Humana Health Watch Transcript Archive

September 27

Fighting Heart Disease

Many people are looking to food and supplements to help in the fight against heart disease, but it’s not always clear which ones work and which ones don’t.

Many people are taking vitamin E and garlic to reduce their risk of heart disease, sometimes in large amounts but recent evidence suggests that these supplements may not be as effective as previously thought.

In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, about 9500 men and women 55 or older with heart disease or a risk factor for heart disease were either given 400 IU of vitamin E in their diet, or a placebo. The risk of a heart attack or stroke in people taking the vitamin E was essentially no different than in the group who took the placebo.

Many people are using garlic to fight heart disease by lowering their cholesterol. But a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that garlic was only somewhat better than placebo in reducing cholesterol levels, and may not be enough to change someone’s risk of heart disease.

Garlic has also been thought to reduce blood pressure, and to make platelets “slippery” so they won’t clog arteries. According to the authors of the study, there isn’t enough information to confirm those claims at the present time.

What can you eat to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke? According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, whole grain foods may lower the risk of stroke in women. This finding supports earlier evidence that cereal and oatmeal may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Any info on eggs—are they really as bad as we think?

Eggs do contain cholesterol, but it doesn’t seem that cholesterol is as important a risk factor as fat is. So it’s better to eat an egg than cholesterol free potato chips.

The only exception to that are people with diabetes who eat more than one egg a day can increase their risk of heart disease.

REFERENCES:

Egg Consumption Is Not a Major Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease. Hu FB, Stamfer MJ, Rimm EB, et al. A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA. 1999;281:1387-94.

Vitamin E Had No Effect on Risk for Cardiovascular Events. Vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study investigators. New England Journal of Medicine. 2000;342:154-60.

Whole Grain Consumption and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Women. Simin Liu, MD, ScD, JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, Meir J. Stampfer, MD, DrPH, Kathryn M. Rexrode, MD, Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, Eric B. Rimm, ScD, Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH. JAMA. 2000;284:1534-1540.

Garlic for Treating Hypercholesterolemia. A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trails. Clare Stevinson, BSc; Max H. Pittler, MD; and Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, FRCP(Edin). Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000;133:420-429.

RESOURCE:

American Heart Association
United States Environmental Protection Agency
www.americanheart.org

September 27
Fighting Heart Disease
	Many people are looking to food and supplements to help in the fight against heart disease, but it’s not always clear which ones work and which ones don’t. Many people are taking vitamin E and garlic to reduce their risk of heart disease, sometimes in large amounts but recent evidence suggests that these supplements may not be as effective as previously thought. In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, about 9500 men and women 55 or older with heart disease or a risk factor for heart disease were either given 400 IU of vitamin E in their diet, or a placebo. The risk of a heart attack or stroke in people taking the vitamin E was essentially no different than in the group who took the placebo. Many people are using garlic to fight heart disease by lowering their cholesterol. But a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that garlic was only somewhat better than placebo in reducing cholesterol levels, and may not be enough to change someone’s risk of heart disease. Garlic has also been thought to reduce blood pressure, and to make platelets “slippery” so they won’t clog arteries. According to the authors of the study, there isn’t enough information to confirm those claims at the present time. What can you eat to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke? According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, whole grain foods may lower the risk of stroke in women. This finding supports earlier evidence that cereal and oatmeal may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

	Any info on eggs—are they really as bad as we think? Eggs do contain cholesterol, but it doesn’t seem that cholesterol is as important a risk factor as fat is. So it’s better to eat an egg than cholesterol free potato chips. The only exception to that are people with diabetes who eat more than one egg a day can increase their risk of heart disease.
	REFERENCES: Egg Consumption Is Not a Major Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease. Hu FB, Stamfer MJ, Rimm EB, et al. A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA. 1999;281:1387-94. Vitamin E Had No Effect on Risk for Cardiovascular Events. Vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study investigators. New England Journal of Medicine. 2000;342:154-60. Whole Grain Consumption and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Women. Simin Liu, MD, ScD, JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, Meir J. Stampfer, MD, DrPH, Kathryn M. Rexrode, MD, Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, Eric B. Rimm, ScD, Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH. JAMA. 2000;284:1534-1540. Garlic for Treating Hypercholesterolemia. A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trails. Clare Stevinson, BSc; Max H. Pittler, MD; and Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, FRCP(Edin). Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000;133:420-429. RESOURCE: American Heart Association United States Environmental Protection Agency www.americanheart.org