Micronutrient Supplementation and CVD Risk

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled intervention trials of micronutrients on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and clinical events concluded that some but not all micronutrients may be beneficial. The analysis identified a total of 884 randomized controlled intervention trials evaluating 27 types of micronutrients among 883,627 participants (4,895,544 person-years). […]

No Survival Benefit for Invasive Management of Stable CAD

An interim report of a US randomized trial in patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia concluded that there was no difference in all-cause mortality for an initial invasive strategy compared with an initial conservative strategy, with lower risk of cardiovascular mortality but higher risk of non-cardiovascular […]

Intensive BP Control Harmful After Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

An open-label, blinded-endpoint, randomized controlled trial in China suggested that intensive control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) to lower than 120 mm Hg should be avoided to prevent compromising the functional recovery of patients who have received endovascular thrombectomy due to intracranial large-vessel occlusion. The trial enrolled 821 patients (aged […]

Gum Disease Linked to Atrial Fibrosis

A prospective histological cohort study in Japan revealed the association of periodontitis with atrial fibrosis. The study enrolled 76 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF, 55 with nonparoxysmal AF, 25 with mitral valve regurgitation, 18 with left atrial appendages [LAA] thrombus) who were scheduled to undergo LAA excision during cardiac surgery. […]

Sex-Specific Relationship of Lean Body Mass to Cardiovascular Capacity

A Canadian study of healthy adults showed that leg and arm lean body mass (LBM) independently associate with internal cardiac dimensions, ventricular relaxation, and systemic vascular resistance in a sex-specific manner, predominantly in women. The study included 70 white women and men matched by age (60±12 vs 58±15 years), physical […]

Short Sleep Duration Linked to Multimorbidity

A prospective UK cohort study suggested that short sleep duration was associated with the onset of chronic disease and multimorbidity. The study included 7,864 (32.5% women) participants free of multimorbidity. Self-reported sleep duration was measured 6 times between 1985 and 2016. Incidence of multimorbidity was defined as having 2 or […]

Sustaining SBP Control Critical for Mortality Reduction

The secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized clinical trial in the US and Puerto Rico showed that the beneficial effect of intensive treatment on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality did not persist after the trial, with increasing outpatient systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels in participants randomized to intensive treatment following the […]

Moderate Coffee Drinking Beneficial

A UK prospective cohort study suggested that decaffeinated, ground, and instant coffee, particularly at 2–3 cups/day, were consistently associated with significant reductions in incident cardiovascular disease (CVD, such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and ischemic stroke, etc.) and mortality. Ground and instant but not decaffeinated coffee was also associated with […]

Comparative Effectiveness of Common Glucose-Lowering Medications Used with Metformin

A US multicenter, parallel-group, comparative-effectiveness clinical trial showed that when added to metformin, insulin glargine and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide were significantly, albeit modestly, more effective in achieving and maintaining target glycated hemoglobin levels than sulfonylurea glimepiride or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes […]

Breath Training Lowers BP

A double‐blind, randomized, sham‐controlled trial concluded that high‐resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) improves blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function in midlife/older adults with above‐normal initial systolic BP. Thirty‐six participants of 50–79 years old with systolic BP ≥120 mm Hg were randomized to high‐resistance IMST (75% maximal inspiratory pressure, 30 breaths/day, 6 days/week, n=18) or […]