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…
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,…
Statins in Primary Prevention: As Questioned as Aspirin?
This new review, recently published in BMJ, questions the benefit of statins in low-risk primary prevention patients. Authors argue that statins should be more cautiously indicated in primary prevention, considering that their absolute benefit is almost marginal in low-risk patients. Changes in the European guidelines have translated into a wide expansion of patients eligible for…
Hours of Sleep and Myocardial Infarction Risk
This is one of the first studies to prospectively assess this association, and its outcomes support the idea that poor sleep is a potential MI risk factor. Even though we need further data to be able to modify the current sleep duration standards as part of life-style change recommendations, it seems reasonable to start bearing…
Dietary Supplements and Diets Show No Impact on Cardiovascular Risk
Americans spend billions in dietary supplements every year but, in truth, this money is only wasted, according to evidence form a recent study published in Intern Med. Most of dietary interventions and nutritional supplements including multi-vitamins, selenium and antioxidants, do not reduce cardiovascular risk or mortality, according to this large analysis and systematic revision of…
Is Alcohol Good, Bad, or Neutral for Cardiovascular Health?
In the 2018 Guidelines on Hypertension, commandment no. 6 states that we should make lifestyle interventions such as sodium restriction, healthy eating, regular exercise, weight control, and smoking cessation, and also alcohol moderation. It is clear that heavy alcohol consumption induces hypertension and may probably be one of the main causes of secondary hypertension, but…
In a decade, minimally invasive procedures will replace open-heart surgery entirely
Minimally invasive interventions allow us to respond to any complications related to the heart, so it is expected to decrease open-heart surgery dramatically; in a decade, minimally invasive procedures definitely replace conventional surgery. This was highlighted on Wednesday during the XXV Meeting of the Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology of the Spanish Society of Cardiology…
A new link between red meat and cardiovascular disease has been found
The L-carnitine, a compound abundant in red meat and often added as a complement to many energy drinks, could be promoting atherosclerosis according to research published in Nature Medicine. The study, by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic (USA), shows that the bacteria in the human digestive tract metabolize L-carnitine, making trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolite that…
Egg white is used to lower blood pressure
A Chinese study revealed that a protein in eggs could be effective in regulating blood pressure and reducing its level. Its ability to inhibit the action of a substance that raises the pressure has already been discovered. Eggwhite does not affect the cholesterol rate and can be consumed without restrictions. But now, in addition, Chinese…
Cutting down on sleep impairs blood vessel functions
A new study found that reducing the duration of sleep for two consecutive nights leads to a less healthy vascular function and impaired breathing control. The researchers worked with eight healthy adult volunteers aged 20-35 and for the first two nights of the study participants slept for eight hours a night but from there on,…