Smoke exposure during pregnancy damages a baby’s blood pressure control, which may explain why such babies’ risk of cot death is higher, say experts.

Maternal smoking remains one of the biggest risk factors for cot death. A team at Sweden’s Karolinksa Institute found smoke-exposed babies had abnormal surges in blood pressure, even when sleeping undisturbed in their cots.  These surges put extra demand on the heart, making it pump faster and harder, the journal Hypertension says. 

The study suggests damage to the circulation may be a factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), although it set out to look at the effects of smoking on the newborn rather than cot death per se.

Dr Gary Cohen and his team studied 36 newborn babies – 17 of whom had mothers who smoked during the pregnancy.

When they examined the babies they found the ones that had been exposed to cigarette smoke showed abnormal heart rate and blood pressure responses.

And these abnormal responses got worse throughout their first year of life.

Dramatically different

At one week of age the smoke-exposed babies showed abnormally large blood pressure rises as they were lifted up from lying down.

By the age of one, the same babies appeared to have adapted to this and now showed abnormally low blood pressure responses to the same posture change.

Usually, when a person stands the heart rate increases and the blood vessels tighten, raising blood pressure slightly, to keep up the blood flow to the heart and brain.

Dr Cohen said: “Babies of smokers have evidence of persistent problems in blood pressure regulation that start at birth and get worse over time.

“This study reveals for the first time that early life exposure to tobacco can lead to long-lasting reprogramming of the infant blood pressure control mechanism.”

He said this might explain why babies of women who smoke are at increased risk of cot death.

“We have known for some time that there is a cardiovascular element to sudden infant death.

“It’s not just breathing, but blood pressure control and heart rate control.

“This is another piece of the jigsaw.”

He plans to continue to study the babies as they grow up to see if the damage is lasting and whether it leads to problems, such as high blood pressure, in later life.

Professor George Haycock, scientific adviser for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID), said: “The hypothesis presented here is highly plausible and agrees with work from other research groups.

“FSID’s top piece of advice remains, cut smoking in pregnancy – fathers too, and don’t let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby.”

Experts say a third of cot deaths could be avoided if mothers-to-be did not smoke.

Janet Fyle, Professional Policy Advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “These findings support what we know; that smoking during pregnancy can harm the developing foetus.

“The RCM would urge pregnant women who smoke to seek advice and support from their midwife about stopping smoking, for the benefit of their own long-term health.

“This would also benefit the health of their child.”

The compound in question is glutamic acid, and according to the work conducted at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, boosting its intake may contribute to better health of the circulatory system.

The researchers analyzed data from the International Study on Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure which involved 4,680 people aged between 40-59 in rural and urban populations in China, Japan, the UK and the U.S.

Increasing the consumption of protein-rich vegetables by 4.72 percent resulted in a 1.5 to 3 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) decrease in systolic blood pressure and a 1 to 1.6 mm Hg reduction in diastolic pressure.

“It is estimated that reducing a population’s average systolic blood pressure by 2 mm Hg could cut stroke death rates by 6 percent and reduce mortality from coronary heart disease by 4 percent,” says Dr. Jeremiah Stamler, professor emeritus of the Department of Preventive Medicine in the Feinberg School.

In view of these results, the alkaline diet—which is rich in citrus fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts and legumes—may also be beneficial for those at risk of high blood pressure.

Researchers in Wisconsin followed nearly 1,000 type-1 diabetics between 1980 and 2007. They found that visual impairment is less common among those diagnosed after 1970, according to Reuters. The results also took into account age, blood pressure and other factors that can affect sight in diabetics.

They say better blood sugar control and improved treatment of diabetes-related eye disorders are preventing more cases of visual impairment than in previous years.

“I think the implication is that the translation of findings from clinical trials over the past 20 years…into clinical care has resulted in reduction of vision loss,” said study author Dr. Ronald Klein.

Reuters points out that experts recommend that people with diabetes have an eye exam at least once per year to detect diabetic retinopathy and other eye disorders early, so that progression can be prevented or delayed.

Obesity and family history are among the risk factors for developing diabetes.

Health experts say proper nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight are natural ways to reduce the risk of getting the disease.

In addition, nutritional health supplements containing chromium, magnesium and vanadium have been used to manage diabetes, according to WebMD.

The study was conducted by French scientists who monitored 8,801 French participants over the age of 65 and found that systolic and diastolic blood pressure values differed significantly across the four seasons of the year.

They noted that the higher the temperature, the greater the decrease in blood pressure. For example, systolic blood pressure decreased with increasing temperature, with an 8.0 mm Hg decrease between the lowest (less than 46.22 F) and the highest (70.16 F) temperatures.

In general, high blood pressure was found in 33.4 percent of participants during winter and 23.8 percent during summer, and these changes were most pronounced in those 80 years or older.

“Because the risk of stroke or aneurysmal rupture is highest in the elderly, improved protection against these diseases by close monitoring of blood pressure when outdoor temperature is very low could be considered,” the researchers concluded.

Health practitioners have also recommended exercise and nutritional supplements to help improve circulation and lower blood pressure.

Amazing blood pressure secret from the Japanese

For more than 1,000 years, people in Japan have consumed a soy-based food called natto, which contains a unique enzyme called nattokinase. By eating this powerful enzyme, the Japanese keep their blood vessels clear and free of dangerous blood clots.

Plus, there’s an amazing side effect—less blood pressure is needed to push blood through your arteries. In fact, a blue ribbon study in Japan showed a 10.9% drop in systolic blood pressure and a 9.7% drop in diastolic blood pressure with nattokinase supplementation.

Now, after many centuries in secrecy, nattokinase is finally available in America.
Clearly, if you want to support healthy circulation and enjoy normal blood pressure at the same time, nattokinase is the nutrient for you. To find out how to get this scientifically proven enzyme in an inexpensive daily supplement

Substantial reductions in blood pressure were achieved with various doses of the drug, darusentan, for people who were still hypertensive despite trying three or more medications, said a report released online Sept. 13 in The Lancet.

An effective new drug against resistant high blood pressure could be “potentially enormously beneficial,” said one expert, Dr. Kirk Garratt, clinical director of interventional cardiovascular research at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

The blood pressure drops seen in the study are highly encouraging, Garratt said. “It only takes small changes in blood pressure readings to confer benefits on patients,” he noted. “This drug potentially takes people from a very dangerous place to a very safe place.”

The study results will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of an application for marketing approval, said Nathan Kaiser, a spokesman for Gilead Sciences, the company that is developing the drug.

“A larger trial completed enrollment earlier this year,” Kaiser said. “We expect data from that trial by the end of the year. Pending results of that second study, the earliest time we can apply for approval appears to be the fourth quarter of 2010.”

Some studies have said that as many as 30 percent of people with high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke, have the resistant form, in which blood pressure cannot be brought down to desired levels despite use of three or more drugs.

Darusentan acts to block the activity of endothelin, an artery-narrowing molecule. Its action involves a different molecular pathway than those targeted by conventional blood pressure medications, such as calcium channel blockers and diuretics.

The study, done at 117 sites across the globe, enrolled 379 people with systolic blood pressure (the higher number in a reading) that remained at 140 or higher (130 for those with diabetes or chronic kidney disease). The recommended blood pressure reading is 120/80. All patients received 14 weeks of treatment with daily doses of 50, 100 or 300 milligrams of darusentan, or a placebo, an inactive substance.

On average, the participants’ systolic blood pressure dropped 17 points with the 50-milligram dose of darusentan and 18 points with both the 100-milligram and the 300-milligram dose. A 9-point drop was recorded in the placebo group.

“That was a very meaningful reduction in blood pressure,” said study lead author Dr. Michael A. Weber, professor of medicine in the cardiology division of State University of New York, Downstate College of Medicine. “Even if you subtract what happened in the placebo group, you still get about a 10-point drop, which is a clinically important finding. It translates into a meaningful reduction in the likelihood of strokes and other cardiovascular outcomes.”

The major side effect was edema, excess fluid accumulation, which occurred in 27 percent of people taking the active drug and 14 percent of those taking placebo.

Because of edema, “to be really effective, darusentan probably should be used along with effective diuretic therapy,” Weber said. Diuretics, which increase the flow of fluid from the body, are already widely used against high blood pressure.

If darusentan works as hoped, it will be especially useful for older people with resistant high blood pressure, Weber said. “They tend to be middle-aged or older, often with some impairment of kidney function,” he said. “It is harder and harder to treat them and even more necessary to get their blood pressure treated, so new and more effective tools will be even more valuable.”

Sources: HealthDay News

While exercise can boost mood, its health benefits have been oversold.

Moderate exercise can reduce the risk of diabetes in people at risk. Exercise may reduce the risk of heart disease and breast and colon cancers.

Though the evidence is mixed, exercise may also provide benefits for people with osteoporosis.

Physical activity alone will not lead to sustained weight loss or reduce blood pressure or cholesterol.

Exercise has long been touted as the panacea for everything that ails you. For better health, simply walk for 20 or 30 minutes a day, boosters say — and you don’t even have to do it all at once. Count a few minutes here and a few there, and just add them up. Or wear a pedometer and keep track of your steps. However you manage it, you will lose weight, get your blood pressure under control and reduce your risk of osteoporosis.

If only it were so simple. While exercise has undeniable benefits, many, if not most, of its powers have been oversold. Sure, it can be fun. It can make you feel energized. And it may lift your mood. But before you turn to a fitness program as the solution to your particular health or weight concern, consider what science has found.

Moderate exercise, such as walking, can reduce the risk of diabetes in obese and sedentary people whose blood sugar is starting to rise. That outcome was shown in a large federal study in which participants were randomly assigned either to an exercise and diet program, to take a diabetes drug or to serve as controls. Despite trying hard, those who dieted and worked out lost very little weight. But they did manage to maintain a regular walking program, and fewer of them went on to develop diabetes.

Exercise also may reduce the risk of heart disease, though the evidence is surprisingly mixed. There seems to be a threshold effect: Most of the heart protection appears to be realized by people who go from being sedentary to being moderately active, usually by walking regularly. More intense exercise has been shown to provide only slightly greater benefits. Yet the data from several large studies have not always been clear, because those who exercise tend to be very different from those who do not.

Active people are much less likely to smoke; they’re thinner and they eat differently than their sedentary peers. They also tend to be more educated, and education is one of the strongest predictors of good health in general and a longer life. As a result, it is impossible to know with confidence whether exercise prevents heart disease or whether people who are less likely to get heart disease are also more likely to be exercising.

Scientists have much the same problem evaluating exercise and cancer. The same sort of studies that were done for heart disease find that people who exercised had lower rates of colon and breast cancer. But whether that result is cause or effect is not well established.

Exercise is often said to stave off osteoporosis. Yet even weight-bearing activities like walking, running or lifting weights has not been shown to have that effect. Still, in rigorous studies in which elderly people were randomly assigned either to exercise or maintain their normal routine, the exercisers were less likely to fall, perhaps because they got stronger or developed better balance. Since falls can lead to fractures in people with osteoporosis, exercise may prevent broken bones — but only indirectly.

And what about weight loss? Lifting weights builds muscles but will not make you burn more calories. The muscle you gain is minuscule compared with the total amount of skeletal muscle in the body. And muscle has a very low metabolic rate when it’s at rest. (You can’t flex your biceps all the time.)

Jack Wilmore, an exercise physiologist at Texas A & M University, calculated that the average amount of muscle that men gained after a serious 12-week weight-lifting program was 2 kilograms, or 4.4 pounds. That added muscle would increase the metabolic rate by only 24 calories a day.

Exercise alone, in the absence of weight loss, has not been shown to reduce blood pressure. Nor does it make much difference in cholesterol levels. Weight loss can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, but if you want to lose weight, you have to diet as well as exercise. Exercise alone has not been shown to bring sustained weight loss.Just ask Steven Blair, an exercise researcher at the University of South Carolina. He runs every day and even runs marathons. But, he adds, “I was short, fat and bald when I started running, and I’m still short, fat and bald. Weight control is difficult for me. I fight the losing battle.”

The difficulty, Dr. Blair says, is that it’s much easier to eat 1,000 calories than to burn off 1,000 calories with exercise. As he relates, “An old football coach used to say, ‘I have all my assistants running five miles a day, but they eat 10 miles a day.’”

The results of a small study prompted the researchers to advise people who have high blood pressure or heart disease to avoid energy drinks because they could impact their blood pressure or change the effectiveness of their medications.

The drinks generally have high levels of caffeine and taurine, an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like meat and fish that can affect heart function and blood pressure, the researchers say.

“We saw increases in both blood pressure and heart rate in healthy volunteers who were just sitting in a chair watching movies. They weren’t exercising. They were in a resting state,” says James Kalus of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who led the study.

The increases did not rise to dangerous levels in the group of 15 healthy volunteers, whose average age was 26, the researchers say.

But the increases potentially could be significant in people with cardiovascular disease or those taking drugs to lower heart rate or blood pressure, they told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

The American Beverage Association industry trade group defends the findings.

“While the amount of caffeine in energy drinks or coffee may cause a slight and temporary increase in blood pressure, it would have no greater effect than walking up a flight of steps,” it says in response to the study.

“So singling out energy drinks in a unique manner, particularly when compared to a more commonly consumed caffeinated beverage like coffee, does not provide a full and proper context for consumers.”

Kalus declined to say which brand of energy drink was used in the study. He says the drinks generally contain similar ingredients.

“By giving the brand, it would dilute the message that all of these drinks need to be looked at,” he says.

Drink then measure

The study participants were asked not to consume other forms of caffeine for two days before starting the study and then throughout a study, in which they drank two cans of energy drinks daily over seven days.

Each can contained 80 milligrams of caffeine and 1000 milligrams of taurine.

The volunteers’ heart rates rose by about 8% on the first day and 11% on the seventh day.

Maximum systolic blood pressure, the top number in blood pressure readings that represents pressure while the heart contracts, rose by 8% on the first day and 10% on the seventh day.

Diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number that gives the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats, rose by 7% on the first day and 8% on the seventh day.

The study did not identify ingredients responsible for the changes, but Kalus says it is probably caffeine and taurine.

Kalus says the study did not address possible health effects from the way some people consume these drinks, such as mixing them with alcohol.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au