New Guidelines for Old

New Guidelines for Old

Late in 2013 new guidelines were published for health care professionals to manage people at risk of cardiac or vascular (stroke) disease. The guidelines were written because the old guidelines did not 1) address the risk of stroke, 2) consider younger patients with risk factors but normal cholesterol numbers, and 3) make recommendations in the…

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Why A Peaceful Life May Be a Longer Life

Anxiety is the most common mental illness and is now linked to a common cause of death. American Heart Association research reviewed 22 years of data from 6000 people aged 25-74. They found the most anxious people were 33% more likely to have a stroke later in life. Anxiety induced inactivity, smoking, higher stress hormone…

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Many Benefits from a Mediterranean-type Diet

The Mediterranean dietary pattern is one high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds; low in red and processed meat; and moderate in olive oil, eggs, poultry and fish. A meta-analysis of 22 studies examining this dietary pattern found high adherence was associated with a reduction in risk of stroke (29% lower), depression (32% lower) and cognitive…

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Stroke Cases Up Globally

There has been a 25% increased global incidence of first stroke in those ages 20-64 since 1990. Also, the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost increased by 12% to 102 million annually. Analysis showed that hemorrhagic, not ischemic stroke accounted for the majority of deaths and DALYs. Lower income countries are experiencing a significant…

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Increasing Potassium Intake Linked to Lower BP

A review conducted for the World Health Organization found that increasing potassium intake effectively reduced average blood pressure by 3.49/1.96 mm Hg (systolic/diastolic), although this result was significant only in those with hypertension. Consuming 90-120 mmol of potassium daily (twice the current average) was sufficient to achieve this benefit. This increase lowered the risk of…

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Beware of ‘Southern’ Fare

Those consuming the largest amounts of "Southern" fare (fried foods, organ and processed meats, and sweetened tea) had a 41% higher risk of stroke than those eating the least. Even after controlling for smoking and physical activity, this preliminary data from the REGARDS study shows a 30% increase in the chance of stroke. Not surprisingly, the…

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Multivitamin Supplements No Benefit to CVD Risk

A randomized controlled study involving almost 15,000 male physicians over a median period of 11 years found no difference between those taking commercial daily multivitamins and the placebo group. PositiveTip: Choosing foods rich in vitamins and minerals, such as vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, is still the best way of meeting nutrient needs.

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Stroke Not Just for the Elderly

If you think strokes are only for the elderly, think again! Researchers have observed that first stroke among patients 20-54 has increased from 12.9% to 18.6% in a decade (P = .002). Although this is an observational study from data in Ohio and Kentucky, it suggests that the younger population is experiencing higher rates. Stroke…

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Early Experiences Impact Health in Late Life

Using self-reported data on childhood adversity before age 18, researchers found that cerebral infarcts (a type of stroke) were significantly more common in the elderly who had experienced emotional neglect during childhood. The study compared those in the 75th percentile of childhood emotional neglect with those in the 25th percentile. Factors such as parental intimidation…

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Shift Work Raises Heart Attack and Stroke Risk

Shift work (defined as any work schedule outside of approximately 9:00-17:00 hours) has been found in a meta-analysis of 34 observational studies to significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and ishemic stroke. Smoking and socioeconomic factors did not alter the results. The increase in risk ranged from 5% for stroke to almost 25% for…

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