Vegetarian Diets Lower Chances of Death From Heart Disease
According to a recently-published report, vegetarian diets are associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death from heart disease, according to a new report published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
The benefits of a meatless diet have been a controversial subject for many years. Some studies have suggested a vegetarian diet can reduce mortality, but others have found no evidence of a connection.
The authors of this latest analysis tracked data from eight different studies, covering more than 131,000 patients. The average time period was ten and a half years. Each study compared a vegetarian diet with a non-vegetarian diet, focusing on mortality outcomes.
Overall, a vegetarian diet was consistently associated with a “significantly reduced risk of mortality due to heart disease.” However, vegetarian diets were not found to make a significant impact on a person’s risk of mortality due to stroke.
The researchers noticed that over time, vegetarian diets have started including more processed foods and refined sugars. This has caused a decline in the “attributable health benefits” of such a diet.
In addition, the connection between a vegetarian diet and reduced mortality may be due to the fact that people following a vegetarian diet tend to make other lifestyle decisions that could also benefit the heart.
“Vegetarianism usually extends beyond the scope of a diet and becomes a lifestyle with shared health practices and behaviors. For instance, vegetarians self-reported that they are more likely to abstain from smoking, alcohol, and the use of prescription drugs than the general population,” the researchers pointed out.
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Source: Michael Walter | April 15, 2021 | Acute Coronary Syndromes
Artificial Intelligence Being Used to Identify Coronary Blockages
Researchers have found that an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) model can use imaging findings to predict when coronary artery blockages require surgery. They discovered that this technology could help patients avoid invasive cardiac catheterizations.
The study appeared in the International Journal of Cardiology. The authors examined data from 113 patients with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA). The average patient age was 59 years old, and 77% of the patients were men.
Using the AI software they are developing, the team then examined each patient’s CCTA images to determine which blockages may require surgical intervention. The software can examine blood flow in multiple areas, even sliding down the vessel when necessary, without any of discomfort or potential complications associated with catheterization.
Those AI predictions were then compared to the measurements the team already had on file, and the researchers found that their efforts were a success. The AI-based assessments achieved a sensitivity and specificity much higher than other techniques.
The team addressed the solution’s potential for boosting patient care and limiting discomfort this way:
“There are high-risk features that can be seen on CT that help us to predict which patients are more prone to have a heart attack, regardless of what the blood flow looks like at the time,” co-author U. Joseph Schoepf, MD, a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina, said in a prepared statement. “So physicians can identify which patients need their help right now but also which patients need more TLC in their treatment to prevent heart attacks further down the road.”
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Source: Michael Walter | April 21, 2021 | Acute Coronary Syndromes
Second Anniversary Reception
Our thanks go out to the patients and friends who stopped by our offices on Friday, April 30, 2021 to help us celebrate the two year anniversary of the opening of our practice. It has been an exciting and often challenging time.
We would like to say “thank you” to those patients who have been with us since the beginning as well as to those who have more recently joined. We deeply appreciate your trust and confidence in our care. Without your support and encouragement we would not be here today to mark this milestone.
We will try to get the invitation to you earlier the next time we host a reception. Thank you for your understanding.
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Some photos from the reception:
NEW: Reversing Alzheimer’s disease in mice offers hope for humans
A newly developed compound has successfully reduced brain chemicals associated with Alzheimer’s disease in mice. It shows promise for doing the same in people, researchers announced.
“We show a gradual decrease in the activity of cellular cleaning in the brains of mice and in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients,” stated Dr. Ana Maria Cuervo of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
“We have developed an experimental drug, called a CA, that stimulates a section of the brain called the cingulate motor area (CMA). It has been shown effective in two different mouse models of dementia where it works to reduce disease progression,” she said.
The mice underwent four to six months of daily treatment. Positive results were observed even in those mice where symptoms of dementia had already been present.
“Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of this new process that reactivates in diseased cells a mechanism that is present in all healthy cells to protect against toxic proteins,” she said.
The researchers investigated data obtained from postmortem brains of Alzheimer’s patients and control subjects. They found that CMA activity was somewhat reduced in those with early-stage Alzheimer’s, but significantly reduced in those who had advanced disease.
The researchers then gave the mice oral doses of CA over four to six months. This led to improvements in memory, mood, anxiety and walking ability, such that the treated mice more closely resembled healthy control mice.
Study coauthor Dr. Evripidis Gavathiotis, also of Albert Einstein, said: “Our next step is to translate this therapeutic strategy to patients and identify a CA drug that can be safely applied to humans.”
“Fortunately,” Dr. Gavathiotis told Reuters Health, “the current CA drug is administered orally, does not display toxic effects upon daily administration to mice for six months which, considering the 2.5 years life-span of mice, would equal more than 15 years of daily treatment in people.” “Overall, based on experience with other drugs, CA will still require five to seven years until it can be administered to patients.”
“We cannot conclude for certain whether or not these mechanisms apply in humans until therapeutic success is demonstrated,” he noted. “However, this work does describe the presence of the failure of CMA in human brains of Alzheimer’s patients.”
“This work is still in the pre-clinical phases, but the potential for this approach to be transformative for patients is possible in the relatively near future (five to 10 years).”
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Source: Reuters Health Medical News|May 10, 2021
Secondhand smoke linked to oral cancer
People who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to develop oral cancers than those who are not, an important new study from Portugal has revealed.
Researchers examined data from 3,452 people who had exposure to secondhand smoke and 3,525 who did not. Overall, individuals with secondhand smoke exposure were one and a half times more likely to develop oral cancer than the control group.
“It is estimated that tobacco smoke could have more than 4,000 chemicals, and close to 70 of these have carcinogenic effects,” said senior study author Luís Monteiro of the Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde in Gandra, Portugal.
Longer exposure to secondhand smoke also appeared to increase the risk of oral cancer. Compared to people without any exposure to secondhand smoke, individuals with exposure of more than 10 or 15 years had a more than double the risk of oral cancer. With secondhand smoke exposure of less than 10 or 15 years, the risk was lower.
Length of exposure also was a factor. Compared to no exposure, the risk of oral cancer was lower for exposure of less than 2 or 3 hours daily.
“Smokers cluster in households and communities, so the cultural and community norms and environmental exposure and risk is shared,” Monteiro said. “Smokers are also disproportionately more likely to be of low socioeconomic status; so it is not surprising that individuals who are exposed to secondhand smoke are as well.”
Even so, the results underscore that clinicians should consider secondhand smoke exposure as a modifiable risk factor for cancer
Secondhand smoke exposure has significant health risks, both from cancer risk as this study shows as well as other health risks, such as cardiovascular disease.
If you, or someone in your family is interested in learning about a smoking cessation program, please contact our office and speak with Dr. Weisz.
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Source: Reuters Health Medical News | May 10, 2021
The Funnies Section
Cauliflower Tacos With Cashew Crema
Even when roasted at a high temperature, cauliflower takes time to get properly charred and crispy around the edges. Don’t worry if it shrinks a lot—the flavor will be that much more concentrated. This recipe is part of the 2020 Healthyish Feel Good Food Plan, a ten-day headstart toward eating well all year long.
4 Servings
Ingredients
1 green chile (such as serrano), finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
¼ cup cashew or almond butter
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
¼ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 medium heads of cauliflower, cut into 1″–2″ florets
12 6″-diameter corn tortillas
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
Sliced avocado, sliced radishes, cilantro leaves with tender stems, and lime wedges (for serving)
Preparation
SAUCE
Step 1
Using a fork, mix chile, garlic, cashew butter, lime juice, and 3 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to combine; season with salt. Set aside.
ASSEMBLY
Step 2
Place a rack in lowest position; preheat oven to 450°. Stir garlic, oil, cumin, and paprika in a small bowl to combine. Arrange cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and pour spiced oil over. Season with salt and toss to evenly coat cauliflower. Roast, undisturbed, until dark brown and crisp on the bottom, 15–20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn florets over. Continue to roast until second side is dark brown and crisp, 15–20 minutes longer.
Step 3
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, toast tortillas in a single layer, turning halfway through, until warmed through, about 1 minute total. Transfer to plates.
Step 4
Spread each tortilla with some reserved sauce; top with cauliflower. Garnish with onion, avocado, radishes, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
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Source: BY ANDY BARAGHANI, December 26, 2019, BON APPÉTIT, https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cauliflower-tacos-with-cashew-crema
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