Category: Heart Disease

Surprising factors that predict whether people will live two, five, or 10 more years longer after age 70.

A study reveals that longevity can be predicted by factors such as the ability to climb stairs, cholesterol levels, smoking and doing grocery shopping or heavy housework.

This is in contrast to the traditional model that depends on medical conditions like heart disease and cancer for predicting life expectancy.

The model may help practitioners to foresee whether patients over 70 have a chance to live two, five, or 10 years longer.

Professor Virginia Byers Kraus, the study’s first author, said:

“This study was designed to determine the proximal causes of longevity—the factors that portend whether someone is likely to live two more years or 10 more years.

Properly applied, these measures could help determine the benefits and burdens of screening tests and treatment for older people.”

The research team analysed 1,500 blood samples of older adults along with doing several interviews and questionnaires concerning participants’ health histories and habits such as cognitive function, depression, sleep, alcohol use, smoking, and physical activity.

The study identified 17 variables that predict how long a person will live.

Physical function was the leading predictor of longevity at any length of time (two, five, and 10 years).

Cognitive function and age (being younger) had strong effects for predicting living 5 and 10 years longer.

Fewer years of smoking (top ranked for non-smokers) and physical function such as brisker walking pace, gardening, climbing stairs, household cleaning, and grocery shopping were the strongest factors for predicting 10 years longevity.

Unexpectedly, medical conditions such as heart disease or cancer were not detected as one of the key predictors for longevity.

Higher levels of HDL cholesterol was a dominant factor for predicting living two years longer.

Professor Kraus explained:

“This was especially surprising.

We hypothesize that these very small HDL particles are the size that is best at scavenging and clearing endotoxin, a potent inflammation-causing molecule from gut microbes, from the circulation [VBKMP1].

The small particle may also be best able to get into the nooks and crannies of cells to remove the bad cholesterol, so having more of them could provide this protective benefit.”

The study was published in the journal eBioMedicine (Kraus et al., 2022).

A good diet can help prevent cardiovascular disease, but which one can do the job?

Eating a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables, lean meats and fibre reduces heart disease risk, research finds.

Whether that diet is rich in unsaturated fats, protein-rich or carb-rich matters less for cardiovascular health, as long as it contains a healthy balance.

The quality of foods matters more than focusing on any specific macronutrients.

The study examined the cardiovascular health impacts of the three main components of our diets– fat, carbohydrates, and protein — called macronutrients.

The results of this research show that all three diets– unsaturated fats, carbohydrates, and protein– were similarly effective in decreasing inflammation and injury to the heart muscle and in improving the heart health.

Changing the macronutrients of the diet did not offer any other advantages.

One possible explanation is that the impact of diet on cardiac injury is fast and so the injury decreases rapidly after introducing a healthy diet.

Dr Stephen Juraschek, study co-author, said:

“Our findings support flexibility in food selection for people attempting to eat a healthier diet and should make it easier.

With the average American eating fewer than two servings of fruit and vegetables a day, the typical American diet is quite different from any of these diets, which all included at least four to six servings of fruits and vegetables a day.”

The study used highly specific tests on participants and analysed their blood samples.

These subjects had high blood pressure but were not on any drugs to reduce their cholesterol or blood pressure.

They were fed a diet rich in either unsaturated fat or carbohydrates, or protein for a period of six weeks and there was a washout period from each diet.

The diets were:

• Carbohydrate-rich diet: similar to the DASH diet with grains, starches and sugars making up nearly 60 percent of its calories.
• Fat-rich: 10 percent of calories from carbs replaced by unsaturated fats found in fish, nuts, and avocados.
• Protein-rich: 10 percent of calories from carbs replaced by protein.

Dr Juraschek said:

“There are multiple debates about dietary carbs and fat, but the message from our data is clear: eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and high in fiber that is restricted in red meats, sugary beverages, and sweets, will not only improve cardiovascular risk factors, but also reduce direct injury to the heart.”

The study was published in the International Journal of Cardiology (Kovell et al., 2019).

Intermittent fasting with this diet could drastically lower the risk of heart disease.

A diet known as pesco-Mediterranean — if combined with time-restricted eating — is ideal for improving cardiovascular health, a study suggests.

The diet is primarily based on vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fermented dairy, fish, seafood, and extra-virgin olive oil.

The choice of drinks is limited to only water, tea, and coffee.

To reduce daily caloric intake, an intermittent fasting period is recommended for 12 to 16 hours per day.

National guidelines approve the traditional Mediterranean diet since studies have been found that it reduces the odds of cognitive decline, cancers, depression, diabetes, and heart disease.

The typical Mediterranean foods include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, olives, eggs, yogurt, cheese, fish, and seafood.

Dr James H. O’Keefe, the study’s first author, said:

“Although humans are omnivores and can subsist on a myriad of foods, the ideal diet for health remains a dilemma for many people.

Plant-rich diets reduce cardiovascular disease risk; however, veganism are difficult to follow and can result in important nutrient deficiencies.

On the other hand, many people in modern Western cultures over-consume meat, particularly highly processed meat from animals raised in inhuman conditions.

We propose the Pesco-Mediterranean diet as a solution to this ‘omnivore’s dilemma’ about what to eat.”

Fish and seafood are the main sources of protein in a pescatarian diet.

Also, many dietary guidelines replace fish with red meat and poultry at minimum twice per week.

A review found that a pescatarian diet compared to a regular meat-eating diet reduced coronary artery disease death by 34 percent.

The other food that a Mediterranean diet uses is extra-virgin olive oil instead of vegetable oils and butter.

Extra-virgin olive oil is unrefined and high in polyphenol antioxidants and has been shown to improve the levels of “good” cholesterol and lower “bad” cholesterol.

Tree nuts are also part of this diet, as they provide fibre and healthy fats.

A clinical trial showed that mixed nuts when severed daily led to a 28 percent reduction in heart disease risk.

Dr O’Keefe said:

“There is no clear consensus among nutrition experts on the role of dairy products and eggs in heart disease risk, however we allowed for them in the Peso-Mediterranean diet.

Low-fat yogurt and cheeses are preferred; butter and hard cheese are discouraged due to a high concentration of saturated fats and salt.

Eggs contain beneficial nutrients and can be a healthy substitute for red meat; however, we recommend no more than five yolks be consumed per week.”

Time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting helps people eating less throughout the day.

This results in weight loss as it lowers inflammation and improves insulin response by making the body burn belly fat instead of using glucose.

This type of intermittent fasting is usually restricted to two meals a day with limited calorie intake in a period between 8 to 12 hours.

Dr O’Keefe said:

“Our ancient ancestors did not have access to an unlimited supply of food throughout the year.

Nor did they routinely eat three large meals, plus snacks, daily.

Focusing on fresh whole foods, along with fish, bestows a range of health benefits, particularly when it comes to cardiovascular health.

The Pesco-Mediterranean diet with daily time-restricted eating is an ideal cardioprotective diet.”

The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (O’Keefe et al., 2020).

The best types of protein to live longer, beat diabetes and heart disease.

People who consume plant proteins are most likely to live longer and are at a lower risk of dying  prematurely from cancer and heart disease, a review of 32 studies reveals.

High protein diets — specifically foods rich in plant proteins such as nuts, legumes, and whole grains — have been found to reduce the odds of having heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

However, frequently eating meats or any food high in animal proteins have been associated with various health issues.

Researchers analysed 32 studies to find out why the data in relation to different sources of proteins and death are contradictory.

The team wanted to know if eating more plant proteins or animal proteins will reduce the risk of all cause death including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

All these studies were carefully checked to ensure there were no flaws that could affect the results.

They also used mathematical models to measure the outcomes of the maximum protein intake in contrast to the minimum intake.

715,128 participants were involved with a follow-up period of about 32 years.

There was 113,039 deaths amongst participants, of which 22,303 died of cancer and 16,429 from cardiovascular disease.

Overall, high protein consumption was linked to a lower risk of early death than low protein intake.

The study found that plant protein intake reduced the likelihood of early cause of death by 8 percent and decreased the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 12 percent.

However, there was no link between consuming animal protein and the risk of dying from cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The positive health outcomes of plant proteins could be due to a reduction in blood sugar and cholesterol levels as well as lowering blood pressure.

The study’s authors, said:

“These findings have important public health implications as intake of plant protein can be increased relatively easily by replacing animal protein and could have a large effect on longevity.

These findings strongly support the existing dietary recommendations to increase consumption of plant proteins in the general population.”

The study was published in the British Medical Journal (Naghshi et al., 2020).

Foods that make up 50 percent of American’s daily calories are dangerous to heart health.

Eating fast foods and processed foods is linked to poorer heart health and increases in cardiovascular disease, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have revealed.

On average, Americans get half of their daily calories from highly processed foods, but these foods increase the odds of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

The CDC researchers suggest that a person’s heart health will get worse with every 5 percent increase in calorie intake from ultra-processed foods.

They say if 70 percent of a person’s daily calories intake comes from ultra-processed foods, then that person has half the chance of having “ideal” cardiovascular health than those who get less than 40 percent of their calories from these kind of foods.

Ideal cardiovascular health is defined by the American Heart Association by ‘Life’s Simple 7’, which is built on seven risk factors.

These factors are blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, diet, weight, smoking, and physical activity.

Ultra-processed or highly processed foods are prepared by food companies and tend to have long lists of fillers, artificial flavours, colours, additives, and preservatives and can contain extra oil, sugar, and salt.

These ingredients can increase the shelf-life or make the treated foods more attractive by improving their look, flavour, and taste.

Highly processed foods are mostly made from food extracts such as hydrogenated fats, modified starch, hydrolysed proteins, maltodextrin, and emulsifiers.

Pre-prepared items advertised as “convenience foods” include smoked meat, jerky, bacon, cookies, cakes, snacks, soft drinks, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, packaged breads and buns, crisps, powdered soups, sauces, sausages, slimming products, infant formulas and baby products.

Dr Zefeng Zhang, an epidemiologist at the CDC, said:

“Healthy diets play an important role in maintaining a healthy heart and blood vessels.

Eating ultra-processed foods often displaces healthier foods that are rich in nutrients, like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, which are strongly linked to good heart health.

In addition, ultra-processed foods are often high in salt, added sugars, saturated fat and other substances associated with increasing the risk of heart disease.”

The CDC researchers for this study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), carried out on 13,446 adults between 2011 and 2016.

Professor Donna Arnett, former president of the American Heart Association, said:

“This study underscores the importance of building a healthier diet by eliminating foods such as sugar-sweetened beverages, cookies, cakes and other processed foods.

There are things you can do every day to improve your health just a little bit.

For example, instead of grabbing that loaf of white bread, grab a loaf of bread that’s whole grain or wheat bread.

Try replacing a hamburger with fish once or twice a week.

Making small changes can add up to better heart health.”

The study was presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2019 in Philadelphia.

An analysis of 40 studies reveals the dosage of omega-3 that best protects the heart against disease.

Higher dosage of omega-3 can protect the heart and reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors.

An extensive review of 40 studies on the effective dosage of omega-3 finds that a higher intake of EPA and DHA can prevent heart disease.

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are types of omega-3 fats mostly found in oily fish.

The heart health benefits seem to become greater with higher dosage, therefore the researchers suggest a supplementation of 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day.

The increased supplementation of EPA and DHA have been shown to decrease the risk of heart attack (myocardial infarction), and coronary heart disease (CHD) events.

The review found that omega-3 fatty acids lowered the odds of CHD events by 10 percent, CHD death by 9 percent, heart attack by 13 percent, and dying from a heart attack by 35 percent.

Dr Carl Lavie, study co-author, said:

“The study supports the notion that EPA and DHA intake contributes to cardioprotection, and that whatever patients are getting through the diet, they likely need more.”

Eating everyday fatty fish like salmon, trout, sardines, and anchovies would be the best way to obtain EPA and DHA.

Unfortunately, most populations consume even less than the dietary recommendations, thus supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids can be helpful to make up for the deficiency.

Dr Lavie said:

“People should consider the benefits of omega-3 supplements, at doses of 1000 to 2000 mg per day—far higher than what is typical, even among people who regularly eat fish.

Given the safety and diminished potential for interaction with other medications, the positive results of this study strongly suggest omega-3 supplements are a relatively low-cost, high impact way to improve heart health with few associated risks and should be considered as part of a standard preventive treatment for most patients with cardiovascular diseases and those recovering from myocardial infarction.”

The research team also found that the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and heart attack was reduced even more when an addition of 1,000 mg of EPA with DHA was consumed every day.

The cardiovascular disease and heart attack risks were lower by 6 and 9 percent receptively.

They looked at different amounts of omega-3 up to 5,500 mg per day.

Their findings supports the previous analysis of 13 clinical studies published in 2019.

Dr Bernasconi, the study’s first author, said:

“When separate analyses arrive at similar results, that’s not only validating; it also underscores the science base needed to inform future intake recommendations.

Because this paper included more studies and all dosages, the estimates for a dose-response are more precise and the conclusions stronger.”

The study was published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Bernasconi et al., 2020).

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).