The impact of obesity on left ventricular mass and geometry: the Framingham Heart Study

Article Abstract:

People who are obese are at greater risk of coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, and death from other cardiovascular causes. They are also more likely to suffer from hypertension, glucose intolerance (associated with diabetes), lower levels of high-density lipoproteins (the ''good'' cholesterol), and a type of cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle). It also appears that obesity is related to left ventricular hypertrophy, or enlargement of the left ventricle of the heart. (The left ventricle pumps freshly oxygenated blood to the body.) Studies of extremely obese people have found increases in left ventricular mass, wall thickness, and cavity size. No studies have evaluated these factors in mild to moderately obese persons and compared the results with similar findings in subjects with normal weight. Echocardiography, which relies on ultrasound, now provides a noninvasive method of imaging the heart and evaluating left ventricular mass. Images of the hearts of 3,922 participants in the Framingham Heart Study were obtained to study the relation between left ventricular mass and obesity in apparently healthy people who did not have high blood pressure. It was found that even mild to moderate obesity was associated with increases in left ventricular wall thickness and internal dimension in both men and women. These changes may increase the risk of heart disease in obese people. It is known that left ventricular hypertrophy is associated with an increase in cardiovascular illness and death, and previous research has shown a greater risk of congestive heart failure among obese subjects. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Abnormalities, Complications and side effects, Obesity, Heart ventricle, Left, Left heart ventricle

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Impact of national guidelines for cholesterol risk factor screening: the Framingham Offspring Study

Article Abstract:

When cholesterol level guidelines from the National Cholesterol Foundation (NCEP) were applied to 792 men and 853 women between 30 and 69 years of age fifty percent of these persons had desirable cholesterol levels. Thirty percent of the women and 12 percent of the men had borderline levels, and 35 percent of the men and 19 percent of the women had elevated levels. It was predicted that 2 percent of people who changed their diets to reduce their blood lipid levels by 20 percent would also require medication to control their lipid levels, compared with 5 percent of people who reduced blood lipids by 10 percent and 10 percent of those who reduced blood lipids by 5 percent. The study also showed that the NCEP algorithm for identifying risk for coronary heart disease lacks specificity for women under 40 and both men and women over 60. It is concluded that dietary guidelines will form the core of cholesterol guidelines, from which individuals aged 40 to 60 years might benefit the most.

Analysis, Evaluation, Prevention, Coronary heart disease, Low-cholesterol diet, Low cholesterol diet, Health risk assessment, Blood cholesterol

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White blood cell count and cardiovascular disease: insights from the Framingham study

Article Abstract:

Individuals who have white blood cell (WBC) counts at the upper limit of normal may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than individuals whose counts are lower. Individuals who smoke may have higher WBC counts than nonsmokers. The Framingham Offspring Study of 1,393 men and 1,401 women between 30 and 59 years old found over a 12-year period that 180 men and 80 women developed CVD. Average WBC counts were higher in men than in women. Smokers had higher WBC counts than nonsmokers, and WBC count was strongly associated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Among nonsmoking men, the risk of CVD increased with WBC count, but not among men who smoked. The risk of CVD increased with WBC count among women who smoked, but not among women who did not smoke.

Health aspects, Smoking, Leukocytes, White blood cells

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