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