A secondary analysis of data from a US randomized clinical trial suggests that smokers with high blood pressure (BP) may have a higher rate of cardiovascular events associated with intensive BP control. Of 9361 participants in the trial, 466 were current smokers with systolic BP > 144 mm Hg at […]
A new US National Academies report updated Dietary Reference Intakes for potassium (Adequate Intake [AI] 3400 mg for man and 2600 mg for most women per day) and sodium (AI 1500 mg/day, and Chronic Risk Reduction Intake 2300 mg/day) in healthy adults. There was insufficient evidence of risk of excess […]
A US prospective analysis revealed that higher consumption of nuts, especially tree nuts, is associated with lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality in patients with diabetes. The analysis included 16,217 men (1986-2014) and women (1980-2014) with diabetes at baseline or diagnosed during follow-up. During 223,682 and 254,923 person-years of […]
A US retrospective longitudinal cohort study revealed that higher baseline push-up capacity is associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. The study was conducted between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2010. There were 1562 participants underwent baseline examination, and 1104 with available push-up data included in […]
A US prospective multicenter longitudinal study suggested that higher intake of artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) was associated with increased risk of stroke, particularly small artery occlusion subtype, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality. The study included 81 714 postmenopausal women of ages 50 to 79 years at baseline who enrolled […]
A Japanese study suggested that vulnerable carotid plaque increases the risk of cortical cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) and subsequent cognitive impairment. The study included 89 patients with >30% carotid stenosis on ultrasound. CMIs were identified in 26 patients (29%). Adjusted for age and sex, CMIs were associated with intraplaque hemorrhage, lacunar […]
A prospective cohort study revealed that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried chicken and fried fish/shellfish, was associated with a higher risk of all cause and cardiovascular mortality in women in the US. The study included 106 966 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 at study entry who were enrolled between September […]
A US prospective observational study showed that high levels of physical activity are associated with prevalent coronary artery calcification (CAC) but are not associated with increased all-cause or cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality after a decade of follow-up, even in the presence of clinically significant CAC levels. The study included 21 […]
A prospective Canadian cohort study suggested that serious underlying arrhythmia was often identified within the first 2-hours of emergency department (ED) arrival for low-risk patients, and within 6-hours for medium- and high-risk patients. Outpatient cardiac rhythm monitoring for 15-days for selected medium-risk patients and all high-risk patients discharged from the […]
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review found that fluoroquinolone antibiotics can increase the occurrence of rare but serious events of ruptures or tears in the main artery of the body, so called aortic dissections or aneurysm. Systemic use given by mouth or through an injection of fluoroquinolones should […]