Anti-Diabetes Drug That May Increase Risk Of Heart Attack!

FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in United States recently issued a warning of increased risk of heart attacks on an anti-diabetes drug, Avandia, manufactured by the British company GlaxoSmithKline. The move has forced the manufacturer to agree on adding warning in the drug's labeling about potential increased risk for heart attacks, according to a statement issued by FDA on November 14, 2007.

Some 7 million people around the world has taken the drug and half of them are in the United States. This also generates some 3.3 billion dollars of annual global sales for Glaxo.

Why warning has been issued suddenly for such a popular drug?

Based on an analysis of some 42 short-term clinical studies, published In May 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine, it was concluded that Avandia increased the risk of heart attacks by 43 percent. In July 2007, a committee of independent experts consulted by the FDA, however, decided that the risks did not warrant withdrawing the drug from the market.

Then another study, published in September 2007 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was the first to examine the risks of heart problems and death stemming from the use of Avandia by Type 2 diabetes sufferers who had been taking the drug for at least a year.

The results of 4 clinical trials of more than 14,000 patients showed that Avandia taken over a prolonged period increased the risk of cardiovascular problems by some 42 percent.

FDA has expedited their review on the cardiovascular risks of this drug so that they could inform patients and doctors of their findings at the earliest possible time. Meanwhile, patients with Type 2 diabetes with underlying heart disease or at risk of heart attack are warned by FDA to talk to their doctors before taking the drug.

Can Heart Be Protected By Food Rich In Copper?

Do ailing hearts need copper? Yes, this is the finding of a animal study conducted by the University of Louisville Medical Center in the United States and published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

The researchers fed two groups of mice with foods rich in copper. Group A was fed three times more than the usual recommended dietary intake of copper, while Group B was given a normal dosage. Then, a condition of cardiac hypertrophy was triggered and developed into heart disease in all the mice. Heart failure followed after eight weeks in Group B.

Surprisingly, the hearts of the mice in Group A returned to their normal size despite the cardiac stimulation, after their dietary copper dosage was increased.

Cardiac hypertrophy occurs when the heart becomes enlarged as a result of disease or high blood pressure. It will cause the muscles to be thickened and so the supply of blood to the heart is obstructed. The researchers concluded that diets high in copper could help such heart muscle conditions. However, whether it will work on human beings will require further controlled human research.

Dietary copper helps maintain bone health, reduces tissue damage caused by free radicals, protects nerves and keeps the thyroid gland functioning normally. The daily recommended dietary copper intake is 900 microgrammes (mcg) with a maximum limit of 10,000 mcg a day for adults. For example, half a cup of roasted cashews contains about 80 mcg of dietary copper while 100 g of cooked oysters contains 200 mcg.

Nevertheless, consuming more than the recommended daily copper intake limit can result in diarrhoea, discolouration of the skin, stomach pain, lack of concentration and depression.

Some cardiologists also against the fact that a single supplement (mineral or vitamin) such as copper can act as a cure-all for ailments of the heart. Whether you believe or not, a well-balanced diet is still the key to a healthy life.

Chronic Diseases Diagnosed: US vs. Europe

When we talk about the social impact of ageing population, we simply cannot avoid the topic of chronic diseases as these two are closely related. Chronic diseases include cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc. will cause the older population a great deal of their fortune just for the medical expenses.

A new study, conducted by researchers at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and published online on October 1, 2007 by Health Affairs, revealed that Americans over the age of 50 are more likely to be diagnosed with chronic illnesses than their European counterparts.

The findings also indicated that patients in the United States are also more likely to get medical treatment for these costly diseases. This would make US health care 100 to 150 billion dollars (70 to 105 billion Euros) more expensive than in Europe annually.

According to the study, Americans are more susceptible to chronic diseases because of two reasons:

• Obese Americans are nearly two times more than obese Europeans.
• There are more current or former cigarette smokers in the US population than in Europe.

The researchers used the 2004 data on the prevalence and treatment of diseases among adults of age 50 and above and compared those in United States and those in the 10 European countries: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

There are 33.1 percent of older Americans are obese, compared with 17.1 percent of Europeans. For smoking, there are 53 percent of Americans are former or current smokers, compared with 43 percent of Europeans.

In 2004, US healthcare spending for an individual averaged 6,120 dollars, which was about twice that in the Netherlands, Germany and France. If the US could bring its obesity rates in line with Europe's, it could simply save more than 100 billion dollars a year in health care costs.

However, the researchers were not clear about the reasons for the higher disease prevalence in US. It may be due to the fact that Americans are actually sicker than Europeans, or it is possible that more aggressive diagnosis and pre-treatment of chronic diseases in US raises disease prevalence rates.

On the other hand, the researchers believe that more intensive screening has made the rate of diagnosed cancer to be higher (more than double) in the US than that of Europe.

Cells That May Repair Heart Attack Damage!

Heart attack is a serious disease that may end up with death instantly if medical assistance is not provided in time. Even if the patients survived, they may have shorter life span. Pass data showed that approximately 15 per cent of heart attack patients may die within two to three years of sudden death due to the development of ventricular arrhythmias. Arrhythmia is an irregularity in the heart's natural rhythm.

A group of scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany reported on Dec 5, 2007 in the journal Nature that transplanting genetically engineered cells into the heart may help protect heart attack survivors from later developing life-threatening heart rhythm problems.

In the study, the scientists transplanted living mouse embryonic heart cells into cardiac tissue of mice with heart attack-like damage, making the animals resistant to later arrhythmias

According to the researchers, a protein known as connexin43 made by these transplanted embryonic heart cells improved electrical connections to other heart cells. As a result, the transplanted heart cells became activated during normal heart contractions. But for ethical reasons, human embryonic heart cells could not be used for transplantation in people. As such, genetically engineered skeletal muscle cells were used to make this protein. By transplanting these cells into the mouse heart, the same restorative result was achieved as with the transplanted embryonic heart cells.

Hopefully, the new approach, with some refinement, could help people who suffer heart attacks in the near future.

How Governments Can Help Combat Chronic Diseases?

In the recent WHO (World Health Organization) meeting held in Singapore during November 2007, ways to improve the prevention and control of chronic diseases were explored.

'It is easier to walk or ride a bicycle if there are green areas and bicycle paths in a city; it is easier to eat healthy food if we have healthy foods to choose from, if they are easy to find, affordable and promoted as desirable.' This was the statement made by Mr Shigeru Omi, WHO's regional director.

In his opinion, he believes that all risk factors for diseases can be drastically reduced by government through legislation, policy and regulation, and by industry through appropriate use of nutrition knowledge, food technology and marketing techniques.

He also stressed that it is cheaper to prevent problems than to treat them, but he admitted that this is a problem that many low and middle income countries face. Nevertheless, some countries were praised for their efforts in getting citizens to live healthier lives.

For example, obesity and traffic accidents are lower in the Netherlands than in many European countries because cycling is popular, both as recreation and transportation. Promotion and commitment to healthy diets had earned praise for Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand, 'fruits in school' programme was launched in all primary schools in 2005.

In Singapore, the effort in fighting obesity has achieved and sustained reduction in obesity rates over a number of years. The key causes for disability in Singapore were chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, anxiety and depression and cancer. As such, Singapore has launched the nationwide subsidized health screening for people of 50 years old and above for high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and diabetes. Government also allowed people to use 'Medisave' to pay for treatment for chronic ailments. This year will be the first year for the programme and it is expected that some 90,000 patients will draw S$15 million from their Medisave.

In order to help more people have their problems diagnosed early, screening programmes will be stepped up by the government.

How To Eat Healthily During This Festive Season?

Eggnog, log cakes, turkey, ham and many festive treats will keep popping up in front of you whenever you go during this coming Christmas and New Year.

Most of us just cannot resist 'good and delicious' foods, especially those only available once a year. Too much of these 'good' food will not only make us gain weight, but also lead us to health problems such as heartburn and indigestion. One should not forget the fact that eating rich food over time can increase the risk of weight gain and other diet-related conditions such as stroke, diabetes and heart disease. So, the best is to exercise restraint.

This does not mean that we should totally ignore all these festive foods but instead, we should eat healthily. But, how can we do it?

Here are some useful eating tips suggested by dietitians.

One dietitian suggests having a sugared drink or light snack before going out for meal as this can stave off hungers and prevent overeating. When you are at the buffer table, choose low-fat and low-sugar dishes that include lean meats without the skin, fruit and vegetables. If you must take ham, just have one serving (2 thin slices). Excessive salt intake should be avoided as this may lead to hypertension (high blood pressure).

Indigestion and gastric pains due to overeating are not uncommon problems during the festive period. So eat slowly, and chew your food well and do not forget to use small plates to cut down on the portions of food you consume.

Another dietitian advises people to stop eating several hours before bedtime because lying down too soon after eating increases the likelihood of heartburn. After a heavy meal, one should try restore balance to his or her diet by having smaller meals or light snacks of fruit for the next one of two meals.

If you want to prepare meals at home, then take note of the followings:

• Steam, grill or boil food instead of frying it.
• Remove the skin from poultry.
• Add vegetables to meat dishes.
• Use less salt and seasoning, and replace with herbs, spices and homemade stock.

How To Get People Exercising?

"You have to exercise in order to stay healthy!"

Have you ever been advised by friends, relatives or doctors? But frankly, how many of you will take this statement seriously and actually exercise regularly?

Now, there is a way to help you exercise on a regular basis!

A study of sedentary adults of age 55 and above revealed that telephone calls, whether from a person or a computer, may help motivate people to get some exercise. The study was published in the journal Health Psychology and was conducted by researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

218 healthy but sedentary adults were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups:

Group 1 - received periodic phone calls from a health counsellor to check on their exercise progress.

Group 2 - received similar calls from an automated phone system.
Group 3 - was a 'control' group that was offered weekly health education classes.

Participants in both group 1 and 2 first met with a health educator who helped them devise an exercise plan. They then received phone calls to monitor their progress and to assist them overcome any obstacles to stay active. The automated system used in group 2 was designed to be as 'human-friendly' as possible. Each study participant was called by name, and the system asked questions about exercise progress for participants to respond by phone keypad.

The initial aim of the study was to get people exercising for 150 minutes per week (or 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week). And what the researchers got after one year were:

- people in group 1 managed to exercise an average of 178 minutes per week.
- people in group 2 exercised an average of 157 minutes per week.

The results were very encouraging and suggested that automated phone systems might offer a more cost-efficient way to reach sedentary Americans than systems that rely on human callers. Organizations capable of running such phone-based programs include local colleges, health insurance companies, health clinics, American Heart Association, etc.

If people can have a good habit of exercising at least 150 minutes a week, together with adopting healthy diet, then it will definitely help in preventing heart disease and other related medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol level, etc.