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