Cycling to Work - Research

Cycling to work, cuts the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, research suggests.

Walking to work is also good for you, although it does not offer the same benefits as taking a bike, experts from the University of Glasgow found.
The new study on 264,337 people, 52% of whom were women, found cycling to work is linked to a 45% lower risk of developing cancer and a 46% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to driving to work or taking public transport.
Overall, cyclists had a 41% lower risk of premature death from any cause.

The study also found some health benefits,

if people cycled part of their journey

Walking to work was also associated with a 27% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 36% lower risk of dying from it.
But there was no link with a lower risk of cancer or dying early from any cause in walkers, the study found.
People who preferred to stroll to work also had to walk for two hours a week in total to see health benefits, at an average speed of three miles per hour.
Experts behind the study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), said the lower benefits seen for walking compared to cycling could be down to several factors.
These include the fact cyclists covered longer distances in their commutes than the walkers, cycling is a higher intensity exercise and cyclists were generally more fit.


Dr Carlos Celis-Morales, from the University of Glasgow, said: "Walking to work was associated with lower risk of heart disease, but unlike cycling was not associated with a significantly lower risk of cancer or overall death.
"This may be because walkers commuted shorter distances than cyclists, typically six miles per week, compared with 30 miles per week, and walking is generally a lower intensity of exercise than cycling."
The study also found some health benefits if people cycled part of their journey and took public transport or drove the rest of the way.
The people taking part in the research were aged 52 on average at the start of the study and were followed for five years.
About 2,430 people died during the study period, with 496 deaths related to cardiovascular disease, which covers all diseases of the heart and circulation, and 1,126 deaths from cancer.
Overall, 3,748 people developed cancer over the five years, and 1,110 had an event related to cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.

Connemara: Health-Landscape

The Connemara International Marathon is one of the world’s most scenic events, set in the dramatic scenery of the west of Ireland. 2017 will mark its sixteenth year in running, growing in numbers each year from 73 runners to our sell out point, in excess of 3,000 runners.



The next Connemarathon will take place on Sunday 23rd April 2017 join Team Croi for an unforgettable marathon experience.

The event comprises of half, full and ultra (39.3 mile) marathons. Participants will enjoy some of Ireland’s most beautiful scenery as they meander through bogs, hills, lakes, and the twelve pins mountain range, rising up over the great expanse of Killary Lough, through the sleepy village of Leenane, around the Maam Turk Mountains and all the way up to Maam Cross.

 

Support the fight against heart disease and stroke by taking on the challenge of the 2017 Connemara half, full or ultra marathon. 

The Aims of CROÍ (HEART)

The health group known as CROÍ  (HEART) has two main aims -

Fighting  Heart Disease and Stroke




https://www.croi.ie/health-info/heart-health

CROI is located at Newcastle, Galway city, Ireland

Sitting is the New Smoking!

Sitting is the New Smoking: How a Sedentary Lifestyle is Killing You!



Dr. James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity
Solutions Initiative and inventor of the treadmill desk has been studying the adverse effects of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles for years and has summed up his findings in two sentences:
"Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death."
Levine is credited with coining the mantra—“sitting is the new smoking”—but he’s not the only one who believes it. Researchers have found and continue to find evidence that prolonged sitting increases the risk of developing several serious illnesses like various types of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Another reason the smoking analogy is relevant is that studies have repeatedly shown the effects of long-term sitting are not reversible through exercise or other good habits. Sitting, like smoking, is very clearly bad for our health and the only way to minimize the risk is to limit the time we spend on our butts each day.

Recent additions to Nursing & Midwifery Library

Located at 618.361 HEA

Located at 616.025 EME

Located at 617.1 ESS

Located at 615.50724 OXF

Located at 331.12916182 HAN

Located at 618.2 JOH

Located at 610.73072 POL

Irish Researchers leading the way for cardiac defect repairs

NUI Galway researcher is author of paper contributing to the design of an innovative device to close heart defects without placing patients on bypass

Researchers, including four Irish researchers, while based at the Wyss Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital have jointly designed a fundamentally different way to implant an innovative patch to close a heart tissue defect that eradicates the need to place a patient on bypass. Their work was published recently in Science Translational Medicine, and features as the cover article.

Ellen Roche, PhD and a graduate from the Biomedical Engineering Program at NUI Galway was the first author of the paper. Roche completed the work published in Science Translational Medicineduring her PhD at Harvard University and is a current research fellow at NUI Galway under Professor Peter McHugh, working on a project in Biomedical Engineering in the area of novel cardiac drug delivery device development. 

View more here

'Heart attack breakthrough' - Research

Scientists have discovered a way to stimulate muscle cell growth in the heart, limiting the damage to this vital organ after a heart attack

Scientists have now found a new way to potentially regenerate the heart after a heart attack by replacing lost muscle cells. According to Professor Richard Harvey from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, this is an important step forward toward repairing a broken heart.

“Unlike blood, hair or skin cells, which can renew themselves throughout life, cell division in the heart virtually comes to a standstill shortly after birth, which means the heart can’t fully regenerate if it is damaged later in life,” Professor Harvey explained.

“Previous studies have demonstrated that it is possible to coax heart muscle cells to proliferate again, but only at very trivial levels.

“What the research team has been able to do is boost heart muscle cell numbers by as much as 45% after a heart attack. That’s a huge improvement!”

Scientists focused on a signalling system in the heart driven by a hormone called ‘neuregulin’.

By switching the neuregulin pathway to ‘turbo charge’ the researchers found that heart muscle cells continued to divide in a spectacular way in both the adolescent and adult periods.

Stimulating the neuregulin pathway during a heart attack lead to replacement of lost muscle.

The study has been published in Nature Cell Biology. To read more click here

View more on Health Canal

Office workers 'Too Sedentary'

Office workers need to get up and move around more, according to a new campaign in the UK - 'On Your Feet Britain'.

It says sitting for long periods at work is linked to a host of health problems, which are not undone by working out in the gym.  It is calling on people to stand regularly, walk around more and embrace ideas such as standing meetings or standing desks.

Experts described inactivity as "one of the biggest" challenges in health.

Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers and poor mental health have all been linked to sedentary behaviour.

View Study here: Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysisSedentary Time and Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization

The effect is found even in people who class themselves as fit, such as those who cycle to work, if they also spend long periods of time sitting.

Prolonged sitting is thought to slow the metabolism and affect the way the body controls sugar levels, blood pressure and the breakdown of fat.

The campaign is a partnership between the group Get Britain Standing and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) charity.

Their survey of 2,000 office workers suggested:

• 45% of women and 37% of men spend less than 30 minutes a day up on their feet at work
• More than half regularly eat their lunch at their desk
• 78% office workers felt they spent too much time sitting down
• Nearly two-thirds were worried sitting at work was having a negative impact on their health

View more on BBC/Health here

Children's Diets Are Raising Their Risk of Heart Disease

The rate of childhood obesity has been rising – and their risk of heart disease later in life along with it. The problem might be worse than we realize. A new study concluded that between 2003 and 2010, over 80% of children in the U.S. had a poor diet.

According to the team from NHS Behind the Headlines, the large survey behind these figures should be nationally representative. Called NHANES, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey is run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Behind the Headlines point out that the results can’t be exact. They point to reasons such as the survey being based on people’s memories of what was consumed – and the ideal dietary intakes weren’t based on the individual children’s age and other key characteristics. You can read more about it in PubMed Health’s Behind the Headlines feature.

How could this trend be turned around? Check out these systematic reviews at PubMed Health:

• Getting under 5s to eat more fruits and vegetables (fruit was easier!)
• Obesity prevention programs to support parents and schools to encourage healthier diets and physical activity in children
• School programs for physical activity and fitness in children and teenagers

Study on Sleep Duration and Mortality

We all know that getting too little sleep is bad. You feel tired, you may be irritable, and it can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, doctors say. But too much sleep? You don't often hear people complaining about it.

However, research carried out over the past 10 years appears to show that adults who usually sleep for less than six hours or more than eight, are at risk of dying earlier than those who sleep for between six and eight hours.

To put it more scientifically, there is a gradual increase in mortality risk for those who fall outside the six-to-eight-hour band.

Prof Franco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology at the University of Warwick, has analysed 16 studies, in which overall more than a million people were asked about their sleeping habits and then followed up over time.

View article here: Sleep Duration and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies -

His analysis showed that 12% more of the short sleepers had died when they were followed up, compared to the medium sleepers.

However, 30% more of the long sleepers had died, compared to the medium sleepers. Cappuccio was aware of the possibility that people sleeping too long might be depressed, or might be using sleeping pills. He corrected for this, though, and found the association was still there.

His own theory is that people who sleep for more than eight hours sometimes have an underlying health problem that is not yet showing in other symptoms.

So, it's not the long sleep that is causing the increased mortality risk, it's the hidden illness.

View Press article on BBC/Health here

Is Too Much Exercise Bad For Your Heart?

 

Internationally acclaimed academic Professor Keith George examines the impact of extreme exercise on the heart at a free public talk at the Croi Heart and Stroke Centre in Galway

The overwhelming majority of scientific evidence shows that exercise is perhaps the most important route to ahealthier better life. It reduces high blood pressure, lowers cholesterol levels, reduces the impact of inflammation, improves vascular function, directly improves heart function and contributes to a longer healthier life. In fact, you could say it is the cheapest cardiovascular polydrug on the market!

Even with all of this compelling evidence about the benefits of exercise some studies claiming that too much exercise can be harmful have gained widespread media attention over the past number of years. The question is why? And if exercise is a drug then does it have any side effects? Is the dose-response a linear one? These are some of the many questions that will be examined by Professor Keith George, Professor of Exercise andCardiovascular Physiology and Head of the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, UK. He is giving a FREE Public Talk on this topic on Friday March 20^th at 7pm in the Croí Heart and Stroke Centre, Newcastle, Galway

Places at this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

To book online or for further information visit www.croi.ie Croí Heart and Stroke Centre on 091 544310

Be cautious about claims that daily coffees are good for heart

At best, the study found an association between coffee-drinking and lower coronary calcium scores. This is long way from proving causation, a more difficult challenge that would require a randomised forward-looking study

A recent article in the Irish Times questions a study in Heart journal :-

“People who drink three to five coffees a day are less likely to develop clogged arteries that could lead to heart attacks” is a headline that must have sent coffee drinkers’ hearts beating faster in anticipation of future guilt-free consumption.

It follows the publication of a study in the medical journal Heart, which studied a group of more than 25,000 South Korean men and women with an average age of 41, who had no signs of heart disease.

The researchers at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul examined the relationship between levels of coffee consumption and the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, which is calculated from a CT scan.

Both the press releases and reportage of the research left much to be desired. At best, the study found an association between coffee-drinking and lower coronary calcium scores. This is long way from proving causation, a more difficult challenge that would require a randomised forward-looking study.

Then there is the issue of the CAC score itself. This is a parallel marker indicating the possibility of a furred-up coronary artery. However, it is not the gold standard measurement – that is an angiograph which directly visualises each coronary artery and is the ultimate arbiter of the presence of coronary heart disease.

“Moderate coffee consumption lessens risk of clogged arteries and heart attacks.” It has all become more than a little confusing. Not long ago, coffee was a confirmed member of the “bad for you club”. Now it is claimed to be so good you should drink up to five cups a day to avoid developing heart disease.

Fat is another dietary factor that has undergone rehabilitation. For decades we were advised to avoid saturated fat to keep our cholesterol in check.

People stopped eating steak and limited their egg and milk intake. The resulting gap was filled with sugar and carbohydrate, which has contributed to a worldwide obesity epidemic.

What is the confused consumer to do? A certain scepticism of mainstream health reportage would help. If possible, try to find out more about the original research – and when it comes to coping with “yo-yo” dietary trends, the sage advice of “everything in moderation” has stood the test of time.

Read full article in Irish Times here

Govt approves bill requiring calories on menus

Restaurants and takeaways look set to be compelled to display calorie details on their menus.

The Cabinet has approved proposals requiring food outlets to post the information at the point where the food is ordered, whether at tables or counters.

Drafting legislation is expected to start immediately and should be ready for enactment by next year.

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said the move is a simple but effective way of encouraging people to choose a healthier option.

"I am very concerned about levels of overweight and obesity in Ireland. Latest figures indicate that nearly two out of every three adults, and one in four children, are overweight or obese.

"This presents real risks for health and well-being and causes a high percentage of many of the chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes," Minister Varadkar said.

The proposed laws will require all menus, including boards, leaflets, digital menus or other forms, to display the amount of calories alongside the price in the same font size and colour. 
View on RTE/Health here

Teenagers and Heart Disease

Irish teenagers as young as fifteen years are already showing signs of the early onset of heart disease.

Research has found that teenage boys are displaying high blood pressure and high cholesterol, directly related to being overweight and unfit.

The study of teenage boys, carried out at the centre for Preventative Medicine at DCU, has highlighted the serious health problems that overweight teenagers are facing.

Professor Niall Moyna carried out the study, which he says was unique because the children were examined for signs of heart disease not just risk factors.

"We looked at the arteries in the neck, that supply the brain, and we also looked at the arteries in their arm, which tells us what's happening in their heart.

"We found in both, that the unfit kids, had higher levels of plague in the arteries, increasing the risk of stroke."

The results for boys who were classed as "moderately fit" and "high fit" did not differ, an indication any form of exercise reduced the risk of heart disease.

Previous studies have shown that the damage can be undone but there is a small window of opportunity, according to Professor Moyna.

"Children have great plasticity and the studies show that up until their mid 20s they can reduce this. But we all know it's very difficult to change a behaviour. It's all about getting children to adopt health behaviours in the first place."

The teenagers examined had taken part in the Schools' Fitness Challenge, which is now in its fourth year.

As part of the programme students have their initial fitness levels measured, before undertaking a six weeks of training. Afterwards their fitness levels are tested again.

Last year 13,067 students participated in the challenge.

Secondary schools interested in the 2015 challenge can register online on Aviva's schools fitness challenge.

Heart Disease - New Pathway

A new initiative to tackle heart disease and the issues that cause cardiovascular problems is being launched in Galway today.

Heart disease is still the main cause of death each year in Ireland. However, experts say 90% of cardiovascular illness could be averted with early intervention and increased awareness.

The NIPC will promote research and help develop new treatment practices, offering support and resources to hospitals and medics and will work to influence policy at a national level. The National Institute for Preventive Cardiology is a collaboration between the Croí charity and NUI Galway.

To mark the launch of the Institute, a National Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention will be held at the Croi Heart and Stroke Centre in Galway on Saturday, 29th November. National and international world leaders in CVD Prevention will speak at this inaugural event which will examine global challenges and future developments in preventive healthcare.

Click here to register and to view the full agenda and meeting details.

View more here

Mediterranean diet is best way to tackle obesity, say doctors

A Mediterranean diet may be a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors have said.

Writing in the Postgraduate Medical Journal (PMJ), the doctors said a Mediterranean diet quickly reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes.  And they said it may be better than low-fat diets for sustained weight loss.

The PMJ editorial argues a focus on food intake is the best approach, but it warns crash dieting is harmful.  They criticise the weight-loss industry for focusing on calorie restriction rather than "good nutrition".

They make the case for a Mediterranean diet, including fruit and vegetables, nuts and olive oil, citing research suggesting it quickly reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and may be better than low-fat diets for sustained weight loss.

The lead author, cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, says the scientific evidence is overwhelming.  "What's more responsible is that we tell people to concentrate on eating nutritious foods.

Inspired by traditional cuisine of countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy, the Mediterranean diet has long been associated with good health and fit hearts.

Typically, it consists of an abundance of vegetables, fresh fruit, wholegrain cereals, olive oil and nuts, as well as poultry and fish, rather than lots of red meat and butter or animal fats.

View article in PMJ : Healthy eating: an NHS priority: A sure way to improve health outcomes for NHS staff and the public

View more here

Salt consumption has a sweet spot

Professor Martin O’Donnell, formerly of McMaster University, is now Professor of Translational Medicine at NUI Galway and Associate Director of the HRB Clinical Research Facility Galway

Two reports from a global collaborative study involving hundreds of investigators from 18 countries, published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, are shaking up conventional wisdom around salt consumption. NUI Galway’s Professor Martin O’Donnell played a lead role in the study, and is first author on one of the reports.

The Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, led by investigators from the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, followed more than 100,000 people for nearly four years. The study assessed sodium and potassium intake and related them to blood pressure as well as to deaths, heart disease and strokes.

Professor Martin O’Donnell, an expert in cardiovascular health,  explained the debate around salt intake: “A much debated question is how low should we go with our salt intake? Most of the current guidelines recommend very low salt intake, which the vast majority of people don’t achieve.”

Current intake of sodium is typically between 3.5 and 4 grams per day and some guidelines have recommended that the entire population lower its sodium intake to below 2.3 grams per day, a level that fewer than 5 per cent of people now consume.

Professor O’Donnell continued : “In the PURE study, we found the lowest risk of death and cardiovascular events in those who consumed moderate amounts of sodium intake (3 to 6 grams per day), with an increased risk above and below that range. While this finding has been reported in previous smaller studies, PURE is the largest international study to study sodium intake and health outcomes, and adds considerable strength to the contention that moderate sodium intake is optimal.”

However, he also emphasised: “Our findings do not mean that people should become complacent about salt intake, high salt intake is a health risk especially in those with high blood pressure. 

View full press release here

Click on title to view article in NEJM: Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion, Mortality, and Cardiovascular Events

Why Mediterranean diet is 'healthy'

The combination of olive oil and leafy salad or vegetables is what gives the Mediterranean diet its healthy edge, say scientists.  When these two food groups come together they form nitro fatty acids which lower blood pressure, they told PNAS journal.

The unsaturated fat in olive oil joins forces with the nitrite in the vegetables, the study of mice suggests.  Nuts and avocados along with vegetables should work too, they say.

Inspired by traditional cuisine of countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy, the Mediterranean diet has long been associated with good health and fit hearts.  Typically, it consists of an abundance of vegetables, fresh fruit, wholegrain cereals, olive oil and nuts, as well as poultry and fish, rather than lots of red meat and butter or animal fats.

While each component of the Mediterranean diet has obvious nutritional benefits, researchers have been puzzled about what precisely makes the diet as a whole so healthy.

Prof Philip Eaton, from King's College London, and colleagues from the University of California in the US believe it is the fusion of the diet's ingredients that make nitro fatty acids.

In their study, part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, the researchers used genetically engineered mice to see what impact nitro fatty acids had on the body.

Nitro fatty acids helped lower blood pressure by blocking an enzyme called epoxide hydrolase.  Prof Eaton said: "Humans have this same enzyme so we think the same happens in people."  This explains why a Mediterranean diet is healthy, even though it contains fat, he says.

"With the fats in the Med diet, if taken together with nitrates or nitrites, there's a chemical reaction and these combine to form nitro fatty acids.

"It's nature's protective mechanism. If we can tap into this we could make new drugs for treating high blood pressure and preventing heart disease," he said.

He said human trials were planned.

Dr Sanjay Thakrar of the British Heart Foundation said: "This interesting study goes some way to explain why a Mediterranean diet appears to be good for your heart health. The results showed a way in which a particular compound could combat high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.

"However, more work is necessary as these experiments were conducted in mice and this compound could also be having its effect through other pathways."

Click here to view Research article in PNAS

View link to BBC/Health here

Inactivity 'dominant influence' on women's heart risk

Lack of exercise is the biggest risk factor for heart disease in women aged 30 and above, according to a study.

If all over-30s followed recommended guidelines on exercise, nearly 3,000 lives could be saved each year in Australia alone, say researchers.

More needs to be done to warn women of inactivity, as it outweighs other risk factors such as obesity, they say.

A team at the University of Queensland, Australia tracked the health of more than 30,000 women born in the 1920s, 1940s and 1970s.

They found smoking had the greatest impact on women's heart disease risk below the age of 30.  However, as women got older and more gave up smoking, it was overtaken by physical inactivity as the dominant influence on heart disease risk.

Continuing efforts to encourage people to stop smoking were warranted, the researchers reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

But they said greater effort were needed to promote exercise, which they describe as a "Cinderella" risk factor compared with obesity.

Commenting on the study, Thembi Nkala, senior cardiac nurse at theBritish Heart Foundation, said physical inactivity was a known major risk factor for heart disease.

"Interestingly, this study shows its dominant influence on heart disease amongst women, and suggests a greater need to promote regular physical activity amongst this group," she said.

"It's important to remember that heart disease is linked to other factors such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

"It's essential to manage these too, as the more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of heart disease. "

View press article here

EU project on foods that can boost heart health gets €6m funding

A European research consortium has launched a major project to investigate the prevention of heart disease and stroke through food.

The Bacchus collaboration project will receive €6 million in funding from the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme to study the beneficial effects of bioactive compounds in humans.

Bacchus aims to generate robust scientific evidence supporting a beneficial effect of bioactive compounds in foods on cardiovascular health, for example, reducing high blood pressure. The project will also support 16 European small to medium enterprises in using this scientific evidence to create food products to boost cardiovascular health.

The project brings together 28 beneficiaries from around Europe, including University College Cork (UCC).

The UCC group, led by Dr Maireád Kiely in the school of food and nutritional sciences, is co-ordinating the investigation into whether the consumption of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols in fruit and peptides produced from eggs, meat and cereals, can reduce cardiovascular risk. In total, seven trials will be conducted in Britain, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

Bioactive compounds found naturally in fruits and vegetables have been linked with beneficial effects on blood pressure and other markers of cardiovascular health.

New research suggests specific protein sequences (peptides) naturally present in dairy, eggs, meat and fish may also promote heart health, most notably by reducing blood pressure in adults with hypertension

.

“The Bacchus project provides a significant research opportunity across the areas of food science and nutrition to thoroughly investigate the beneficial health effects associated with bioactive compounds in food,” said Dr Kiely.

View full report here