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A New Study Suggests Vegetarians and Vegans Are at Higher Risk of Stroke. But Don ’t Reach for That Steak Just Yet
Vegetarians and vegans are likely to be concerned by the results of a new study with a surprising finding: those following meat-free diets, which are typically associated with better cardiovascular health, may actually have a higher risk of stroke than those who eat meat. But it’s too soon to run out and order a steak. The paper, published in the BMJ, found only a small increase in the risk of stroke, while confirming findings in other studies that vegetarians and vegans may have a lower risk of heart disease than meat-eaters. “It’s important to emphasize that we’ve looked at two outcomes here,R...
Source: TIME: Health - September 5, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized Diet/Nutrition onetime Source Type: news

Age- and Sex-Associated Impacts of Body Mass Index on Stroke Type Risk: A 27-Year Prospective Cohort Study in a Low-Income Population in China
Conclusions Being overweight increased the risk of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes; obesity was only associated with an increased risk of IS. Additionally, the positive association between BMI and stroke risk was only observed in participants aged <65 years and the associations differed between men and women. Being overweight increased the risk of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes in men and being underweight increased their risk of hemorrhagic stroke. In women, being overweight increased the hemorrhagic stroke risk, whereas obesity increased their IS risks. The high prevalence of hypertension and elevat...
Source: Frontiers in Neurology - April 30, 2019 Category: Neurology Source Type: research

Studies: Low-Dose Aspirin May Not Prevent Initial Heart Attack, Stroke
Taking a low-dose aspirin every day has long been known to cut the chances of another heart attack, stroke or other heart problem in people who already have had one, but the risks don’t outweigh the benefits for most other folks, major new research finds. Although it’s been used for more than a century, aspirin’s value in many situations is still unclear. The latest studies are some of the largest and longest to test this pennies-a-day blood thinner in people who don’t yet have heart disease or a blood vessel-related problem. One found that aspirin did not help prevent first strokes or heart attacks...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - August 27, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Boston News Health Healthwatch aspirin Source Type: news

MRI scan that can predict stroke risk has 'promise to save lives'
Scientists at Oxford University develop non-invasive technique to measure amount of cholesterol in carotid plaquesA new type of MRI scan can predict the risk of having astroke, researchers have said in a study.The non-invasive technique, developed by scientists at the University of Oxford, predicts whether plaques in the carotid arteries are rich in cholesterol and therefore more likely to cause a stroke.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 23, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Haroon Siddique Tags: Stroke Society Health UK news Medical research Science Source Type: news

Statins side effects 'have been overstated', says study
Conclusion This is a complex study that provides a plausible explanation for the difference in reports of adverse effects of statins in RCTs and observational studies, some of which have suggested as many as 1 in 5 people get side effects from statins. However, we need to be aware of some limitations and unanswered questions: When people knew they were taking statins, they were more likely to report muscle pain than those not taking statins. But they were less likely to report muscle pain than in the first phase of the study, when they didn't know whether they were taking statins or placebo. We don't know why this is. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Statins side effects 'have been overstated,' says study
Conclusion This is a complex study that provides a plausible explanation for the difference in reports of adverse effects of statins in RCTs and observational studies, some of which have suggested as many as 1 in 5 people get side effects from statins. However, we need to be aware of some limitations and unanswered questions: When people knew they were taking statins, they were more likely to report muscle pain than those not taking statins. But they were less likely to report muscle pain than in the first phase of the study, when they didn't know whether they were taking statins or placebo. We don't know why this is. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Daily diet of fresh fruit linked to lower diabetes risk
Conclusion The study findings – that eating fresh fruit every day does not raise the risk of diabetes, and may reduce it – are reassuring and in line with dietary advice in the UK. It's also helpful to see evidence that people who already have diabetes are likely to benefit from fresh fruit as well, because there has not been much research into fruit-eating for people with diabetes. However, it's a step too far to say that fresh fruit prevents diabetes or diabetes complications. Fresh fruit is just one part of a healthy diet, and diet is just one of the things that may affect someone's risk of getting diabetes. This ty...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 12, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Food/diet Source Type: news

Statins are 'safe, effective and should be used more widely'
Conclusion This study reviews evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies to better evaluate the effects and safety of statin therapy. It provides valuable data on the size of the benefits compared with the risks, informing a topic that has had much media coverage in recent times. The researchers highlight that the benefits of statin therapy for people at risk of cardiovascular disease events far outweigh any possible side effects. But it is still for a doctor and their patient to come to a conclusion about what the best treatment for them may be. If you have been prescribed a statin, it...
Source: NHS News Feed - September 9, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Risk-benefit profile of statin therapy 'may be more positive than expected'
This study showed that providing an effective low-cost statin therapy to 10,000 patients for five years would prevent major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes and coronary artery bypasses in 1,000 people with preexisting vascular disease, as well as 500 people who are at increased risk but have not yet had a vascular event. By contrast, only 50 to 100 cases of symptomatic adverse events would be expected over the same period, as well as 50 to 100 new cases of diabetes, five cases of myopathy and between five and ten haemorrhagic strokes. Should statins be more widely used? Currently, about six million peo...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - September 8, 2016 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

UK heart disease and stroke death rates now lower than cancer
Conclusion This valuable research informs on the burden of cardiovascular disease and associated mortality across European countries. It demonstrates that CVD is still the most common cause of death across Europe, but rates have been falling over the past 10 years. This fall means that in several European countries, including the UK, cancer rates now overtake CVD death rates in men. Generally, CVD disability and burden of disease seems to be greater in Eastern European countries. The WHO mortality data and population data are quite up-to-date and should be reliable, though as the researchers say, there was a lack of high ...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 15, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Cancer Neurology Source Type: news

Fruit may be good for you, but don’t ditch the statins
Conclusion The study adds to evidence that fresh fruit is likely to be good for our cardiovascular health, although we can't be sure from this study that it definitely prevents deaths, heart attacks or strokes. Observational studies cannot prove that one factor causes another, even when they are as big as this study, because other unmeasured factors could be responsible for the results. In this case, a major potential confounder that the researchers failed to take into account was whether the participants were taking any medication – they only excluded people taking blood pressure tablets. The link with statins, made by ...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 7, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Heart/lungs Source Type: news

High-dose painkiller heart risk: small but significant
Conclusion This large review adds to, and expands on, the current evidence on the risks of vascular disease and gastrointestinal complications for different NSAIDs. It largely concentrates on trials of high doses of NSAIDs that can only be prescribed by a doctor. It is unclear from this study whether there is any risk from taking lower doses available over the counter. While most experts advise that low-dose NSAIDs, taken occasionally, are safe for most people, an accompanying editorial points out that there are still “large gaps” in evidence on the risks with lower doses of NSAIDs. While the risk to individuals is sma...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 30, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news