Why Pregnant Mother Should Not Smoke?

Tobacco smoking is bad for the health. It would lead to many chronic diseases including lung cancer, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, stroke, erectile dysfunction and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

The harm often extends not only to the smokers themselves but also to others, especially the family members and friends. Studies have shown that people might develop similar diseases through secondhand smoke.

Smoking is no longer the privilege for men. Many women have picked up this habit as well.

Around 15 percent of women smoke while pregnant in many Western countries. What these female smokers do not know is that a wide range of childhood health problems, including behavioral and neurocognitive problems and sudden infant death had been linked to smoking during and after pregnancy.

A recent study by researchers from the University of Sydney found that pregnant mothers who smoke could cause changes to their unborn babies that can lead them to have lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. HDL is commonly referred to as ‘good cholesterol’ that plays a key role in protecting against atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a condition in which the artery wall thickens because of accumulation of fatty materials. It could cause heart problems and even heart attack.

Published on June 21, 2011 in the European Heart Journal, the Australian researchers reported that by the age of 8, children born to mothers who smoked in pregnancy had level of HDL cholesterol at around 1.3 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), which was lower than those born to mothers who had not smoked, with about 1.5 mmol/L.

The participants were 405 healthy 8-years-old children (born between 1997 and 1999) who had been enrolled before birth into a randomized controlled trial that was investigating asthma and allergic disease. Data were collected before and after they were born, including information on mothers' smoking habits before and after pregnancy, exposure to passive smoke, and data on height, weight, waist measurement and blood pressure.

Ultrasound scans were used to measure the arterial wall thickness and blood samples were taken from 328 children, who agreed, to measure lipoprotein levels. There was no effect on the thickness of the children's arterial walls, but it was found that there was an effect on levels of HDL cholesterol.

The findings suggested that smoking created an unhealthy set of characteristics on babies while they are developing in the womb, which might cause them prone to develop heart disease and stroke later on. The effect seemed to last for at least 8 years and the risk of getting heart disease for smokers’ children could be 10 to 15 percent higher.

Can Fish Oil Benefit Heart?

Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in such wild oily fish as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and herring. It is believed that omega-3 fatty acids could benefit heart as it could raise HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or good cholesterol, lowers harmful fats known as triglycerides and slow the growth of plaque that tend to clog arteries.

According to the recommendation by the American Heart Association, adults should take fish at least twice a week, and people with heart disease should consume 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acid a day.

However, a recent large study conducted in Germany seemed to get a rather surprising finding. Researchers from the University of Heidelberg reported that fish oil capsules did not offer added benefit to heart attack patients who are already taking the right medications to prevent future problems. Their results were presented on March 30, 2009 at an American College of Cardiology conference.

In the study, more than 3,800 people who had suffered a heart attack in the previous 2 weeks were given 1-gram daily dose of a prescription version of highly purified omega-3 fatty acid or dummy capsules. About 90 percent of these people were already receiving all the necessary medications prescribed by their doctors to prevent a second attack, including aspirin, anti-clotting and cholesterol drugs.

The prescription version used in the study is a highly purified and standardized form, and is different from what many consumers buy off the shelf. They are sold as Omacor and Lovaza in the United States and as Zodin in Europe,

After a year, the researchers found no difference in both groups of patients, whether they took fish oil or dummy capsules. The researchers also found that 2 percent had suffered sudden cardiac death, 4 percent had another heart attack and fewer than 2 percent had suffered a stroke in both groups of patients.

The researchers argued that there is nothing much can be done to further reduce the risk for heart attack patients, who have already received good care from their doctors (given all necessary medications). Nevertheless, this does not mean that fish oil is of no value. In the first place, the study did not address whether fish oil could help prevent heart disease.

What Type of Diet Can Control Diabetes and Prevent Heart Disease?

Being the most common form of diabetes, type-2 diabetes is closely linked with obesity. Because of a high blood sugar level, diabetics are at a high risk of developing heart disease, kidney damage, stroke, and blindness.

Therefore, when one is diagnosed with diabetes, he or she will have to adhere closely to the diet suggested by the doctors in order to control the blood sugar level.

The latest findings, which appeared on December 16, 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, by Canadian researchers from St Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto indicated that a diet that is rich in nuts, beans and lentils is better than a high cereal-fiber diet in controlling diabetes and hence preventing heart disease.

In the study, 210 people with Type-2 diabetes were randomly selected to try 1 of 2 diets for 6 months. All the participants were prescribed with medications for controlling their blood sugar and had monthly blood tests.

An abundance of beans, peas, lentils, nuts and pasta were given to people who were on the low-glycemic index diet. They were also asked to have low-glycemic index breads like pumpernickel, quinoa and flaxseed and breakfast cereals including large flake oatmeal and oat bran.

On the other hand, people in the high fiber group were given a largely 'brown' diet, which included whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, potatoes with skins and whole wheat bread, crackers and cereals.

People in both groups were also encouraged to eat 3 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables daily.

The examination at the end of 6 months showed that those on the low-glycemic diet lost slightly more weight. They had not only significantly better control of their blood sugar but also higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called good cholesterol.

The results showed that the diet could be one of the many options available to people with diabetes, other medical conditions and even healthy people.

According to the researchers, many popular diets including the South Beach Diet and the Zone Diet already focus on low-glycemic index foods, which produce only small changes in blood glucose and insulin levels. In fact, many of the popular books on diets have already been ahead of the scientists in using it.

While food industry has an opportunity to produce modern foods with low-glycemic properties that can fit palatably into the diet, many of the traditional foods such as beans, pasta that were eaten by the older generations, can usefully be brought back into the diet.

How Effective Is Crestor In Preventing Heart Disease?

Being manufactured by AstraZeneca, Crestor is a cholesterol-lowering medicine that aims to reduce levels of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL) and triglycerides in the blood, and in the meantime increase levels of good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL). It has been approved for use in over 95 countries with nearly 15 million patients being prescribed presently worldwide.

By lowering the bad cholesterol, it is possible to help prevent heart disease and hardening of arteries. These two conditions can develop heart attack, stroke, as well as vascular disease. Nevertheless, how effective is this medicine?

Presented during November 2008 at an annual meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans and published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, the study known as “JUPITER” revealed that Crestor could actually reduce by 44 percent the risk of heart problems among patients who currently do not face a high risk of getting a heart disease.

The study involved 17,802 men and women, of the age of 50 and more, who took 20 milligrams of Crestor on a daily basis. It was found that the combined risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina, or death from cardiovascular causes was reduced by 44 percent as compared with placebo among men and women with elevated hs-CRP but low to normal cholesterol levels.

By the way, CRP is a protein that is produced by the liver. It plays an important role in inflammatory processes and serves as a biological marker to measure the risk of artery blockage.

Also shown in the study, patients who took Crestor also had the combined risk of heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease reduced by 47 percent. Meanwhile, their risk of heart attack was cut by more than half, the risk of stroke was reduced by nearly half and the total mortality of the participants was lowered by 20 percent.

It was also recorded in the study that a daily dose of 20 milligrams of Crestor was well tolerated in nearly 9,000 patients during the course of the trial, and there was no difference between treatment groups for major adverse events, including cancer or myopathy.

No Trans Fat Is Allowed In All New York Restaurants!

Trans fat has been classified as bad stuff that not only increases LDL (bad cholesterol) but also reduces HDL (good cholesterol). People with such pattern of cholesterol level are at higher risk of heart disease, and several other medical ailments.

Foods with trans fat can be found almost everywhere. Besides candy, noodles, cookies, chips, there are hundreds of other processed products available in supermarket do contain trans fat in different amounts. Despite its unhealthy nature, most foods with trans fat are favored by both children and adults.

On July 1, 2008, the artificial trans fat can no longer be presented in the menu in New York restaurants. In this way, the authorities in New York help remove a major cause of heart disease from their residents’ diets.

Last year, the authorities had already banned all restaurants from using frying oil and spreads containing trans fats. Now, the restriction will apply to all types of food, including the fat used by bakers and pastry chefs.

For all foods served, including baked goods, oils, shortenings and margarine used for baking, and pre-prepared items, the amount of artificial trans fat, must not be more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. However, foods served in the manufacturer's original, sealed packaging, such as candy and crackers, can still be exempted for the time being.

According to the health department in New York, there was widespread acceptance of its last year's ban, with more than 98 percent of inspected restaurants were in compliance as at June 2008. Many restaurants had gone even further to voluntarily cut down the amount of saturated fat.

As confessed by the owner of one of the restaurants in New York, the transition he made 7 months ago by cooking his patties and baked goods with replacement shortenings has hurt neither the products nor his business. Meanwhile, he feels happy that the move is healthier for his customers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pointed out that trans fat, which is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil. This increases "bad" cholesterol levels, raising the risk of coronary heart disease.

New York was the first city in the United States to start banning trans fats in restaurants, followed by Philadelphia last year.

Beware of Heart Disease Even If You Have Normal BMI!

Body mass index (BMI) is the ratio of weight to height. The formula used to calculate BMI is:

BMI (kg/m2) = (weight in kg)/(height in meter x height in meter)

With the help of BMI, a person can be classified as underweight or overweight. Based on the guidelines provided by WHO (World Health Organization), people with BMI of 30 and above will be classified as obese, those with 25 to 29.9 as overweight, and those with less than 18.5 as underweight. A healthy person should have a BMI reading between 18.5 and 24.9.

An overweight or obese person tends to have a higher risk of getting heart disease. Therefore, if your BMI falls within the healthy range, you should be relieved. Unfortunately, this might not be true. Why?

During the American College of Cardiology's 57th Annual Scientific Session held in the month of April 2008, findings from Mayo Clinic revealed that patients with a normal BMI could still have a high body fat content that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers studied on so-called 'Normal Weight Obesity' of 2,127 subjects with a BMI in the normal range. Normal weight obesity was defined as a body fat content higher than 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women.

All the participants’ body composition was measured and a full assessment was made of body size variables and cardiovascular risk factors.

It was found that 1,321 participants had normal weight obesity, while the balance 806 had a normal body fat content. Meanwhile, the investigators also found that 13.6 percent of the normal weight obese individuals met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, comparing to 5.3 percent of those who had a normal weight without a high body fat content.

The metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood sugar, high levels of the 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) and triglyceride levels, low levels of the 'good' cholesterol (HDL), high blood pressure and excess belly fat.

In the study, those participants found with normal weight obesity actually had a high waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, high fasting blood sugar levels or a diagnosis of diabetes, and other metabolic markers associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers suggested that public health measures to prevent heart disease should measure the belly or assess percentage of body fat instead of just tracking weight and BMI.

Higher Total Cholesterol May Increase The Risk of Plaque Rupture!

We always accuse LDL (so-called bad cholesterol) as the culprit that causes heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, etc. Not so much attention is given to someone with higher than average total cholesterol level, provided the HDL (good cholesterol) level is at healthy level.

However, the findings of a new study conducted by a group of investigators from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore may change such perspective. Published in February 2008 in the medical journal Stroke, the report revealed that the total blood levels of cholesterol in individuals without symptoms but have thickened walls of the carotid arteries are strongly associated with the presence of a lipid (or fat-based) core within plaque, which can cause the arteries to rupture.

The carotid arteries are two major arteries located on each side of the neck that provide blood and oxygen to the brain.

Made up of fatty dead tissue deposits, a lipid core within an atherosclerotic plaque puts the plaque at risk for causing an adverse clinical event, such as a stroke if the plaque is in the carotid artery or a heart attack if the plaque is in the coronary artery.

By taking part in a study of atherosclerosis (also referred to as hardening of the arteries), the participants were examined by ultrasound to ensure they are free from cardiovascular disease and those with the thickest carotid artery walls were selected.

The researchers used MRI and analysis software to assess the composition of 214 plaques with a thickness of at least 1.5 millimeter and found a lipid core in 151 (71 percent) of these plaques.

Compared with patients with the lowest levels of total blood cholesterol, those with medium levels had a 2.8-fold increased risk of having a lipid core, after adjusting the possible effects of age, sex, high blood pressure and diabetes. Those with the highest cholesterol levels had a 4.6-fold increased risk of having a plaque with a lipid core. None of the cardiovascular risk factors other than high serum cholesterol was associated with having a lipid core.

The researchers concluded that a person’s total cholesterol level is the most important risk factor for developing the dangerous feature of plaque mentioned above. This indeed supports the claim that by lowering a person’s cholesterol level and hence the risk of the formation of lipid core might reduce his or her risk of the possible clinical events.

Can Glucosamine Help Raise Good Cholesterol?

Glucosamine is an amino sugar and a prominent precursor in the biochemical synthesis of glycosylated proteins and lipids. It is commonly used to treat osteoarthritis. More information about glucosamine can be found at

---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucosamine

Many people have taken glucosamine for arthritis-like symptoms. Previous research has made medical experts to think that it may also have a beneficial effect on HDL (good cholesterol). Nevertheless, a recent study has proved that the HDL level would not be increased for diabetics who are prescribed glucosamine at commonly taken doses.

The researchers at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Missouri evaluated the effects of glucosamine (500 milligrams taken 3 times daily) versus matching 'placebo' capsules in 10 people with Type-2 diabetes and 2 people with Type-1 diabetes.

The study examined 3 men and 9 women, all with low HDL cholesterol, who were randomly assigned to take glucosamine or placebo for 2 weeks, and were switched over to a 2-week course of the alternative therapy. The finding revealed that there was no benefit of glucosamine on HDL cholesterol or any worsening of the diabetes control.

Their report, which was published in the journal Diabetes Care, indicated that the lack of an effect on the control on diabetes is consistent with previously published studies on the effect of glucosamine in both diabetic and non-diabetic individual. However, the study did not go further to answer whether higher dose or longer duration of glucosamine may make any difference to HDL levels.

People with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing heart disease. As such, appropriately managing diabetes is very important.

Knowing Heart Disease Risk May Prompt You Adopting Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

In order to reduce the risk of a heart attack and heart-related death, one should try to lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) while raising levels of good cholesterol (HDL). Regretfully, most patients do not obediently follow recommendation from their doctors so as to change their lifestyle or taking their cholesterol reducing medications.

However, when the doctor tells the patients who are at risk of coronary heart disease exactly what their risk is and how they can help lower their risk, they seem to respond better to preventive treatment. This is the findings of a recent study conducted by a group of researchers at the McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers actually found that people who had discussed openly with their doctor about their coronary risk profile achieved better improvement in their cholesterol levels than those who did not discussed with their doctor. As found out by the study, about one-third of people, who are not convinced that they need their cholesterol medications, stop taking them.

In order to ascertain whether boosting patients' knowledge of their heart risk profile might help them to adopt heart-healthy lifestyle, the researchers randomly assigned 3,053 adults being treated for cholesterol problems into 2 groups: one group received usual care while the other group received a 1-page computer printout displaying the probability that they will develop heart disease in the next 8 years based on their current lifestyle, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other risk indicators. The printout group also received ongoing feedback on how much they could cut their risk through lifestyle modification and drug therapy.

There were 2,687 patients completed the 12-month study. Those in the intervention group who kept track of their heart risk profile had small but significantly greater improvements in their cholesterol profiles.

In addition to communicating risk, there are also other means that can be used to improve adherence to heart-healthy lifestyle. These include enhancing self-monitoring and using support of family and friends.

How Does Cholesterol Relate To Fats In Food?

Cholesterol is either formed in our bodies by our livers or acquired from foods like eggs, seafood, meats, organ meats and animal products. If we have too much cholesterol in our body (or more precisely, bad cholesterol), we will be at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other diseases.

Then, what are fats? In general, there are 4 types of fats, namely saturated, mono-unsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats.

The unsaturated fats increase our HDL (high density lipoproteins or the 'good' cholesterol) and decrease our LDL (low density lipoproteins or the 'bad' cholesterol). Trans fats do just the opposite: reduce HDL and raise LDL, and saturated fats are known to raise both HDL and LDL.

Mono-unsaturated fats are found in olives; olive oil; canola oil; peanut oil; cashews, almonds, peanuts and most other nuts; avocados, while poly-unsaturated fat is available in corn, soybean, safflower and cottonseed oils; fish.

Saturated fats can be found in foods like animal fat, animal skin, animal products such as butter, and dairy products. Trans fats are formed when vegetable oil goes through a process known as hydrogenation. Therefore, products that have 'partially hydrogenated' or 'hydrogenated' vegetable oil printed in their ingredient list do contain trans fats.

It is not easy to find a meal without fats when we dine out, especially at fast-food outlets. But we must understand one fact: we do need a certain amount of fats for absorption of vitamins as well as other daily functions. Since unsaturated fats are healthier, our meals should comprise most of this kind of fats. On the other hand, we should cut down the amount of saturated fats and trans fats and they should take up only 10 per cent of our daily caloric intake.

Fat-Rich Meal Can Affect The Health Of Your Heart!

In my previous post titled "Do You Want A Healthy Heart? Watch What You Eat!", I mentioned that research had shown that oily food can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The bad cholesterol (LDL or low-density lipoprotein) is responsible for the build-up and blockage in the arteries. But our body also has good cholesterol (HDL, high-density lipoprotein), which is considered as being able to to counteract bad cholesterol (LDL), or even prevent heart disease.

According to recent report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, a study of 14 healthy adults had found that 3 hours after participants were fed a single high-saturated-fat meal, the inner linings of blood vessels in the participants showed a decreased ability to expand. This would therefore affect the blood flow.

It was found that the ability of HDL-cholesterol to prevent inflammation was weakened within 6 hours after the fatty meal. The inflammation is one of the causes that build up the arterial plaque. But on a separate occasion, when participants were fed a meal rich in polyunsaturated fats, the protective quality of HDL-cholesterol in their bodies was actually increased. The number of inflammatory agents were found to be lesser.

In conclusion, when a person consumes a single meal of high saturated fat, his or her normal protective property of HDL is impaired. Conversely, when he or she eats a meal that is high in polyunsaturated fat, the HDL in the body is found to be more protective.

Do You Want A Healthy Heart? Watch What You Eat!

Having a healthy heart is important because if something happens to your heart, you will be in great troubles. A fatal heart attack can end one's life almost instantaneously. Besides regular physical activities and exercises, what you eat into your stomach can have different effects on your heart.

Eating very oily foods can stress your heart! Does it sound familiar, but in your heart, do you believe it?

Take a look at a new research conducted at The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio where the researchers have found that a single high-calorie meal is sufficient to strain the arteries of the heart.

People having a meal that is high in saturated fats could lower their ability of HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) to protect against clogged. On the other hand, if a person takes a meal high in polyunsaturated fats, his or her arteries will be protected against a build-up of plaque.

It is already known that saturated fat actually causes formation of plaques in the arterial wall, and these plaques are major cause of heart attack and stroke. The findings of the aforesaid research further explain such mechanism.

An excessive-calorie diet consisting of high amount of total fat and saturated fat will almost guarantee your way to obesity. Why is this so?

Before getting to the answer, let us find out how the food digests in our stomach.

An average meal with a proper serving size of foods including lean meat or fish generally will spend about 2 to 5 hours in the stomach, another 4 to 5 hours in the small intestine and then stay in the large intestine for another 5 to 25 hours.

This chemical process may vary for different kinds of food. Since fat can delay the stomach from emptying, a meal that consists of higher amount of fat can take longer for digestion. If one is lack of exercises or physical activities, the extra fats will be accumulated in the body over time. By now, you should realize why obesity is the definite end result.

Besides heart disease, poor eating habits and high-fat diet can also lead to the risk of contracting other diesease such as cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

In fact, the American Heart Association recommends that one should limit the intake of saturated fats to less than 7 percent of the total daily calories.

Nevertheless, you need not avoid foods that we are enjoying totally. The best way to control the amount of fat, saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet is to eat a variety of foods in moderate amounts.

For example, you can still eat potato chips, which is high in total fat, saturated fat and sodium. Instead of eating a whole bag, you should watch the amount you eat, or simply share among your friends or families. The best approach is to choose a healthier choice such as baked chips. By the way, taking foods high in sodium can lead to a high risk of developing high blood pressure.

The Denmark's Experience In Handling The Trans Fat Issue!

The Danish Nutrition Council recognized the harms of Trans Fat: increase the bad cholesterol level (LDL) and decrease the good cholesterol level (HDL) which may increase the risk of getting heart disease.

Hence in 1990s, Denmark made margarine makers to reduce Trans Fat levels. As a result, the national average consumption of Trans Fat fell from about 2.5 g per day to between 1 g and 2 g per day.

However, Denmark aims for a healthy level of Trans Fat consumption, which is zero, instead of a compromise level of about 2 g. Realizing its citizens were still consuming a lot of Trans Fat from imported food, Denmark finally announced a ban on Trans Fat in 2003.

Significant response was reflected among the food industries. The manufacturers had no choice but had to reformulate its products to reduce Trans Fat for all of Europe.

Meanwhile, Danes are not complaining that they have fewer choices in food. For example, they are still enjoying French fries and chicken nuggets from McDonald’s. The only difference is theirs contain a mere 0.33 g of Trans Fat.