Simply Better Health: Obesity and Diabetes Double Risk of Heart Failure

Simply Better Health: Obesity and Diabetes Double Risk of Heart Failure: "Now, a session at Heart Failure 2009 organized by the European Society of Cardiology and Heart Failure Association in Nice, France, emphasi..."

Obesity and Diabetes Double Risk of Heart Failure

Now, a session at Heart Failure 2009 organized by the European Society
of Cardiology and Heart Failure Association in Nice, France, emphasises
that obesity is not just associated with an increased risk of heart attack, but
also with an increased risk of heart failure. Obesity is as great a risk factor
for heart failure as it is for heart attack or stroke. According to experts,
obesity more than doubles the risk.

The pathways by which obesity plays such a role in heart failure are not yet
fully understood, but have been shown to have an indirect effect via hypertension,
or heart attack, or diabetes and a direct effect on the heart muscle itself. The
underlying changes in the structure and function of the heart may be different
in obese and non-obese patients with heart failure.

Heart health researchers also believe that "adipose" cells might act as an
endocrine tissue, secreting substances which may have a harmful effect on
heart tissue and blood vessels.

The relationship between diabetes and heart failure is also a subject of
investigation, with the risk of heart failure doubled in diabetics. Heart failure
patients with diabetes also have worse symptoms, a higher risk of being
hospitalized and a greater risk of death than those without diabetes. The
underlying pathophysiology of heart failure may be different in diabetics and
non-diabetics. The two conditions by which people with diabetes have a higher
risk of heart failure, and those with heart failure have a higher risk of diabetes.
No matter which condition is the causative factor, it's very bad news for those
with both.

The presentation, Heart failure, obesity and diabetes was be presented
31 May, 2009 at Heart Failure Congress 200.

Heart Failure Congress 2009 is organized by the European Society of
Cardiology and Heart Failure Association of the ESC, Nice, France.

Fat Cells Play Key Role in Development of Type 2 Diabetes

Cellular changes in fat tissue, not the immune system, lead to the "hyper-inflammation" characteristic of obesity-related glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC).

Cancer and cell biology experts say this new discovery about the cellular mechanisms behind glucose intolerance may provide a different target for drugs to treat type 2 diabetes as well as insights into how aggressive cancers form.

The study is reported in the July 7, 2010, issue of the scientific
journal Cell Metabolism.

For this study, the research team looked at the role of a specific gene known as protein kinase C (PKC)-zeta, which has been implicated as a key cellular contributor to malignant tumor growth. Using a preclinical animal model, they found that PKC-zeta had a dual role in the molecular signaling that leads to inflammation,
switching from acting as a regulator of inflammation to a proinflammation agent in different circumstances.

"This finding is quite novel because current drug development efforts target immune cells (macrophages, T-cells) to eliminate this hyperinflammation. Our research suggests obesity-related glucose intolerance has nothing to do with the immune system. It may be more effective to target adipocytes (fat cells)," explained the investigators from the University of Cincinnati's cancer and cell
biology department.

In normal cells, they explain, PKC-zeta regulates the balance between cellular inflammatory responses to maintain glucose control. During obesity-induced inflammation, however, the function of PKC-zeta changes and the molecule begins to promote inflammation by causing adipocytes to secrete a substance (IL-6)
that travels in large quantities to the liver to cause insulin resistance."We believe a similar mechanism of action is at play in malignant tumor development.

Now we are trying to understand how PKC-zeta regulates IL6 to better determine how we can manipulate the protein to help prevent diabetes and cancer," they add.

This University of Cincinnati team is working with investigators at UC's Drug Discovery Center to screen compounds that will inhibit PKC-zeta to be used in further research.

Funding for this research was provided by grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Diabetes Association, UMass Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center and Marie Curie Foundation. Scientists from the University of Massachussetts also participated in the study.

Story Source:

University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center (2010, July 12).
Fat cells play key role in development of type 2 diabetes.

Garlic and Onion boost mineral absorption

It is well known that phytochemicals promote cardiovascular health
and help support the immune system. This study targeted how the phytochemical compounds in both garlic and onion may increase the bio-accessibility of iron and zinc, two essential minerals.

According to new research data from India, consuming garlic or onion increased the uptake of iron by about 70 percent, and zinc by to 160 percent. The new results are published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and could offer opportunities to tackle two of the globe's major deficiency concerns.

"Both garlic and onion were evidenced here to have a promoting influence on the bio-accessibility of iron and zinc from food grains," state the research team from the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India. "This novel information has the potential application in evolving a food-based strategy to improve the bioavailability of trace minerals and hence contributes to the human health benefit," they added.

Iron deficiency is reported to affect about a third of the global population, with two billion people anemic around the world. In addition, zinc deficiency affects 30 per cent of the world's population. The bioavailability of both micronutrients is said to be particularly low from plant foods.

In attempt to enhance the uptake of these minerals from plant sources, the Mysore-based researchers used a model of the gastrointestinal tract to simulate passage through a human gut. Food grains including two cereals - rice and sorghum - and two pulses - chickpea and green gram - were used in their raw and cooked forms, and in the presence of two levels of garlic (0.25 and 0.5 g per 10 g of grain) and onion
(1.5 and 3 g per 10 g of grain).

Results showed that iron and zinc uptakes from both cooked and raw cereals were significantly increased in the presence of both garlic and onion, with increases up to 70 percent recorded. Improvements in the bioaccessibility of zinc were also observed for both spices, with increases in cereals ranging from 10.4 to
159.4 percent, and in pulses from 9.8 to 49.8 percent.

Commenting on the potential mechanism behind the improvements, the researchers point to the high sulfur content in garlic and onion: Sulfur-containing amino acids like cysteine have previously been shown to boost iron and zinc status in lab animals, they said.

"The information generated in this study on the promotive influence of natural sources of sulfur compounds on mineral bioaccessibility from food grains is novel and has a promising application in evolving a food-based strategy for alleviating deficiencies of these minerals in sections of the population," concluded the researchers.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Published online
"Higher Bioaccessibility of Iron and Zinc from Food Grains in the Presence of Garlic and Onion"

High Blood Levels of Vitamin E Reduces Risk of Alzheimer's

High levels of several vitamin E components in the blood are associated with a decreased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in advanced age, suggesting that vitamin E may help prevent cognitive deterioration in elderly people. This
is the conclusion reached in a Swedish study published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

"Vitamin E is a family of eight natural components, but most studies related to Alzheimer's disease investigate only one of these components, tocopherol," explained the research team. "We hypothesized that all the vitamin E family members could be important in protecting against Alzheimer's Disease. If confirmed, this result has implications for both individuals and society, as 70 percent
of all dementia cases in the general population occur in people over
75 years of age, and the study suggests a protective effect of
vitamin E against Alzheimer's Disease in individuals aged 80
and over."

The study was conducted at the Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, in collaboration with the Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Italy. The study included a sample of 232 participants from the Kungsholmen Project, a population-based longitudinal study
on aging and dementia in Stockholm (Kungsholmen parish). All participants were aged 80+ years and were dementia-free at the beginning of the study (baseline). After 6-years of follow-up, 57 Alzheimer's Disease cases were identified.

The blood levels of all eight natural vitamin E components were measured at the beginning of the study. Subjects with higher blood levels (highest tertile) were compared with subjects who had lower blood levels (lowest tertile) to verify whether these two groups developed dementia at different rates. The study found that subjects with higher blood levels of all the vitamin E complex forms had a
reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease, compared to subjects with lower levels. After adjusting for various confounders, the risk was reduced by 45-54%, depending on the vitamin E component.

The researchers note that the protective effect of vitamin E seems
to be related to the combination of the different forms. Another
recent study indicated that supplements containing high doses of
the E vitamin form ±-tocopherol may increase mortality, emphasizing that such dietary supplements, if not used in a balanced way, may
be more harmful than previously thought.

"Elderly people as a group are large consumers of vitamin E supplements, which usually contain only ±-tocopherol, and this often at high doses," said the researchers. "Our findings need to be confirmed by other studies, but they open up for the possibility that the balanced presence of different vitamin E forms can have an important neuroprotective effect."

Story Source:
Karolinska Institutet.

Journal Reference:
High plasma levels of vitamin E forms and reduced Alzheimer's
disease risk in advanced age. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2010;

Antioxidants May Boost Heart Health and Metabolism

Long-term supplementation with antioxidants may
beneficially effect sugar and fat metabolism, as well as
boosting heart health by increasing the flexibility of arteries,
reports an important new study.

Daily supplements of vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and
selenium significantly improved the elasticity of arteries, and levels
of HDL cholesterol in people with multiple cardiovascular risk factors,
according to findings published in Nutrition & Metabolism.

"This beneficial vascular effect was associated with an improvement
in glucose and lipid metabolism as well as significant decrease in
blood pressure," reported researchers from Wolfson Medical Center,
Israel.

The study involved 70 people with high blood pressure, diabetes,
low HDL cholesterol levels, or who were smokers. The average age
of the subjects was 62.

The participants were randomly assigned to received either a placebo
or a daily antioxidant supplement containing vitamin C (1000 mg per
day), vitamin E (400 International Units per day), coenzyme Q10
(120 mg per day) and selenium (200 micrograms per day).

Six months later, and the researchers noted that people in the
antioxidant group exhibited significant increases in arterial elasticity
index, a measure of the flexibility and therefore the health of blood
vessels. Specifically, the large arterial elasticity index increased from
11 to 12.7 ml/mm Hg x100, while no changes were observed in the
placebo group.

Furthermore, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly, with the former dropping from 145.2 to 136.1 mmHg,
while the later dropped from 78.4 to 75.0 mmHg, said the
researchers.

Significant improvements were also observed in HDL cholesterol
levels for the antioxidant group, said the researchers, but not in the
placebo group.

Explaining the potential mechanism involved, the Israeli researchers
note that previous studies have indicated that vitamins C and E may
protect DNA from damage, enhance antioxidant defenses and restore
the health of the cells lining blood vessels (endothelium). In addition
Coenzyme-Q10 "plays an essential role as an electron carrier in
mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, improves endothelial dysfunction in diabetic patients". They also note that selenium,
via its role in various antioxidative enzymes, "provides significant
protection of the coronary artery endothelium against damage by
oxidative stress".

Source: Nutrition & Metabolism

"Effect of long-term treatment with antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E,
coenzyme Q10 and selenium) on arterial compliance, humoral factors
and inflammatory markers in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk
factors"

Coffee or Tea: Enjoy Both in Moderation For Heart Benefits

Coffee and tea drinkers may not need
to worry about indulging...

High and moderate consumption of tea and moderate coffee consumption are linked with reduced heart disease, according to a study published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers in The Netherlands found:
· Drinking more than six cups of tea per day was associated with a
36 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to those who drank
less than one cup of tea per day.

· Drinking three to six cups of tea per day was associated with
a 45 percent reduced risk of death from heart disease, compared
to consumption of less than one cup per day.

And for coffee they found:
· Coffee drinkers with a modest intake, two to four cups per day, had
a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to those drinking
less than two cups or more than four cups.

· Although not considered significant, moderate coffee consumption
slightly reduced the risk of heart disease death and deaths from
all causes.

Researchers also found that neither coffee nor tea consumption affected stroke risk.

"While previous studies have shown that coffee and tea seem
to reduce the risk of heart disease, evidence on stroke risk and
the risk of death from heart disease was not conclusive," said
Yvonne T. van der Schouw, Ph.D., study senior author and professor
of chronic disease epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences
and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. "Our results found the benefits of drinking coffee and tea occur without increasing risk of stroke or death from all causes.

Van der Schouw and colleagues used a questionnaire to evaluate
coffee and tea consumption among 37,514 participants. They followed
the participants for 13 years for occurrences of cardiovascular disease
and death.

Study limitations included self-reported tea and coffee consumption,
and the lack of specific information on the type of tea participants
drank. However, black tea accounts for 78 percent of the total tea
consumed in The Netherlands and green tea accounts for 4.6 percent.
Coffee and tea drinkers have very different health behaviors,

researchers note. Many coffee drinkers tend to also smoke and
have a less healthy diet compared to tea drinkers.

Researchers suggest that the cardiovascular benefit of drinking tea
may be explained by antioxidants. Flavonoids in tea are thought to
contribute to reduced risk, but the underlying mechanism is still not
known.

Story Source: American Heart Association.

Journal Reference: Tea and Coffee Consumption and Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association, 2010;