Hispanic Population at Increased Risk of Heart Disease

(July 15, 2007) Evelyn Rodriguez is lucky. The woman, who grew up in Paterson but whose family is from Costa Rica, works in the mailroom at St. Joseph's Wayne Hospital, so she saw posters encouraging her to get screened for heart disease. When she did, she found out she needed to improve her cholesterol and exercise more. "I had no idea," she says.

Many Hispanic women are not so fortunate. Fewer than a third know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, according to one study from researchers at Columbia University published in the Journal of Women's Health earlier this year. New studies also show that the risk for Hispanics, once considered surprisingly low, is greater than previously thought and among the highest of all ethnic groups.

The dangerous combination of high risk and lack of knowledge about health has doctors and public health experts worried.

"We thought it was other groups at risk, and now we've got to pay attention to the Hispanic population," says Carolyn Strimike, a nurse practitioner at The Women's Heart Center at St. Joseph's. "This is brand new for us."

Several studies published in the past few years have overturned the conventional wisdom that Hispanics are at lower risk for heart disease. One study, presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting last spring, showed that Hispanic women tend to develop the risks, including problems with blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes, earlier than white women. The study concluded that Hispanic women, on average, have the same severity of risk as white women 10 years their senior.

Another study, of more than 2,000 patients in San Antonio who were followed by researchers for 15 years, showed that Mexican-Americans were more likely to die of heart disease than whites. The study theorized that miscounting, rather than a healthier population, accounted for the erroneous assumption of better health.

Though no one is quite sure why Hispanics develop heart disease risks earlier, experts have attributed it to a starch-filled diet, relative lack of exercise and attitude that heart disease cannot be prevented. "The Latino-Hispanic community is more likely than the non-Hispanic white population to believe that disease is a normal and unavoidable part of life," conclude researchers in an article in the medical journal Endocrine Practice.

(Article adapted from Herald News)

Triglycerides can Increase Risk of Heart Disease

(July 9, 2007) Most people are aware of risk factors associated with high cholesterol.

There is another indicator of potential health risks, however, that can also be diagnosed with a simple blood test - high triglycerides.

According to the American Heart Association, triglycerides are "a chemical form in which most fats exist in food and in the body." Or, as Donna Anderson, a health educator for Wellmont Health System, said, the term triglyceride is just "a fancy name for fat in the blood."

The Mayo Clinic states that high triglycerides may contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, both conditions which increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease. High triglycerides may also be an indication of other conditions such as obesity, poorly controlled diabetes, liver or kidney disease or rare genetic conditions.

According to the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic, normal range for triglycerides is considered to be less than 150 milligrams per deciliter. Between 150 and 199 mg/ dL is considered borderline high; 200 to 499 mg/ dL is high; and 500 mg/ dL or above is very high.

Bios Life helps reduce triglyceride levels. After taking Bios Life, Carmen Sunderman of Clearwater, FL reported that her “triglycerides dropped 252 points.”

(Article adapted from Kingsport Times News)

World Bank Report Shows Growing Epidemic in Developing Countries

(July 5, 2007) While it is widely known that the leading cause of death in the world is cardiovascular disease a new report by the World Bank warns that by 2015 chronic illnesses will be the leading cause of death in developing countries.

Furthermore, the report, Public Policy and the Challenge of Chronic Non-communicable Diseases, indicates that nearly three-quarters of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) occur among those between the ages of 15 and 69.

In Indonesia, for example, private healthcare spending is projected to more than double by 2020, compared to 2005.

(Article adapted from World Bank Report)

Pre-Diabetes and Heart Disease

(June 28, 2007) A landmark Australian study by the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne found that people with pre-diabetes are 2.5 times as likely to die of cardiovascular disease after five years.

People with pre-diabetes have trouble metabolizing sugar don’t show the overt signs of the disease.

Surprisingly, the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease with pre-diabetes is on par with those who have diabetes.

Professor Paul Zimmet, institute director, said, “If their risk of heart disease is this high before they even have get diabetes, it makes sense to try to divert the full impact in advance.”

The study, conducted in Australia, included 10,429 participants age 25 or older for a five year period.

The study found that 65% percent of all heart disease related deaths in the age group were because of diabetes and pre-diabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 54 million Americans are pre-diabetic, meaning that blood glucose levels are approaching diabetic levels.

In a recent study presented to the American Heart Association Annual Conference concluded Bios Life reduced the post-prandial glucose levels 28% and HbA1c levels 15%; indicating Bios Life provides a natural option to improve diabetes management.

Learn more on how Bios Life, along with a healthy lifestyle and diet, can help prevent pre-diabetes and lower the glucose levels in your blood.

(Article adapted from Reuters)