Showing posts with label stroke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stroke. Show all posts
NSAIDS Linked To Heart Attack Stroke
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Earlier this year, a study in the American Heart Associations journal Circulation reported an increased risk of heart attack with use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in healthy individuals (over 1 million individuals included in the analysis).1 It wasnt the first study to find this risk with NSAIDS; however, prior studies looked at those who had heart disease or were at increased risk for it, not apparently healthy people.Last month at the European Society of Cardiologys 2010 Congress, the same authors reported an increased risk for stroke with use of NSAIDS in a similar large and healthy Danish population. Speaking to Heartwire, Dr. Gunnar Gislason, one of the authors said:
"This is very serious, as these drugs are very widely used, with many available over the counter. ... We need to get the message out to healthcare authorities that these drugs need to be regulated more caully."Gislason thinks NSAIDS need better management, perring they not be available without a prescription:
"If half the population takes these drugs, even on an occasional basis, then this could be responsible for a 50% to 100% increase in stroke risk. It is an enormous effect."Examples of NSAIDS currently available in the US without prescription are ibuprofen (e.g. Motrin and Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). Diclofenac (e.g. Voltaren and Cataflam), celecoxib (Celebrex), and rofecoxib (Vioxx, now withdrawn) are NSAIDS that require a prescription.
Mechanism
NSAIDS are thought to increase cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk via:
- Increased coagulative effect, with risk of thrombus.
- Increased bleeding, especially associated with stroke.
- Increased blood pressure. (This is an effect of all NSAIDS.)2
- Adverse effects on kidneys. (NSAIDS can lead to sodium and water retention, and a decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR).)3
1 Cause-Specific Cardiovascular Risk Associated With Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs Among Healthy Individuals, Circulation, 2010
2 NSAIDs, Coxibs, and Cardio-Renal Physiology: A Mechanism-Based Evaluation: Coxibs and Hypertension, Medscape, 2002
3 Renal Effects Of Cyclooxygyenase-2-Selective Inhibitors, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2002
"[NSAIDS] are associated with adverse renal effects caused by the reduction in synthesis of renal prostaglandins through inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)."
White Fleshed Fruits and Vegetables Cut Stroke Risk in Half
Monday, March 17, 2014
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America, affecting nearly one million people and taking the lives of 150,000 each year. Researchers publishing in the American Heart Association journalStroke have found that increased consumption of white fleshy vegetables and fruits such as apples and pears leads to a dramatic decline in both incidence and death from a stroke.
This study is the first to differentiate between different colors in fruits and vegetables and the risk for developing a specific disease or illness. Beneficial phytochemicals such as carotenoids and flavonoids found in the white flesh and skin of apples and pears can dramatically lower your risk of suffering the devastating physical damage caused by a stroke.
Apples and Pears Can Cut Stroke Risk by More Than Fifty Percent
Nutrition scientists have long known that the brightly colored skin and flesh of fruits and vegetables confer the health benefits normally associated with eating these foods. To further examine this link, researchers examined the relationship between fruit and vegetable color group consumption and contrasted with 10-year stroke incidence in a cohort of 20,069 adults, with an average age of 41. Participants were disease free at the outset of the study and were asked to complete a 178-item food frequency questionnaire detailing foods consumed over the past year.
Fruit and vegetable consumption was broken into four distinct groups, based on pigment color: Green, including dark leafy vegetables, orange/yellow, mostly citrus fruits, red/purple, mostly red vegetables and white, of which 55 percent were apples and pears. Follow up proceeded for a period of ten years during which time 233 strokes were confirmed. Green, orange/yellow and red/purple varieties of fruits and vegetables were found to have no correlation to stroke incidence.
Fruits and Vegetables of All Colors Needed to Lower Disease Risk
White fleshed fruits and vegetables demonstrated a 52% lower incidence of stroke over the ten-year period when those consuming the highest amounts were compared to the group with the lowest intake. The researchers found that each 25 gram per day increase in white fruits and vegetable consumption was associated with a 9 percent lower risk of stroke (the average apple is 120 grams).
The lead study author from Wageningen University in the Netherlands concluded“To prevent stroke, it may be useful to consume considerable amounts of white fruits and vegetables… For example, eating one apple a day is an easy way to increase white fruits and vegetable intake.” Apples and pears are high in a nutrient known as quercetin and fiber that may convey part of the stroke risk reduction. It`s critical to eat a diet packed with fruits and vegetables of all colors to take advantage of the unique disease-fighting characteristics to be uncovered for a multitude of different carotenoids and flavonoids in future research studies.
Frequent exercise can lower the risk of stroke
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Frequent exercise can lower the risk of stroke - Frequent exercise to sweat is known to lower the risk of stroke in middle-aged to elderly, according to recent research. Compared to people who never exercise, people who work up a sweat at lower risk.
"A healthy diet, a healthy weight, exercising regularly and avoiding bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol can reduce the risk of stroke by 80 percent. Meanwhile, the most important aspect of the exercise is to be done," said study author Michelle McDonnell, as reported by U.S. News.
According to McDonnell, exercise can reduce the risk of stroke by boosting blood vessel health. Indirectly it also lowers the risk of high blood pressure and obesity.
This study was conducted with 27,000 people following the Americans starting in 2003 to 2007. Participants were aged 45 years or older at the start of the study and had no history of stroke never experienced before. During this study several cases of stroke occurred in participants.
Approximately 3.1 percent of those who diligently exercise group experienced a stroke, compared with 3.3 percent of people who only exercise one to three times a week, and 3.6 percent in the group that did not exercise.
After making observations and statistics by eliminating other factors, researchers found that a group of people who exercise often have a 20 percent lower risk of stroke than those who never exercise.
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"A healthy diet, a healthy weight, exercising regularly and avoiding bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol can reduce the risk of stroke by 80 percent. Meanwhile, the most important aspect of the exercise is to be done," said study author Michelle McDonnell, as reported by U.S. News.
According to McDonnell, exercise can reduce the risk of stroke by boosting blood vessel health. Indirectly it also lowers the risk of high blood pressure and obesity.
This study was conducted with 27,000 people following the Americans starting in 2003 to 2007. Participants were aged 45 years or older at the start of the study and had no history of stroke never experienced before. During this study several cases of stroke occurred in participants.
Approximately 3.1 percent of those who diligently exercise group experienced a stroke, compared with 3.3 percent of people who only exercise one to three times a week, and 3.6 percent in the group that did not exercise.
After making observations and statistics by eliminating other factors, researchers found that a group of people who exercise often have a 20 percent lower risk of stroke than those who never exercise.
Green Tea Consumption Lowers Stroke Risk by Nearly Thirty Percent
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Green Tea Supplies a Powerful Dose of Antioxidant Catechins to Slash Stroke Risk
A group of researchers at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Japan have published the result of an important study in Stroke, the Journal of the American Heart Association that explains how drinking green tea on a regular basis is associated with a dramatically reduced risk of stroke. Lead study author, Dr. Yoshihiro Kokubo commented “The regular action of drinking green tea daily is a benefit in preventing stroke… if you cannot readily improve your lifestyle, try to prevent stroke by drinking green tea every day.”
To conduct their study, scientists’ monitored green tea intake for a total of 83,269 Japanese adults, aged 45 to 74 years, for an average of thirteen years to see whether it had any effect on vascular health. In the first large scale study of its kind performed to date, researchers reviewed medical records for all participants and adjusted for factors such as age, sex, diet, smoking status, and weight. They determined that making small but positive lifestyle changes such as adding green tea daily to your diet can lower the risk of stroke by as much as thirty percent.
Drink Two to Four Cups of Green Tea Daily to Maximize the Anti-Inflammatory Health Benefits
Detailing the results of their study, researchers found that drinking two to four cups of green tea each day lowered the risk for hemorrhagic stroke by 32 percent. The team also investigated the effect of drinking coffee and found the beverage can yield similar results to those found with green tea consumption. Many health-minded people avoid coffee due to the highly processed nature of the bean and increased levels of homocysteine, blood pressure and blood lipids.
Researchers concluded that green tea provides a healthy dose of catechins that are potent antioxidants and exert anti-inflammatory properties that help lower stroke risk. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid that helps modulate blood sugar levels to improve vascular health. Green coffee bean extract supplements supply chlorogenic acid without the side effects experienced with coffee consumption. Lower your stroke risk by drinking up to four cups of fresh brewed, organic green tea every day.
Eating more fiber may lower risk of first time stroke
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Study Highlights:
- Eating foods with more fiber was linked to a lower risk of first-time stroke.
- Every seven-gram increase in total dietary fiber was associated with a 7 percent lower risk of first-time stroke.
- The results reinforce the importance of a diet that includes at least 25 grams of fiber daily.
Eating more fiber may decrease your risk of first-time stroke, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
Dietary fiber is the part of the plant that the body doesn’t absorb during digestion. Fiber can be soluble, which means it dissolves in water, or insoluble.
Previous research has shown that dietary fiber may help reduce risk factors for stroke, including high blood pressure and high blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) “bad” cholesterol.
In the new study, researchers found that each seven-gram increase in total daily fiber intake was associated with a 7 percent decrease in first-time stroke risk. One serving of whole wheat pasta, plus two servings of fruits or vegetables, provides about 7 grams of fiber, researchers said.
“Greater intake of fiber-rich foods – such as whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts – are important for everyone, and especially for those with stroke risk factors like being overweight, smoking and having high blood pressure,” Diane Threapleton, M.Sc., and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Leeds’ School of Food Science & Nutrition in Leeds, United Kingdom.
Researchers analyzed eight studies published between 1990-2012. Studies reported on all types of stroke with four specifically examining the risk of ischemic stroke, which occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel to the brain. Three assessed hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel bleeds into the brain or on its surface.
Findings from the observational studies were combined and accounted for other stroke risk factors like age and smoking.
The results were based on total dietary fiber. Researchers did not find an association with soluble fiber and stroke risk, and lacked enough data on insoluble fiber to make any conclusions.
The average daily fiber intake among U.S. adults is lower than the American Heart Association’s recommendation of at least 25 grams per day. Six to eight servings of grains and eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables can provide the recommended amount.
Most people do not get the recommended level of fiber, and increasing fiber may contribute to lower risk for strokes,” Threapleton said. “We must educate consumers on the continued importance of increasing fiber intake and help them learn how to increase fiber in their diet.”
In the United States, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death, killing more than 137,000 people annually. Among survivors, the disease is a leading cause of disability.
In addition to following a nutritious diet, the American Heart Association recommends being physically active and avoiding tobacco to help prevent stroke and other heart and blood vessel diseases.
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