Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle can Control or Reverse Heart Disease

The benefits of healthy habits are well established. These benefits include boosting mood, weight control and combating diseases. However, it is uncertain whether making health behavior changes as an adult can still alter coronary artery disease risk.

Source: HEALTH AND WELLNESS BLOG INDIA

Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

To fin d out if making health behavior changes will change the risk of coronary artery disease, Dr. Bonnie Spring, PhD, professor in preventive medicine, Director, Center for Behavior and Health - Institute for Public Health and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead investigator of this study along with colleges examined healthy lifestyle behaviors and coronary artery calcification and thickening among 3,538 young adults, aged 18 to 30 years and who had participated in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

Researchers evaluated five healthy lifestyle factors (not overweight/obese, low alcohol intake, healthy diet, physically active, nonsmoker) at baseline and 20 years later. The team tested whether change from year 0 to 20 in a continuous composite healthy lifestyle factors score is associated with atherosclerosis at 20 years.

After adjusting for demographics, medications, and baseline healthy lifestyle factors the results showed by 20 years 25.3% of the study participants had added at least one healthy lifestyle behavior.

Each increase in healthy lifestyle factors was associated with reduced odds of detectable coronary artery calcification and lower intima-media thickness – two major markers of cardiovascular disease that can predict future cardiovascular events.

Among participants 34.4% stayed the same.

In their conclusion the researchers write “Healthy lifestyle changes during young adulthood are associated with decreased risk and unhealthy lifestyle changes are associated with increased risk for subclinical atherosclerosis in middle age.”

According to Dr. Spring, “This finding is important because it helps to debunk two myths held by some health care professionals.” The first is that it’s nearly impossible to change patients’ behaviors. Yet, we found that 25 percent of adults made healthy lifestyle changes on their own. The second myth is that the damage has already been done – adulthood is too late for healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease. Clearly, that’s incorrect. Adulthood is not too late for healthy behavior changes to help the heart.”

The study also found that 40.4 % of participants had fewer healthy lifestyle factors and gained more bad habits as they aged. Each decrease in healthy lifestyle factor had greater odds of coronary artery calcification (odds ratio=1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.33) and greater intima-media thickness (β=+0.020, P<0.01).

"It's not too late," comments Dr. Spring. "You're not doomed if you've hit young adulthood and acquired some bad habits. You can still make a change and it will have a benefit for your heart.”

"If you don't keep up a healthy lifestyle, you'll see the evidence in terms of your risk of heart disease," said Dr. Spring.

According to Dr. Spring the healthy changes people in the study made are attainable and sustainable. She offers some tips for those who want to embrace a healthy lifestyle at any age:

Burn Your Fat & Control Healthy Body Weight

Ø  Keep a healthy body-weight

Ø  Don’t smoke

Ø  Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity five times a week

Ø  No more than one alcoholic drink a day for women, no more than two for men

Ø  Eat a healthy diet, high in fiber, low in sodium with lots of fruit and vegetables

Ø  This study is published in the journal Circulation.

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Reduce Breast Cancer Risk With Fish Oils

Numerous studies have reported the health benefits of fish oil. Now, a large new study has found that a seafood diet that contains higher levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer. Researchers at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China published their findings on June 27 in BMJ.

Study Suggests Mediterranean Diet Reduces Breast Cancer Risk

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The researchers note that breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of death from cancer among women, accounting for 23% of the total cancer cases and 14% of cancer deaths in 2008. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths, behind lung cancer. The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 26 six research publications, including 20,905 cases of breast cancer and 883,585 participants from 21 independent prospective cohort studies. Of the 26 studies, 11 (13,323 breast cancer events and 687,770 participants) investigated fish intake, 17 articles investigated marine n-3 PUFA (16,178 breast cancer events and 527,392 participants), and 12 articles investigated alpha linolenic acid (14,284 breast cancer events and 405,592 participants). A meta-analysis is the compilation of data from several studies to increase the validity of the results. The data was obtained from PubMed and Embase up to December 2012.

The authors noted that fish (especially salmon, tuna, and sardines) are the most abundant source of marine n-3 PUFA; thus, they evaluated these sources as well as dietary supplements containing marine n-3 PUFA. They found that marine n-3 PUFA was associated with 14% reduction of risk of breast cancer, and the relative risk remained similar whether marine n-3 PUFA was measured as dietary intake or as tissue biomarkers. Subgroup analyses also indicated that the inverse association between marine n-3 PUFA and risk was more evident in studies that did not adjust for body mass index (BMI) than in studies that did adjust for BMI. Dose-response analysis indicated that risk of breast cancer was reduced by 5% per 0.1g/day or 0.1% energy/day increment of dietary marine n-3 PUFA intake. No significant association was observed for fish intake or exposure to alpha linolenic acid.

The authors concluded that higher consumption of dietary marine n-3 PUFA is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. They added that the associations of fish and alpha linolenic acid intake with risk warrant further investigation of prospective cohort studies. They note that their findings could public health implications in regard to prevention of breast cancer through dietary and lifestyle interventions.

Health Benefits of Fish Oil

Take home message:

This study notes that, in addition to cardiovascular benefits, marine n-3 PUFA can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Supplements are available that contain the substance. Include seafood such as salmon, tuna, and sardines in your diet. Avoid farm-raise products such as farm-raised salmon. This seafood contains antibiotics and other pollutants, which negate their health benefits.

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