Reducing alcohol consumption should be included in the “package” of secondary prevention recommendations, not only for its impact on arteries, but also because it reduces atrial fibrillation (AF). Alcohol abstinence might improve arrhythmia symptoms and reduce the chances of recurrence in patients who have already had an episode of AF. Regular alcohol consumers who were…
New European Guidelines for Dyslipidemia Management: What is New?
Reading clinical practice guidelines, except for specific consultation, is usually tedious. These guidelines are nor meant to be read as a textbook, or at least this is what most readers believe. But it looks like this reader’s perception has finally been acknowledged, hence “table 3” in the new European dyslipidemia guidelines, where the new recommendations,…
How Much Should We Exercises to Reduce Mortality?
Physical activity has been shown to reduce mortality in a dose/response manner, just like any drug. But many still wonder: are there any minimal requirements in terms of amount or intensity? Is there such a thing as “toxic exercise”? And finally, is exercising equally beneficial to all? This study, conducted by Dr Sang-Woo Jeong from…
Vitamin D Supplements for the Prevention of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease
A supplement (or anything, really) that might reduce simultaneously the risk of cardiovascular disease and of cancer would be truly revolutionary. This work, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), sought to prove that vitamin D supplements might reduce the risk for both pathologies (the two most frequent diseases in the world). However,…
Skipping Breakfast and Cardiovascular Risk
Several studies have associated skipping breakfast (having little to no breakfast) with increased cardiometabolic risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This study examined all the available evidence on the association of skipping breakfast and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. It included 4 studies with close to 200,000 adults (mean age ≥40,…
Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Alzheimer Risk
Artificially sweetened beverages (with different kinds of sweeteners) could be responsible for increased cerebrovascular risk and close to a 3-fold increase in dementia risk due to Alzheimer’s disease. Both sweet and artificially sweetened drinks have been associated with cardiometabolic, cerebrovascular and dementia risk. This study prospectively evaluated sweet and sweetened beverage consumption in relation to…
Egg Consumption and Mortality Due to Cardiovascular Events
According to this study recently published in prestigious journal JAMA, eating too much cholesterol or eggs (which have a high concentration of it in the yolk) is significantly associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, with a typical dose/effect curve. According to the authors, this information should be considered for an…
Ticagrelor Monotherapy One Month After DES Implantation
The GLOBAL LEADERS study includes a pre-specified sub-study, GLASSY, that showed that ticagrelor monotherapy after one month of dual antiplatelet therapy is non-inferior (but not superior) to conventional treatment in terms of ischemic events. As regards safety, ticagrelor monotherapy did not decrease major bleeding compared with conventional therapy. The GLOBAL LEADERS randomized 15,991 patients who required…
The Elderly and Polypharmacy: What to Discontinue
We often receive elderly poly-medicated patients (with more than 10 different drugs) who ask us to reassess these prescriptions and, if possible, discontinue some drugs. The reasons are many: they forget to take it, mix up intakes or drugs, and of course, most often find it expensive. Statins are one of the most expensive drugs…
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Artificially Sweetened Beverages Associated with Cardiovascular Events and Mortality
While the consumption of carbonated soft drinks has decreased in most Western countries over the last 20 years, these are still the main source of simple sugars in our diet. The World Health Organization recommends 25-50 g of simple sugars per day, a dose covered with a single can of a carbonated soft drink. For other associations,…
What is Optimal Blood Pressure?
In the last 30 years, the clinical practice guidelines on both sides of the Atlantic have been lowering blood pressure thresholds. From the starting 160 mmHg systolic blood pressure to 130 mmHg or even 120 mmHg. In 2017, the American and the ACC/AHA guidelines were the first to lower said threshold, followed by the European…