Nutrition

Diet soft drinks expose you to increased risks of stroke, heart attack, and vascular death

ScienceDaily, 02/01/2012

A new study finds a potential link between daily consumption of diet soft drinks and the risk of vascular events. Individuals who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at increased risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death.

Best Diets Overall

U.S. News & World Report ranks the DASH diet as #1

DASH was developed to fight high blood pressure, not as an all-purpose diet. US News panel of experts gave it high marks for its nutritional completeness, safety, ability to prevent or control diabetes, and role in supporting heart health.

Pros & Cons

High cholesterol follow up

Submitted by Dr T on December 5, 2011 - 11:45am
in
Question: 

Hi there,
I'm a 37-year-old woman with no known health problems.  I am 5ft 4in and weigh 115lbs.  My diet contains a fair amount of good stuff: at least 20 grams of fiber/day, if not more, some vegetables (I don't really like fruit very much), low sodium (due to idiopathic ankle edema).  I try to get enough protein, but admittedly don't always eat as much as I should.  Every so often I indulge in an unhealthy dessert, maybe once a month when we go out to dinner.  For the most part my snacks include greek yogurt and Fiber One granola bars.  

I had my cholesterol checked last week and my numbers came back elevated, which was really surprising. I thought I was being so healthy with my food choices. But my question is how bad are they?

Cholesterol 250 (normal less than 200)
Triglycerides 46 (normal less than 150)
HDL 79 (normal greater than 45)
LDL 162 (normal less than 130)

What numbers should I be aiming for?  And considering my fairly healthy diet, how restrictive do I have to be to get my numbers to an acceptable level?

Hi TH,
Your cholesterol & LDL are too high, but the rest looks pretty good. You didn't say anything about exercise, maybe one of the more important things you can do! Meanwhile read this about cholesterol and its treatment, including diet & exercise, stop smoking and your family history; all things that play a role. In addition, women face a few risk associated with their gender

How can I raise my HDL cholesterol?

Submitted by Dr T on October 30, 2011 - 10:41am
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Question: 

Hi doc! had my cardio and lipid profile just recently. all my LDL and VLDL are at normal level, but my HDL, unfortunately is lower than normal.how do i manage my condition? Coming from a poor family, and living in poor Philippines, i don't really need another ailment and need all the help i could get. please, advise me. Thank you very much!

HDL levels below 40 mg/dL result in an increased risk of coronary artery disease, even in people whose total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels are normal. If you would like to estimate your risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD), click here.

On the other hand, HDL levels greater than 60 mg/dL may actually protect people from heart disease. Indeed, when it comes to HDL levels, the higher the better. Click here to learn more about cholesterol.

Can we do anything about Obesity?

Submitted by Dr T on October 27, 2011 - 2:51pm
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Question: 

"I hardly eat anything, but can't seem to lose weight

Yesterday at the gym, I had a chance to speak with a man I have seen shrink in size during the past few years from serious obesity to what looks like half his original weight. I was curious to find out how he had achieved losing what proved to be 125lbs (from 365lbs). Presently at around 240lbs, he was still working hard to lose more weight. He said: " I have been heavy all my life and now I am at it seven days a week. In retirement, exercizing at the Gym has become my daily job." As far as diet was concerned, he cut out red meat as his only change. He got the message something had to change when he became a SCD survivor.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines

A poor diet is responsible for a number of chronic illnesses such as high cholesterol, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, resulting in as much as 75% of the cost of medical care in the United States.

Calculate your BMI

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.

BMI can be used to indicate if you are overweight, obese, underweight or normal. A healthy BMI score is between 20 and 25. A score below 20 indicates that you may be underweight; a value above 25 indicates that you may be overweight.

The risk of Niacin therapy and niacin in the news

Submitted by Dr T on May 30, 2011 - 9:49am
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Question: 

I experienced an MI in 1999 and have been fine since then. I take 20mg of simvastatin and 1500mg of plain niacin. The niacin has brought my HDL and triglycerides to desirable levels. It has also lowered my LDL more than the statin alone. Now comes the study which found no benefit with Niaspan. Do you think that it would be wise for me to consider dropping the niacin and increasing the simvastatin? I definitely want to address the risk factors aggressively and have been doing so to the best of my ability. Thank you for your generous help.

 

I was just planning to write about this, so your question is very timely!
You are referring to the AIM-HIGH trial: A trial of high-dose extended-release niacin (Niaspan, Abbott) given in addition to statin therapy in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, high triglycerides, and low levels of HDL cholesterol has been halted prematurely, 18 months ahead of schedule, because niacin offered no additional benefits in this patient population.

Teenage Obesity and future diabetes, heart disease

Submitted by Dr T on April 10, 2011 - 8:54am
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Obese teenagers are at risk for diabetes and heart disease in the future

In a new study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine (1), 37,000 Israeli teen aged men  were followed for 17 years. Body Mass Index (BMI) was recorded regularly during the follow-up period. A higher BMI at age 17 was associated with an increased risk for developing Type II diabetes in early adulthood, as well as a higher likelihood of developing coronary artery disease.

Obesity and Economics

Submitted by Dr T on April 4, 2011 - 3:08pm
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While I recognize that Mr. Gingrich's recent speech about chocolate, beer and tough choices, was meant to just raise a few chuckles (which it did, even if it was besides the point), he might want to take a look at a recent speech by First Lady Michelle Obama on the Economic Consequences of Obesity, as well other economic data on obesity.

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Ask Doctor T. Blog

Collapsed lung and fluid around the lung after heart surgery

hello sir, this is a 55 year old female who underwent CABG 2 months ago who is also a known asthmatic, who got complications like mild left lung collapse and effusion which was treated with physiotherapy, where the patient was feeling better and x-rays showed resolving...

Hi Anitha,
This condition is a complication of the operation. It is called atelectasis and is frequently associated with a pleural effusion (collection of fluid around...

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