GRIEVING MAY TRIGGER HEART ATTACK
The dangers of a broken heart aren’t just for poets and songwriters. Turns out, the risk of heart attack is 21 times higher than normal the first day after the death of a significant loved one and six times higher the first week, according to a study published in the Jan. 9, 2012 Circulation.
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“Grieving people are not getting enough sleep and are walking around with elevated levels of adrenaline and stress-related hormones,” says Dr. Thomas Lee, a cardiologist and a professor at Harvard Medical School. “These tendencies can lead to increased clamping down of one’s arteries, a faster heart rate and elevated blood pressure, all of which can increase the chance of a rupture of atherosclerotic plaques, causing a heart attack.”
But everyone can be proactive about their health, even in difficult times.
Dr. Lee recommends that you consider it your “job” to care for yourself when a loved one is lost. After all, that’s what the loved one would want. That means you should take medications and see your doctor to make sure your blood pressure is under control. – Harvard Health Letter
DIETING? HAVE SOME CAKE
Could your favorite treat help you lose weight?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could top off your daily breakfast with a slice of chocolate cake and still lose weight? A new study published March 10 in the journal Steroids says it might be possible.
Researchers randomly allocated obese people for four months to either a 600-calorie breakfast rich in both carbohydrates and protein (that included chocolate cake) or to a 600-calorie low-carb diet. After the four months were over, the participants in both groups had lost weight. Over the next four months, however, people who’d been on the high-carb, high-protein diet continued to lose weight, while those in the low-carb diet regained weight. Also, people in the first group had lower levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger.
There’s reason to be skeptical of these results, says Registered Dietitian Kathy McManus, Director of the Department of Nutrition for Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“People want to have their cake and eat it, too,” says McManus, “but this is just one small, short-term study and we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on the results.”
McManus says that even if this study did show changes in ghrelin levels after sweets for breakfast, it needs significant additional research to understand the potential mechanisms. McManus does believe, however, that treats are an important part of your diet.
“Denial or complete avoidance of favorite foods certainly affects the attitude of dieters. If there’s deprivation, dieters give up,” McManus explains.
Instead, she recommends incorporating favorite foods into a balanced meal plan that supports a long-term approach to healthy eating. But it’s not necessarily sweets. “One size doesn’t fit all,” says McManus. “Ice cream or cake may not do it for you. It’s better to understand what your favorite foods are.”
McManus says the key is focusing on the portion and frequency, such as one serving of your favorite food twice a week. That way you won’t feel deprived, but you will understand limits.
Other tips from McManus include keeping a food journal to see when you indulge; keeping your favorite foods out of your home so that additional portions won’t increase your temptation; and making your treat something with health benefits, as well, such as a whole grain oatmeal cookie, a fruit smoothie, or yogurt.
As for the time of day when you enjoy your treat, McManus says it doesn’t have to be breakfast. It should be a time that makes sense for you.
“Just keep it in context of servings and frequency,” says McManus. – Harvard Health Letter
FLAVONOIDS MAY HELP PROTECT AGAINST PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Consuming flavonoids, compounds in plant-based foods such as berries, tea, red wine and apples, may help protect against Parkinson’s disease, according to a Harvard Medical School study published in the April 4 issue of the journal Neurology.
The study involved more than 130,000 men and women. Researchers found that men who consumed the most flavonoids in their regular diet were 40 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s than men who consumed the lowest amounts.
A similar link was not found among women. However, other research has found strong associations between foods high in flavonoids and other health benefits, such as blood pressure control. – Harvard Health Letter
ARM-TO-ARM VARIATIONS IN BLOOD PRESSURE MAY WARRANT ATTENTION
A difference of 10 or more points could signal peripheral artery disease.
Roll up both sleeves the next time you check your blood pressure at home or have it measured by a health care provider. Why? A recent analysis of 20 different studies in which blood pressure was measured in both arms came to two noteworthy conclusions.
First, people with arm-to-arm pressure differences of 15 points or more were twice as likely to have peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared with those who had similar readings in both arms. PAD occurs when vessels of the arms, legs, or other body parts beyond the heart and brain become clogged, usually from atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaque that is also behind most heart attacks and strokes.
Second, arm-to-arm pressure differences of 10 to 15 points or more also boosted the chances of having a stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease (The Lancet).
EARLY WARNING SIGN
The first finding may be more worthy of attention than the latter, even though strokes and death sound more grievous than “peripheral artery disease.” The fact is that PAD affects an estimated 12 million Americans–more than heart disease and stroke combined. It can severely limit mobility and cause debilitating pain, but it can also lurk silently. It can be deadly, as well, which might make differences in blood pressure from arm to arm an important early warning sign.
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Most guidelines already recommend measuring blood pressure in both arms, but many doctors and do-it-yourselfers ignore that guidance. You needn’t worry much about variations of a few points between the right and left arm. But if your arm-to-arm readings at home (see box) diverge by more than 10 or 15 points, tell your doctor and ask him or her to check both arms also.
If your doctor finds the same discrepancy, he or she might order another test. That’s the ankle-brachial index, which is calculated from blood pressure measurements at the ankle and the arm. Pressure that is significantly lower at the ankle than at the arm suggests a blockage in the leg. And, as the authors of a commentary accompanying the Lancet article note, many cases of high blood pressure could be missed when only one arm is checked.
TIPS
1. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine for 30 minute before taking your blood pressure.
2. Sit quietly for a few minutes with your feet on the floor before inflating the cuff.
3. Rest your arm so your elbow is level with your heart, and wrap the cuff over the bare skin of your upper arm.
4. Take two readings. If they’re close, average them. If not, take a third reading and average the three.
5. Repeat the procedure in the other arm.
For a video showing how to measure your blood pressure at home, go to health.harvard.edu/128. — Harvard Heart Letter