Artificially Sweetened Drinks Not Necessarily Healthier

Many experts feel that a contributing factor in the worldwide problem in the increased incidence of type II diabetes and obesity may be the increased consumption of sweetened drinks. Many people turn to diet drinks with artificial sweeteners as a healthier alternative. However, a number of studies have looked at whether people who drink diet beverages are healthier. The latest study out of Harvard found that consuming beverages flavored with either sugar or artificial sweeteners was associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension. From the review of three large, prospective studies of healthcare professionals, drinking at least one sweetened beverage a day was associated with a 6% to 20% greater relative risk of receiving a hypertension diagnosis from a doctor. The bottom line is that plain old water may be your healthiest drink.Your Burbank Cardiologist for Women

Chocolate Lowers Stroke Risk in Women

Yet another study has shown the benefits of chocolate consumption for women. Swedish women who ate about 2 bars of chocolate a week had a 20% reduction in the risk of stroke. In Sweden, most chocolate consumed is milk chocolate with an average cocoa content of 30% which is higher than in the US. "Cocoa contains flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and can suppress oxidation of low-density lipoprotein ['bad' cholesterol] which can cause cardiovascular disease [including stroke]," explained study author Susanna Larsson, an associate professor in the division of nutritional epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Chocolate's benefits don't end there, Larsson said, adding that dark chocolate consumption has also been found to reduce blood pressure, lower insulin resistance and help keep your blood from forming dangerous clots. However, the only problem with chocolate is that it usually comes with a lot of calories so don't just add chocolate to your diet. The best way to add chocolate would be to substitute it for other dessert calories. As always, trying to provide the best cardiology in Los Angeles.

Chocolate Consumption Associated with Lower Risk of Heart Disease

A new meta-analysis has shown that people who consume chocolate have a lower chance of heart disease. However, the study did not look at the specific types of chocolate. Prior investigations have suggested that cocoa products because they contain flavonols may play a beneficial role in cardiovascular disease outcomes. However, there is great reluctance to recommend adding chocolate to the diet as chocolates have a lot of calories and may lead to weight gain.

The bottom line is that for women I would not recommend simply adding chocolate to your diet, but rather swapping out the calories in a modest amount of chocolate for other calories in the diet. Especially, if weight control is a concern, I certainly would not advocate adding chocolate (rather than substituting it) in one's diet. In terms of the type of chocolate to consume, studies have suggested that the higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the better.

Exercise Lowers Risk of Heart Disease More in Women

A review of the literature published in the journal Circulation once again demonstrates the benefits of exercise in lowering the risk of heart disease. The key finding were that people "who engaged in the equivalent of 150 min/wk of moderate-intensity leisure-time physical activity (minimum amount, 2008 US federal guidelines) had a 14% lower coronary heart disease risk (relative risk, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.77 to 0.96) compared with those reporting no leisure-time physical activity. Those engaging in the equivalent of 300 min/wk of moderate-intensity leisure-time physical activity (2008 US federal guidelines for additional benefits) had a 20% (relative risk, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.74 to 0.88) lower risk. At higher levels of physical activity, relative risks were modestly lower. People who were physically active at levels lower than the minimum recommended amount also had significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease. There was a significant interaction by sex (P=0.03); the association was stronger among women than men."

The bottom line is that moderate physical activity will lower your risk of heart disease and that no amount of activity is too little to help. The optimal amount of activity would seem to be about 45 minutes per day. And the effects of exercise were particularly effective for women.
Your Los Angeles Women's Cardiologist

Broken Heart Syndrome or Stress Induced Cardiomyopathy in Women

Some women will have symptoms that are similar to a heart attack but do not have coronary artery disease and when tested will rule out for a heart attack. Yet, these women's hearts are not functioning normally. A study published in JAMA JAMA helps explain this phenomenon. Stress cardiomyopathy or Broken Heart Syndrome, first reported in Japan as takotsubo, is characterized by acute, profound, but reversible left ventricular dysfunction in the absence of significant coronary artery disease, triggered by acute emotional or physical stress. It is estimated that about 2% of women who present with symptoms of a heart attack may in fact have stress induced cardiomyopathy. The precise cause of this syndrome is not know but it is felt that sympathetic nerve hyperactivity of the so called the "Flight or Fight" system may be involved. Usually, the Broken Heart Syndrome affects post menopausal women but it can also affect younger women and men.
Your Women's Cardiologist

Exercise Helps Women with Postural High Heart Rate

About 500,000 mainly younger women are affected by a syndrome called "POTS" or postural tachcardia syndrome. With this syndrome, the women are typically affected by having a high heart rate, or tachycardia, when they go from sitting or lying position to a standing position. The volume of blood pumped out from the heart with each beat is low. That can make it difficult to stand for long periods. Quality of life can suffer greatly.

A new study just published showed that an exercise program consisting of doing recumbent exercises such as using an recumbent exercise bicycle, a rowing machine, or swimming could greatly decrease the symptoms of this syndrome. In this small study, the rigorous exercise program helped many and cured 10 of 19 patients. The study is published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Your Women's Cardiologist

Coffee and Blood Pressure

At the American Society of Hypertension meeting, there was a presentation that showed that the caffeine in coffee produces an acute elevation in blood pressure in patients with a history of high blood pressure, but there does not appear to be a longer-term effect on blood pressure or cardiovascular risk, a systematic review and meta-analysis showed.

In a meta-analysis of five trials, consuming 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine -- the amount found in one-and-a-half to two cups of coffee -- produced a mean increase in blood pressure of 8.1/5.6 mm Hg. The effect on the blood pressure was most pronounce from 1-3 hours after consuming the coffee.

The bottom line is that if you have high blood pressure and are a caffeinated coffee (or probably any caffeinated beverage) lover, you should check your blood pressure about 1-2 hours after drinking the caffeine. If you have high blood pressure that is not well controlled, then you might want to consider switching to decaf.

A Natural Way to Lower Cholesterol in Women

In a new study just presented of 160 women between the ages of 45-65, researchers found that eating apples lowered cholesterol. In the study, the women ate about 2/3 a cup of dried apples a day.The women who ate apples saw their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol – the “bad” kind known as LDL – drop by 23% after six months. These women also saw their levels of C-reactive protein (a measure of potentially dangerous inflammation). Though the dried apples added 240 calories to their daily diet, these women wound up losing weight – 3.3 pounds, on average.


Though the study used dried apples for convenience, the lead researcher says fresh are likely to be even better. And it doesn’t matter if they’re green, red, or golden. “Any varieties of apples are good,” he says.

The bottom line is that adding an apple or two a day as a snack may be a natural way of lowering cholesterol and inflammation in women.

Working Overtime May Increase Risk of Heart Disease

Long working hours are associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease. One thought is that people who work long hours may not take as good care of themselves and therefore have other risk factors for heart disease such as being overweight, high blood pressure, smoke, or have an increased incidence of diabetes. However, a new study showed that after adjustment for traditional risk factors, people working 11 hours or more per day had a 1.67-fold increased risk for coronary heart disease compared with participants working 7 to 8 hours per day.Study Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine

The bottom line is that many people do not have a choice about the hours that they work but that if they are working long hours they should make sure to do other things to keep their heart healthy such as exercising, getting enough sleep, eating a heart healthy diet, and doing enjoyable activities with people they like.
By aLos Angeles Women's Cardiologist

The Risk of Diabetes Keeps Increasing

Number Of Americans With Prediabetes Increasing.
The Los Angeles Times (3/21, Worth) reports, "The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released figures in January showing that the number of American adults with prediabetes had jumped from 57 million in 2008 to 79 million in 2010."

The importance of this statistic is that a high percentage of people with prediabetes will go onto develop diabetes. But with aggressive lifestyle modification including eating the proper foods, increased exercise, and weight loss, many cases of diabetes can be prevented.

The bottom line is that women with any risk factors for diabetes should be screened for prediabetes with a fasting blood sugar determination.

Expert Advice for a Healthy Heart

Which heart-healthy foods should I eat? What's behind the high rates of heart disease? What should I do — and not do — to keep my heart healthy?

If you want answers to these questions and more, check out the advice from a number of heart experts Everyday Health Expert Advice

Job Stress Increases Women's Risk of Heart Disease

Researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in a large study found that job stress significantly increased the risk of heart disease in women. LA Times article

The women in the study were primarily white health professionals in their 50s. They were followed for more than 10 years. Job stress was defined as having a demanding job but little or no decision-making authority or opportunities to use one's creative or individual skills.

These results are consistent with a large study out of England which also showed that job stress- particularly having little control at work-was a significant risk factor for heart disease. Part of the mechanism by which the stress may contribute to the risk of heart disease is that chronic job stress is associated with increased abdominal fat.

For more information, about women and heart disese visit our Women's Heart Program in Los Angeles

What is a normal women's heart rate during peak exercise?

During exercise, it is normal for the heart rate to increase. The peak heart rate that you should be able to obtain varies by age. For many years, the formula used for women was the one that was derived for men. In a large study of over 5,000 healthy women, cardiologist Martha Gulati, MD, of Northwestern University has found that women—when it comes to physiology—are not the same as men. "Women are not small men," Gulati states. "There is a gender difference in exercise capacity a woman can achieve. Different physiologic responses can occur. " The old formula for peak heart rated -- 220 minus age -- is based on data obtained from men. The new formula for women is 206 minus 88 percent of age. At age 50, the old formula would give a peak rate of 170 beats per minute women (and men). The new formula for women would result in an estimated maximum heart rate of 162 beats for women.

This new formula published in 2010 in the heart journal Circulation is important for women. First, many women and trainers use the calculated peak heart rate for a certain age and multiply it by 65 to 85 percent to determine the rate heart that they want to target during exercise. In addition, with the new formula, physicians will more accurately determine if women are having a normal or abnormal response to exercise. "If it's abnormal, that's a marker for a higher risk of death," Gulati said.

Find out more about our Women's Heart Program