Obesity increase risk of ischemic-stroke

Posted on February 17, 2010 by wngai
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Previous study, Northern Manhattan Cohort Study, has shown that an elevated waist circumference increased the risk of MI and vascular death.  However, a new study published in the January 21, 2010 issue of Stroke indicated that obesity is also a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke.

The study which looked at 13,549 participants aged 46 to 64 years old participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study for 18 years, discovered that patients in the highest obesity category has twice the risk of stroke than those in the lowest category.

The result is consistent whether the investigators used body-mass index (BMI), waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).  Also, blacks had two to three times higher incidence of ischemic stroke than whites.

This study reinforces that controlling obesity may prevent not only hypertension, diabetes and heart attack, but also stroke.

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20% of US teenagers are obese

Posted on February 17, 2010 by wngai
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A new report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that one in five youths aged 12 to 19 years has abnormal lipid levels (LDL cholesterol > 130mg/dl, HDL < 35 mg/dl and triglyceride > 150 mg/dl).  Also, nearly one-third of these youths are obese or overweight.

The new CDC report was based 4 NHANES surveys that were taken from 1999 to 2006 on 9,187 youths, of which 3,733 provided fasting blood samples for lipid testing. 

Beside finding abnormal lipid profiles among the youth, the report also discovered that boys were more likely than girls to have low HDL cholesterol and older youths (18-19 years old) were more likely to have low HDL and elevated triglyceride levels than kids aged (12-13 years old).

CDC urges clinicians to be aware of the lipid screening guidelines and initiate interventions for overweight or obese children and youths.

Question:  What is the most effective way to help your child to control the weight or to lose weight when they are obese?

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Red yeast rice is similar to pravastatin(Pravachol) for statin-intolerant patients

Posted on February 16, 2010 by wngai
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Muscle pain or muscle breakdown is common among statin users.  Currently there is no effective method to prevent or to treat patients who experience muscle pain during statin use.

A study published in the January 15, 2010 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology indicated that red-yeast-rice extract is as efficacious and well tolerated as pravastatin in patients who previously have developed statin-associated muscle pain and withdrew from therapy.

In this study, 43 adults with high cholesterol and had discontinued statins were randomized to receive either red yeast rice or pravastatin 40mg for 12 weeks.

After 12 weeks of treatment, patients who received red yeast rice experienced cholesterol reduction (30% reduction in LDL, 23% reduction in total cholesterol and 8% reduction in triglyceride) that is comparable to that of pravastatin.

Extracts of red yeast rice have been widely used in China for circulatory and digestive disorders for centuries.  Preparations of red yeast rice are also used in the US as a dietary supplement to lower cholesterol levels, but reports have indicated inconsistent ingredients between different manufacturers.

Question:  Have your experienced any muscle pain while you were on pravastatin?  What did your doctor do?

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Diet & exercise reduce risk of heart attack

Posted on February 16, 2010 by wngai
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A study published in the February 1, 2010 issues of Circulation indicated that improving diet, exercising more and quitting smoking are as important as taking medicine for patients who have heart attack (angina and myocardial infarction).

The study, Organization to Assess Strategies in Acute Ischemic Syndrome (OASIS), evaluated the impact of diet, exercise and smoking in 18,809 patients who has future heart attack on future cardiovascular events.

The study found that nearly 70% of the patient quit smoking but only 30% of the patients adhered to both diet and exercise recommendations.

Even though not everyone adhered to lifestyle behavioral changes, those who adhered to life-style modification (quit smoking, improve diet and exercise more) cut the risk of future heart attack by 50%.

Implication: This study adds to the evidence that adhered to lifestyle behavioral changes are more important than taking medicine.

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Breast-feeding lowers vascular disease

Posted on February 16, 2010 by wngai
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Prior studies have shown that lactation has long-term benefits, such as reduction in midlife metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, to the mother. A new study demonstrated that women who do not breast-feed are at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.

A new study published in the January 2010 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology has shown that women who had never breast-fed were more likely to have vascular changes associated with cardiovascular disease than those who had breast-fed their children.

Investigators from Women Across the Nation (SWAN)-Heart study performed analysis on 300 women aged 42 to 52 years who had reported at least one previous live birth.

Subclinical cardiovascular diseases such as coronary arteries and carotid artery calcification/occlusion were evaluated using CT scan and B-mode ultrasonography.

The results indicated that women who were not breast-fed were almost four times more likely to have aortic calcification and nearly three times more likely to have coronary artery calcification than mothers who had consistently breast-fed. Also, women who had inconsistently breast-fed were twice likely to have coronary artery calcification.

Question: Did you want to breast feed your babies for longer term but were forced to wean off because of poor breast-feeding care supports in your community or in the workplace?

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A wish before going to heaven

Posted on February 15, 2010 by wngai
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“Let’s do it tomorrow!”…but not everyone has the luxury of tomorrow.  For our good friend Nekar, “today is a gift and tomorrow is a bonus”.

Nekar was diagnosed with melanoma five years ago when he was just 41 years old and at the peak of his career.  When the doctor confirmed the diagnosis, the tumor has already spread to the spinal cord and was pressing the nerves.

The doctor told him he only had 3 months left, but Nekar remained cheerful and believed he need to stay alive to take care of his family and to spread God’s words.  Since then, he had undergone 3 spinal cord surgeries, 3 rounds of radiotherapy, one cycle of chemotherapy and one cycle of targeted therapy. The tumor continued to grow and damaged the nerves leading to his limbs, causing him to be paralyzed from his neck downwards.

Despite his doctor’s dire prediction and all these traumas, Nekar has survived the last 5 winters.  His goal for the remaining days is to live happily with his family (his wife who is a nurse has to work night shift to support the family and to take care his 8-year-old son who is in Grade 3)

Nekar regretted he did not spend enough time with family prior to his melanoma diagnosis.  If he can start all over again, he would spend more time with his family and not at work.  Previously, he travelled all the time on business and rarely spending more than 2 weeks per month at home.  “I barely saw my son before he turned two” he said.

He is not afraid of dying, but felt lonely at times.  ‘Staring at the ceiling in the hospital bed, I feel so lonely.  I want to cry but no tears come out.  Even if there are tears, I can’t wipe it with my hands?’ Nekar added.

Hope is very important to cancer patients.  His next dream is to move into a small apartment closer to home so that he doesn’t have to bother his wife, but help his son on homework in the evening.  “This is one of the simple thing that I can do now”, said Nekar.

We sincerely hope that Nekar can move to his new home in the near future instead of staying in the rehab center.  Fortunately, Nekar is loved by his friends and his church community in Hong Kong.

Please visit us at healthreason.com for more health related articles

 

 

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Hypertensive drugs effective in preventing dementia

Posted on February 15, 2010 by wngai
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A new analysis reported patients who took the anti-hypertensive drugs(ARBs), have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia than patients who took other anti-hypertensive drugs such as ACE inhibitors.

Furthermore, the rates of disease progression, indicated by the time to admission to a nursing home or death, was also reduced among patients who taking ARBs.

The study, published in the January 12, 2010 version of BMJ, looked at the time it took to develop Alzheimer’s disease or dementia among elderly male who has cardiovascular disease and took antihypertensive drugs in the US Veterans Affairs database over a four-year period.

The analysis found that patients who took ARB has a 55% lower incidence of Alzheimer’s or dementia, and a 70% decrease in nursing-home admissions than ACE inhibitor, lisinopril, and other cardiovascular drugs.

ARB has previously been shown to be effective in preventing vascular damage in Alzheimer’s disease.  Current marketed ARBs included losartan, valsartan, irbesartan, telmisartan, olmesartan, eprosartan and candesartan.

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