Caffeine

(Reuters Health) - Women with heart disease who down a few cups of coffee each day tend to live as long as those who avoid the beverage, a large study finds.

The results was reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In theory, coffee could be problematic because it has caffeine and other compounds that can raise blood pressure or have other negative effects on the cardiovascular system. But some studies have found that coffee drinkers have no increased risk of a second heart attack or premature death. A few others have even hinted at protective effects from coffee.In this study, which followed nearly 12,000 U.S. nurses with a history of heart disease or stroke, those who regularly drank caffeinated coffee were no more likely to die than non-coffee-drinkers during the study period - which for some was more than 20 years.

Researchers found no link between a woman's coffee intake and her risk of death from heart attack, stroke or any other cause. And that was true even of women who downed four or more cups per day."What this study shows is that, in a general population, there's no obvious harm, or benefit, to consuming coffee after a heart attack," said Ahmed El-Sohemy, an associate professor at the University of Toronto who has studied coffee intake and heart health. The problem is that certain individuals may benefit from some caffeine, while others may be harmed, according to El-Sohemy, who was not involved in the new study.Some research, for example, has linked coffee drinking to increased risks of high blood pressure in people who are naturally "slow metabolizes" of caffeine. But the reverse pattern has been seen in people who quickly process caffeine: more coffee, lower heart risks.

The findings, Lopez-Garcia said, "support the idea" that people with heart disease who already drink coffee do not have to give it up. But she also advised checking with your doctor, particularly if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or other conditions that could be aggravated by caffeine -- like sleep problems or anxiety.

El-Sohemy was even more cautious. It is hard to make individual recommendations on safe coffee intake, according to the researcher, because of genetic variations in people's caffeine metabolism. "I don't see how any results can be interpreted from studies that don't take this genetic difference into account," El-Sohemy said. Tests for genetic variations in the enzyme that processes caffeine are not routinely available, he noted.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/kUXi5R American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online May 11, 2011.

A gene test that predicts the risk of a stroke

Adults at risk of either prostate cancer or an erratic heart beat that can lead to strokes can now be identified early by genetic testing. About one in 20 elderly people suffer from atrial fibrillation, a condition in which turbulent blood flow raises the risk of blood clots, which can then lodge in the brain and cause a stroke.

Now an Icelandic company, deCODE, has announced in the journal Nature that it has found a variation in the human DNA sequence which raises the risk of atrial fibrillation, and used it as the basis of a test which will make it possible to identify those who will benefit the most from treatment. The firm's researchers found two "spelling mistakes" or single-letter variations in the human genetic code which increase the risk of atrial fibrillation by about 70 per cent and 40 per cent, doubling that risk if two copies of the variants are carried.

Because of the link with stroke, the company believes testing for these variants will provide doctors with a cost-effective means of identifying those who should be intensively monitored and reduce their risk by taking anticoagulant drugs. Passing abnormalities in heart rhythm are difficult to detect in many patients and it is impractical and too costly to conduct extended cardiac monitoring, even in patients who have had a stroke. The "spelling mistakes" in DNA linked with the risk were found through analysis of more than more than 300,000 common single-letter DNA changes in more than 5,000 Icelanders and were replicated in a further worldwide study of 18,000 subjects.

High Blood Cholesterol - what you need to know

According to the American Heart Association approximately 102.3 million American adults have total blood cholesterol values of 200 mg/dL and higher, and of these about 41.3 million American adults have levels of 240 or above. In adults, total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or higher are considered high risk, and levels from 200 to 239 mg/dL are considered borderline-high risk.

Cholesterol is important because your blood cholesterol level is a major factor in determining your risk of developing heart disease. The higher your blood cholesterol, the higher your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one cause of death among both women and men in the United States. Every year more than one million U.S. residents have heart attacks and about half of those heart attacks are fatal.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like, substance in your blood that builds up in the walls of the arteries; eventually, this build up of cholesterol causes a narrowing of the arteries and restriction of blood flow to the heart can become slow or blocked. Oxygen is carried through the blood to your heart; if your heart does not receive enough blood or oxygen you may experience chest pain. If there is a complete blockage in your arteries then a heart attack occurs.

If you have high blood cholesterol, you may not be aware of the potential problem since high blood cholesterol alone does not cause symptoms. This lack of symptoms makes it imperative that everyone (recommendations are for those 20 and over) is tested and knows their blood cholesterol numbers. If you have high blood cholesterol, lowering your numbers will significantly reduce your risk of heart disease and heart attack. High cholesterol can affect both males and females of all ages; my teenage son has very high (over 400) cholesterol levels, as well as triglycerides, which is quite scary for a parent.

To find out what your blood cholesterol numbers are you need to have a blood test called a "lipoprotein profile." You must fast for nine to 12 hours before your test. The lipoprotein profile provides information about your:

total cholesterol 

LDL or bad cholesterol -- LDL cholesterol is the primary source of cholesterol build up and blockage in your arteries.
HDL or good cholesterol -- HDL cholesterol helps to keep LDL cholesterol from building up in your arteries.
triglycerides -- Triglycerides are another type of fat in your blood.

Total cholesterol levels that are under 200 mg/dL are the most desirable; blood cholesterol levels from 200 to 239 mg/dL are indicative of borderline high cholesterol; levels of 240 mg/dL and above indicate high blood cholesterol levels.

FYI: Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood. 

What LDL cholesterol category am I in? 

Less than 100 mg/dL = Optimal 
100-129mg/dL = Near optimal/above optimal
130-159 mg/dL = Borderline high
160-189 mg/dL= High
190 mg/dL and above= Very high

The good HDL cholesterol provides protection against heart disease; the higher your HDL number is, the lower your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. However, if your HDL cholesterol number is lower than 40 mg/dL your risk is considerably higher than someone whose HDL is 60 mg/dL or higher.

Heart disease risk also increases in people who have high triglyceride levels. Some people may need treatment for high triglycerides if their level is borderline high (150-199 mg/dL) or high (200 mg/dL or more).