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 […]
A network meta-analysis of 391 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) confirmed modest but consistent reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP) in many studied exercise interventions across all populations but individuals receiving medications generally achieved greater reductions than those following structured exercise regimens. The analysis included 197 RCTs of exercise interventions (10 461 […]
An US randomized crossover study showed that chronic dietary red meat increases systemic trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels through enhanced dietary precursors, increased microbial trimethylamine (TMA)/TMAO production from carnitine, but not choline, and reduced renal TMAO excretion. Discontinuation of dietary red meat reduces plasma TMAO within 4 weeks. There were 113 healthy […]
A prospective global cohort study suggested that total sleep duration of 6–8 h per day is associated with the lowest risk of deaths and major cardiovascular events (MCEs). Daytime napping is associated with increased risks of MCEs and deaths in those with >6 h of nighttime sleep but not in those sleeping […]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responded to a petition for a new qualified health claim for edible oils containing high levels of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that’s been shown to have cardiovascular benefits when it replaces heart-damaging saturated fat. Manufacturers of these oils can choose to include […]