Monthly Archives: March 2017

High blood pressure and angina have been the standard indications for opting beta-blockers until in a current study presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Lung Science Conference; Lies Lahousse reported that beta-blockers may prove to be beneficial in diminishing the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. In exacerbations, a COPD patient suffers from increased breathlessness. Although it is likely that beta-blockers may create breathing problems by constricting the airway muscles, certain previous studies indicate their beneficial effects in COPD patients.

The study investigated health records of 1,621 COPD patients taken using beta-blockers from the Rotterdam Study and followed till exacerbations happened. The investigators observed that the relative risk reduction for COPD exacerbations was 21% with cardio selective beta-blockers (which are basically opted to treat heart disease). Further, the risk was much lower (55%) in heart failure patients. Given their potential assets, the study offers promising results for treatment with beta-blockers in patients with heart disease at the same time as COPD.

One of the major and common diseases that endanger postmenopausal women is breast cancer. Obesity is the prominent risk factor indicated in breast cancer to date. It’s believed that obese women have elevated inflammation due to which they are prone to breast cancer.

A recent two-year study in Cancer Prevention Research demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids with its anti-inflammatory effects may prove to be a valuable tool to reduce the risk of breast cancer in obese postmenopausal women. In this study, Andrea Manni examined the effect of omega-3 fatty acid (Lovaza) supplementation on breast density in different weight women. Breast density is a well known, independent biomarker for breast cancer; a woman is more prone to develop breast cancer if she has high breast density.

About 266 healthy postmenopausal women with high breast density either received no treatment, received antiestrogen drug Raloxifene, Lovaza or a combination of both drugs. The study found reduced breast density with increasing omega-3 levels (specifically DHA) in women with body mass index above 29 (borderline obesity) proving its protective capabilities in obese postmenopausal women and marking a way to personalize breast cancer prevention strategies. Added to this, combination of Lovaza and Raloxifene showed superior effect than Lovaza alone in reducing triglycerides and LDL

Water is a fundamental component since 70% of the body comprises of water. In a recent study issued in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Prof.Ruopeng An, stated that increasing plain water consumption results in excellent weight management and reduces intake of sugar, salt and fat. The investigators acquired a nationally representative sample from approximately 18,300 adults in the US from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2012.

The participants were asked to recall all foods and drinks they consumed on 2 days that were between 3-10 days apart. In addition to plain water intake (defined as water from a tap, cooler, drinking fountain or bottle), most people consume beverages like black tea, herbal tea, coffee and other drinks; and other foods (soup broths, celery, tomatoes and melons). On account of these criteria, the amount of plain water consumed was calculated as a percentage of daily dietary water intake from foods and beverages. Demographics showed that on an average, participants consumed about 30% of plain water (about 4.2 cups/day).

Overall calorie intake of each participant was 2,157 calories (125 cal from sugar-sweetened beverages, 432 cal from nonessential foods—desserts, pastries, snack mixes). However, in participants who increased their plain water consumption by 1-3 cups/day, significant reduction was observed in total energy intake (68-205 cal), sugar intake (18 g/day), salt intake (78-235 g/day) and fat intake (7-21 g/day).

The study further claims that educational campaigns and nutritional interventions does not need a customized approach to promote plain water intake since increasing plain water intake and replacing calorific beverages with water is an effective public health strategy to reduce high energy intake in diverse population.

When it’s about cholesterol, LDL cholesterol manifests as the prime risk factor in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, a recent study headed by Heribert Schunkert reported that the energy stores of the body—triglycerides—are the next harmful variants after LDL; and discovered that people having a particular gene mutation caused significant decrement in triglyceride levels thereby reducing the risk of heart attack by 50%.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, analysed 13,000 genes from 200,000 heart attack and healthy people. The authors found that apart from nutrition and predisposition, triglyceride levels are affected greatly by the ANGPTL4 (angiopoietin-like 4) gene. The ANGPTL4 gene trims the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) enzyme (that causes breakdown of triglycerides); thereby increasing triglyceride levels in blood. Mutation in ANGPTL4 gene is found to bring about radical cut down in triglyceride concentration.

Scientists also noticed that the body does not necessitate the presence of ANGPTL4 gene and therefore suggest that mutating or just switching off the gene is enough for drastic drop in triglyceride levels. Although, medications need to be developed to nullify the effect of this gene, animal trials have already showed successful results through a neutralizing antibody against ANGPTL4, paving way for human trials.