Cardiovascular health

Data from 1,588 dementia-free older adults (average age 79.5) from the very long-running Rush Memory and Aging Project found that a higher cardiovascular risk burden was associated with faster decline in episodic memory, working memory and perceptual speed. It didn’t significantly affect semantic memory or visuospatial ability.

Cardiovascular risk was assessed using the Framingham General Cardiovascular Risk Scores (FGCRS).

Brain scans for some of these participants also found that higher FGCRS was associated with smaller volumes of hippocampus, cortical gray matter and total brain, and a greater volume of white matter hyperintensities. Decreases in hippocampal and gray matter are typical markers of Alzheimer’s.

Episodic memory and working memory were related to hippocampal volume, but perceptual speed was associated with white matter hyperintensities.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/acoc-mhh051420.php

Song, R., Xu, H., Dintica, C. S., Pan, K.-Y., Qi, X., Buchman, A. S., Bennett, D. A., & Xu, W. (2020). Associations Between Cardiovascular Risk, Structural Brain Changes, and Cognitive Decline. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 75(20), 2525–2534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.03.053

A meta-analysis of 40 epidemiological studies from 1999 to 2016 has concluded that that people in the highest category of dietary magnesium consumption had a 10% lower risk of coronary heart disease, 12% lower risk of stroke and a 26% lower risk of type-2 diabetes compared to those in the lowest category. A dose–response analysis revealed that a 100 mg/day increase in dietary magnesium intake is significantly associated with a 7%, 22%, and 19% decrease in the risk of stroke, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes, respectively.

Magnesium-rich foods include spices, nuts, beans, cocoa, whole grains and green leafy vegetables.

Magnesium deficiency is relatively common, estimated to affect between 2.5% and 15% of the population. The recommended dietary allowance of magnesium is 350mg/day for an average male adult and 300mg/day for an average adult female, with an additional 150mg/day during pregnancy and lactation

https://www.biomedcentral.com/about/press-centre/science-press-releases/08-12-16

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-12/bc-dma120516.php

Fudi Wang et al. 2016. Dietary magnesium intake and risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and allcause mortality: A dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMC Medicine, DOI: 10.1186/s12916-016-0742-z

A large, long-running European study, involving 3,428 male patients aged 45-74 years, has found that depression is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The risk is almost as great as that due to high cholesterol levels or obesity.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-01/hzm--dah011317.php

Ladwig, KH. et al. (2016): Room for depressed and exhausted mood as a risk predictor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality beyond the contribution of the classical somatic risk factors in men. Atherosclerosis, doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.12.003

• Long-known to lower LDL cholesteral, a new study shows oats also impact other markers that may be better measures of cardiovascular risk for those with diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
• An experimental study shows that whole grain foods significantly lower blood pressure compared to eating the equivalent refined grain foods.
• A review of population studies shows that the more whole grains you eat, the lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Eating oats lowers cholesterol on 3 markers

It’s long been known that eating oats can lower cholesterol levels, but the research focus has been on the effect on LDL cholesterol. However, there is growing evidence that two other markers provide an even more accurate assessment of cardiovascular risk:

• non-HDL cholesterol (total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol)
• apolipoprotein B (apoB) — a lipoprotein that carries LDL cholesterol through the blood.

This is especially true for people with metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes, since they typically don't have elevated LDL cholesterol levels.

In light of this, it’s good to see a review and meta-analysis of 58 clinical trials has concluded that eating oat fibre can reduce all three markers.

The reason is thought to lie in beta-glucan, a viscous soluble fibre, for which oats are a rich source. Oat bran contains twice as much as oat meal.

The review found that overall, LDL cholesterol was reduced by 4.2%, non-HDL cholesterol by 4.8% and apoB by 2.3%.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/smh-rse100616.php

Whole grain diet reduces cardiovascular disease risk

A study involving 33 overweight and obese adults who followed a whole grain diet for eight weeks and a refined grain diet during another eight week period, found that those on the whole grain diet saw a more than three-fold improvement in diastolic blood pressure compared to the refined grain diet.

This improvement equates to reducing the risk of death from heart disease by almost one-third, and the risk of death from a stroke by two-fifths.

Participants were under 50. Before age 50, an elevated diastolic blood pressure is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk (diastolic is the bottom number, when you’re given a blood pressure reading).

Overall, there were substantial reductions in body weight, fat loss, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol during both diet periods, but these differences were due to the people changing their normal dietary habits to carefully controlled diets. The order of diets was randomized, and there was a ten week period between them. The 33 participants included 6 men and 27 women.

The finding is supported by a meta-analysis of 45 different population studies that investigated whole grain intake in relation to risk of future illness or death due to specific causes. The review found that eating three more portions of whole grain foods a day was associated with a lower risk for all cardiovascular diseases and for dying of cancer, diabetes, and respiratory and infectious diseases. Three servings would be, say, two slices of whole-grain bread and one bowl of whole-grain cereal.

The benefits were dose-dependent, with the lowest risk found among those with the highest intake of whole-grain products: 7 to 7 ½ servings of whole grain products a day. This corresponds to 210-225 grams of whole grain products in fresh weight and about 70-75 grams of whole grains in dry weight.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/cc-ccs101816.php

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/nuos-sso061516.php

Ho, H., Sievenpiper, J., Zurbau, A., Blanco Mejia, S., Jovanovski, E., Au-Yeung, F., . . . Vuksan, V. (2016). The effect of oat β-glucan on LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol and apoB for CVD risk reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. British Journal of Nutrition, 116(8), 1369-1382. doi:10.1017/S000711451600341X

Kirwan, J. P., Malin, S. K., Scelsi, A. R., Kullman, E. L., Navaneethan, S. D., Pagadala, M. R., … Ross, A. B. (2016). A Whole-Grain Diet Reduces Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of Nutrition, 146(11), 2244–2251. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.116.230508

Aune Dagfinn, Keum NaNa, Giovannucci Edward, Fadnes Lars T, Boffetta Paolo, Greenwood Darren C et al. Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies BMJ 2016; 353 :i2716 http://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i2716

A study involving 1,818 Hispanic Americans has confirmed that diabetes, whether controlled or not, is linked to worse measures of cardiac structure and function, and also shows that this happens very early in the development of diabetes.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/cums-gia102116.php

Demmer, R. T., Allison, M. A., Cai, J., Kaplan, R. C., Desai, A. A., Hurwitz, B. E., … Rodriguez, C. J. (2016). Association of Impaired Glucose Regulation and Insulin Resistance With Cardiac Structure and Function. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, 9(10), e005032. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.116.005032 

A review and meta-analysis of studies from 1982 to 2015, evaluating relationships between egg intake and coronary heart disease (total of 276,000 subjects) and stroke (total of 308,000 subjects) has found that consumption of up to one egg per day had no association with coronary heart disease (CHD) and a 12% reduction of stroke risk.

The study follows on from a 2015 meta-analysis in which dietary cholesterol was shown to have no association with cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease and stroke. Consistent with this, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans placed no daily limit on dietary cholesterol and noted eggs are an affordable, accessible, nutrient-rich source of high quality protein.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/enc-oep102816.php

Alexander, D. D., Miller, P. E., Vargas, A. J., Weed, D. L., & Cohen, S. S. (2016). Meta-analysis of Egg Consumption and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 35(8), 704–716. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2016.1152928

A study folowing nearly 500 patients with existing cardiovascular disease for more than two decades has found that insulin resistance is linked to faster cognitive decline in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Executive function and memory were particularly affected.

Insulin resistance is a condition in which cells fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin, and so require higher levels of insulin to get the amount of glucose they need. But without sufficient insulin, excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream, leading to prediabetes, diabetes, and other serious health disorders.

Exercising, maintaining a balanced and healthy diet, and watching your weight, will help you prevent insulin resistance.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/ip-irm032317.php

Lutski M, Weinstein G, Goldbourt U, Tanne D. Insulin Resistance and Future Cognitive Performance and Cognitive Decline in Elderly Patients with Cardiovascular Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017 Mar 10. doi: 10.3233/JAD-161016

For two years, 70 obese postmenopausal women with normal fasting plasma glucose levels ate either a Paleolithic-type diet or a “prudent” diet. The Paleolithic-type diet was based on lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries, with rapeseed, olive oils and avocado as additional fat sources. The diet excluded dairy products, cereals, added salt and refined fats and sugar. 30% of the calories were supposed to come from protein, 30% from carbohydrates, and 40% from fats with high unsaturated fatty acid content. The prudent control diet had a markedly different target: 15% in protein, 30% in fat, and 55% in carbohydrates.

Both groups took part in 12 group sessions led by a dietitian, and kept ongoing records of their food intake.

Both groups lost significant body weight and had significantly less abdominal obesity, but the women eating the Paleolithic-type diet also had significantly lower levels of specific fatty acids associated with insulin resistance, compared with those on the prudent control diet. Presumably this reflects the marked change in the types of fats eaten. At the end of the two years, the women eating the Paleolithic-type diet reported that their intake of saturated fatty acids decreased by 19%, while monounsaturated fatty acids increased by 47% and polyunsaturated fatty acids by 71%.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/tes-apd040116.php

Depression is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but a large study suggests that effectively and promptly treating depression can reduce a patient's heart risks to the same level as those who never had short-term depression.

The study involved 7,550 patients who completed at least two depression questionnaires over the course of one to two years.

The study was presented at the 2016 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/imc-ids032916.php

A Finnish study involving 2,189 healthy men aged 42-60 found that over 19 years, 417 men (19%) were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Those with high omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in their blood were 46% less likely to develop diabetes. When analyzed, it turned out that this association depended on linoleic and arachidonic acid concentrations only; high serum gamma-linolenic and dihomo-γ-linolenic acid concentrations were linked to a higher risk.

The serum linoleic acid concentration is determined by the person's diet, and the main sources of linoleic acid are vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. Arachidonic acid is present in meat and eggs; however, the human body can also make arachidonic acid from linoleic acid.

Gamma-linolenic acid and dihomo-γ-linolenic acid are mainly formed in the human body from linoleic acid, but their concentrations in serum are very low.

Linoleic acid is the most common omega-6 fatty acid, and has been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as type 2 diabetes.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uoef-hso032416.php

Teymoor Yary, Sari Voutilainen, Tomi-Pekka Tuomainen, Anu Ruusunen, Tarja Nurmi, Jyrki K Virtanen 2016. Serum n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, delta-5- and delta-6-desaturase activities and risk of incident type 2 diabetes in men: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Published online March 24, 2016 http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2016/03/23/ajcn.115.128629.abstract