The 10 healthiest foods, according to Mayo Clinic
Lauren, over at That's Fit recently wrote about a nutritionist who chose what he believes are the world's 10 healthiest foods. I can't imagine taking on that job, because there are a lot of different factors that can define a food as "healthy." In this case, he focused on foods that were rich in vitamins, antioxidants (especially A, E, and beta carotene) and minerals, full of fiber, and linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. He also chose foods that were readily available and were low in calorie density. By combining all those factors, he came up with this list:- apples
- almonds
- blueberries
- broccoli
- red beans
- salmon
- spinach
- sweet potatoes
- vegetable juice
- wheat germ
The truth about women and heart disease
Filed under: Women Heart Health
Although breast cancer seems to be getting a lot more press lately, the biggest threat to women's health today is actually heart disease. And although men are more often thought of when picturing a heart attack victim, the truth is women are actually more likely to both have heart disease and they're more likely to die from a heart attack in the weeks immediately following than men are. The Mayo Clinic has a handy quiz for women regarding the truth on a variety of health topics, heart disease and breast cancer included, and it's interesting to read the explanations after you take it because some of the answers are surprising!
Heart disease data may not be gender-specific
Filed under: Research, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health
We've all heard the expression: There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. I always do my best to remember these very words as I research articles for this blog. As I've pointed out several times, there seems to be a great deal of contradictory information circulating the research field, lending credibility to the aforesaid statement regarding statistics. Understandably, research methods, treatment models, and everything else in between can be the cause of the paucity of irrefutable evidence these days. But, there's simply no excuse for overlooking something as simple as dividing test results by gender. Now being quite honest, I'm not really all up in arms about the whole thing. The Mayo Clinic, however, seems a bit ticked.
According to their own study, the Mayo Clinic determined that it is very rare that researchers will produce a sex-based analysis of their findings. In a review of 64 cardiovascular clinic trials published from July 1 through December 31, 2004, only 153 of the publications provided sex-specific reporting. This is especially dangerous when dealing with diseases that tend to affect one sex more than the other, which is the case with heart disease. Being the number one threat to a woman's health, it is imperative that they know whether published data is skewed in any way by gender involvement.
The researchers from the Mayo Clinic suggest that when female patients are recommended a certain treatment or test, they should ask whether women were included in the research. And, if so (and if known), what percentage of the sample group did they represent.
Pesky kidney stones afflict diabetics
Filed under: Type 2, Research, Daily News
What're red and shaped like big jelly beans? Your kidneys, of course! But kidneys can cause trouble and strife when those nasty little gritty things known as kidney stones develop. Once they're formed, it's awfully unpleasant for those afflicted, and it's tough to get the darn things out. All kidney stones cause pain and discomfort, usually in the back, sides or abdomen. Other symptoms include nausea, bloody urine and painful or frequent urination. Now a new report says that there's more of these stones to go around lately: the incidence of the stones is increasing not just in the US, but worldwide. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the spread of Type 2 diabetes could be the culprit. The findings, published in the American Journal of Kidney Disease, came after the researchers looked at a bunch of patients and found that having diabetes appeared to predispose them to a type of kidney stones composed of uric acid (as opposed to stones composed of calcium) Of 3,561 patients who were diagnosed with kidney stones between 1980 and 1999, those with high blood pressure, and suffering from obesity and diabetes were in much worse shape. Of those with uric acid kidney stones, forty percent also had diabetes. The scientist then performed some handy calculations and estimate that people diagnosed with uric acid kidney stones have about a five-fold risk of diabetes, so they and their doctors should be on the lookout for signs of the disease.
[RESEARCH] Diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of a simplified low cost method of counting CD4 cells with flow cytometry in Malawi: diagnostic accuracy study
Objectives To assess the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of a simplified low cost method for measuring absolute and percentage CD4 counts with flow cytometry.
Design A CD4 counting method (Blantyre count) using a CD4 and CD45 antibody combination with reduced blood and reagent volumes. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by measuring agreement of the index test with two other assays (TruCount and FACSCount). Clinical utility was investigated by comparing CD4 counts with the new assay with WHO clinical staging in patients with HIV.
Setting Research laboratories and antiretroviral therapy clinic at a medical school and large government hospital in southern Malawi.
Participants Assay comparisons were performed on consecutive blood samples sent for CD4 counting from 129 patients with HIV. Comparison of CD4 count with staging was conducted on 253 consecutive new patients attending the antiretroviral therapy clinic.
Main outcome measures Limits of agreement with 95% confidence intervals between index test and reference standards.
Results The limits of agreement for Blantyre count and TruCount were excellent (cell count –48.9 to 27.0 x109/l for absolute counts in the CD4 range <400x109/l and –2.42% to 2.37% for CD4 percentage). The assay was affordable with reagent costs per test of $0.44 (£0.22, 0.33) for both absolute count and CD4 percentage, and $0.11 for CD4 percentage alone. Of 193 patients with clinical stage I or II disease, who were ineligible for antiretroviral therapy by clinical staging criteria, 73 (38%) had CD4 counts <200x109/l. By contrast, 12 (20%) of 60 patients with stage III or IV disease had CD4 counts >350x109/l.
Conclusions This simplified method of counting CD4 cells with flow cytometry has good agreement with established commercial assays, is affordable for routine clinical use in Africa, and could improve clinical decision making in patients with HIV.
Sweet and lower
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Adult Onset, Diet, Lifestyle, Exercise, Products, Services, Support
The Diet Channel promotes the headline: eat right, exercise smart, feel great! An authoritative resource for diet and fitness information, The Diet Channel offers several different summaries of the most popular diets, as well as informative articles on nutrition and health.
An article of diabetic interest pertains to those of us who are curious (or downright fixated) on artificial sweeteners. This article warns that it is not always safe to assume that just because a product is made with a sugar substitute, such as Splenda, it is healthier, or lower in calorie content. A thorough list of sweeteners and their key ingredients end the article, along with research findings on the safety of these products.
The Diet Channel offers information on every flavor of diet you can imagine, articles to motivate you to stick with it, and loads of information to keep you coming back. If I didn't know any better - I'd say it looks to be the wikipedia of dieting. And if you've ever found yourself consuming hour after hour digging through wikipedia topics...you'll know exactly what I'm talking about!
10 things you need to know about your heart problems
Filed under: Drugs, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health, Surgery
You've been diagnosed with a heart problem. You have a lot of questions but you can't seem to get your head around this, this thing that's just been dropped on you like bomb. You probably feel very alone but believe it or not, situations like this are pretty common so WebMD has come up with this handy list of things you should ask your doctor about your heart condition. You need to know the facts, what can be done and where you'll end up on this roller coaster of life--and you might not know which questions to ask. Either that or you're too overwhelmed to think it through. You can even print the list out and take it to your doctor.
If you've gone through this before, what information did you find the most useful?
Popular diabetes drug Avandia poses heart attack risk for type 2 diabetics
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Drugs
When my mom was first diagnosed with diabetes in the late 1990s, her internist prescribed Rezulin, a popular diabetes drug approved in 1997. Then one day the phone rang. Her internist called to alert her Rezulin was causing fatal liver failure and he wanted her off the drug immediately.
Now Avandia, a popular diabetes drug which helps sensitize the body to insulin, is on the hotseat. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. Steven Nissen and statistician Kathy Wolski at the Cleveland Clinic suggests Avandia significantly raises the risk of heart attack for type 2 diabetics.
Nissen pooled results of nearly 28,000 people across dozens of studies, revealing a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack for Avandia users compared to diabetics prescribed different drugs or no diabetes medication at all. Two-thirds of type 2 diabetics die of heart problems. With a 43 percent higher risk, Avandia may be downright dangerous.
GlaxoSmithKline PLC, maker of Avandia, disputes Nissen's analysis, but admitted a similar review revealed a 30 percent increased risk. I don't know about you, but a 30 percent higher risk of heart attack frightens me. Glaxo did say further rigorous studies did not confirm an excess risk.
I suspect the phones will soon be ringing in the homes of Avandia-prescribed type 2 diabetics. And it's not good news.
Why being an athlete isn't as healthy as it used to be
Filed under: Exercise
Physical activity is great for your health, and although it's no guarantee against heart disease and cardiovascular issues it is a pretty big deterrent and can definitely swing the odds in your favor. But being an athlete isn't as healthy as it used to be years ago, now that air pollution levels and smog have risen so much in urban and highly populated areas. Athletes breathe in more air than the average sedentary person, and those chemicals and pollutants can build up their bodies and cause problems in the heart and lungs.Suggestions on limiting the damage caused by poor air quality include doing what you can to avoid working out in high traffic areas and staying indoors altogether when the air quality is bad. You can usually get air quality readings on the website for your local state or city, or That's Fit found this handy national map that can also give you an idea of what you're dealing with in your area.
Free cholesterol screenings in September!
Filed under: Prevention, Services
Unfortunately it seems that even though heart disease is one of the biggest health threats we face today too many people are completely unaware of what their cholesterol levels are and what they should be doing about it. So in an effort to help educate people, and in honor of National Cholesterol Education Month, Polymer Technology Systems (PTS) will be offering free cholesterol screenings nationwide throughout the month of September. Find out your cholesterol numbers and get great info on steps you can start taking today at Kroger Pharmacy locations all throughout this month and at Sam's Club stores on September 15th. They'll be using the handy hand-held CardioChek gadget and giving information on where you can get one of your own if you want to keep track at home. Here's to good health!