Battling Heart and Stroke

Your weekend news…Happy reading!

CVD Lifestyle Watch

Alaskan Eskimos’ high rates of artery plaque could be from high smoking

According to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, Alaskan Eskimos have significantly higher rates of fatty plaques in their arteries compared to the general American population. And this is most probably due to unhealthy lifestyles, especially the high incidence of smoking in this ethnic group.

Traditonally, CVD rates are low among American Eskimos. Recent lifestyle changes such as smoking, less physical activity, less consumption of fish and higher consumption of food rich saturated and trans fats have changed all these.

CVD Weight Watch

Evidence for behavioral susceptibility theory of obesity

Is appetite a factor in obesity? In this study on children, those with reduced satiety responsiveness and higher response to food cues tend to have higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. See the abstract of this study in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

CVD Patient Watch

Transplant recipient completes Yosemite ascent

She has done it again! The most sporty of all heart transplant recipients, Kelly Perkins, added Mt. Yosemite to her list of captured peaks last June 29, msnbc reports. I will write an in-depth feature of Kelly’s feats in a future post.

CVD Nutrition Watch

Popular Fish, Tilapia, Contains Potentially Dangerous Fatty Acid Combination

The fish that we are eating are supposed to be good for the heart. This recent report, however, brings bad tidings. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ratios in popular fish such as catfish and tilapia may actually be bad, even dangerous to our health and are possibly pro‑atherogenic. However, other fish such as the Atlantic salmon and trout are contains the ideal PUFA ratios that are good for our heart. More about this in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

CVD Treatment Watch

DNR order could impact on hospital HF treatment

DNR stands for “Do not resuscitate” - doctors’ orders to withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation from a patient. Sounds ominous but this order often appears in many patients’ hospital charts for valid reasons. Check it out at MedWire News.

CVD Medical Device Watch

Mini ECG gets heart attack rehab patients mobile

Compliance and completion of cardiac rehabilitation programs remains a big problem, with drop out rates of as high as 80%.This unique ‘Cardiomobile’ monitoring system might just be the answer and is currently being tested among cardiac patients. It enables them to perform six-week walking exercise rehabilitation program anytime, anywhere while having their heart signals, location and speed monitored in real time (ScienceDaily).

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