This comes as no surprise to Chauncey Crandall, M.D., who has always believed that energy drinks are harmful to the overall cardiovascular health of the average consumer. ...]]> Do Energy Drinks Raise Blood Pressure?

This is one of those questions that many patients and readers of Dr. Chauncey Crandall often ask…do energy drinks raise blood pressure? Well, with the soaring popularity of energy drinks, there has been an increased reporting of chest pain, which is being seen increasingly in people who wouldn't ordinarily experience it, like those who are young.

This comes as no surprise to Chauncey Crandall, M.D., who has always believed that energy drinks are harmful to the overall cardiovascular health of the average consumer. Magdalena Szotowska, M.D., who reported on a small study at the European Meeting on Hypertension and Cardiovascular Protection 2012. Her team divided 18 volunteers into two groups, which were directed to drink one of two strengths of energy drink, one containing 120 mg of caffeine and the second containing 360 mg of caffeine, or placebo. Measurements of blood pressure and pulse rate were taken before and after.

Consumption of the energy drink containing 120 mg of caffeine didn't significantly influence blood pressure and pulse rate compared with placebo, but the drink with the larger amount of caffeine led to a 9 mm increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and also increased heart rate by five beats per minute. Also, all of those who drank the energy drink with 360 mg of caffeine developed heartbeat irregularities, anxiety and insomnia. 

Her research follows on the heels of reports from doctors in emergency rooms both in the United States and elsewhere in the world who are reporting patients with chest pain, heartbeat irregularities and other cardiac symptoms following the ingestion of Red Bull and other such energy drinks, particularly if your drink it in a "chain," fashion, one after the other.

But it isn't only these unwelcome cardiac effects that are the sole legacies of energy drinks; another study find that drinking these beverages are tantamount to bathing your teeth in acid.

The study, published in the journal General Dentistry, examined the acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and nine energy drinks to see how the drinks would impact a tooth's enamel. They found enamel damage after as few as five days. In addition, they discovered that energy drinks in particular caused double the amount of damage to teeth that sports drinks caused. 

So leave the energy drinks alone; get your zip in natural ways, from exercise, good nutrition, and adequate sleep.

Thank you for reading today's heart health post.

Chauncey W. Crandall IV MD FACC

That's the findings of researchers at the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan, who presented the findings from a large study recently at the World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai.

At the conference, lead researcher CP Wen said his team analyzed the exercise habits of ...]]> Does Exercise Lower Blood Pressure?

You may be wondering…Does Exercise Lower Blood Pressure? If you have high blood pressure, just regular moderate exercise will sharply decrease your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a new study finds.

That's the findings of researchers at the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan, who presented the findings from a large study recently at the World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai.

At the conference, lead researcher CP Wen said his team analyzed the exercise habits of 434,190 individuals, who were followed for 12 years. Just 24 percent of the participants were moderately active, or higher, as compared to 22 percent who had low activity levels, and 54 percent who were inactive.

When the researchers looked at the number of people who had died during the follow-up period, they compared those who died from all causes with those whose demise was due to cardiovascular disease. They found that those who were inactive had higher blood pressure readings of 40-50 mmHg more, which translated to a significantly higher risk of cardiac death.

This study provides proof that, if you have high blood pressure, moderate exercise is absolutely essential to lower your risk of dying from heart disease. So lace up those sneakers, and head outside for a one-hour walk!

Thank you for reading,

Dr. Chauncey Crandall

Author of The Heart Health Report

While it’s tough to tease out just how much of a role genes play in determining our body weight, University of Washington researchers gave it their ...]]> ^{More Sleep Curbs The Effect of Obesity Genes}

The connection between lack of sleep and obesity has long been established in research studies, but can getting more sleep actually help you overcome a genetic propensity to excess weight gain? Perhaps if you’re not getting at least seven hours a night.

While it’s tough to tease out just how much of a role genes play in determining our body weight, University of Washington researchers gave it their best shot by measuring the body mass index in 604 pairs of identical twins (who share the same genes) and whether it varied according to their sleep patterns; they examined the relationship between sleep and BMI in 484 fraternal twins (who share some but not all their genes) as a comparison measure.
The study, published last Tuesday in the journal Sleep, found that in participants who were getting less than seven hours of sleep per night, genes played more than twice as large a role in determining body mass index than in those who were getting nine or more hours of sleep each night.
While you can’t expect to lose weight simply by sleeping more, you may find that getting more sleep allows other environmental factors, such as diet and exercise, to play a bigger role in aiding your weight-loss efforts.

Thanks for reading today's post.

Chauncey W. Crandall MD

Here is my Five-Step Plan to beat metabolic syndrome: 1. Deal aggressively with the condition. At the beginning, you may need to take medications such as ...]]> Five Steps for Beating Metabolic Syndrome

The good news is that a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome — while an indication of a serious health problem — is in no way an irreparable condition.  With the proper lifestyle changes and getting on the metabolic syndrome diet, the condition can be completely reversed, and your risk of diabetes and heart disease can be lowered significantly.

Here is my Five-Step Plan to beat metabolic syndrome:
1. Deal aggressively with the condition. At the beginning, you may need to take medications such as blood pressure drugs (diuretics or ACE inhibitors), statins for elevated cholesterol, and also possibly diabetes drugs to bring abnormally high blood glucose levels under control. But

if you follow your prescriptions, you’ll see these conditions improve and your need for medication may vanish.
2. Lose 10 percent of your body weight. Your glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels will improve, and you should be able to eliminate hypertension medications.
3. Follow a plant-based diet made up of whole foods. Such a diet is composed mostly of fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, along with small amounts of protein, such
as turkey or fish. Shop for fresh foods, not those that are processed or packaged. Organic
produce is best, even though you may have to pay a little more for it.
4. Walk one hour a day. During the first 30 minutes, you use up stored energy reserves. But then, after that initial half-hour, your body kicks into gear, and you’ll see your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels improve.
5. Manage your stress. When you are under stress, your body releases unhealthy hormones into your bloodstream, especially adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones raise blood pressure and can lead to elevated cholesterol levels. They also make your blood more likely to clot. Exercise is a great stress-buster, as is enjoying a hobby, and spending time with family and friends. For me, prayer and spending time regularly with my religious community helps me deal with stress.

Metabolic syndrome is indeed a deadly threat, but you can beat the condition by doing the very same things that give you victory over heart disease.
If you’re told you have metabolic syndrome, take it as a wake-up call. You’ve run out of wiggle room, and the time has come to change your lifestyle.

Researchers have been keeping tabs on the women's diets since 1980. Between 1995 and 2001, researchers also measured the ...]]> Berries May Slow Memory Loss

Study: Eating More Blueberries and Strawberries Is Linked to Better Brain Function With Age

The study included more than 16,000 women who are taking part in the Nurses' Health Study.

Eating Berries Helps Brain Health

Researchers have been keeping tabs on the women's diets since 1980. Between 1995 and 2001, researchers also measured the mental function of women who were over 70 and had not had a stroke.
Mental functioning was measured during three telephone interviews that were spaced about two years apart. In the interviews, researchers asked the women to recall details from a paragraph they'd just heard, for example, or to remember the order of words or numbers in a list.
When researchers compared women who ate the most blueberries and strawberries to those who ate the fewest, they found that those who ate the most had a slower rate of developing memory problems. The difference was equal to about two-and-a-half years of aging.
"This is pretty compelling evidence to suggest that berries do appear to have memory benefits," says researcher Elizabeth E. Devore, ScD, instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. What may be even better news is that the biggest berry eaters in the study weren't eating mounds of them every day. On average, they were eating a single half-cup serving of blueberries or two half-cup servings of strawberries each week.
"These are simple interventions that appear to have pretty healthful effects," Devore says.
The study can't prove that berries protected the women's brains directly.
In fact, women in the study who ate berries regularly also got more exercise and had higher incomes — two factors that are also linked to having better health.
But researchers say that even after they adjusted their results to account for differences like that, having a diet high in fruits and vegetables, particularly berries, still appeared to be linked to having a sharper memory.

• Coronary artery disease      This is a disease in which your heart’s coronary arteries become narrowed. The good news is that procedures are available that can restore blood flow. These include balloon angioplasty or stenting (the use of a balloon/stent to widen the coronary artery) and coronary bypass ...]]> What Causes Heart Failure?

Heart failure usually occurs in people older than 65. However, even if you’re younger than that, if you’ve had a heart attack, or if you have one or more of these conditions, you’re at risk:

• Coronary artery disease
     This is a disease in which your heart’s coronary arteries become narrowed. The good news is that procedures are available that can restore blood flow. These include balloon angioplasty or stenting (the use of a balloon/stent to widen the coronary artery) and coronary bypass surgery (the grafting of a vessel to create an alternative blood flow around a blockage).

• Heart attack

     When one of the coronary arteries is not just narrowed but becomes blocked, this interruption in blood flow to the heart results in a heart attack. If the heart muscle is damaged, it tries to repair itself. In doing so, it becomes weaker, often setting the stage for heart failure.

• High Blood Pressure
     Blood pressure measures how hard the heart is working to pump blood throughout the body. High blood pressure shows that the heart is working too hard, which puts it under the kind of strain that can lead to heart failure.

• Diabetes
     This metabolic disorder, which leads to the buildup of too much glucose (sugar) in your blood, also may lead to a condition called “diabetic cardio myopathy,” which is an enlarged and weakened heart caused by the rapid progression of coronary disease.

• Valvular Disease
     As we age,the valves of the heart can become stiff or “stenotic.” The valves then cannot close or open properly and can become leaky, making blood flow difficult and requiring the heart to work harder. Valve replacement or repair may be necessary.

• Arrhythmia
      Problems with the heart’s electrical system can give rise to irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmia. “Atrial fibrillation” and “sick sinus syndrome” are the two types of arrhythmia that can trigger heart failure. With atrial fibrillation, the upper chamber of the heart begins quivering uncontrollably, instead of contracting normally. Sick sinus syndrome is a condition that causes the heart to beat slowly.

Thanks for reading today's blog post!

Chauncey W. Crandall MD FACC
Author
Dr. Crandall's Heart Health Report

“People who have a positive attitude live longer. Stress and unhappiness has a negative effect on the body, and this is now what research is showing,” says Dr. Crandall, who is chief of the cardiac transplant program ...]]> Happy Thoughts Are Good For The Heart

New Study: Optimistic Individuals Have Healthier Hearts

A new study showing people with positive outlooks have better cardiovascular health does not surprise renowned cardiologist Dr. Chauncey Crandall, who has found this to be true in his nearly three decades of practicing medicine.

“People who have a positive attitude live longer. Stress and unhappiness has a negative effect on the body, and this is now what research is showing,” says Dr. Crandall, who is chief of the cardiac transplant program at the world-renowned Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Dr. Crandall was commenting on a new study by Harvard researchers in this month’s issue of the journal Psychological Bulletin.  The study found that people with optimistic and have positive outlooks have a 50 percent lower risk of suffering a first heart attack. This finding held true, no matter what their age, socioeconomic status, weight or smoking status.

According to Dr. Crandall, there is a biological reason for these findings. “People who have a positive outlook live longer. They have higher levels of positive chemicals in their body, like endorphins, and this reduces the risk of heart disease,” he said. 

On the other hand, he noted, unhappy, stressed-out people have higher levels of cortisol and other negative hormones, that causes inflammation, their coronary arteries to narrow, and their blood platelets to clump together, all which increase the risk for a heart attack,” he said.

To further understand how psychological well-being and CVD might be related, the researchers also investigated the association of well-being with other cardiovascular-related health behaviors. They found that the optimistic people were more likely to have healthier behaviors. They ate a more balanced diet, were more inclined to exercise, and also got sufficient sleep. This translated into better biological functioning as well; those who were optimistic tended to have lower blood pressure, a healthier lipid (blood fat) profiles and normal body weight.

Although many believe that an optimistic outlook cannot be learned, Dr. Crandall strongly disagrees. However, it does take a conscious effort to do so, he said.

“You have to learn to stop and smell the roses, as they say,” said Dr. Crandall, noting that many lessons on this can be learned from the Bible. “All of these things that are written about in the Bible we are finding out, through scientific research, to be true and make sense,” said Dr. Crandall.

For instance, he noted, “Having a day of rest, having order in our lives, calms us down and prevents the chaos that not only drives heart disease, but also mental illness and depression,” he noted.

“The bottom line is that we need to focus on the positive and know that the body is a fantastic marvelous machine that wants to get better, and, if we assist it, things will get back in order,” Dr. Crandall added.

Article By: Charlotte Libov

Thanks for reading today's blog post.

TO YOUR HEART HEALTH,

Dr. Chauncey Crandall