CardioCurrents

News and tips for the heart-conscious

Taking control of blood pressure

Older adults with elevated systolic blood pressure—the top number in the ideal 120/80 reading—take note. You may need to begin drug treatment, such as taking thiazide diuretics and long-acting calcium blockers, when your systolic pressure reaches 160. In the past, many physicians believed that systolic pressure of 100 plus a person’s age was safe. However, a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that treatment to keep systolic pressure below 160 reduces risk for heart attack, heart failure and other cardiovascular events.

People with diabetes often suffer in silence

More than one in five people with diabetes suffer reduced blood flow to the heart but don’t realize it, reports the journal Diabetes Care. Known as myocardial ischemia, the condition occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, reducing the amount of blood the heart receives. When it occurs without symptoms, the condition is called a silent disease. Researchers studied more than 500 people with type 2 diabetes who had no symptoms of heart disease and found 22 percent had myocardial ischemia. Surprisingly, only 60 percent of participants met current guidelines for heart screening, which suggests more aggressive heart monitoring may be in order.

Sad feelings, sad hearts?

Depression can take an early toll on your heart. After reviewing data from a national health survey of more than 6,000 men and women ages 17 to 39, doctors at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System found that women with a history of depression were twice as likely to have metabolic syndrome, which ups the risk of heart disease. People with metabolic syndrome have at least three out of five factors linked to heart disease: high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol, high fasting blood sugar or abdominal obesity. The link was not seen among men with depression.

Fish, don’t fry me now

You know that eating more fish is good for your heart, but now experts say how you cook it is just as important. Eating broiled or baked fish or even canned tuna—but not fried fish—lowers the risk for an irregular heartbeat, a condition called atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is the most common type of heart rhythm disorder, affecting 2 million Americans. Doctors evaluated the diets of nearly 5,000 people over age 65 and found those who ate the most fish—five or more servings a week—enjoyed a 31 percent lower risk for AF. Those who ate one to four servings enjoyed a 28 percent lower risk. But those who ate fried fish showed no reduced risk, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Did you know?

• Eating potassium-rich foods such as sweet potatoes, acorn squash, papaya, dried apricots, pinto beans, spinach and cantaloupe may help prevent high blood pressure. Unless your doctor instructs otherwise, aim for at least 4,700 milligrams each day.

• Cholesterol levels start rising after the teen years, so you should have a routine cholesterol screening every five years starting at age 20.

• People who exercise regularly lower their risks for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and colon cancer by 30 percent to 50 percent.