Tag Archives: heart disease

Vegetable Oil Is Good for You, MU Researcher Says

By Guest PostJune 17, 2013Healthblood cholesterol levels, canola, chronic diseases, corn, essential nutrient, fatty acid, forms of fats, good for you, guy johnson, heart disease, inflammation in humans, kevin fritsche, la, la consumption, linoleic acid, soy, tablespoons, typical american, university of Illinois, university of missouri, vegetable oil

Scientists find that essential fatty acid found in vegetable oils does not promote inflammation in humans

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A typical American consumes approximately 3 or more tablespoons of vegetable oil each day. Vegetable oils, like those from soy, corn and canola, are a significant source of calories and are rich in linoleic acid (LA), which is an essential nutrient. Since the 1970s, researchers have known that LA helps reduce blood cholesterol levels, and for decades, scientists have known that consuming LA can help lower the risk of heart disease. However, some experts have been claiming recently that Americans might be getting too much of a good thing. A new study from the University of Missouri contradicts that claim.

In the study, “Effect of Dietary Linoleic Acid on Markers of Inflammation in Healthy Persons: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials,” researchers at the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois found that no link exists between vegetable oil consumption and circulating indicators of inflammation that are often associated with diseases such as heart disease, cancer, asthma and arthritis. While earlier animal studies have shown that a diet rich in LA can promote inflammation, MU animal sciences researcher Kevin Fritsche says that humans respond to LA differently. (more…)

Top Diet Programs for Weight Loss

By Guest PostMarch 6, 2013Healthamerican heart association, bad cholesterol, bad ldl cholesterol, beauty, blood pressure, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, european countries, fish, food pyramid, fruits, Health, healthy life, heart disease, herbs, hypertension, mayo clinic diet, mediterranean diet plan, mediterranean sea, mono, nuts, polyunsaturated fats, ray lehigh, red meat, saturated fat foods, seafood, spices, sugar, therapeutic lifestyle changes, tlc, top diet programs, vegetables, weight loss, whole grains

Most people today look at diet plans to help them lose weight; however, these plans can also serve other purposes such as keeping heart disease and diabetes at bay. With all the different diet plans on offer, choosing the one that is right for you can be a tough job. Take a look at these plans that were evaluated by health experts and received high rankings in a recent survey by U.S. News, and make your decision.

The Mediterranean Diet

Like the Mayo Clinic Diet, the Mediterranean Diet plan helps to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and also prevent or control diabetes, brain and heart disorders and even cancer. Drawing inspiration from the diet of people in the European countries around the Mediterranean Sea, this diet focuses on eating more of nuts, herbs and spices, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, seafood and fish, and cutting down on red meat, saturated fat foods and sugar. With its emphasis on mono- and polyunsaturated fats and avoidance of saturated fat, this diet is effective at reducing bad cholesterol and keeping blood pressure low. Although it is one of the top diet programs, the only possible weakness lies in the fact that the plan is not a structured one and so, the onus lies on you to come up with a calorie chart to follow. (more…)

A Whole New Game in Cancer Rehab

By Guest PostMarch 5, 2013Healthamy hoffman, arthritis, cancer, cancer related fatigue, cell lung cancer, chemotherapy, chronic conditions, chronic lung disease, exercise at home, full body exhaustion, good nights sleep, heart disease, help patients, high blood pressure, light intensity exercise, lung cancer surgery, michigan state university, minor symptom, nintendo wii system, persistent fatigue, population, radiation, rehab plan, severe, symptoms, video game system

Using a video game system to get exercise at home can help patients overcome one of cancer’s most common and cumbersome symptoms: severe, persistent fatigue.

Michigan State University’s Amy Hoffman and colleagues showed in an earlier study that the Nintendo Wii system was a safe and effective source of light-intensity exercise for patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the first six weeks after surgery. (more…)

Genes and obesity: Fast food isn’t only culprit in expanding waistlines — DNA is also to blame

By Guest PostJanuary 19, 2013Healthadipose, bmi, body fat response, body mass index, brian parks, cancer, control, degree of obesity, diverse mouse population, DNA, elin org, elizabeth nam, emrah kostem, environmental conditions, environmental factors, epidemic, fast food diet, fat, fat tissue, frode norheim, genetic factor, genetics, global gene expression, heart disease, high calorie diets, inbred strains, intestinal bacteria, intestinal flora, jake lusis, level, metabolic response, mice, modeling, obesity traits, sedentary lifestyles, strains, sugar, type 2 diabetes, ucla, weight gain

Researchers at UCLA say it’s not just what you eat that makes those pants tighter — it’s also genetics. In a new study, scientists discovered that body-fat responses to a typical fast-food diet are determined in large part by genetic factors, and they have identified several genes they say may control those responses.

The study is the first of its kind to detail metabolic responses to a high-fat, high-sugar diet in a large and diverse mouse population under defined environmental conditions, modeling closely what is likely to occur in human populations. The researchers found that the amount of food consumed contributed only modestly to the degree of obesity. (more…)

Americans Have Worse Health than People in Other High-Income Countries

By Guest PostJanuary 11, 2013Healthadvantaged american, aids, american, ana diez roux, australia, average, better health, blood pressure, canada, cholesterol level, chronic lung disease, diabetes, die, disability, disease, environmental, factor, gravity, health disadvantage, healthy behaviour, heart disease, high income countries, higher rate, hiv, homicide, injury, Japan, mortality gap, non hispanic whites, obesity, policy factor, rich nation, sexually transmitted infections, steven woolf, teenage pregnancies, united states, university of michigan, western european countries

WASHINGTON — On average, Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than people in other high-income countries, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine.

The report finds that this health disadvantage exists at all ages from birth to age 75 and that even advantaged Americans—those who have health insurance, college educations, higher incomes and healthy behaviors—appear to be sicker than their peers in other rich nations. (more…)

Targeted Micro-Bubbles Detect Artery Inflammation, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostJanuary 1, 2013Healthanimals, arterial inflammation, artery inflammation, cardio exercise, cause of death, heart disease, human clinical trials, humans, isabelle masseau, leading, michael davis, pigs, plaque, risk for strokes, targeted micro bubbles, ultrasound, university of missouri, world

Procedure done in pigs could potentially detect heart disease early in humans

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Heart disease is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Doctors say that it is important to detect heart disease early before it becomes too serious. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found a way that they believe could help detect heart disease before it progresses too far as well as identify patients who are at risk for strokes.

In a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Isabelle Masseau, an assistant teaching professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, found that she could use targeted micro-bubbles to detect artery inflammation in pigs. She says that this procedure may help detect patients with heart disease or who are at risk for strokes before those ailments become too serious by monitoring artery inflammation, as that is an early warning sign of health problems. She says this procedure may also help monitor the effectiveness of artery inflammation treatments. (more…)

UCLA Doctors Remove Man’s Heart, Replace it with Total Artificial Heart

By Guest PostDecember 10, 2012Health, Scienceadvanced technology, ali nsair, artificial heart, backpack, bridge, cardiothoracic surgery, chad washington, defibrillator implanted, diseased heart, donor heart, exercise, freedom portable driver, heart disease, heart transplant program, immunosuppressant medications, living without heart, mario deng, nutrition plan, pacemaker, richard j shemin, syncardia, temporary, temporary pump, tick tock, total artificial heart, transplant surgery, transplantation, ucla

Portable power supply allows patient to go home while he awaits new heart

Imagine living without a heart. It is possible — if you have a new artificial heart pumping blood through your body. You can even go to the supermarket, watch your kid’s soccer game or go on a hike.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has performed its first procedure to remove a patient’s diseased heart and replace it with a SynCardia Temporary Total Artificial Heart.

Chad Washington, 35, underwent the seven-hour transplant surgery at UCLA on Oct. 29, led by Dr. Murray Kwon, an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery. (more…)

Medication Beliefs Strongly Affect Individuals’ Management of Chronic Diseases, MU Expert Says

By Guest PostOctober 21, 2012Healthalternative, basel, belgium, blood pressure, bottle cap, chronic condition, chronic disease, electronic, fabienne dobbels, heart disease, high, leuven, life, medication, medication regimen, missouri, objective feedback, patient, pill, pilot study, quality, risk, sabina de geest, salt consumption, shortened lifespan, side effect, stroke, switzerland, todd ruppar, treatment, university

Health practitioners should use behavior-change tactics so patients take medications as prescribed

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nearly half of patients taking medications for chronic conditions do not strictly follow their prescribed medication regimens. Failure to use medications as directed increases patients’ risk for side effects, hospitalizations, reduced quality of life and shortened lifespans. Now, a University of Missouri gerontological nursing expert says patients’ poor adherence to prescribed medication regimens is connected to their beliefs about the necessity of prescriptions and concerns about long-term effects and dependency.

MU Assistant Professor Todd Ruppar found that patients’ beliefs about the causes of high blood pressure and the effectiveness of treatment alternatives significantly affected their likelihood of faithfully following prescribed medication regimens. In his pilot study, Ruppar focused on older patients’ adherence to medication treatments that control high blood pressure, a condition that affects nearly 70 million adults in the U.S. and can lead to heart disease and stroke. (more…)