Heart Disease Ottawa

Ditch this Daily Kitchen Product Now to Protect Yourself from Cancer and High Cholesterol

2010-09-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Children and teens who have high blood levels of chemicals used in the production of non-stick cookware may be more likely to have elevated LDL cholesterol levels, according to a report.

Humans are exposed to perfluoroalkyl acids, such as PFOA and PFOS, through drinking water, dust, food packaging, breast milk, cord blood, microwave popcorn, air and occupational exposure.

Recent survey results reported detection of these chemicals in almost all people in the U.S.

Newswise reports:

“[Researchers] assessed serum lipid levels in 12,476 children and adolescents (average age 11.1) ...

[H]igher PFOA levels were associated with increased total cholesterol and LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol, and PFOS was associated with increased total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol.”

Sources:

Mercola.com

Confirmed Again: Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Cuts Risk of Heart Failure

2010-04-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

A new study conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association provides new evidence that maintaining a healthy lifestyle significantly decreases a person's lifetime risk of high blood pressure and heart failure.

First, researchers collected diet and lifestyle data from 20,900 male physicians over an average of 22.4 years between 1982 and 2008. They then calculated each man's risk of heart failure at age 40.

The average risk of heart failure was about one in seven, but this risk was significantly lower among men who exercised regularly, had high intakes of breakfast cereals and/or fruits and vegetables, consumed alcohol in moderation, did not smoke, and/or maintained a healthy body weight. While men who did not meet any of these criteria had a lifetime heart failure risk of 21.2 percent, men who met four or more had less than half the risk, or 10.1 percent.

In a second analysis, the researchers followed 83,882 female nurses between the years of 1991 and 2005, comparing their risk of high blood pressure with various diet and lifestyle factors. The factors studied included normal body weight, healthy diet, modest alcohol consumption, use of folic acid supplements, vigorous exercise for an average of 30 minutes per day, and use of painkillers less than once a week.

The researchers found that women who met one of the six criteria had a 54 percent lower risk of high blood pressure than women who met none; women who met four criteria had a 58 percent lower risk; women who met five had a 72 percent lower risk; and women who met all six had a 78 percent lower risk. Obesity alone increased a woman's risk of high blood pressure by 370 percent.

All of the factors included in the study have previously been linked to either high blood pressure or heart failure risk.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com.

Prostate Cancer drug significantly increases risk of heart disease

2010-04-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

A study by UK researchers shows that men given prostate cancer medication are 28% more likely to suffer a heart attack, and 21% more likely to die of heart disease. These drugs also have other side effects such as incontinence and impotence. There is a growing view among cancer doctors that the radical use of these drugs is often unnecessary as prostate tumors are slow growing and do not spread to other parts of the body.

Natural News

Fried, grilled and pasteurized food causes heart disease

2010-03-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

According to a study published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers at the Mount Sinai school of medicine have found the toxic chemicals produced when foods are fried, grilled or pasteurized food encourages increased inflammation and oxidation in the body so increasing the risk of degenerative diseases such as heart disease.

B3 vitamin better at reducing cholesterol than Big Pharma drug.

2010-03-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

In a study, published in the New England Journal Medicine, vitamin B3 was shown to far exceed the drug Zetia at preventing the build up of plaque on arterial walls. Furthermore the occurence of heart attacks in the B3 Group were one fifth of those in the Zetia.

Sparking water shown to reduce risk of heart disease and lower bad cholesterol.

2010-03-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Journal of Nutrition conducted a study of sparkling and still mineral water. The study participants were asked to drink 1 liter of either the sparkling or still each day for two months, followed by two months on the other water. It was found that drinking sparkling water[1] brought about significant reductions in the level of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (generally regarded as a risk factor for heart disease), as well as a significant increase in levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (generally taken to reduce heart disease risk). These and other biochemical changes induced by drinking sparkling water were estimated to reduce the women’s risk of developing heart disease over the next decade by about a third.

Heart Disease: The Cholesterol Myth

2010-03-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

In a hard hitting article Dr Julian Whittaker pulls the lid on the Cholesterol myth. In it he highlights how that there is no research linking high cholesterol and heart disease and 100 people must be treated with Lipitor in order for just one heart attack to be prevented. The other 99 people taking the drug receive no benefit. He also highlights how a better indicator and cause of heart disease is inflammation what can cheaply and easily treated through good nutrition and exercise.

Source: Does Cholesterol Really Matter? Natural News

Vitamin B3 or Niacin shown to help with Stroke Victims

2010-03-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

In a recent study Niacin has been shown to improve neurological function in stroke victims. Strokes are caused by blockages in arteries of the brain. The blockage is formed by fatty deposits on the walls of arteries. Niacin helps the by increasing the number of high density lipo-proteins (HDL's) which get rid of the fatty deposits.

Source: Mercola.com

Fructose and Uric Acid linked to High Blood Pressure and Obesity.

2010-03-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Recent studies have shown that Uric acid is an underlying cause of high blood pressure. Uric acid has a detrimental effect on the function of your kidneys that leads to an increase in blood pressure. Uric acid has long been linked to gout and a high purine diet from meats can increase uric acid in your blood. Research now show that a much more potent cause of uric acid production is the consumption of fructose from corn syrup and high fructose fruits. Corn syrup is found in many processed foods and drinks. When fructose is consumed at the same time as glucose so uric acid is even more accelerated. When people with high blood pressure were put on a low fructose diet their levels were significantly reduced.

Source: Mercola.com

High levels of vitamin D in older people can reduce heart disease

2010-03-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

Middle aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%, according to researchers at the University of Warwick.

A team of researchers at Warwick Medical School carried out a systematic literature review of studies examining vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders. Cardiometabolic disorders include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods and is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. Fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are good sources of vitamin D, and it is also available as a dietary supplement.

Researchers looked at 28 studies including 99,745 participants across a variety of ethnic groups including men and women.

The studies revealed a significant association between high levels of vitamin D and a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (33% compared to low levels of vitamin D), type 2 diabetes (55% reduction) and metabolic syndrome (51% reduction).

The literature review, published in the journal Maturitas, was led by Johanna Parker and Dr Oscar Franco, Assistant Professor in Public Health at Warwick Medical School.

Dr Franco said: "We found that high levels of vitamin D among middle age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

"Targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders."

All studies included were published between 1990 and 2009 with the majority published between 2004 and 2009. Half of the studies were conducted in the United States, eight were European, two studies were from Iran, three from Australasia and one from India.

Celery Juice Every Day Keeps High Blood Pressure at Bay

2010-03-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood pushing against the walls of one's arteries. If the pressure rises significantly and remains there for an extended period of time, it can cause damage to the body. Lucky for us, one of the most common vegetables we use today - celery - with its stringy stems and crisp texture provides a natural way to lower blood pressure. It decreases a potentially dangerous situation without the risk of possible side effects that might accompany prescribed medication.

A blood pressure reading is measured by two numbers. The top number referred to as systolic is the measure of pressure the blood exerts while the heart is beating. The lower number, diastolic, is the measure of pressure the blood exerts while the heart is relaxed. The suggested optimal blood pressure is 120/80.

Just how could celery juice affect this measurement? This versatile veggie contains active compounds named phthalides. These compounds provide health benefits by naturally relaxing the muscles in and around the walls of the arteries which cause those vessels to dilate, creating more space inside the arteries that permits the blood to flow at a lower pressure. Phthalides also have been reported to lower blood pressure and promote a healthy circulatory system by reducing what are known as stress hormones. This biennial vegetable also contains high amounts of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. The beneficial effect of these minerals in celery serves to calm the nervous system, automatically counterbalancing stress levels.

Although Hippocrates (a Greek physician considered the Father of Medicine, c. 460 BC - c. 377 BC) prescribed the juice of this leafy-topped stalk to patients suffering from nervous tension and although Chinese medicine has long recognized celery juice to reduce high blood pressure, only recently has it been studied in the Western world. The University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) is credited with one of the first studies of celery's effects on blood pressure. In one instance, the father of a scientist at UCMC experienced a drop in his blood pressure from 158/96 to 118/82 after just one week of eating about four stalks a day.

To test this theory, a physician at the Whitaker Wellness Center and her father both drank celery juice for thirty days, mixing it with a little orange juice to camouflage the slightly bitter taste of juiced celery. Their results? The father's systolic level dropped from 148 to 128, and the physician's went from 120 to 105.

Including this most nutritious juice as a part of a healthy diet and lifestyle just may help keep the risks of high blood pressure from ever becoming an issue.

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Spices and an Improved Diet can Normalize Postprandial Dysmetabolism that leads to heart attacks and strokes

2010-03-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Postprandial dysmetabolism is characterized by inflammation, a greater risk of heart attack or stroke, narrowing of the arteries and long term damage to the cardiovascular system. It all starts when excessive quantities of glucose and lipids pour into the blood following a high fat, high sugar meal. The body struggles to cope with the release of free radicals coursing through the body after such a meal, which means oxidative stress may follow. Oxidative stress causes the processes that characterize postprandial dysmetabolism. Watching the diet, exercising vigorously and including spices in the diet can help to prevent damage of this nature.

Prevention of Postprandial Dysmetabolism

Healthy diets high in fresh, organic fruits and vegetables coupled with healthy carbohydrates such as brown rice and nuts have been highlighted as beneficial to health for years, and here is why. "Diets that include large amounts of fresh, unprocessed vegetables and herbs combined with lean protein and beneficial fats (such as omega-3 and monounsaturated fats) and low levels of processed carbohydrates that are rich in antioxidants substantially improve postprandial glucose and lipid levels". The American College of Cardiology.

Should oily food and sugar be eliminated entirely from the diet? It makes sense that in order to benefit from enhanced health, foods containing animal fats and sugar should be limited or eliminated, especially if a person needs to lose weight and is in poor shape. However, not all fats cause oxidative stress. Canola oil and salmon oil are cited as being among the healthiest oils to eat in order to prevent oxidative stress.

More Tips to Combat Oxidative Stress

Typically, a person who has consumed a high fat meal, for example a barbecue with plenty of meat and alcohol followed by a sugary, rich dessert, will feel sluggish afterwards and be inclined to have a nap. However, exercising after a meal, even a light exercise such as a brisk walk, will help to reduce the effects of postprandial dysmetabolism.

Changing life style habits so as to eat a diet high in minimally processed foods especially vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, lean protein, vinegar, fish and canola oil will greatly improve overall health.

For those who can't live without a steak, including spices with the meal will go a long way in neutralizing the effects of cooked meat, especially overdone meat or meat cooked at a high temperature. Spices have antioxidant effects which can reduce inflammation, boost the immune system and aid in preventing many chronic ailments. The spices which should regularly be included in the diet are cinnamon, ginger, oregano, red peppers, rosemary, sage, thyme and turmeric.

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Added Sugar can Wreak Havoc on Your Heart

2010-03-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Sugar may give you a temporary energy boost, but too much sugar exacts a toll on your health. This is not breaking news. So why did the American Heart Association issue a new scientific statement on "Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health?" Linda Van Horn is professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She chairs the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee, and states, "We know that sugars contribute to obesity, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes." Great concern over excessive sugar consumption and the "worldwide pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease," led to the association's issuance of a new statement.

Added sugars are an integral part of the American diet today. We are on a sugar binge. Sugar consumption is 22 to 30 teaspoons per person, per day. Our hedonism packs on 350 to 480 worthless calories that we cannot afford.

The heart association's new recommendations are 100 calories a day (about 6 1/2 level teaspoons) of added sugars for women and 150 calories (9+ level teaspoons) for men

Added sugars include high fructose corn syrup, table sugar, honey, syrups, and all other sweeteners with calories.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been demonized as the villain of added sugars. But HFCS and sugar are essentially the same when broken down in the body. HFCS is about 50% fructose and table sugar is 50% fructose, so they are essentially the same in composition.

Suzanne P. Murphy, Ph.D., R.D., is a research professor at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii. She summarized the results of a conference held in March 2008 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service and the International Life Sciences Institute of North America. "Considering the evidence presented by 22 researchers," Dr. Murphy concluded, "...[HFCS] and sucrose are similar. One is not 'better or worse' than the other." "Added sugars are added sugars," adds Rachel Johnson, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont, who chaired the heart association's new regulations.

University of California Davis found very different health results, though, in their participants when they compared glucose and fructose consumption. For 12 weeks, thirty two overweight or obese people drank either a fructose- or glucose-sweetened beverage that made up 25 percent of their daily calories. Both groups gained a similar amount of weight. However, those drinking the fructose beverage had health problems that were not experienced by the other group- including:

- An increase in visceral fat; the kind that lodges between tissues in organs
- Less sensitivity to insulin; one of the first signs of diabetes
- Increased fat production in the liver
- Elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol
- Increased levels of triglycerides; can increase heart attack risk

Many experts believe that HFCS, particularly in soft drinks, is partly responsible for the obesity epidemic in America.

Another study by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, found that every additional 8-ounce soft drink in a day increased school kids' risks of being obese by 60 percent.

Another study at the University of Minnesota found that fructose "produced significantly higher [blood] levels" of triglycerides in men than did glucose.

A USDA study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, found that fructose may alter the body's balance of magnesium, leading to increased bone loss.

Regardless of the disparate conclusions surrounding HFCS , one thing seems certain: the typical American cannot continue to consume an extra 350 to 480 calories from added sugars and hope to protect their health.

Your healthmate,
Deanna Dean

Nutrition Action Health Letter/January February 2010
Curbing America's Sweet Tooth/Bonnie Liebman

Saturated Fat is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease

2010-02-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

The saturated fat found mainly in meat and dairy products has been regularly vilified by physicians and the media, but a new analysis of published studies finds no clear link between people's intake of saturated fat and their risk of developing heart disease.

In the new analysis, which combined the results of 21 previous studies, researchers found no clear evidence that higher saturated fat intakes led to higher risks of heart disease or stroke.

A number of studies have linked the so-called Western diet to greater heart disease risks; that diet pattern is defined as one high in red meats and saturated fats -- but it is also high in sweets and other refined carbohydrates like white bread.

Sources: Reuters February 4, 2010

High Homocysteine Levels Predict Heart Attacks: B12 will Lower Homocysteine

2010-02-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Research has shown that high levels of homocysteine in the blood can predict who will suffer a heart attack. High levels of homocysteine prevent dilation of blood vessels. Research showed that homocysteine levels were a better indicator of heart attacks and strokes than high cholesterol levels. The research on the amino acid homocysteine and heart disease is over ten years old. Following men with heart problems for six years, Norwegian researchers found that the higher the homocysteine levels, the greater the risk of death following a heart attack. Another study showed that the risk of a fatal heart attack increased four-fold in those with high homocysteine levels in the blood. Several nutrients have been shown to lower blood homocysteine and the associated risks.

The risk factor for other diseases also increases with elevated levels of homocysteine. Diseases such as gout, rheumatism, cancer, leukemia, kidney disease, lupus, and even depression, go up as the homocysteine levels rise. Some doctors suggest a link between homocysteine and the thyroid gland as a link to these non-vascular disease states.

A healthy level of homocysteine in the blood is below 15 micro mol/liter, but some doctors recommend levels below 7. A simple blood test can be used for diagnosis.

Nutrients that reduce homocysteine are B12, B9 (folic acid), B2 (riboflavin), and B6. These nutrients act through various chemical pathways to break down homocysteine in the blood. Adding zinc and Tri-methyl Glycine (TMG) to the diet is also recommended. Physical exercise will decrease homocysteine levels, as will losing weight and reducing stress. A vegetarian diet reduces homocysteine levels as well.

Smoking and drinking alcohol will increase the levels of blood homocysteine as well, along with estrogen deficiency and use of some pharmaceutical drugs, such as steroids. Coffee and tea also cause an increase.

Some people are genetically prone to elevated homocysteine levels, but by changing the diet, reducing alcohol consumption, increasing exercise and adding B vitamins, homocysteine levels can be lowered, and the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic conditions can be eliminated.

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Low Vitamin D Levels Raises Blood Pressure

2010-02-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

Vitamin D deficiency may triple a person's risk of high blood pressure, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago.

"Our results indicate that early vitamin D deficiency may increase the long-term risk of high blood pressure in women at mid-life," researcher Flojaune Griffin said.

The researchers recruited 559 white women from Tecumseh, Michigan, who were between 24 and 44 years old when the study began in 1992. The participants' vitamin D blood levels were measured at the beginning of the study and once a year after that for 15 years.

At the beginning of the study, 5.5 percent of the women who were deficient in vitamin D suffered from high blood pressure, compared with only 2.8 percent of the women who had sufficient levels of the vitamin. At the end of the study in 2007, 10 percent of the women in the deficiency group had high blood pressure, compared with only 3.7 percent in the "sufficient" group.

"This is preliminary data so we can't say with certainty that low vitamin D levels are directly linked to high blood pressure," Griffin said. "But this may be another example of how what you do early in life impacts your health years later."

Vitamin D is known to play a crucial role in producing strong bones and teeth. New research increasingly suggests that it also helps regulate the immune system and protect against cancer, autoimmune disorders and heart disease.

The body naturally produces vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight. A number of factors have led to widespread deficiency, however, especially at latitudes far from the equator. These factors include less time spent outside and overuse of sunscreen. Dark-skinned people living at extreme latitudes are also especially vulnerable, as their bodies produce less vitamin D from the same amount of sun than those of lighter-skinned people.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; www.medicinenet.com.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Prevent Heart Disease, Slow Aging and Delay Telomere Shortening

2010-02-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

Research has now shown that adding Omega-3 fatty acids to the diet can increase the survival rate of those with coronary heart disease. Omega-3s have also been shown to slow down the aging process. The marker used to determine these findings was a part of the DNA strand called telomeres. The research concluded that high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood slowed the aging process by as much as five years.

Telomeres

Telomeres are part of the DNA. They sit at the end of chromosomes, looking like red caps on the end of the DNA strands. Sometimes described as "plastic tips of shoelaces", telomeres protect the genes and help them to divide properly. Telomeres shorten with age. They also shorten from infection, smoking, lack of exercise, and obesity. Previous research has identified a relationship between short telomeres, congestive heart failure, and strokes. Additional studies showed that short telomeres are a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

JAMA Research on Omega-3 and Aging

The recent study was conducted at the University of California in San Francisco, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The 608 subjects who had coronary heart disease were evaluated via blood tests to see how much Omega-3 fatty acids were in their blood (DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Those who had high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood had a slower rate of telomere shortening, translating to a reversal of the aging process by five years. The exact mechanism that slows the shortening of the telomeres is not known, but it is suspected that it relates to oxidative stress or to increased action of the enzyme telomerase that is stimulated by the Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood.

Omega-3 Health Benefits

Omega-3 fatty acids are known to have an anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting ability. They help restore and retain brain function and are used in anti-aging medicine to aid memory and brain focus. Fatty acids lower blood pressure, slow macular degeneration, treat depression, increase joint flexibility, and lower triglycerides. Omega-3 fatty acids can only be added to the blood by eating plants and animals that contain these necessary nutrients. They do not naturally occur in the body, though they are essential for the function of many tissues in the body, especially the brain, heart and eyes.

Fish Oil Omega-3s

The American Heart Association recommends fish oil as a source of Omega-3 fatty acids. The population in Japan and Greenland are known to eat a great deal of Omega-3 containing fish, and both of those nations have the world`s lowest rate of heart disease. Though fish oils have been recommended as the best form of Omega-3s, there are vegetable alternatives. Other sources of Omega-3 fatty acids are flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, leafy greens, legumes, and seaweed. Chia seeds have a high concentration of Omega-3.

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