Cardiovascular Disease Risk (cardiovascular + disease_risk)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Terms modified by Cardiovascular Disease Risk

  • cardiovascular disease risk factor

  • Selected Abstracts


    Nutrition and Physical Activity Interventions to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Health Care Settings: A Quantitative Review with a Focus on Women

    NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 7 2001
    Sara Wilcox Ph.D.
    The authors conducted a quantitative literature review of the impact of 32 diet and physical activity (PA) interventions delivered in health care settings on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Intervention effects were relatively modest but statistically significant for PA, body mass index or weight, dietary fat, blood pressure, and total and low-density lipoprotein serum cholesterol. Intervention effects were generally larger for samples with a mean age >50 years and for studies with <6 months follow-up. Type of comparison group, type of intervention, and use of a behavior theory did not have a consistent impact on intervention effects. Few studies focused on persons of color, although the results from these studies are promising. [source]


    Interaction between Fibrinogen and IL-6 Genetic Variants and Associations with Cardiovascular Disease Risk in the Cardiovascular Health Study

    ANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 1 2010
    Cara L. Carty
    SUMMARY The inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a main regulator of fibrinogen synthesis, though its interaction with fibrinogen genes (FGA, FGB, FGG) and subsequent impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is not well-studied. We investigated joint associations of fibrinogen and IL6 tagSNPs with fibrinogen concentrations, carotid intima-media thickness, and myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke in 3900 European-American Cardiovascular Health Study participants. To identify combinations of genetic main effects and interactions associated with outcomes, we used logic regression. We also evaluated whether the relationship between fibrinogen SNPs and fibrinogen level varied by IL-6 level using linear regression models with multiplicative interaction terms. Combinations of fibrinogen and IL6 SNPs were significantly associated with fibrinogen level (p < 0.005), but not with other outcomes. Fibrinogen levels were higher in individuals having FGB1437 (rs1800790) and lacking FGA6534 (rs6050) minor alleles; these SNPs interacted with IL6 rs1800796 to influence fibrinogen level. Marginally significant (p= 0.03) interactions between IL-6 level and FGA and FGG promoter SNPs associated with fibrinogen levels were detected. We identified potential gene-gene interactions influencing fibrinogen levels. Although IL-6 responsive binding sites are present in fibrinogen gene promoter regions, we did not find strong evidence of interaction between fibrinogen SNPs and IL6 SNPs or levels influencing CVD. [source]


    Nutrition in the genomics era: Cardiovascular disease risk and the Mediterranean diet

    MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 10 2007
    Jose M. Ordovas
    Abstract The effect of dietary changes on phenotypes (i.e., plasma lipid measures, body weight and blood pressure) differs significantly between individuals. This phenomenon has been more extensively researched in relation to changes in dietary fat and plasma lipid concentrations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to other pathological conditions. Although common knowledge associates low fat diets with reductions in total and plasma LDL cholesterol, the clinical evidence shows dramatic inter-individual differences in response that are partially due to genetic factors. The discovery of the cardioprotective and other healthy properties of the Mediterranean diet has popularized the consumption of Mediterranean products such as olive oil. Molecular, clinical, and epidemiological studies have begun to shed some light about how various components of this diet may protect the cardiovascular system and to decrease the risk of other diseases such as cancer. However, it is also possible that the right combination of genetic, cultural, socioeconomic factors is needed to achieve full benefit. It has been proposed that the Mediterranean diet may be closer to the ancestral foods that were part of human development and our metabolism may have evolved to work optimally on such a diet rather than with the current diets richer in saturated fat and highly refined and processed foods. Therefore, it is possible that alleles that are associated with increase disease risk may be silenced in the presence of that more ancestral and traditional diet and lifestyle. This knowledge may provide the basis for successful public health as well individual approaches for disease prevention. [source]


    Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells After Kidney Transplantation

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 9 2005
    María José Soler
    Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) promote vascular repair and maintain integrity of the endothelial monolayer. Reduced EPCs number has been associated with endothelial dysfunction in various cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease risk is higher in renal transplant patients (RT) than the general population. We studied EPCs number and proliferation in RT, and examined the association with other cardiovascular risk factors such as reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and LDL cholesterol. EPCs concentration was determined in 94 RT and 39 control subjects (C) by flow cytometry. EPCs proliferation was also studied after 7 days in culture. EPCs concentration was significantly reduced in RT versus C (median 33.5 [5,177] vs. 53 [9,257] EPCs/105 PMN cells, p = 0.006). EPCs proliferation was also reduced in RT versus C (mean ± SD; 372.7 ± 229.3 vs. 539.8 ± 291.3 EPCs × field, p = 0.003). In multiple regression analysis, GFR, HDL, LDL and body weight were independent predictors of EPCs concentration in RT (r2= 0.25, p < 0.001). EPCs number is reduced in RT, particularly in patients with reduced GFR. Moreover, EPCs from RT studied in vitro, showed reduced proliferation, which is a sign of functional impairment. These alterations may be involved in increased cardiovascular risk of RT. [source]


    Early nutritional influences on obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk.

    MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION, Issue 3 2005
    International Workshop, June , Université de Montréal
    [source]


    ,Extra information a bit further down the line': Rheumatoid arthritis patients' perceptions of developing educational material about the cardiovascular disease risk

    MUSCULOSKELETAL CARE, Issue 4 2009
    Holly John BM BS, MRCP
    Abstract Objective:,There are no patient education programmes addressing the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This is the second in a pair of studies exploring stakeholder perceptions of developing such educational material. Healthcare professionals' perceptions were explored in the first study; here, we explore the perceptions of people with RA. Methods:,Semi-structured interviews were held individually with 18 people with RA, purposively sampled to include participants with no co-morbid history of CVD, those with CVD risk factors and those who had experienced a CVD event. The interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results:,Four superordinate themes were identified: experiences of living with RA; reactions to learning about co-morbid CVD; implementing lifestyle changes; and expectations of education. Participants found being diagnosed with RA a devastating experience and were mostly unaware of their increased risk of CVD co-morbidity. They explained how information about CVD would be overwhelming and irrelevant at diagnosis, but they would have coped with ,extra information a bit further down the line'. Conclusion:,There is a need to develop educational material or programmes. Their design must consider factors which facilitate lifestyle change, such as motivation or receiving personalized advice, and factors that inhibit change, such as depression or fatalism. Emphasizing the positive effects that some CVD lifestyle changes may have on RA symptom control may be particularly persuasive. Group education would be a popular format. These findings can be directly translated into clinical practice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Sweet potato leaves: properties and synergistic interactions that promote health and prevent disease

    NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 10 2010
    Melissa Johnson
    Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) leaves provide a dietary source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and essential fatty acids. Bioactive compounds contained in this vegetable play a role in health promotion by improving immune function, reducing oxidative stress and free radical damage, reducing cardiovascular disease risk, and suppressing cancer cell growth. Currently, sweet potato leaves are consumed primarily in the islands of the Pacific Ocean and in Asian and African countries; limited consumption occurs in the United States. This comprehensive review assesses research examining the nutritional characteristics and bioactive compounds within sweet potato leaves that contribute to health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Research has affirmed the potential cardioprotective and chemopreventive advantages of consuming sweet potato leaves, thus indicating that increased consumption of this vegetable should be advocated. Since reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases is of public health concern, promoting the consumption of sweet potato leaves warrants further and more intensive research investigation. [source]


    Personalized Nutrition: Nutritional Genomics as a Potential Tool for Targeted Medical Nutrition Therapy

    NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 7 2007
    Sina Vakili BS
    An emerging goal of medical nutrition therapy is to tailor dietary advice to an individual's genetic profile. In the United States and elsewhere, "nutrigenetic" services are available over the Internet without the direct involvement of a health care professional. Among the genetic variants most commonly assessed by these companies are those found in genes that influence cardiovascular disease risk. However, the interpretation of DNA-based data is complex. The goal of this paper is to carefully examine nutritional genomics as a potential tool for targeted medical nutrition therapy. The approach is to use heart health susceptibility genes and their common genetic variants as the model. [source]


    Role of Isoflavones in the Hypocholesterolemic Effect of Soy

    NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 6 2003
    Isabelle Demonty PhD
    Epidemiologic data suggest an inverse relationship between the consumption of soy isoflavones and cardiovascular disease risk. The aims of this review are to determine if isoflavones play a role in the hypocholesterolemic effect of soy and whether the studies realized with that scope were adequately designed. In humans, most studies have been performed in postmenopausal women. The results are inconsistent, however; some studies show a decrease in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein concentrations, and an increase in high-density lipoprotein levels, and other investigations fail to show any beneficial effect of soy isoflavones on lipid profiles. In most studies, beneficial effects could not be attributed with certainty to soy isoflavones. If these components have any health-protecting effect in humans, it is small in comparison with the effect of soy protein itself. There are currently not enough data to recommend the consumption of isoflavone supplements to lower plasma cholesterol levels. [source]


    Life events and hemodynamic stress reactivity in the middle-aged and elderly

    PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005
    Douglas Carroll
    Abstract Recent versions of the reactivity hypothesis, which consider it to be the product of stress exposure and exaggerated hemodynamic reactions to stress that confers cardiovascular disease risk, assume that reactivity is independent of the experience of stressful life events. This assumption was tested in two substantial cohorts, one middle-aged and one elderly. Participants had to indicate from a list of major stressful life events up to six they had experienced in the previous 2 years. They were also asked to rate how disruptive and stressful they were, at the time of occurrence and now. Blood pressure and pulse rate were measured at rest and in response to acute mental stress. Those who rated the events as highly disruptive at the time of exposure and now exhibited blunted systolic blood pressure reactions to acute stress. The present results suggest that acute stress reactivity may not be independent of stressful life events experience. [source]


    Socioeconomic status and hemodynamic recovery from mental stress

    PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2003
    Andrew Steptoe
    Abstract We assessed the changes in cardiac index and total peripheral resistance underlying blood pressure reactions and recovery from acute mental stress, in relation to socioeconomic status. A sample of 200 men and women aged 47,59 years was divided on the basis of occupation into higher, intermediate, and lower socioeconomic status groups. Blood pressure was monitored using the Portapres, and hemodynamic measures were derived by Modelflow processing of the arterial pressure waveform. Blood pressure increases during two stressful behavioral tasks were sustained by increases in cardiac index and total peripheral resistance. During the 45-min posttask recovery period, cardiac index fell below baseline levels, whereas peripheral resistance remained elevated. Peripheral resistance changes during recovery varied with socioeconomic status and blood pressure stress reactivity, with particularly high levels in reactive low status participants. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that disturbances of stress-related autonomic processes are relevant to the social gradient in cardiovascular disease risk. [source]


    Association of Common CRP Gene Variants with CRP Levels and Cardiovascular Events

    ANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 6 2005
    D. T. Miller
    Summary C-reactive protein (CRP) is a well-documented marker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. We resequenced CRP to identify a comprehensive set of common SNP variants, then studied and replicated their association with baseline CRP level among apparently healthy subjects in the Women's Health Study (WHS; n = 717), Pravastatin Inflammation/CRP Evaluation trial (PRINCE; n = 1,110) and Physicians' Health Study (PHS; n = 509) cohorts. The minor alleles of four SNPs were consistently associated in all three cohorts with higher CRP, while the minor alleles of two SNPs were associated with lower CRP (p < 0.05 for each). Single marker and haplotype analysis in all three cohorts were consistent with functional roles for the 5,-flanking triallelic SNP ,286C>T>A and the 3,-UTR SNP 1846G>A. None of the SNPs associated with higher CRP were associated with risk of incident myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke in a prospective, nested case-control study design from the PHS cohort (610 case-control pairs). One SNP, ,717A>G, was unrelated to CRP levels but associated with decreased risk of MI (p = 0.001). Taken together, these data imply significant interactions between both genetic and environmental contributions to the increased CRP levels that predict a greater risk of future atherothrombotic events in epidemiological studies. [source]


    Maternal cardiovascular disease risk in relation to the number of offspring born small for gestational age: national, multi-generational study of 2.7 million births

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 6 2009
    Peter M Nilsson
    Abstract Aim: To investigate the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) births in relation to maternal history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) across two generations and additionally to analyse maternal CVD risk based on number of SGA offspring. Methods: We used register data from 1.4 million women and 2.7 million offspring. The outcome measures were risk of being SGA in relation to maternal total CVD (n = 10 436) across two generations, as well as risk of CVD in mothers in relation to the number of their SGA offspring, stratified by educational level. Results: Compared to no family history of CVD (reference) the hazard ratio (HR) for being SGA in female offspring was 1.11 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09,1.13) for a positive maternal history of CVD. The highest risk was shown in daughters when both the mother and the grandmother had a history of CVD (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.24,1.39). There was a stepwise increased risk of CVD events in mothers in relation to the number of their SGA offspring (HR 1.41,1.86) when ,no SGA offspring' was used as reference. The risk of CVD in relation to SGA status was increased in the least educated group (HR 2.7,5.0) compared to the group with the highest level of education with no SGA offspring. Conclusion: The risk of SGA offspring and the risk of maternal CVD are mutually interdependent and both conditions increased in women with a low level of education. [source]


    Child health in an urbanizing world

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 1 2002
    M Gracey
    The aim of this study is to document and comment on the effects of urbanization on child health, internationally, using published reports and the author's personal experience. Urbanization is having profound effects on the health and well-being of infants and children in industrialized and developing countries. This will affect generations into the future. The changes are not confined to cities and large towns; they rapidly influence transitional societies in remote and rural areas, because globalization is changing infant feeding practices and children's diets and lifestyles. In developing countries, overcrowding and environmental pollution are massive problems made worse by undernutrition and infections, particularly respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases. In developed societies there are many other problems, e.g. injuries, poisonings, violence, drug abuse, exposure to industrial and atmospheric pollutants, including pesticides, sexually transmissible diseases, and "lifestyle", diseases including obesity and cardiovascular disease risk. There is an urgent need for paediatricians, health planners, policy-makers, governments and the community to understand these issues and work towards minimizing their harmful effects on children. Conclusion: Urbanization has profound effects on child health, globally; these must be recognised so that harmful influences of urbanization can be reduced for the benefit of all children. [source]


    Mechanisms and Effects of Green Tea on Cardiovascular Health

    NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 8 2007
    Arpita Basu PhD
    Green tea, rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory catechins, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has been shown to reduce surrogate markers of atherosclerosis and lipid peroxidation, particularly LDL oxidation and malondialdehyde concentrations, in several in vitro, animal, and limited clinical studies. Epidemiological observations in Southeast Asian countries indicate an inverse correlation exists between habitual consumption of green tea beverages and the incidence of cardiovascular events. A few short-term clinical studies have reported its effects in attenuating biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation among smokers, and an ability to decrease postprandial lipemia in hypercholesterolemic subjects has also been suggested. However, further investigations are needed to confirm the potential role of green tea beverages and the safety of green tea supplements in reducing body fat, as well as other biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risks. [source]