liver and converted to 25-hydroxy vitamin D. However, it is still not truly vitamin D but rather a stable form that can be accurately measured on blood tests. Every cell in the body absorbs a little of this form, but much of it remains in circulation in the blood stream. The final conversion to true vitamin D occurs in the kidneys and 1,25-hydroxy vitamin D is produced and functions as a hormone controlling calcium metabolism.
Every cell also can make the final conversion, but that vitamin D remains in the cell where researchers believe it oversees protein replication from DNA. This is where all the questions remain. If vitamin D really acts like a librarian, selecting genetics like books in a library, its function could be vital to disease prevention. Currently, we can not measure vitamin D levels in the cell. In fact, we measure the precursor, 25-hydroxy vitamin D, in the blood because the final form, 1,25 hydroxy vitamin D, is used almost as fast as it is made, so blood levels change by the minute.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Don’t give up on vitamin D. When the pendulum stops swinging, it will still have value. However, avoid the high level supplementation that has been so popular. Taking 50,000 IU of vitamin D is a massive overdose. It is using a vitamin as a drug. Stick with doses up to 4,000 IU per day unless you have blood work showing a true deficiency.
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