Category: Heart Disease

How to halve the chance of early death from any cause.

Being sedentary for 20 years can double the risk of premature death and increase the likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease by nearly three times, a study has found.

As little as 150 minutes of weekly moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise per week will all help to improve heart health.

The conclusions come from the HUNT study, which is one of the largest health studies based in Norway that follows their population over time with continuous monitoring of risk factors and health outcomes.

Dr Trine Moholdt presented the HUNT study at ESC Congress said:

“Do activities you like and get more movement into your everyday life.

For example, walk to the shops instead of driving, get off the metro a stop early, and use stairs instead of the lift.

I recommend everyone to get out of breath at least a couple of times each week.”

The analysis of changes in physical activity of 23,146 Norwegians aged 20 and older suggests that the amount of exercise has a direct effect on longevity and early death.

The survey assessed the frequency and duration of physical activity during leisure time of these subjects.

People were split into different groups based on their physical activity levels.

These levels were classified as ‘high’ meaning two or more hours exercise, ‘moderate’ meaning less than two hours exercise per week, and ‘inactive’.

The inactive group were 2.7 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and twice as likely to die early compared to those in the high activity group.

Those in the moderate activity group had a 90 percent greater risk of cardiovascular disease and a 60 percent higher risk of all-cause death compared to those in the high activity group.

Dr Moholdt said:

“Our findings imply that to get the maximum health benefits of physical activity in terms of protection against premature all-cause and cardiovascular death, you need to continue being physically active.

You can also reduce your risk by taking up physical activity later in life, even if you have not been active before.”

She added:

An important point to make here is that physical activity levels even below the advised levels will give health benefits.

Physical fitness is more important than the amount of exercise.

Clinicians should individualise their advice and help people do even smaller amounts of activity that will improve fitness — this includes all types of exercise that make you breathe heavily.”

Leisure time physical activity is a behaviour that can be established as a routine habit in our life.

Gardening, walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, running, hiking, mowing the grass, playing football, tennis or any other sports are examples of moderate and vigorous activities that provide many health benefits.

The study was presented at the ESC Congress (Moholdt et al., 2019).

An inflammatory diet can cause heart disease, but anti-inflammatory foods can help protect the heart.

Proinflammatory diets increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk but changing over to anti-inflammatory foods can reverse the condition.

Refined grains like white flour, white bread, white rice, and pastries, processed meats like smoked, canned, dry, salted and cured meats, and sugary drinks like soda, powdered drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin enhanced beverages, all increase inflammation in the body, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Inflammation lasting over long periods is dangerous as high levels of inflammatory markers in the blood have been found in patients with atherosclerosis.

The condition occurs when the arteries are clogged by fatty deposits, which reduce blood flow, resulting in heart attacks and stroke.

Diet appears to effect inflammation levels but a healthy regimen such as the Mediterranean diet can reduce inflammatory marker levels and so reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A Mediterranean diet typically includes nuts, seafoods, dairy (in moderation), olive oil, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

The idea that frequently eating proinflammatory foods in the long run results in heart disease or stroke has been overlooked before.

This 32 years follow-up study analysed the dietary intake of 210,000 people, first contacted in 1986.

Dr Jun Li, the study’s first author, said:

“Our study is among the first to link a food-based dietary inflammatory index with long-term risk of cardiovascular disease.

Using an empirically-developed, food-based dietary index to evaluate levels of inflammation associated with dietary intake, we found that dietary patterns with higher inflammatory potential were associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular disease.”

They found that those participants whose diet contained proinflammatory foods were 28 percent more likely to have a stroke and 46 percent more likely to have heart disease.

They suggest eating more fibre and antioxidant-rich foods, which can lower inflammation and fight heart disease.

The list includes: green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, rocket, and cabbage, whole grains, yellow vegetables such as carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkin, and yellow beans, tea, coffee, and wine.

The proinflammatory foods that they should be avoided include sodas, refined grains, fried foods, sugar, and a reduction in processed meat.

Studies show that anti-inflammatory foods such as walnuts will reduce the inflammatory potential linked to CVD risk.

They found that adding nuts to the everyday diet lowers cholesterol, which is a risk factor of heart disease.

Eating 30 to 60 grams walnuts every day over two years showed a remarkable reduction of inflammation levels in 6 inflammatory markers.

When they tested 10 inflammatory markers in the participants,  they found that 6 of these had much lower levels.

Dr Montserrant Cofán, the study’s lead author, said:

“The anti-inflammatory effect of long-term consumption of walnuts demonstrated in this study provides novel mechanistic insight for the benefit of walnut consumption on heart disease risk beyond that of cholesterol lowering.”

The study was published in the journal Journal of the American College of Cardiology (Li et al., 2020).

The most recent trial confirms that two nutrients can reduce deaths from heart attacks and cancer.

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil can significantly reduce heart attacks and vitamin D supplementation can significantly lower the number of deaths caused by different types of cancer.

Researchers studied 26,000 American adults in the VITAL clinical trial for five years to see if fish oil or vitamin D would definitely ward off cardiovascular disease or cancer.

The outcomes were reassuring: marine omega-3 fatty acid intake was linked to a significant drop in heart attacks.

One-and-half servings per week of dietary fish intake showed the maximum heart health benefits, but higher dietary fish intake didn’t help more.

The greatest decrease in heart attacks was seen in African-Americans.

The benefit of 1 gram of omega-3 fish oil supplementation showed a small decrease in major cardiovascular events like stroke and death from cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol intake at a dose of 2000 IU per day showed a significant decrease of death from cancer for those who took it for at least two years.

However, supplementation with vitamin D3 capsules didn’t significantly lower incidence of any type of cancer or cardiovascular disease.

Dr. JoAnn Manson, the study’s first author, said:

“The pattern of findings suggests a complex balance of benefits and risks for each intervention and points to the need for additional research to determine which individuals may be most likely to derive a net benefit from these supplements.”

Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director, said:

“With heart disease and cancer representing the most significant health threats to women, it is imperative that we continue to study the viability of options that prevent these diseases and help women survive them.”

The 1 gram omega-3 fish oil supplementation used in the VITAL clinical trial was Omacor, a prescription medicine for adults.

The capsule contains 840 milligrams marine omega-3 fatty acids, of which 465 mg is eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 375 mg is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

The study was presented at the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Chicago (Manson et al., 2019).

Daily supplementation of this nutrient can lower heart disease, CVD death and major vascular events.

Daily supplementation with omega-3 fish oil significantly lowers the risk of most cardiovascular disease (CVD) types even heart attacks and coronary heart disease death, a meta-analysis confirms.

The new study contains the largest and most up to date data which looked at the link between fish oil supplementation and heart disease risk.

The researchers analysed data from 13 randomized trials worldwide on a population of 120,000 adults.

It suggests that people who took 840 mg per day of marine omega-3 supplements, managed to reduce the risk of most cardiovascular disease cases including myocardial infarction, cardiovascular disease death, and coronary heart disease death.

There was an 8 percent reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) death and heart attack risks but not for stroke.

The study also suggests that higher dosage of omega‐3 fish oil supplements can offer bigger cardiovascular benefits.

Different types of fish can also provide a large amount of omega‐ 3 in our routine diet.

Oily fish such as herring, salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, and sprats are naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Some species of white fish like sea bass, halibut, sea bream, and turbot are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

For example, per 100g:

• herring contains 2,000mg omega-3,
• salmon contains 1190mg omega-3,
• sea bream contains 556mg,
• and sea bass contains 500mg omega-3.

Mr Yang Hu , the study’s first author, said:

“This meta-analysis provides the most up-to-date evidence regarding the effects of omega-3 supplementation on risk of multiple CVD outcomes.

We found significant protective effects of daily omega-3 supplementation against most CVD outcome risks and the associations appeared to be in a dose-response manner.

Considering the fact that every year several million adults experience CVD events, daily supplementation or dietary fish oil can be beneficial in lowering and even preventing these life threatening events.

Dr JoAnn Manson, study’s senior author, said:

“Although public health recommendations should focus on increasing fish consumption, having an overall heart-healthy diet, being physically active, and having other healthy lifestyle practices, this study suggests that omega-3 supplementation may have a role in appropriate patients.”

The study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (Hu et al., 2019).

A regular hygiene practice that could protect against arrhythmia and heart failure.

Frequently brushing teeth lowers the risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure, new research finds.

Poor oral hygiene leads to bacterial growth and the bacteria can find their way into the body through the blood circulation, which causes inflammation.

Inflammation increases the risk of a heart condition called atrial fibrillation which is an abnormal heart rhythm.

The condition can lead to heart failure since the heart can’t pump blood, relax, and fill with blood efficiently any longer.

Korean researchers enrolled 161,286 participants in order to test if there is any connection between oral hygiene and the incidence of atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

They found that brushing the teeth three or more times per day reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation by 10 percent and lowers the risk of heart failure by 12 percent.

While the mechanism is not clear, it is possible that brushing the teeth frequently diminishes bacteria in the subgingival biofilm and so prevents them moving into the bloodstream.

Subgingival biofilms are communities of bacteria that live in the spaces between the teeth and gums or are attached to the tooth’s surface.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.

They advise brushing teeth for two minutes last thing at night before going to bed and at one other time during the day.

Dr. Tae-Jin Song , the study’s senior author, said:

“We studied a large group over a long period, which adds strength to our findings.

It is certainly too early to recommend tooth brushing for the prevention of atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure.

While the role of inflammation in the occurrence of cardiovascular disease is becoming more and more evident, intervention studies are needed to define strategies of public health importance.”

The study was published in the journal of European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (Chang et al., 2019).

If you favour these drinks then you made a good choice as they help reduce heart disease.

Drinking moderate or high amounts of tea improves heart health and reduces the risk of coronary heart disease death, research finds.

Similarly, drinking coffee in moderation is associated with lowering the risk of heart disease.

A study in Holland examined how tea and coffee intake impact on cardiovascular disease and death amongst 37,514 participants for 13 years.

They found that drinking three to six cups of tea a day lowered the risk of heart disease deaths by 45 percent.

Consuming more than six cups of tea a day was linked to a 36 percent reduction in heart disease risk.

Drinking two to four cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of heart disease by 20 percent compared to those who had less than two or more than four cups of coffee a day.

Also, modest coffee drinking — two to four cups daily — might fractionally lower the risk of death from heart disease and all causes.

Contrary to popular belief that drinking coffee can cause strokes, neither coffee or tea had any effect on stroke risk.

Professor Yvonne T. van der Schouw, the study’s senior author, said:

“While previous studies have shown that coffee and tea seem to reduce the risk of heart disease, evidence on stroke risk and the risk of death from heart disease was not conclusive.

Our results found the benefits of drinking coffee and tea occur without increasing risk of stroke or death from all causes.”

The heart health benefits from drinking tea could be related to the flavonoids that are a natural antioxidant found in tea.

In this study, tea and coffee intake was self-reported and so there is no information on what type of tea was consumed by participants.

In the Netherlands, however, 78 percent of tea consumed is black and 4.6 percent green.

Researchers also added that tea drinkers didn’t smoke and had a healthier diet and lifestyle in contrast to coffee drinkers.

The study was published in Journal of the American Heart Association (de Koning Gans et al., 2019).

Performing this type of break once or twice weekly will half the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Napping once or twice a week can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure and stroke by nearly 50 percent, a study finds.

The research compared regular nappers with those who did not nap, assessing the link between naps and heart disease incidents.

In the study were 3,462 Swiss residents aged 35 to 75 who were selected randomly for this study and followed over 5 years.

The study found that those who napped once or twice weekly had a 48 percent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease events compared to those who did not nap.

Nap duration or having more naps didn’t show any positive effect on cardiovascular disease.

Those who napped more than 3 times a week tended to be male, smokers, older, and to weigh more.

They slept longer at night when compared to those who didn’t nap through the day.

They also reported more episodes of sleepiness during the day and suffered from severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

This sleep disorder occurs when the throat muscles relax and block the airway during sleep, causing abnormal breathing.

Professor Kristine Yaffe and Dr Yue Leng, in a linked editorial, said:

“While the exact physiological pathways linking daytime napping to [cardiovascular disease] risk is not clear, [this research] contributes to the ongoing debate on the health implications of napping, and suggests that it might not only be the duration, but also the frequency that matters.

The study of napping is a challenging but also a promising field with potentially significant public health implications.

While there remain more questions than answers, it is time to start unveiling the power of naps for a supercharged heart.”

The study was published in the journal Heart (Häusler et al., 2019).

A combination supplement popular for treating joint pain also reduces deaths from cardiovascular diseases.

Regular intake of glucosamine with chondroitin is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular-related deaths and dying from any cause.

Taking this supplement every day for a year can lower the rate of dying from cardiovascular diseases by 65 percent and all-cause mortality by 39 percent.

According to the study, glucosamine with chondroitin supplementation is as effective as regular exercise in lowering total death rates.

However, this doesn’t mean that we can get the same health benefits from the tablet alone if we miss out regular exercises.

Professor Dana King, the study’s lead author, said:

“Does this mean that if you get off work at five o’clock one day, you should just skip the gym, take a glucosamine pill and go home instead?

That’s not what we suggest.

Keep exercising, but the thought that taking a pill would also be beneficial is intriguing.”

The 65 percent reduced deaths for cardiovascular disease includes heart disease, which is the world’s biggest killer and coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

One possible reason that glucosamine and chondroitin can lower the death rate in general is related to their effect on pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are able to reduce inflammation by suppressing proinflammatory cytokines (small proteins released by cells).

Glucosamine with chondroitin is an natural compound found in the connective tissues, including the cartilage, but they can be produced from shellfish or fungi.

Glucosamine with chondroitin supplements sold over the counter are popular products for treating joint pain and osteoarthritis.

Professor King takes glucosamine plus chondroitin supplements himself, he said:

“I’m in a local cyclists’ club, and we go for rides on weekends.

One day I asked the other cyclists if they took glucosamine, and everyone did.

And I thought, ‘Well, I wonder if this is really helpful?’ That’s how I got curious about it.”

The study analysed the data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 16,686 American adults who were 40 years or older.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (King & Xiang, 2020).

Taking this pill every day to prevent a heart attack or stroke can cause brain and stomach bleeding.

Daily aspirin even in small doses for the prevention of a heart attack or stroke should be avoided as the potential harms are fatal, a study reveals.

About one-in-four American adults age 40 or older take aspirin every day even though they have no history of stroke or heart disease.

Currently, aspirin plays a first aid role to prevent heart attack or stroke and is often recommended to patients between 50 to 69 years old who are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Consequently, this study examined the benefits and harms of aspirin used for primary prevention of cardiovascular events.

Dr Mark Ebell, the study’s author, said:

“We shouldn’t just assume that everyone will benefit from low-dose aspirin, and in fact the data show that the potential benefits are similar to the potential harms for most people who have not had a cardiovascular event and are taking it to try to prevent a first heart attack or stroke.”

It was about 30 years ago that aspirin was first found to lower the risk of heart attacks.

Studies thereafter have found evidence that aspirin can lessen colon cancer and stroke risks as well as heart attacks.

However, taking aspirin is too risky and has serious side-effects such as bleeding in the brain and stomach.

Dr Ebell said:

“If you look back in the 1970s and ’80s when a lot of these original studies were done, patients were not taking statin drugs to control cholesterol, their blood pressure was not as well controlled, and they weren’t getting screenings for colorectal cancer.”

Dr Ebell and his colleague looked into patient’s data from aspirin studies between 1978 to 2005.

The data was alarming as for 1,000 patients on aspirin treatment, there were less cardiovascular incidents but more haemorrhages.

Dr Ebell said:

“About 1 in 300 persons who took aspirin for five years experienced a brain bleed.

That’s pretty serious harm.

This type of bleeding can be fatal.

It can be disabling, certainly.

One in 300 is not something that the typical doctor is going to be able to pick up on in their practice.

That’s why we need these big studies to understand small but important increases in risk.”

The study was published in the journal of Family Practice (Moriarty & Ebell, 2019).