Heart Health

Vitamin D May Be Tied to Heart Disease Via Genes

2009-12-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

(HealthDay News) -- New research points to the possibility of a genetic link between vitamin D and heart disease.

People with high blood pressure who had a gene variant that reduces vitamin D activation in the body were found to be twice as likely as those without the variant to have congestive heart failure, the study found.

The finding may lead to a way to identify people at increased risk for heart disease, according to Robert U. Simpson, an assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School and his research colleagues.

They analyzed the genetic profiles of 617 people. One-third had hypertension, one-third had hypertension and congestive heart failure, and the remaining third served as healthy controls.

The researchers found that a variant in the CYP27B1 gene was associated with congestive heart failure in people with hypertension. The study is in the November issue of Pharmacogenomics.

Previous research showed that mutations that inactivate the gene reduce the conversion of vitamin D into an active hormone.

"This study is the first indication of a genetic link between vitamin D action and heart disease," Simpson said in a news release from the University of Michigan.

"If subsequent studies confirm this finding and demonstrate a mechanism, this means that, in the future, we may be able to screen earlier for those most vulnerable and slow the progress of the disease," he added.

More information
The American Heart Association has more about congestive heart failure.

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Source: Yahoo News

Study finds hospitals speeding heart attack care

2009-12-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON – Hospitals are giving faster care to lots more heart attack patients, a speed-up sure to be saving lives.

More than three-quarters of people suffering major heart attacks are getting their blocked arteries reopened within 90 minutes of arriving in the emergency room, says a Yale University study of 831 hospitals that participated in a major campaign to accelerate that care.

In 2005, half of patients were getting treated that fast, says Wednesday's study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Cardiac guidelines have long warned that delaying even half an hour longer increases the risk of death.

So the following year, the cardiologist group began an ambitious project to reduce what doctors call "door to balloon time," the time from hospital arrival to getting an angioplasty or similar procedure. Hundreds of hospitals — about 70 percent of those able to perform emergency angioplasties — signed up to share speedy strategies.

It worked, the study found: By spring of 2008, 76 percent of patients who qualified for that kind of care received it in time. More recent data shows continued improvement. Nearly 82 percent of eligible patients had a 90-minute or less door-to-balloon time in those hospitals by last summer.

Hospitals not participating in the campaign didn't improve door-to-balloon times as quickly, the study found.

Study co-author Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a Yale cardiologist, said alerting slower hospitals to the problem allowed them to copy faster competitors. "They all said, 'Wow, we thought we were fast,'" Krumholz recalled.

The changes that helped most were simple steps that cut a few minutes here and few there. One such step was letting the emergency room activate the catheter lab upon the patient's arrival, or even after a call from the ambulance on its way, instead of waiting for a cardiologist to confirm the diagnosis before getting ready for angioplasty. Some hospitals assigned cardiac catheter teams to be on duty 24 hours a day. Others required that on-call doctors arrive within minutes of a page from the ER.

"Nobody got paid an extra dollar for it," Krumholz said of the campaign. "Nobody was being penalized if they didn't do it. This was people saying it's the right thing to do for patients."

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Source: Yahoo News

Coffee lovers don’t face higher risk of heart ills

2009-11-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

Contrary to findings from an earlier study, new research suggests that coffee lovers do not face an increased risk of heart failure.

Researchers found that among more than 37,000 middle-aged and older Swedish men, those who regularly drank coffee were no more likely to develop heart failure than those who infrequently, if ever, drank the beverage.

The findings, reported in the American Heart Journal, add to evidence that coffee may not be the heart-health threat it was once suspected to be.

The initial studies suggesting that heavy coffee consumption might contribute to heart attacks or other cardiac problems were mainly retrospective — asking heart attack sufferers about their coffee consumption and comparing them with people who had never had a heart attack, for example.

But more-recent studies have been better designed to weed out a true association. These so-called prospective studies have first asked people about their coffee intake and then followed them over time to record new cases of heart trouble.

Those studies have generally linked coffee to either a neutral or even a protective effect on heart health, said Dr. Emily B. Levitan, one of the researchers on the new study.

Heart failure, however, has been little studied as compared with heart attack, noted Levitan, who was with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston at the time of the study and is now based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart muscle is weakened and cannot pump blood efficiently enough to meet all the body's needs -- leading to symptoms like fatigue and breathlessness on exertion.

A 2001 study raised concerns that heavy coffee drinking might contribute to heart failure. It found that of roughly 7,500 Swedish men, those who drank five or more cups of coffee per day had a higher risk of developing heart failure than men who drank less than that.

Based on that study, a recent statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) noted that coffee consumption might raise the risk of heart failure, but added that more research is needed to confirm that possibility.

The AHA statement motivated the current study, Levitan told Reuters Health.

She and her colleagues found that among 37,315 men ages 45 to 79, 784 went on to develop heart failure over nine years. The researchers found no clear relationship between the men's reported coffee intake at the outset and their risk of developing heart failure.

Whether the findings apply to men with existing heart problems is not known, according to Levitan. Going into the study, none of the men had a history of heart attack; heart-muscle damage from a heart attack is one of the major causes of heart failure.

Nor did the study include women. It's possible, Levitan noted, that the results could be different for women, but that would be unlikely.

"I don't think there is any strong evidence of an association between coffee and heart failure," she said. It would be "premature," Levitan added, for people to give up coffee in an effort to prevent the disease.

6 ways to keep your heart healthy

2009-11-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

By Arthur Agatston, MD

I'm 62 and, thankfully, have never been hospitalized, nor can I remember calling in sick. I still work 12-hour days, walk the golf course, hit the heavy bag, and, not too long ago, even played ice hockey. Other than some minor colds, flus, and heartburn, I have been very healthy, and I take no regular medications. How I've managed this isn't a secret. My philosophy is in my books. But for the November issue of Prevention, I want to summarize it for you — what I eat, how I exercise and beat stress, even my own advice that I struggle with. Here's my personal Rx — feel free to make it your own:

Eat three squares and a snack
I start most days with a three-egg omelet (one yolk and whites) and some green tea with a scoop of Benefiber (a natural fiber supplement). For lunch, I usually order baked salmon and grilled veggies from a nearby restaurant. I never eat fast food. And for dinner, my wife, Sari, typically makes fish or chicken with veggies. We eat little starch at home. If I get hungry during the day or when I'm traveling, I'll have a mozzarella stick, fruit, wasabi-coated soy nuts, other nuts, or a high-fiber bar.

Indulge in moderation
I love dark chocolate. I keep a stash in the office and usually eat a piece after lunch. I try to limit myself to that single daily indulgence, although I also have a weakness for rugelach, a rich pastry my wife buys when our boys come home from college. If I'm lucky, they consume most of it before I have the opportunity to yield to temptation.

Exercise early and regularly
On weekdays, I'm up and in my home gym by 6:15 am. Three days a week, I use a machine called the Power Plate, which vibrates as I do various exercises. It helps warm up my old bones, while building balance and core strength. Then I'll do Pilates. This workout normally lasts an hour. The other two weekdays I'll do 20 to 30 minutes of interval training on an elliptical machine. This type of high/ low intensity is great for the heart. On weekends, I golf, play tennis, or occasionally do a boxing workout. (Follow Dr. Agatston's 3-Point Plan to protect your heart's health.)

Go easy on the supplements
I believe a good diet will provide most of the essential nutrients I need. So, besides Benefiber, the only supplements I take are fish oil, turmeric, and Cold-Eeze when I travel. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil protect the heart, while some doctors I respect believe the curcumin in turmeric helps prevent Alzheimer's disease. Cold-Eeze contains zinc, which may prevent colds or lessen their symptoms.

Prioritize sleep
I get at least 7 hours per night. I also believe in naps. If I have an evening social engagement, I'll nap for 30 minutes before going out.

Cultivate closeness
I've been married for 28 years, and my wife and I have not only a wide circle of friends but also two much-loved sons who come home often. We all try to spend a few weeks vacationing together in the summer. Studies show that a strong social and family network is not only helpful for your general health but also for preventing heart

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prevention.com

Silent Heart Attack Symptoms

2009-11-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

A lot of people believe the true sign of an "actual" heart attack will be a shooting pain in the chest or arm. Time and time again, popular media have used this sort of pain to demonstrate that someone is suffering from this serious medical emergency. It's far more dramatic than the silent symptoms a person can experience when suffering a heart attack.

Abdominal Pain

One of the silent heart attack symptoms in both men and women is a relatively persistent pain in the abdomen, running somewhere under the ribcage.

Heartburn

This particular silent heart attack symptom would plague a woman more than a man, manifesting as what would feel like a burning sensation in the upper abdomen.

Nausea

Some people will experience the silent symptom of nausea while suffering from a heart attack. The nausea may be so severe that causes vomiting.

Clamminess

Some women who are suffering from a heart attack may experience a clamminess to their skin.

Fatigue

Since the heart is under distress when experiencing a heart attack, some people will become extremely fatigued or exhausted.

Dizziness

Another common silent symptom of a heart attack is an almost overwhelming sensation of dizziness or light-headedness. Sometimes, it will cause the person to faint.

Pressure

Instead of the obvious shooting pain that is common during a heart attack, some people will only feel a dull pressure running down the middle of their chest.

Heart Health

2009-11-04T13:21:00.001-08:00

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