Tag: disease,
Heart Disease Is the Silent Killer. It’s Time to Get Screened – CNET
Higher Risks of Stroke and Heart Disease Linked to Added Sugars
“The research, published in the journal BMC Medicine, found that diets higher in free sugars — a category that includes sugar added to processed foods and sodas, as well as that found in fruit juice and syrups — raise one’s risk of heart disease and stroke.”
The study relied on data about the eating habits of more than 110,000 people ages 37 to 73 in the United Kingdom, whose health outcomes were then tracked over about nine years. The results suggested that each 5% increase in the share of a person’s total energy intake that comes from free sugars was associated with a 6% higher risk of heart disease and a 10% higher risk of stroke.
An author of the study, Cody Watling, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, said the most common forms of sugar the study participants ate were “preserves and confectionary,” with the latter category including cookies, sugary pastries and scones. Fruit juice, sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts were also common, he added…. The people found to have the highest risk of heart disease or stroke consumed about 95 grams of free sugar per day, or 18% of their daily energy intake, Watling said. By comparison, U.S. guidelines suggest that added sugars should make up no more than 10% of one’s daily calories.
“Avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages is probably the single most important thing we can be doing,” said Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University who was not involved in the study. Willett added that although there are some health benefits to drinking a small glass of orange juice occasionally, its sugar content means “a glass of fruit juice is the same thing as Coke….”
The Oxford researchers found a positive relationship when it comes to fiber, unlike sugar intake: Consuming 5 grams of fiber a day was associated with a 4% lower risk of heart disease, the study suggested, although that did not hold true when researchers controlled for participants’ body-mass indexes…. Watling said, the study demonstrates that the types of carbs people choose to eat may matter more than the total amount. “What’s really important for overall general health and well-being is that we’re consuming carbohydrates that are rich in whole grains,” he said, while “minimizing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, as well any kind of confectionary products that have added sugars.”
It’s a point underscored by CNN:
After over nine years of follow-up, the researchers found total carbohydrate intake wasn’t associated with cardiovascular disease. But when they analyzed how outcomes differed depending on the types and sources of carbohydrates eaten, they found higher free sugar intake was associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and greater waist circumference. The more free sugars some participants consumed, the greater their risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease and stroke was….
“This study provides much needed nuance to public health discussions about the health effects of dietary carbohydrates,” said Dr. Maya Adam, director of Health Media Innovation and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, via email. Adam wasn’t involved in the study. “The main takeaways are that all carbs are not created equal….”
CNN adds that the mechanism seems to be that sugar intake “can promote inflammation,” according to an assistant cardiology professor at Columbia’s medical center. “This can cause stress on the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to increased blood pressure…”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Rhod Gilbert bravely cracks jokes about cancer as he continues battle against disease
Heart Disease Screenings: When to Do Them and Why You Need One – CNET
Toddler with fatal genetic disease given world’s most expensive drug – but it’s too late to save sister
Urgent warning as study finds vaping could put healthy young people at higher risk of developing a severe disease
VAPING puts people at a higher risk of developing severe Covid, a study has revealed.
Healthy, young e-cigarette users who caught the disease were found to have increased lung inflammation, which could cause lingering cardio-vascular complications.
Vaping puts people at a higher risk of developing severe Covid, a study has revealed[/caption]
The findings are from a US study of 45 non-smokers, 30 vapers and 29 tobacco smokers.
The vapers and smokers were found to have higher levels of blood plasma proteins that the virus needed to survive.
Researcher Dr Theodoros Kelesidis said: “The key message is that smoking is the worst, but vaping is not innocent.
“This has been shown for many lung diseases but not for Covid.
“It was a quite interesting and novel finding that vaping changed the levels of key proteins that the virus uses to replicate.”
Dr Kelesidis added: “E-cigarette vapers may be at higher risk than non-smokers of developing infections and inflammatory disorders of the lungs.
“Electronic cigarettes are not harmless and should be used for only the shortest time possible in smoking cessation, and not at all by non-smokers.”
Motion capture tech from Avatar films used in disease research
Researchers develop blood test that can reliably detect Alzheimer’s disease
When doctors need to confirm an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, they often turn to a combination of brain imaging and cell analysis. Both have their downsides. The latter involves a lumbar puncture, an invasive and painful procedure that’s more commonly known as a spinal tap. A doctor will insert a needle into the lower back to extract a sample of the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid. A lab technician then tests the sample for signs of progressive nerve cell loss and excessive amyloid and tau protein accumulation. MRI scans are less invasive but they’re often expensive and accessibility is an issue; not every community has access to the technology.
The next best tool for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is a blood test. While some can detect abnormal tau protein counts, they’re less effective at spotting the telltale signs of neurodegeneration. But that could soon change. This week, in the journal Brain, a multinational team made up of researchers from Sweden, Italy, the UK and US detailed a new antibody-based blood test they recently developed. The new test can detect brain-derived tau proteins, which are specific to Alzheimer’s disease. Following a study of 600 patients, the team found their test could reliably distinguish the illness from other neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Thomas Karikari, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and one of the co-authors of the study, told The Guardian he hopes the breakthrough could help other researchers design better clinical trials for Alzheimer’s treatments. “A blood test is cheaper, safer and easier to administer, and it can improve clinical confidence in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and selecting participants for clinical trial and disease monitoring,” he said. There’s more work to be done before the test makes its way to your local hospital. To start, the team needs to validate that it works for a wide variety of patients, including those who come from different ethnic backgrounds.
Celine Dion Reveals She Has Incurable Disease, Postpones 2023 Shows to 2024
Celine Dion fans will have to wait a while longer for the superstar’s return to the stage.
Because continued health challenges have forced the diva to postpone a series of 2023 shows until 2024 while scrapping some concerts in their entirety.
Full story below…
As reported, Dion went public with news of the medical issues she has been experiencing when indefinitely postponing the start of her new Las Vegas residency.
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