In Jan. 2018, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study, “Associations of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplement Use With Cardiovascular Disease Risks.” The study received a number of negative media reports citing that Omega-3 fatty acids do little to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In response toRead …
Olive oil polyphenols are know for beneficial properties that reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Consumption is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet for its ability to produce health high-density lipoprotein profiles (HDL). However, data on polyphenol effects of HDL quality are scarce. This study assessed whether polyphenol-rich olive oil consumption could enhance the HDL main function, its cholesterol efflux capacity, and some of its quality-related properties, such HDL polyphenol content, size, and composition. The results once again show extra-virgin olive oil’s capacity for improved health. This article also give you some healthy advice from Today’s Practitioner editor as to how to tell your patients to buy good quality extra-virgin olive oil. By Alvaro Hernaez et al, published by the American Heart Association, Sept. 2014.
In this small pilot study, published in Integrative Medicine Research (Dec. 2017), researchers evaluated the influence of pinpoint plantar long-wavelength infrared light irradiation (stress-free therapy; SFT) on chorioretinal hemodynamics (retinal artery and vein blood flows) as well as its influences on atherosclerosis-inducing factors (triglycerides; TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, high-densityRead …
Read moreNew Theory on Atherosclerosis: Massively Calcified Endosome Death
By now you’ve heard that niacin is no longer recommended for reducing heart attacks and strokes. After 50 years of being a mainstay cholesterol therapy, niacin should no longer be prescribed for most patients due to potential increased risk of death, dangerous side effects and no benefit in reducing heart attacks and strokes, writes Northwestern Medicine® preventive cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., in a New England Journal of Medicine editorial published July 16. The study is no doubt controversial among physicians who rely on niacin for cardiovascular patients. Read the slideshow for a review of the study.
New genetic research provides compelling evidence that low levels of vitamin D have a causal role in the development of high blood pressure (hypertension). The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (June 26, 2014), suggest that vitamin D supplementation could be effective in combating some cases of hypertension. “In view of the costs and side effects associated with antihypertensive drugs, the potential to prevent or reduce blood pressure and therefore the risk of hypertension with vitamin D is very attractive”, said study leader Professor Elina Hyppönen from the University of South Australia.
Lifestyle modification is a cornerstone of hypertension (HPT) treatment, yet most recommendations currently focus on diet and exercise and do not consider stress reduction strategies. Yoga is a spiritual path that may reduce blood pressure (BP) through reducing stress, increasing parasympathetic activation, and altering baroreceptor sensitivity; however, despite reviews on yoga and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and anxiety that suggest yoga may reduce BP, no comprehensive review has yet focused on yoga and HPT. By Anupama Tyagi, MA, PhD(c) and Marc Cohen MBBS(Hons), PhD, BMedSc(Hons), FAMAC, FICAE, published Alternative Therapies in Health Medicine, Vol. 20, No. 10.
Have you considered how nutrigenomics and heart disease might be what you need for ideal integrative cardio care? In this podcast from This Week in America with Ric Bratton, Bobbi Kline MD, board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, nutrigenomics expert and co-founder of Genoma International, discusses how nutrigenomics can play a role in uncoveringRead …