Cholesterolcontrol & Alzheimer’s risk
Managing cholesterol might help reduce Alzheimer’s risk, says researchers, including one of Indian-origin, who identified a genetic link between the progressive brain disorder and heart disease. Examining DNA from more than 1.5 million people, the study showed that risk factors for heart disease such as elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels (HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol) were genetically related to Alzheimer’s risk. However, genes that contribute to other cardiovascular risk factors, like body mass index and Type-2 diabetes, did not seem to contribute to genetic risk for Alzheimer’s. “The genes that influenced lipid metabolism were the ones that also were related to Alzheimer’s disease risk,” said Celeste M Karch, Assistant Professor at the Washington University’s School of Medicine. Thus, if the right genes and proteins could be targeted, it may be possible to lower the risk for Alzheimer’s disease in some people, added Rahul S Desikan, Assistant Professor at the UCSF.
Vegetables for a healthy heart
Turns out, if everyone on the planet ate a healthy, fiber-rich diet which includes vegetables, there wouldn't be many instances of heart disease. A new research at the Medical University of Warsaw found that low-dose treatment with trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) reduced heart thickening (cardiac fibrosis) and markers of heart failure in an animal model of hypertension. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. Elevated levels of TMAO — a compound linked with the consumption of fish, seafood and a primarily vegetarian diet — may reduce hypertension-related heart disease symptoms. TMAO levels in the blood significantly increase after eating TMAO-rich food such as fish and vegetables.
Heart Attack Risk factors in Women
Although men are at greater risk of heart attack than women, unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, besides diabetes and hypertension increase the risk of heart attack in the fairer sex than in their male counterparts, a new study has found. The study showed that an elevated risk of heart attack was found among women with high blood pressure, and Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes, but not with a high body mass index (BMI). Overall, more men experience heart attacks than women. However, several major risk factors increase the risk in women more than they increase the risk in men, so women with these factors experience a relative disadvantage,” said Elizabeth Millett, epidemiologist from The George Institute in the UK. Generally, heart attack patients experience symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath, and pain in their arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach. But women are likely to experience additional symptoms such as unusual tiredness, dizziness, cold sweats, and nausea.
