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Posts Tagged ‘heart disease’

Teens who consume high amounts of added sugars in drinks and food are more likely to have poor cholesterol profiles and triglycerides that can lead to heart disease in later life.

According to a study by Emory University (USA), overweight or obese adolescents with higher levels of added sugar consumption were more signs of insulin resistance, often a precursor to diabetes. With added sugars authors refer to any caloric sweetener that is added to foods or drinks in the production process or by the consumer.

Overweight adolescents and high consumption of added sugars show more resistance to insulina.El work, published in the journal Circulation, is the first to evaluate the association of added sugars and indicators of heart disease risk in adolescents.

The results show that 21.4 percent of the total energy of teens surveyed (2157 individuals between 12 and 18 years) came from this source and that those who consumed higher levels had lower levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) , the good cholesterol, and higher triglyceride and low density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol.

Increased insulin resistance

The study showed that adolescents with higher intake of added sugars had LDL levels of 94.3 mg / dL compared to 86.7 mg / dL for those taking low blood sugar levels, a 9 percent difference .

Triglyceride levels in those with a higher consumption of added sugars was 79 mg / dL in comparison, 71.7 percent of those on lower levels, a 10 percent difference.

Finally, the authors note that adolescents with overweight and obesity with higher levels of consumption of added sugars were more signs of insulin resistance.

The research, conducted with the aim of identifying risk factors in heart disease, agree that there is an “obesity pandemic” that is a result of more and more countries adopt Western lifestyles.

In 2008, more than 500 million people worldwide were clinically obese, meaning they had a Body Mass Index (BMI)-the measure obtained by dividing the weight of the individual in kilos by your height in meters squared-over 30.

The incidence was higher among females, as there were 297 million obese women, compared to 205 million obese men.

U.S. figure in the top of the list of obesity, with a mean body mass index of 28

This means that 9.8% of men and 13.8% of women of this planet were obese in 2008 compared with respective percentages of 4.8% and 7.9% in 1980.

The highest rate of obesity was recorded in the nations of the Pacific Islands, with average levels of BMI between 34 and 45, 70% higher than some countries in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Among rich countries, the U.S. was on the top of the list of obesity with a Body Mass Index through 28 for both men and women, which means, in other words, that being overweight is now the norm in that country.

The Lancet published three studies examining jointly the overall levels of obesity, cholesterol and blood pressure, sharing their results.
Hypertension decreases

The other notable finding is that, in contrast to the increase in obesity, the proportion of the world’s population has blood pressure problems declined between 1980 and 2008.

Rich countries were those that achieved the greatest advances in the control of hypertension and those who managed, through its health benefits, which in this period regress average cholesterol levels among the population.

However, this good news was accompanied by the realization that there are emerging and poor countries faced problems that were not detected earlier.

Is the case of the Baltic nations or countries of East and West Africa, which recorded blood pressure levels highest in the world, matching those in some parts of Western Europe three decades ago.

“Obesity has moved to countries with low and middle income, becoming a global problem”

The presence of these health problems “has been moved to countries with low and middle income, making them global problems,” said Professor Ezzati, director of the study.

Gretchen Stevens of the World Health Organization said it was already known that changes in diet and physical activity have contributed to the worldwide increase in obesity, but said “it remains unclear what policies would help more effectively reduce obesity. ”

“We need to identify, implement and evaluate rigorously interventions that aim to reverse these trends or limit its harmful effects,” he said.

Dr Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation, described as “amazing” the escalation of obesity in the last 30 years and considered that “we face a global challenge to cope with increased BMI, cholesterol levels and hypertension, all these major risk factors in coronary artery disease. ”

“It’s a worrying trend, but can be reversed with effective policies and changes in lifestyle, with the help of important advances in medicine,” said Knapton, who stressed that the improvement in cholesterol levels and hypertension in developed countries are proof that no solution.
Childhood obesity in Spain

Moreover, in Spain, Thao Child Health Foundation has presented a study revealing that one in three Spanish children, aged between 3 and 12 years, suffers over Spain is among the European countries with the highest rate of overweight weight children and concludes that prevention before 3 years is one of the key elements to curb childhood obesity.

The study, presented in Barcelona, places Spain among European countries with the highest rate of overweight children, with a percentage close to 30 percent, bringing the rate of 21.1% overweight and obesity in a 8.2%.

According to a study at the University of North Carolina in the U.S., children as young as 3 years presented specific markers that would predict cardiovascular disease in adulthood. These findings are very important to try to raise awareness about the relationship between childhood obesity and the onset of heart disease when they become adults.

Children from 3 years earlier presented with obesity high levels of C-reactive protein, a marker that determines inflammation. This marker in adults is an indicator of possible heart disease. Hence the importance of the results obtained in research conducted at the University of North Carolina in the U.S…

Study sample

* Data was performed on 16,335 children in an age group between 1 and 17. They are classified into four groups according to body mass index (BMI): Healthy weight, overweight, obese and very obese.

Results

* Of the total nearly 70% were at a healthy weight, 15% were overweight, 11% were obese and 3.5% were very obese.
* Among very obese children between 3 to 5 years, over 40% had elevated levels of C-reactive protein compared with 17 percent of healthy weight children.
* Among adolescents 15 to 17 years, 83% of very obese had elevated serum C-reactive protein, compared with 18% of those with a healthy weight.

Conclusion

* Weight and inflammatory markers are closely related, even in children as young as 3 years.
* Based on these data is essential to emphasize the importance of controlling obesity during childhood, even at an early age due to complications that may have these children when they become adults.

It is important to set guidelines and healthy diet to help control and reduce the incidence of childhood obesity, without neglecting the essential nutrients for a good development physically, intellectually and emotionally.

Vitamin D deficiency and low estrogen levels increase the risk of cardiovascular

Deficiencies in vitamin D and low estrogen levels are independent risk factors for hardening and narrowing of the arteries and weakened bones, according to a study by Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions has been made public during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association to be held these days in Orlando (USA).

The study is the first evidence that men long-term adverse effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of estrogen but not testosterone.

Vitamin D is essential for maintaining a healthy body and can be obtained through fortified foods like milk and cereal and through exposure to sunlight. The blood levels below 20 nanograms per milliliter or less of vitamin D are considered harmful to health.

Explains Erin Michos, Study, “Our results confirm a link long suspected and suggested that vitamin D supplements, which are prescribed to treat osteoporosis, might also help to prevent heart disease.” Read the rest of this entry »