Working woman can raise the risk of heart attack?

High voltage work may increase the risk of heart attack for women

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

July 18, 2012-women with jobs high voltages at high risk of heart attacks and other heart problems, compared to those with lower stress jobs, according to a new study.

"Women have a high job strain, 40% more likely to have cardiovascular events, compared with women who were in the category of low voltage," said researcher Michael a. Albert, MD, MPH, Brigham and women's Hospital cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

High voltage is defined as the high demand and low control, "she said. An example is the work of the factory in which a worker is the pressure to produce.

Then find a surprise. Women in what she calls '' active strain '' jobs--is very demanding, but with high control--the same increased risk in high stress, low control positions.

Insecurity of employment, are not associated with risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems, Albert also found.

A study Published in PLoS ONE.

The researchers followed more than 22000 participants in the long-running health study. The average age of women was 57.

The women were divided into four groups working strain. Deformation work takes into account the requirements and control that has worked. These groups are:

Low voltage: low demand, high controlPassive: with low demand, low controlActive: with high demand, high controlHigh voltage: with high demand, low control

The researchers followed the women for 10 years, wants to see who was one of four types of events. They found:

170 attacks163 heart strokes440 heart procedures such stents, bypass surgery, or angioplasty52 deaths from cardiovascular disease

The researchers took into account other factors that can affect heart health, age, race, education and income.

Even then, they found almost 40% increase in risk of any of the four results in women's groups active or high voltage.

When they just watched nonfatal heart attack, they found that the women in the Group of 67% high voltage higher than those in the low-voltage have one.

Also, they looked at depression and anxiety. These factors explain only about 20% of relationships, Albert tells WebMD. More research is needed to further explain the relationship, "she said.

The instability in the employment sphere, does not appear to increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, "she said.

New findings differ from some previous studies, said Mika Kivimaki, PhD, Professor of social epidemiology, University College of London. He reviewed the results.

He has published reports on the stress and cardiovascular disease. Researchers at University College London have long study Whitehall, also known as stress health research &, after more than 10000 British men and women.

It was previously thought that high job demands increase the risk of heart disease, only if the employee is additionally has a bad decision authority at work, "says Kivimaki.

"It is a study of United States women is important because it suggests that this may not be the case. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease was also seen among women who need jobs, combined with high performance management. "

However, he said that the researchers simply the relationship between work stress and heart health, but cannot prove cause and effect.

It's hard to take into account all of the risk factors that can play, said Peter Schnall, MD, MPH, Professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, Irvine.

He is also the Director of the Center for occupational and environmental health programme in the Organization of work and cardiovascular diseases.

"Field studies of stress but now focuses on work strain, but in the last 10 years were registered dozens of work-related risk factors," he tells WebMD.

Among the most dangerous heart factors? Working long hours, low wages and in the face of the threat of harm, he said. For example, a bus driver.

Women with high stress jobs should give extra attention to the way of life, "said Albert. A woman may focus on personal time, doing yoga and meditation or even pray.

Most important? «Find the thing that works for you, to reduce stress, "she says.

Sources: Slopen, PLoS one, July 2012 year. Michelle a. Albert, MD, mph, cardiologist, Brigham and women's Hospital and associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School. Mika Kivimaki, PhD, Professor of social epidemiology, University College of London. Peter Schnall, MD, MPH, a Professor of clinical medicine, University of California, Irvine; Director, Center for occupational and environmental health programme in the Organization of work and cardiovascular disease, University of California Irvine.

© 2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Some Improvement in Heart Risk Factors for Americans: CDC

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By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- About 47 percent of American adults have at least one risk factor for heart disease, according to a new report released Friday.

These risk factors include uncontrolled high blood pressure, uncontrolled high levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and smoking, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We have seen declines [in risk factors], but there's still work to be done," said the report's lead author, CDC health statistician Cheryl Fryar.

Findings of the report, culled from data gathered from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, included:

A drop in the rate of adults with at least one risk factor from 58 percent in 1999 to 46.5 percent in 2010.Men (52 percent) are more likely than women (41 percent) to have one of these risk factors.From 1999 to 2010, there was a drop in the percentage of whites and Mexican Americans who had at least one risk factor (about 47 percent and 45 percent respectively).There was no decline in the percentage of blacks with these risk factors, which remained at 58 percent.The prevalence of uncontrolled high blood pressure and uncontrolled high LDL cholesterol dropped between 1999 and 2010 (almost 8 percent and 9 percent, respectively).There was no drop in the percentage of adult cigarette smokers, which remained at 25 percent of adults 20 and older.Disparities remain among people of different income levels and racial and ethnic groups.

"Cardiovascular disease and stroke are largely preventable, with uncontrolled high blood pressure, uncontrolled high LDL cholesterol levels and smoking representing major modifiable risk factors in men and women of all racial and ethnic groups and all income levels," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, spokesman for the American Heart Association and professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"It is concerning that some of the early gains in lowering the rates of uncontrolled high LDL cholesterol appeared heading in the wrong direction in 2009 and 2010," Fonarow said. "This may represent recent misguided efforts to discredit the substantial cardiovascular benefits of LDL-lowering therapy."

The report found that there are significant disparities in risk factors by age, sex, race and income levels, Fonarow noted.

"African Americans and those with incomes of less than 130 percent of the poverty level had higher prevalence of risk factors and made less progress over the study period," he said. "The reasons behind these disparities in risk factor control are likely complex, but deserving of further study."

"Substantially increased efforts to reduce or eliminate these uncontrolled cardiovascular disease and stroke risk factors at the individual, community, national and global level are clearly needed," Fonarow added.

Reasons for the stalled decline in smoking rates are not clear. Possible explanations include less money spent by states on antismoking campaigns and more advertising dollars spent by tobacco companies.

The CDC recently launched a campaign of graphic ads to get smokers to quit. Early results indicate the campaign is working.

"We have to have sustained efforts like this if we are going to have an impact on decreasing the number of smokers in this country," Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, said at the time of the campaign's launch. "One of the sad facts is that although we had success a number of years ago in getting people to stop smoking, we have hit a roadblock where 20 percent of Americans still smoke."

One of the major problems is that tobacco companies easily outspend the government's efforts to curb smoking with vast sums devoted to promoting their products, Lichtenfeld said.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Cheryl Fryar, M.S.P.H., U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Gregg Fonarow, M.D., spokesman, American Heart Association, professor, cardiovascular medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; Aug. 3, 2012, report, Prevalence of Uncontrolled Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: United States, 1999-2010

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'Atkins'-Type Diets May Raise Risk of Heart Problems: Study

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By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Women who regularly eat a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet may be raising their risk of heart disease and stroke by as much as 28 percent, a new study suggests.

Although the absolute increase in risk is small -- four or five extra cases per 10,000 women -- many young women try the Atkins diet or similar regimens and could be setting themselves up for cardiovascular problems later in life, the researchers noted.

"Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets are frequently used for body-weight control," said lead researcher Dr. Pagona Lagiou, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Athens Medical School in Greece. "Although [the diets] may be nutritionally acceptable if the protein is mainly of plant origin, such as nuts, and the reduction of carbohydrates applies mainly to simple and refined [carbohydrates] like unhealthy sweeteners, drinks and snacks, the general public does not always recognize and act on this guidance."

The study, published online June 26 in the BMJ, does not answer questions about the possible short-term benefits of these diets in the control of body weight or insulin resistance, Lagiou said.

For the study, Lagiou's team collected data on the diets of more than 43,000 Swedish women who were between the ages of 30 and 49 at the start of the study.

Over an average of 15 years of follow-up, there were more than 1,200 cardiovascular events, including heart disease and stroke. There were more of these events among the women who followed a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet than among women who didn't, the researchers found.

Compared with women who veered furthest from the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, women who followed the diet most closely increased their risk by 28 percent, even after other risk factors, such as smoking, drinking, hypertension, exercise and fat intake, were taken into account, the researchers noted.

"Reduction of body weight should rely on increasing physical activity and reducing caloric intake," Lagiou said.

The long-term health effects of special diets that are followed for long periods of time have not been adequately studied to allow determination of their safety, she added.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, chairman of cardiovascular medicine and science at the University of California, Los Angeles, said low-carb diets such as the Atkins regimen have been touted widely and have become increasingly popular.

"This study raises concerns about the long-term effects on cardiovascular health of low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets -- particularly if there is not careful consideration given to whether plant versus animal proteins are consumed," said Fonarow, who is also director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.

Another expert, Samantha Heller, an exercise physiologist and clinical nutrition coordinator at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., said "the results of this study are not surprising."

Popular high-protein diets inevitably include an abundance of cheese and red and processed meats, and a dearth of healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes and fruits, she said.

"What this study did not address is that research is finding that diets high in red meat and/or processed meats may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes; colorectal cancer; coronary heart disease; breast cancer; esophageal, liver and lung cancers; and chronic obstructive lung disease," Heller said. "[They also] increase levels of bad cholesterol."

More research is needed to pinpoint how and for whom these risks are elevated, she added.

"In the meantime, cut back on your intake of meat and other animal-protein sources. Start experimenting with beans, edamame, tofu, nuts and nut butters (such as peanut, almond and cashew butter), low- or nonfat yogurt, cottage cheese and milk," Heller advised. "Pick up the carb intake with 100 percent whole-grain breads, brown rice, quinoa and hefty doses of vegetables, legumes and fruits."

Although the study found an association between high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets and increased risk of cardiovascular problems, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Pagona Lagiou, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, epidemiology, University of Athens Medical School, Greece; Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D., exercise physiologist, clinical nutrition coordinator, Center for Cancer Care, Griffin Hospital, Derby, Conn.; Gregg Fonarow, M.D., Eliot Corday Chair, Cardiovascular Medicine and Science, University of California-Los Angeles, and director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center, Los Angleles; June 26, 2012, BMJ, online

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High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy May Threaten Kids' Heart Health

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By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 24 (HealthDay News) -- Preeclampsia, a dangerous spike in a woman's blood pressure during pregnancy, may predispose offspring to high blood pressure in childhood and young adulthood, a new study finds.

From early in life, these children have distinct cardiovascular risk factors that may put them at risk for health problems later on, the British researchers said.

"A pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia is an early warning sign that both the mother and offspring are going to be at greater risk of developing high blood pressure later in life," said lead researcher Dr. Paul Leeson, from the department of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford in England.

The findings suggest a need to monitor these children, the authors said. "There is likely to be value in considering a history of preeclampsia to understand better a person's risk of developing high blood pressure," Leeson said.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, can lead to stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.

Research into the biology underlying this association may also help identify new ways to prevent high blood pressure, Leeson added.

The report, published May 21 online, appears in the June print issue of Pediatrics.

For the study, Leeson's team reviewed 18 studies published between 1948 and 2011 that dealt with cardiovascular risk factors of children and young adults exposed to preeclampsia and those not exposed.

This type of study, which involved more than 45,000 individuals, is called a meta-analysis and is designed to look for common patterns in unrelated studies.

In their analysis, the researchers found that kids exposed to preeclampsia had higher blood pressure readings in childhood and as young adults, compared with those who were not exposed.

Systolic blood pressure of those exposed to preeclampsia was 2.39 mm Hg higher on average than that of those whose moms had healthy pregnancies, and diastolic pressure was 1.35 mm Hg higher on average, the researchers noted. In a blood pressure reading of 120/80, the first number -- 120 -- is the systolic pressure.

Over time, this difference in systolic blood pressure would increase a person's risk of death from heart disease by about 8 percent and stroke by 12 percent, the authors said.

Children and young adults exposed to preeclampsia also had a higher body mass index (BMI) than children not exposed, the researchers say. BMI, a calculation of body size based on height and weight, is another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

The study does not prove that preeclampsia causes cardiovascular disease, however. It merely shows an association between the two.

Dr. Natalie Meirowitz, chief of maternal-fetal medicine in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said this study points to a major public health issue.

"This study really says the intrauterine environment affects a child's vascular function as an adult," Meirowitz said.

"It may be obesity that is driving this," added Meirowitz. More pregnant women are obese, which is a risk factor for preeclampsia.

"We really need to consider cardiovascular disease that comes from the intrauterine environment and understand it better so we can prevent future cardiovascular disease," she said.

Obesity in pregnancy is a modifiable risk factor, Meirowitz said. "There isn't enough attention paid to it and the effect it can have on children later in life," she said.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Paul Leeson, M.B., Ph.D.,department of cardiovascular medicine, University of Oxford, England; Natalie Meirowitz, M.D., chief, maternal-fetal medicine, department of obstetrics and gynecology, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; June 2012 Pediatrics

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