After your heart attack: what now?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 2 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Post-heart attack, when my shocked and stunned Victoria Hospice co-workers came to visit me in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit of the hospital where we all worked, I promised them that, although I probably couldn’t come to work the next day, I would certainly be back at my desk by the day after that.  Little did I know at that crazily optimistic and possibly drug-addled moment that there was absolutely zero chance of me actually being able to keep that promise.

In fact, recovery from a cardiac event can take a surprisingly long time, both physically and emotionally – much more than I could have ever predicted.        .         . Continue reading “After your heart attack: what now?” →

His and hers heart disease

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 2 Comments

heart man womanby Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Should we invent a new name for women’s heart disease? A review on the topic of gender differences in heart disease reminds us what many heart attack survivors already know: when it comes to heart attacks, women are not just small men.

Standard cardiac treatment typically focuses on obstructive coronary artery disease, which up to half of women may not ever experience. In obstructive coronary artery disease, the large blood vessels in the heart can become blocked through atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty cholesterol streaks build up in the arteries.

In fact, the Framingham Risk Score, based on a study of over 5,000 participants (and their descendents) followed since 1948, is the traditional measure of heart disease risk, yet this scale mistakenly classified almost 90% of women as low risk – which is hard to get your brain wrapped around given that more women than men die each year from heart disease.

But in small vessel disease, the narrowing of the very small arteries in the heart means they can’t expand properly. As a result, your heart muscles don’t get an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood. This inability to expand is called endothelial dysfunction. This problem may cause your small vessels to become even smaller when you’re active or under emotional stress. The reduced blood flow through the small blood vessels causes chest pain and other debilitating symptoms similar to those you’d have if you were having a heart attack. Continue reading “His and hers heart disease” →

Breast cancer survivors also at increased risk for developing heart disease

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 9 Comments

heart tattoo

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Although breast cancer survivors usually worry about their long-term risk of recurrence, most of these women should be just as concerned about their hearts, medical researchers reported at a San Francisco oncology conference.

The 10-year risk of a serious cardiovascular event was at least as high as the risk of breast cancer for 78% of women, Dr. Aditya Bardia of Johns Hopkins and colleagues reported at the ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium. 

See also:  When cancer treatment damages your heart

Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and chair of the session where the results were presented, said this link is a consistent message emerging in breast oncology:

”  Breast cancer patients need more attention to cardiovascular health regardless of their risk level.  We need more interaction with cardiologists.” Continue reading “Breast cancer survivors also at increased risk for developing heart disease” →

Don’t believe those probiotic yogurt health claims

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 3 Comments

 

pinocchio10

by Carolyn Thomas   ♥  @HeartSisters

No doubt you have seen those supremely annoying television commercials for Activia probiotic yogurt – the ones with the belly dancing midsections, promising some vaguely happy midsection outcome if we take the Activia challenge for 14 days in a row.  You may not be seeing those ads for much longer, however, because it’s been a very bad month for probiotic bacteria.

Activia is the superstar of yogurt brands, bringing in over $100 million in sales during its first year of release in North America alone. But last week, the European Food Safety Authority published its evaluation of Dannon’s Activia and DanActive yogurts, finding them lacking in scientific evidence to support their advertised health claims.

This comes hard on the heels of a $35 million settlement in a U.S. lawsuit for its massive false advertising campaign that convinced consumers to pay 30% more for their yogurt containing probiotic bacteria.

Probiotic bacteria are live bacteria that are supposed to not only help regulate your digestion, but also help improve your immune system. These bacteria can be found naturally in your intestinal tract, but scientists say that as you age, good bacteria such as probiotics will decrease. Dannon has claimed their yogurt will help replenish the good bacteria to your system, thus improving your health.

Not so fast, say the courts, that found even Dannon’s own studies failed to prove that Activia has health benefits superior to other brands of yogurt.

This decision may be significant for our heart health, because Dannon’s parent company, Danone Group of France, was – until this false advertising legal settlement – already planning to launch ad campaigns overseas that also claim Activia lowers cholesterol.

According to Dr. Bret Lashner, a gastroenterologist at the world-famous Cleveland Clinic, there are few credible studies showing that any probiotics actually work.

“Mostly anecdotal information is available. You won’t know if a probiotic works unless your symptoms go away. 

“Most studies have shown mixed results. In clinical trials for irritable bowel syndrome, some patients experienced improvement in symptoms, and some didn’t. In a study on upper respiratory infection, probiotics reduced the duration of the illness, but the results were not duplicated when a different probiotic was used.”

An exception, he says, appears to be using probiotics for infant colic, although the long-term effects of giving babies probiotics is unknown.

Read more about Activia’s false advertising campaign in The Ethical Nag.

NEWS FLASH!  – February 28, 2010:  Dannon has reached a settlement in a class action suit brought against it for falsely representing the health benefits of its yogurt. The company will pay up to $100 to individual consumers who have been misled by its “health claims”. Dannon must also remove the words “clinically”, “scientifically proven” and “immunity”  from product labels, as well as include a qualifier to its claim the yogurt “helps strengthen your body’s defenses” or “helps support the immune system.”

Read Fooducate‘s report called “Yogurt Lovers Rejoice and Collect Your $100 Settlement”.