Adding Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Lower Risks for CVD
Snacking on fruit after breakfast, fruit during lunch, vegetables during dinner and dairy after dinner was associated with lower risks for CVD and all-cause mortality, according to new dietary data reported by the American Heart Association.
The study investigated the association of meal and snack patterns across a day with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all‐cause mortality. Meal patterns of fruit‐lunch and vegetable‐dinner, and snack patterns of fruit after breakfast and dairy products after dinner were associated with decreased risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all‐cause mortality. Visit the Journal of the American Heart Association to learn more.
The Beat Goes on With a Healthy Heart
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 16.3 million Americans aged 20 years and older, or about 7%, are living with coronary heart disease (CHD). The prevalence for CHD among men is 8.3%; for women, the rate is 6.1%.
Scott Shurmur, M.D., a cardiologist for Texas Tech Physicians and chair for the Department of Internal Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, said CHD in the U.S. most commonly manifests itself in blockages of one of the three small arteries that supply blood to the heart.
When it comes to CAD prevention, what we eat plays a key role. Rather than attempting popular diet fads such as cutting all carbohydrates or primarily eating protein, Shurmur recommends the following tips.
Reducing Salt Intake can Help Reduce Heart Failure
The largest randomized clinical trial to look at sodium reduction and heart failure reported results simultaneously in The Lancet and at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session, and the findings were mixed.
Though reducing salt intake did not lead to fewer emergency visits, hospitalizations or deaths for patients with heart failure, the researchers did find an improvement in symptoms such as swelling, fatigue and coughing, as well as better overall quality of life.
Check out the recent study by University of Alberta
How eating eggs can boost heart health
The findings from a recent study suggest that eating up to one egg per day may help lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Eggs are a rich source of dietary cholesterol, but they also contain a variety of essential nutrients. There is conflicting evidence as to whether egg consumption is beneficial or harmful to heart health. A 2018 study published in the journal Heart, which included approximately half a million adults in China, found that those who ate eggs daily (about one egg per day) had a substantially lower risk of heart disease and stroke than those who ate eggs less frequently.
The work highlights the need for more strategies to encourage moderate egg consumption among the population, to help lower the overall risk of cardiovascular disease. Learn more
How caffeine consumption protects the heart
Caffeine consumption has been associated with lower risks for multiple diseases, including type II diabetes, dementia, heart disease, and stroke, but the mechanism underlying these protective effects has been unclear. A new study now shows that caffeine promotes the movement of a regulatory protein into mitochondria, enhancing their function and protecting cardiovascular cells from damage. The work, published in the open access journal PLOS Biology, by Judith Haendeler and Joachim Altschmied of the Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University and the IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Duesseldorf, Germany, and colleagues, found that the protective effect was reached at a concentration equivalent to consumption of four cups of coffee, suggesting the effect may be physiologically relevant.
Heart Health can be boosted by Yoga and Aerobic Exercise
Heart disease patients who practice yoga in addition to aerobic exercise saw twice the reduction in blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels when compared to patients who practiced either Indian yoga or aerobic exercise alone. These factors contribute to heart health.
Learn more about this study supported by American College of Cardiology.
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