RedScrubs
The Resource for Medical Professionals

An article in Medical News Today, March 10, 2008, stated that the first meta-analysis had been conducted between the glycemic index (g.i.), glycemic load (g.l.) and risk of diabetes/heart disease. However, an earlier meta-analysis was found in Diabetes Care, 2003. In the meta-analysis done in 2003, 356 subjects were looked at for HbA1c and fructosamine as it related to blood sugar control while eating low g.i. foods. Systematically taking out each study did not change the results.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States with approximately 80% of patients having one of four risk factors – hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and smoking. All of these factors can be modified through lifestyle changes. Dietitians are trained and uniquely qualified to effectively modify diets and lifestyle behaviors to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease and their associated risk factors.

The concentration of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a key intermediate of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and is responsible for the body’s production of energy in every cell containing a mitochondria. C-reactive protein is a plasma protein, an acute phase protein produced by the liver and fat cells. It rises dramatically during inflammatory conditions and is used as marker not only for inflammation but heart disease as well. Unfortunately, C - reactive protein is not a good specific marker for heart disease risk.

A recent Cochrane Review meta-analysis confirmed the benefits of the Hawthorne extract (made from dried leaves, flowers and fruits of the Hawthorne bush) and concluded that the extract may be used as an oral treatment for the symptom control and adverse physiologic outcomes associated with chronic heart disease failure. It is believed that the antioxidant activity of the phenolic compounds present in Hawthorne extract helps to:

Recently the American Heart Association (AHA) came out with a report on meeting their benchmarks for reductions in heart disease and stroke. They claimed that their 2010 goals for reductions in these areas were met for coronary heart disease and almost met for stroke. A study from the Archives of Internal Medicine published in February 2008 state unequivocally that the reductions in coronary heart disease have ended. The question of whether this termination of the reduction trend is due to rising obesity and diabetes awaits further study.

Patients with heart disease are just not getting it. The poor nutrition habits that contributed to their diagnosis of coronary heart disease were basically unchanged one year later. As outlined in the results of a study published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dietary Association, these patients are not making necessary additions to and cut in their diets.