Archive for the ‘Industry News’ Category

10 Aug 2010

Early-life cholesterol increases future heart disease risk: Study

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Posted in Heart Health, Industry News, Media Coverage, cholesterol | No Comments »

A report out last week confirms that Young adults with high cholesterol levels are at a greater risk of developing heart conditions in later life. Researchers in the 20-year study say their findings contradict the common assumption that cholesterol levels in early life are insignificant, prompting them to suggest that early intervention may be important.

“Our evidence shows that young adulthood is an important time because lasting damage already starts to accumulate at this age,” said Mark Pletcher, lead author and associate professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Throughout the 20-year study period, researchers tracked LDL and HDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides in the blood. When participants reached their mid-forties, their coronary artery calcium was measured using a CT scan.
 
Results indicated that coronary calcium was more likely to develop in people with elevated LDL cholesterol in earlier life.
 
For more information on the article click here

 
22 Jul 2010

Barley beta-glucans: Proven to maintain healthy cholesterol

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Posted in Heart Health, Industry News, Press Releases, cholesterol | No Comments »

According to research carried out on behalf of the Food Standards Agency, ‘health’ claims made on food labels often leave consumers confused or unclear about the properties of the foods.

As we become increasingly more interested in diet and its relationship to health and overall wellbeing, we’re all seeking to gain clearer understanding around food ingredients which purport to offer specific health benefits.

But do we really know what to look for – and are the nutrition and health claims we see on packaging trustworthy and easy to understand?

Consumer confidence in health claims should hopefully be reinforced by the recent ‘disease risk reduction claims’ for foods which have been approved as part of the new European Health Claims Regulation.

One of the first Article 13 disease risk reduction claims given permission for use by EFSA is for barley beta-glucans, which are unique to help: cholesterol.  This approval confirms that regular consumption of beta-glucans ‘contributes to maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations’.

The EFSA Scientific Panel concluded that barley beta-glucans at doses of at least 3g/d have shown a statistically significant decrease in LDL-cholesterol in hypercholesterolaemic subjects.

Consumed every day, a reduction in ‘bad’ cholesterol of 10-14% is achievable when 3-8g of barley beta-glucans is included in your daily diet, as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

 
20 Jul 2010

Flying is safe for heart disease patients

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Posted in Heart Health, Industry News, Media Coverage | No Comments »

New guidelines, published today in the journal Heart, confirm that patients with serious heart diseases are safe to fly as long as they ensure they don’t over exert themselves whilst travelling.

The report says low oxygen levels, caused by low air pressure, pose the greatest threat but heart patients should continue to take their medication and make sure they have access to oxygen and assistance at airports.

Fears of deep veined thrombosis due to low oxygen levels have been quelled with experts confirming that there is no evidence that oxygen levels on flights pose a threat to the circulation.

However long-haul flights double the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis – but the risk is the same as if travelling by car, bus or train for a similar period.

Dr David Smith, team leader on the report, writes: “For those with cardiovascular disease who are not critically ill, but who wish to fly on commercial aircraft, the aircraft environment does not pose a significant risk to their health.”

Details of this report have been covered on netdoctor.com and in the Scotsman newspaper.

 
18 Jun 2010

Men named Colin most likely to have high blood pressure…!?!

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Posted in Blood Pressure, Industry News, Media Coverage | No Comments »

istock_000006188244smallA survey commissioned by Lloyds Pharmacy caused some amusement to us this week, by stating that men with the name Colin are most likely to have a heart attack and have high blood pressure, but when you think it through from an age perspective it’s perhaps not quite so absurd.

After comparing Christian name trends over the last 80 years experts found that names linked to certain parts of the UK or to the working classes were more likely to develop health problems.

Daniel is seen as a middle class name whereas Colin is more popular in Scotland where heart problems are more common.

People named Keith and Maureen have a greater chance of heart problems than people called Sophie or Chloe – because they are also likely to be significantly older.

Men called Colin, Brian and Alan have a 47 per cent chance of having high blood pressure according to the survey.

Chris Frost, heart expert at Lloyds Pharmacy, told the Daily Mail: “It’s a very crude measure of health and we’re not suggesting that risk is limited to those with particular names. All adults should know what their blood pressure is, but the risk increases as we get older.”

We will be looking at our own help: blood pressure customers to see if they are consistent with Lloyds somewhat unscientific findings.

 
17 Jun 2010

Common blood pressure drugs may raise cancer risk

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Posted in Blood Pressure, Industry News, Media Coverage | No Comments »

U.S. researchers have discovered that widely used class of blood pressure drugs may increase the risk of getting cancer and are calling on U.S. regulators to take a closer look.

Their research on drugs in the class known as Angiotensin-Receptor Blockers (ARB) showed patients were 1.2 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a new cancer over four years than others who did not take the drugs.

Dr. Ilke Sipahi and colleagues from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland  wrote “The increased risk of new cancer occurrence is modest but significant.”

However there was not enough data in the studies to say if individual drugs in the class raise the risk or if it is a so-called class effect shared by all such drugs.

Even so, Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said that the findings were “disturbing and provocative, raising crucial drug safety questions for practitioners and the regulatory community.”

Also adding: “Regulators need to look more closely at the risk of cancer with ARB use and that doctors should be more cautious about prescribing ARBs, and especially Micardis.”

Jules Birch, founder of Works with Water Natural Nutraceuticals, comments: “People who suffer from high blood pressure often blindly trust the advice of their doctor and take ARB drugs without questioning if it’s the best solution to their problem. There is definitely a need for more research into the side effects and health risks associated with these drugs, especially as over 16 million people in the UK currently suffer from high blood pressure.*”

She continues: “This report regarding the possible health risks of ARB blood pressure lowering drugs will hopefully encourage people to discuss the options with their GP’s and look for alternative and more natural solutions that are without added health risks.”
*Source: Blood Pressure Association

Further information on the study

 
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