What if Americans ate less fat? A quantitative estimate of the effect on mortality

Article Abstract:

Americans are advised to eat less fat to reduce cholesterol levels, and consequently lower their risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and some cancers. However, there is not yet any epidemiological evidence to support this assumption. If the entire population of the US were to restrict fats to 30 percent of their caloric intake, CHD mortality could be reduced by 5 percent to 20 percent, and deaths from cancer of the breast, colon, and prostate could be reduced even more. Because these diseases usually occur in men over 60 years and women over 70 years old, the average life expectancy would actually increase by only three to four months. However, the increase in lifespan would not be the same for everyone. Those with multiple risk factors for CHD may gain years, while others with no CHD risk factors may gain nothing at all. Current dietary recommendations assume that there are no harmful effects from lowering serum cholesterol levels, an assumption that is now being questioned. Only about half of CHD deaths among middle-aged men are related to cholesterol, and this relationship is even weaker for the elderly. Also, the effects of dietary fat among women have not been adequately studied. The reduction in deaths achieved by eating less fat would be about one 10th the number of deaths caused by cigarette smoking, and about equal the number of people who die in auto accidents each year. Accident victims are usually young, therefore programs to reduce these fatalities would provide a far greater benefit in terms of number of years of life extension. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Mortality, Dietary fat, Lipids, Cholesterol, Lipids in nutrition

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Should the Electrocardiogram Be Used to Guide Therapy for Patients With Left Bundle-Branch Block and Suspected Myocardial Infarction?

Article Abstract:

The electrocardiogram (ECG) may not be accurate in predicting which patients with left bundle-branch block (LBBB) may have a heart attack. LBBB is a type of heart arrhythmia. Researchers evaluated an algorithm that relies on the ECG, which measures the electrical activity of the heart, in 83 patients with LBBB who had symptoms of a heart attack. None of the nine ECG patterns evaluated were able to identify the 30% of patients who were having a heart attack from patients with other conditions. The algorithm only identified 10% of the heart attack patients.

Diagnosis, Heart attack, Electrocardiogram, Electrocardiography

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Depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life: the Heart and Soul study

Article Abstract:

Depression can adversely affect a cardiac patient's quality of life, according to a study of 1,024 patients with coronary heart disease. The 201 patients who were depressed were more likely than the others to say they had a poor quality of life and poor overall health. Depression had a greater impact on their self-perceived quality of life than their heart disease symptoms.

Psychological aspects, Patient outcomes, Coronary heart disease, Depression, Mental, Depression (Mood disorder), Quality of life, Cardiac patients

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