Sugary Drinks May Increase Heart, Diabetes Risk In Women, Even Of Normal Weight

Women who drink two or more sugary drinks a day, even if they are of normal weight, appear to be at higher risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to a new study presented over the weekend to the American Heart Association's (AHA's) Scientific Sessions 2011, which is running from 12-16 November, in Orlando, Florida. An abstract of the study is available to view online in the AHA journal Circulation.
Sugar-sweetened drinks includes beverages such as carbonated sodas or flavored waters with added sugar.

Previous studies have examined and found links between drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity, high blood fats, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. But studies following large, ethnically diverse populations looking at links with cardiovascular risk factors are sparse, said the researchers.
Lead author Dr Christina Shay, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and colleagues, compared middle-aged and older women who consumed two or more sugar-sweetened drinks to women who drank one or less a day.

They found that women who drank two or more such drinks a day were significantly more likely to develop larger waists and have impaired fasting levels of glucose. They were also nearly four times as likely to develop high triglycerides, a type of blood fat linked to increased risk of heart disease.
They didn't find any such links in men.
Shay said in a press statement:
"Women who drank more than two sugar-sweetened drinks a day had increasing waist sizes, but weren't necessarily gaining weight. These women also developed high triglycerides, and women with normal blood glucose levels more frequently went from having a low risk to a high risk of developing diabetes over time."
"Most people assume that individuals who consume a lot of sugar-sweetened drinks have an increase in obesity, which in turn, increases their risk for heart disease and diabetes. Although this does occur, this study showed that risk factors for heart disease and stroke developed even when the women didn't gain weight," she added.
For the study, Shay and colleagues examined data from 4,166 African-American, Caucasian, Chinese-Americans and Hispanic adults who took part in the the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). The participants, aged from 45 to 84 years, had completed food-frequency questionnaires when the study started in 2000-2002.
During five years of follow-up, the participants underwent three exams from which the researchers were able to assess changes in body weight, waist size, levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL "good" cholesterol), levels of low density lipoproteins (LDL "bad" cholesterol), triglycerides, levels of fasting glucose, and presence of type 2 diabetes.
The study was conducted at Northwestern University's Department of Preventive Medicine in Chicago, where Shay used to be based.

She and her colleagues noted that the metabolic influence of sugar-sweetened beverages is "complex and is not homogenous between men and women".
They said we know that women need fewer calories than men, so it looks like when a higher proportion comes from drinking sugar-sweetened drinks, they therefore experience a higher cardiovascular risk.

But exactly how such drinks influence cardiovascular risk, what biological mechanisms might be involved, is still somewhat unclear and warrants further investigation, said the researchers, who are planning to do just that.

Funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute helped pay for the study.

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Female Shift Workers May Be At Higher Risk Of Heart Disease

Women hospital staff working night shifts may be compromising their own health as they try to improve the health of patients, Dr. Joan Tranmer told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2011, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

Dr. Tranmer's study investigated the connection between shift work and risk factors for heart disease in female hospital employees who worked both shift and non-shift rotations.
As a former nurse familiar with shift work and because of her concern about the health of the female hospital work force, Dr. Tranmer questioned whether late nights were taking their toll on the health of her fellow hospital employees. "As I walked through the hospital and talked with my colleagues, I was concerned about what I was seeing in a lot of the workers," she said. "We did not know if this is related to shift work or other aspects of hospital work".
Her study reinforced what she observed about the health of female hospital employees. Dr. Tranmer studied 227 women ranging in age between 22 and 66 (with a mean age of 46) from two hospitals in southeastern Ontario. The study included not only nurses but a variety of staff, including administrative employees as well as lab and equipment technicians, who worked a variety of rotations.

She examined each of the women's possible risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. The syndrome's five indicators are abdominal obesity (elevated waist circumference), high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose, elevated triglycerides, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, also known as 'good cholesterol.' The women also completed a detailed survey about their work history and lifestyle.

The findings of this study suggest that approximately one in five middle-aged women who do shift work have at least three risk indicators for heart disease.

From the group, 17 per cent had metabolic syndrome, with at least three of the identified indicators. Thirty-eight per cent had high blood pressure. Of particular concern was the finding that 60 per cent of the participants had a waist circumference greater than 80 cm (31.5 inches).

Abdominal obesity and elevated waist circumference are good predictors for risk of developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. The greater your waist circumference, the higher your risk of developing these conditions.

The study found that age and current shift work status were significantly associated with increased risk. Women over 45 years, those who had reached menopause, had a shift work history of more than six years, and those currently working either 12 hour shifts or rotational shifts were more likely to have metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome was present in eight per cent of those working shifts for less than six years, in 18 per cent in those working shifts for six to 15 years, and in 74 percent of those working shifts for more than 15 years. While the increase in prevalence of risk factors is also associated with age, the influence of the combination of older age and shift work on risk raises concern.

"Just how shift work contributes to the development of such risk factors isn't clear," says Dr. Tranmer. "It is possible that the disruption of biological rhythms, sleeping, eating, and exercise patterns may be factors." The research team is exploring these potential pathways in a current study.

A Statistics Canada survey on the work-life balance of shift workers found that long work hours were associated with role overload. Shift workers were more likely to cut back on sleep, to spend less time with their spouse, and to worry about not spending enough time with family, compared with regular day workers.

"All women should manage their weight and other risk factors, and this study shows women working shift work especially need to be aware," said Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson. "We spend so many of our hours and days at work, it is important for employers and employees to create as healthy a work environment as possible - especially for shift workers."

She says that, given the prevalence of these cardiovascular risk factors, and in particular with abdominal obesity rates and the increasing age of the female hospital workforce, this study raises the need to examine workplace policy encouraging healthy behaviours for all employees.

She recommends that women find out how they can protect their heart health through the Foundation's The Heart Truth™ campaign (thehearttruth.ca), which educates women about identifying their risks and warning signs of heart disease and stroke, and shows them how to make lifestyle changes and take action to reduce their risk by as much as 80 per cent.

"These women work so hard caring for others, but they need to take the time to properly care of their own health," says Dr. Tranmer.

According to Statistics Canada, over 4 million workers aged 19 to 64 worked something other than a regular day shift in 2005. Of these shift workers, about 3.3 million worked full time (30 or more hours a week). Rotating shifts and irregular schedules were the most common types of shift work, accounting for 2.3 million full-time workers. Women made up 37 per cent of all full-time shift workers. The majority of women working shifts (69 per cent) worked part time.

When asked if similar conclusions could be drawn for male shift workers, Dr. Tranmer said that much of our understanding about the associations between shift work and health come from studies that have predominantly included men so she wanted to focus on the link in women.

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Chocolate and Your Heart

The latest news about chocolate is encouraging: an analysis of several studies involving data on more than 100,000 people suggested that those who reported eating chocolate regularly lowered their risk of heart disease by more than one-third. That may be cause for celebration among chocolaholics, but of course, there's a catch to it: the studies involved were all observational - that is, they all looked at chocolate consumption and health as reported by participants. The analysis didn't directly compare those who ate a set amount of chocolate per week with those who consumed a placebo (in this case, a chocolate look-alike and taste-alike), as would be required in a clinical trial to investigate chocolate's effects on the heart. What's more, the studies included reports of consuming chocolate in all its forms - dark, milk, in drinks, cookies and desserts. And it didn't specify how much chocolate study participants ate. Still, if the analysis has any merit, people who eat lots of chocolate regularly may find that they have healthier hearts than those who don't. The analysis, from England's University of Cambridge, was published August 29 in BMJ online.
My take? Chocolate is a source of polyphenols (the same type of antioxidants found in red wine). Stearic acid, the fat it contains, doesn't affect cholesterol levels, and studies have shown that flavonoids in dark chocolate help reduce the stickiness of platelets, cells that play an important role in blood clotting. As a result, blood takes longer to clot, reducing the danger of coronary artery blockages. Chocolate's polyphenols also appear to boost levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and lower LDL (the "bad" cholesterol), at least in the lab. I recommend consuming good-quality dark chocolate that is at least 70 percent cocoa as a healthy snack, as long as you don't go overboard. An ounce or two a few times a week is good for you.

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Control your Cholesterol level naturally

In our modern scientific and digital age, every person approximately assumed that a "heart healthy" diet is and that it can significantly lead to lowering your cholesterol. Global nutritional guidelines are now universal and incorporate: For years the prevailing wisdom was that women were at minimal risk for high cholesterol and the cardiovascular disease which was sure to follow High cholesterol levels, more specifically high LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels are a main contributor to heart disease. Foods that lower cholesterol can easily be combined in your diet and will help you not just to reduce but also to manage your cholesterol levels in the long run which make strong and better through adopting some basic health tips. Cholesterol is extremely soluble within body fat however just somewhat soluble in drinking water, and able to type cholesterol esters with fatty acids.
We also know that cholesterol and other blood fats such as triglycerides are the primary forces operating behind the scenes that work to produce arterial blockage and increase the chances of heart attack or stroke. Triglycerides are early stage blood fats produced when a person consumes more calories than are required. When this occurs the liver transforms those excess calories into triglycerides, which end up as fat in body tissue. A whopping 95 percent of fatty body tissue is made up of triglycerides. If you have been tested for cholesterol you probably already know that your basic cholesterol profile measures three types of cholesterol and blood fats; HDL, LDL, and triglycerides.
Soluble fiber provided by fruit and vegetables helps eliminate cholesterol from the intestine. Avoid as much as possible or cut out altogether refined carbohydrates: white bread, rice, pasta. Refined carbohydrates have been stripped of most nutrients. Replace by: complex carbohydrates such as whole grain bread, brown rice, whole meal pasta, and oats. Complex carbohydrates contain fiber and other nutrients the body needs.

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