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middle-aged

Women active a few times weekly have lower risk of heart disease, stroke and blood clots

A very large British study involving 1.1 million middle-aged women without prior vascular disease has found, over nine or so years, those who performed strenuous physical activity two to three times a week were about 20% less likely to develop heart disease, strokes or blood clots, compared to participants who reported little or no activity. However, those who reported doing strenuous activity daily had higher risk compared to those who only engaged in moderate amounts of activity.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/aha-waa021115.php

Armstrong, M. E. G., Green, J., Reeves, G. K., Beral, V., & Cairns, B. J. (2015). Frequent Physical Activity May Not Reduce Vascular Disease Risk as Much as Moderate Activity Large Prospective Study of Women in the United Kingdom. Circulation, 131(8), 721–729. http://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.010296

Snacking on almonds instead of a muffin reduced belly fat and other heart disease risk factors

A small 12-week clinical trial involving 52 overweight, middle-aged adults with high total and LDL cholesterol has found that those who ate a daily snack of almonds significantly improved a number of cardiovascular risk factors compared to those who ate a banana muffin.

Specifically, they decreased total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol non-HDL-cholesterol and remnant lipoproteins, and reduced abdominal fat mass, waist circumference and leg fat mass (not total weight or fat mass — this is about distribution).

The muffin and the 1.5 oz (42g) of whole natural almonds had the same number of calories. Otherwise, the participants ate the same balanced diet. Participants followed each diet for six weeks, with a two-week “washout” period in between. Adherence to the diets was 85%.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/pn-nrs010615.php

Berryman CE, West SG, Fleming JA, Bordi PL, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of Daily Almond Consumption on Cardiometabolic Risk and Abdominal Adiposity in Healthy Adults with Elevated LDL-Cholesterol: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Heart Association 2015; 4:e000993 DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.114.000993.

Daily consumption of blueberries may lower blood pressure

A small study involving 48 post-menopausal women with pre- and stage 1 hypertension found that daily consumption of freeze-dried blueberry powder for eight weeks improved blood pressure and arterial stiffness. The amount of powder (22g) equated to one cup of fresh blueberries.

The improvement is thought to occur partly by helping nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation. Nitric oxide bioavailability is believed to increase endothelial-dependent vasodilation, leading to lower blood pressure.

After eight weeks those taking the blueberry powder showed a mean systolic blood pressure that was lower by 7 mmHg (5.1%) and mean diastolic blood pressure lower by 5 mmHg (6.3%), with no corresponding lowering in those taking a placebo. Nitric oxide measurements were significantly increased (68.5%) in the blueberry group. Arterial stiffness, measured by brachial ankle pulse wave velocity was significantly reduced (6.5%) after eight weeks in the blueberry-treated group, with, again, no changes in the control group. Aortic stiffness, measured by the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, did not change in either group, suggesting that peripheral arteries may be more responsive to dietary interventions than central arteries.

Among all fruits, blueberries are one of the richest sources of phenolic compounds. While previous studies have found positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors, they have all used large amounts of blueberry powder. These findings suggest that regular consumption of blueberries in quite moderate amounts could prevent or delay the progression of prehypertension to hypertension.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/ehs-dco010815.php

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/fsu-bs010815.php

Johnson, S. A., Figueroa, A., Navaei, N., Wong, A., Kalfon, R., Ormsbee, L. T., … Arjmandi, B. H. (2015). Daily Blueberry Consumption Improves Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Postmenopausal Women with Pre- and Stage 1-Hypertension: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(3), 369–377. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.11.001

More evidence that stress increases risk of Alzheimer's

A study involving both mice and human cells adds to evidence that stress is a risk factor for Alzheimer's.

The study found that mice who were subjected to acute stress had more amyloid-beta protein in their brains than a control group. Moreover, they had more of a specific form of the protein, one that has a particularly pernicious role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

When human neurons were treated with the stress hormone corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF), there was also a significant increase in the amyloid proteins.

Stroke speeds age-related cognitive decline

Data from 23,572 Americans from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study has revealed that those who survived a stroke went on to have significantly faster rates of cognitive decline as they aged.

Participants, who were aged 45 years or older, had no history of cognitive impairment at the beginning of the population-based study. Over the next five to seven years, 515 of them (2%) had a stroke.

Genes involved in familial Alzheimer's disease

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

Understanding a protein's role in familial Alzheimer's disease

Genetic engineering of human induced pluripotent stem cells has revealed very specifically how a key mutated protein is involved in familial Alzheimer's. Familial Alzheimer’s is a subset of early-onset Alzheimer's disease that is caused by inherited gene mutations.

Negative social interactions increase hypertension risk in older women

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

A four-year study involving 1,502 healthy older adults (50+) has found that the frequency of negative interactions with family members (not partners or children) and friends was associated with an increased risk of developing hypertension in women (but not in men). Each increase in the total average negative social interaction score was associated with a 38% increased chance of developing hypertension. Younger older women (51-64) were more affected than those 65 or older.

Why dark chocolate is good for your heart

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

A study involving 44 middle-aged overweight men who consumed 70 grams of dark chocolate per day over two periods of four weeks, has found that dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. Both arterial stiffness and white blood cell adhesion are known factors that play a significant role in atherosclerosis.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-02/foas-wdc022714.php

More fish needed for healthy heart?

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

Middle-aged Japanese men living in Japan had lower incidence of coronary artery calcification, a predictor of heart disease, than middle-aged white men living in the United States, after accounting for risk factors such as smoking, cholesterol, alcohol consumption, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Calcium and vitamin D improve cholesterol in postmenopausal women

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

A new study from the Women's Health Initiative has found that calcium and vitamin D supplements after menopause can improve women's cholesterol profiles, with much of that effect tied to raising vitamin D levels. Taking the calcium and vitamin D supplements was especially helpful in raising vitamin D levels in women who were older, women who had a low intake, women who had levels first measured in the winter, and women who didn’t smoke and who drank less alcohol.

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