Showing posts with label out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label out. Show all posts
What Makes A Healthful Diet Large Epidemiological Studies Are Finding Out
Sunday, May 4, 2014
A study due in the upcoming July 15 issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation will be reporting that: 1"Greater adherence to the prudent pattern [of eating] may reduce the risk of cardiovascular and total mortality, whereas greater adherence to the Western pattern may increase the risk among initially healthy women."What did the researchers define as a "prudent pattern"?
"High prudent pattern scores represented high intakes of vegetables, fruit, legumes, fish, poultry, and whole grains, whereas high Western pattern scores lected high intakes of red meat, processed meat, ined grains, French fries, and sweets/desserts."It was a large prospective evaluation of the diets of 72,113 women who participated in the Nurses Health Study. They were followed for 18 years.
The prudent diet reduced risk of cardiovascular death by 28% when compared to the Western diet. It reduced risk of all-cause death by 17%.
The Western diet increased risk of cardiovascular death by 22%, cancer death by 16%, and all-cause death by 21%.
These findings are similar to those reported earlier this year in the same journal.2 In that study, the diets of 9,514 participants of the ARIC cohort (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study) were evaluated over the course of 9 years. Those men or women who ate a Western pattern - high in meat and fried foods - had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of risk factors for heart disease. These include insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, high blood lipids, high uric acid levels, and obesity - especially weight carried around the waist.
1 Dietary Patterns And Risk Of Mortality From Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, And All Causes In A Prospective Cohort Of Women, Circulation, 2008
2 Dietary Intake And The Development Of The Metabolic Syndrome. The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study, Circulation, 2008
Eating fish may reduce the risk of heart attack but watch out for mercury
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Eating fish may reduce the risk of heart attack, but it is important to steer clear from the type of fish that contains the most amounts of mercury, according to experts from Umeå University in Sweden.
The researchers have worked together with teams from Finland and other countries in order to assess whether the advantages of heathy fatty acids outweigh the risks of mercury proportion.
Previous research has said that individuals who consume fish have a decreased risk of heart disease, compared to those who eat none or very little. However, certain types of fish carry pollutants from the environment, which can be detrimental to the health of humans.
Methyl mercury, which can be found in many types of fish, may actually raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. Theore, consuming fish with a lot of mercury, or with ample amounts of pollutants, can severely increase the risk of heart problems. However, if people are too health conscious of fish, they increase their risk of the disease because they are not receiving the benefits of healthy fish.
A recent study said that tuna, which has high levels of mercury, should be given to children less often.
The current research, which will be published in the October 2012 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), was carried out with the intention of finding a middle point between not eating any fish and eating too much, or types that are unhealthy.
The authors analyzed why heart attack risk is linked to the amount of mercury and omega-3 fats in the body due to fish consumption. They did so by measuring hair and blood samples of volunteers who had been involved in other trials in eastern Finland and northern Sweden. The blood samples of the Swedes were taken from the Medical Biobank in Umeå. Researchers compared blood from the patients who had suffered a heart attack after their check-up appointments and those who remained in good health with no heart attacks.
They found that while mercury content increased the chance of heart attack, omega-3 fatty acids decreased the risk. The researchers noted that higher risk of heart attack due to mercury consumption was only prevalent when there was a large amount of pollutants found in the body. If there was a high level of omega-3 fatty acids, the risk was low.
The findings suggest that it is important and beneficial to reach an equilibrium between healthy and unhealthy content found in fish. In this particular study, the environmental pollutant used was mercury. However, in regards to organic pollutants, such as dioxin and PCD, the results are the same. The authors note, though, that there has been no trial done thus far concerning these substances.
According to the Swedish National Food Agency, 2-3 servings of fish should be consumed per week. However, Swedes tend to eat predatory fish, which have a high amount of mercury and should not be eaten on a regular basis. In addition, a study conducted by the National Food Agency revealed that 7 out of 10 people in Sweden do not eat enough fish.
A 2011 study said that people who eat fish on a regular basis have lower blood glucose concentrations, and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The researchers conclude that it is safe, as well as beneficial, to eat fish, but staying away from fish with high levels of pollutants is important in avoiding health problems.
The researchers have worked together with teams from Finland and other countries in order to assess whether the advantages of heathy fatty acids outweigh the risks of mercury proportion.
Previous research has said that individuals who consume fish have a decreased risk of heart disease, compared to those who eat none or very little. However, certain types of fish carry pollutants from the environment, which can be detrimental to the health of humans.
Methyl mercury, which can be found in many types of fish, may actually raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. Theore, consuming fish with a lot of mercury, or with ample amounts of pollutants, can severely increase the risk of heart problems. However, if people are too health conscious of fish, they increase their risk of the disease because they are not receiving the benefits of healthy fish.
A recent study said that tuna, which has high levels of mercury, should be given to children less often.
The current research, which will be published in the October 2012 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), was carried out with the intention of finding a middle point between not eating any fish and eating too much, or types that are unhealthy.
The authors analyzed why heart attack risk is linked to the amount of mercury and omega-3 fats in the body due to fish consumption. They did so by measuring hair and blood samples of volunteers who had been involved in other trials in eastern Finland and northern Sweden. The blood samples of the Swedes were taken from the Medical Biobank in Umeå. Researchers compared blood from the patients who had suffered a heart attack after their check-up appointments and those who remained in good health with no heart attacks.
They found that while mercury content increased the chance of heart attack, omega-3 fatty acids decreased the risk. The researchers noted that higher risk of heart attack due to mercury consumption was only prevalent when there was a large amount of pollutants found in the body. If there was a high level of omega-3 fatty acids, the risk was low.
The findings suggest that it is important and beneficial to reach an equilibrium between healthy and unhealthy content found in fish. In this particular study, the environmental pollutant used was mercury. However, in regards to organic pollutants, such as dioxin and PCD, the results are the same. The authors note, though, that there has been no trial done thus far concerning these substances.
According to the Swedish National Food Agency, 2-3 servings of fish should be consumed per week. However, Swedes tend to eat predatory fish, which have a high amount of mercury and should not be eaten on a regular basis. In addition, a study conducted by the National Food Agency revealed that 7 out of 10 people in Sweden do not eat enough fish.
A 2011 study said that people who eat fish on a regular basis have lower blood glucose concentrations, and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The researchers conclude that it is safe, as well as beneficial, to eat fish, but staying away from fish with high levels of pollutants is important in avoiding health problems.
More On The Politicizing of Preventive Health Care Keeping the Feds Out of the Way
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
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| Guideline experts at work |
Max has a point, but the DMCB isnt changing its mind:
1. When one big national guideline gets it wrong, the damage involving thousands of patients can be considerable. Examples include years of supporting preventive estrogen for post-menopausal women and aggressive blood glucose control among persons with diabetes.
2. While advocates and lobbyists are just as able to swindle unsuspecting managed care and ACO leaders, theyd need to do so among hundreds of provider organizations. When power is concentrated in Washington DC, all they have to do is convince one Congressman.
3. In the DMCBs experience, health insurers and ACOs are not only highly expert, but more skeptical when it comes to interpreting clinical trial data and deciding the fit in coverage decisions. For an example of their first-do-no-harm conservatism, recall how managed care used to cover bone marrow transplants for breast cancer.
4. Last but not least, even Atul Gawande pointed out how "local" health care is. Its up to communities to create working systems out of the complex fragments of health care that best fits the local population.
The Feds should assure guidelines are incorporated in coverage decision-making. They can accomplish that through the regulatory process, periodic audits and during the appeals process. Otherwise, says the DMCB, they should stay out of the way.
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