Health Cardiovascular diseases

Department of Health, Nutritional Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease, Report on Health and Soeial... 

Patient databases with genetic profiles, e.g. for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, etc. may play an important role in the future for individual health care, by integrating personal genetic profile into diagnosis, despite obvious ethical problems. The goal is to analyse a patient s individual genetic profile and compare it with a collection of reference profiles and other related information. This may improve individual diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy. 

The nurse carefully observes patients with cardiovascular disease taking the thyroid hormones. The development of chest pain or worsening of cardiovascular disease should be reported to the primary health care provider immediately because the patient may require a reduction in the dosage of the thyroid hormone. 

Globally, undernutrition is widespread, leading to impaired growth, defective immune systems, and reduced work capacity. By contrast, in developed countries, there is often excessive food consumption (especially of fat), leading to obesity and to the development of cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer. Deficiencies of vitamin A, iron, and iodine pose major health concerns in many countries, and deficiencies of other vitamins and minerals are a major cause of iU health. In developed countries, nutrient deficiency is rare, though there are vulnerable sections of the population at risk. Intakes of minerals and vitamins that are adequate to prevent deficiency may be inadequate to promote optimum health and longevity. 

The health effects of phytoestrogens osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and thyroid function... 

Tea flavonoids, or tea extracts, have been linked to benefits in reducing the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases in experimental animals. However, epidemiological studies have produced inconsistent evidence in the relationship between tea drinking and cancer (Blot et a/., 1997 Goldbohm etal, 1996 Hertog eta/., 1997 Yang eta/., 1996). Therefore, further research is needed before definitive conclusions on the impact of tea consumption upon the cancer risk in humans can be reached. The metabolites of catechins and flavonols after consumption of tea infusions have scarcely been investigated, and thus more research is needed as to the role of those compounds in the reported health benefits of tea consumption. 

The above scientific information on rice bran phytochemicals indicates that a multitude of mechanisms are operating at the cellular level to bring about specific health effects. Several health benefits of rice bran appear to be the result of the synergistic function of the many phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which operates through a specific immune response. Their role in the biochemical mechanisms at the cellular level which result in major health effects is shown in Fig. 17.1. A short overview summarizing the effect of the various phytochemicals on major health issues such as cancer, immune function, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, altered liver function and gastrointestinal and colon disease will be given below. 

Many epidemiological studies have analyzed the correlations between different carotenoids and the various forms of cancer and a lot of conclusions converge toward protective effects of carotenoids. Many studies were carried out with (i-carotene. The SUVIMAX study, a primary intervention trial of the health effects of antioxidant vitamins and minerals, revealed that a supplementation of p-carotene (6 mg/day) was inversely correlated with total cancer risk. Intervention studies investigating the association between carotenoids and different types of cancers and cardiovascular diseases are reported in Table 3.1.2 and Table 3.1.3. 

In the Unites States, the daily intake of 3-carotene is around 2 mg/day Several epidemiological studies have reported that consumption of carotenoid-rich foods is associated with reduced risks of certain chronic diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, and age-related macular degeneration. These preventive effects of carotenoids may be related to their major function as vitamin A precursors and/or their actions as antioxidants, modulators of the immune response, and inducers of gap-junction communications. Not all carotenoids exert similar protective effects against specific diseases. By reason of the potential use of carotenoids as natural food colorants and/or for their health-promoting effects, research has focused on better understanding how they are absorbed by and metabolized in the human body. 

Hypertension is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes.6 The added comorbidity of hypertension in diabetes leads to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, renal disease, and diabetic retinopathy leading to greater health care costs.7... 

Schwartz J. 1991. Lead, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease in men and women. Environ Health Perspect 91 71-75. 

Liu S, Manson JE, Lee IM et al. (2000), Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cardiovascular disease The Women s Health Study, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 72 922-928. 

Patients with end-stage renal disease hyperphosphatemia ineffectively filter excess phosphate that enters the body in the normal diet.278 Elevated phosphate produces the bone disorder renal osteodystrophy. Skeletal deformity may occur, possibly associated with cardiovascular disease. Calcium deposits may further build up around the body and in blood vessels creating further health risks. The use of lanthanum carbonate is being promoted as an alternative to aluminum-based therapies.279,280 Systemic absorption, and cost have produced a clinical candidate, Fosrenol (AnorMED), an intriguing use of a lanthanide compound in therapy. 

Nowadays, obesity is considered a major public health issue, especially in most developed countries, because it is widely spread across population groups and because it contributes to the development of chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. 

Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden G, Vupputuri S, Loria C, Meyers L, Meyers L and Whelton PK. 2002. Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults the first national health and nutrition examination survey epidemiologic follow-up study. Am J Clin Nutr 76 93—99. 

LeeLM, Cook NR, Manson JE, Buring JE, Hennekens CH. 1999. (3-Carotene supplementation and incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease die Women s Health Study. J Natl Cancer Inst 91 2102—2106. 

Many flavonoids have antioxidant properties and as such are thought to protect humans against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Foods containing flavonoids (e.g., green tea, soy, and red wine) are touted as beneficial for health. 

There is no doubt that the eating patterns and physical activity of the adult have a direct effect on the prevalence of nontransmittable chronic illnesses. In recent decades, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, hypertension, and diabetes, among others, has steadily increased, making these diseases the priority for health care systems in many countries, especially in developed countries. 

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