Sugary Drinks Tied to More Heart Attacks

As organ transplant recipients we must follow a diet that keeps our weight at normal levels and does not contribute to cardiovascular disease or diabetes. This study is an eye opener for me because I had no idea that as little as one cola a day could put me at risk for a heart attack. It's diet drinks only for me from now on.

This study found that men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study had a significantly higher risk of a myocardial infarction if they consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages. The same risk was not apparent for artificially sweetened beverages."

By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: March 12, 2012

Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Men who frequently drink sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages may be putting themselves at risk of a heart attack, an observational study showed.

In a study of male healthcare professionals, those who consumed the most sugary drinks -- a median of 6.5 per week -- were 20% more likely to have a myocardial infarction (MI) during follow-up than those who never drank them (RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.33), according to Frank Hu, MD, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues.

A similar relationship was not seen for consumption of artificially sweetened diet beverages, they reported online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"These results, as well as those from other observational studies and trials, support recommendations to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in order to prevent cardiovascular disease," the authors wrote.

Sugar-sweetened beverages have been associated with weight gain and type 2 diabetes, but few studies have examined the relationship between the sugary drinks and coronary heart disease.

Hu and colleagues looked at data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up study, a prospective cohort study of mostly white men who were ages 40 to 75 at baseline in 1986.

The current analysis included 42,883 participants after excluding those with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline.

The men reported their consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages at baseline and every four years using a food frequency questionnaire. At baseline, the average intake was 2.5 sugar-sweetened beverages and 3.4 artificially sweetened beverages each week.

Over 22 years of follow-up, there were 3,683 incident coronary heart disease cases, defined as fatal or nonfatal MIs.

The greater risk of having a heart attack in the quartile with the greatest consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was significant after controlling for numerous potential confounders, including age, smoking, physical activity, alcohol, multivitamins, family history, diet quality, energy intake, body mass index, pre-enrollment weight change, and dieting.

Further adjustment for self-reported high cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, as well as diagnosed type 2 diabetes, only slightly weakened the association.

"This suggests that sugar-sweetened beverages may impact on coronary heart disease risk above and beyond traditional risk factors," the authors wrote.

When treated as a continuous variable, each additional serving per day of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a 19% greater relative risk of coronary heart disease (P<0.01). That is consistent with a previous analysis of women participating in the Nurses' Health Study, which showed that each serving increase was associated with a 15% greater risk. Hu and colleagues also examined the relationship between consuming sugary drinks and various biomarkers, finding an association between greater consumption and adverse effects on triglycerides, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factors 1 and 2, HDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), and leptin (P≤0.02 for all). Referring to the inflammatory markers, they noted that "inflammation is a key factor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and cardiometabolic disease, and could represent an additional pathway by which sugar-sweetened beverages influence risk." The study, according to the authors, was limited by some error in measuring dietary intakes, the uncertain generalizability of the findings beyond the study population, the possibility of unmeasured and residual confounding, and the large number of comparisons that were made. The study was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study is supported by four grants from the National Institutes of Health. The authors reported that they had no conflicts of interest. From the American Heart Association:

Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health
Primary source: Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
Source reference:
De Koning L, et al “Sweetened beverage consumption, incident coronary heart disease, and biomarkers of risk in men” Circulation 2012; DOI: 10.1161/​CIRCULATIONAHA.111.067017.

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Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You.

New heart pump being tested in Canada, considered bridge to transplant

By: Nelson Wyatt, The Canadian Press

MONTREAL - Lauza Legere's heart is beating strong this Valentine's Day but not because she's been poked with Cupid's arrow.

She's helping test the C-Pulse Heart Assist System, a new device that rhythmically squeezes her aorta and pumps blood to her damaged heart.

"I feel much better than before," Legere said in a telephone interview, explaining that before she got the pump it was hard to even take a breath.

"I stopped every two or three words because I was out of breath. I wasn't able to walk. With the pump, it helps my heart to get the oxygen that I wasn't able to have."

Dr. Renzo Cecere of the McGill University Health Centre says Legere is the first person in Canada to get the device, which reduces blood clots that can cause strokes.

He is currently conducting trials on the pump and hopes to implant 12 devices in the next 18 months.

''There are probably thousands of patients who might benefit from a pump like this," said the doctor, who is director of the Mechanical Heart Assist Program and surgical director of the MUHC's transplant program.

"This would be an effective therapy as a so-called bridge to transplant. Alternatively, some patients would receive this as what we call destination therapy — this is their last and only option."

The device is basically a cuff around the aorta, the artery that pumps blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A balloon inside the device inflates and deflates with each heartbeat, pumping the blood through the heart.

There is no need to make incisions into the heart or any major blood vessels during the implantation of the device, which is run by an external battery and mini-computer. Both are worn on the outside of the body.

Patients also don't need to take anti-clotting medications after surgery.

Legere, who lives in Laval, Que., suffered a heart attack last Aug. 25 and was in bad shape, said Cecere.

"She came to my office in a wheelchair, extremely short of breath, very poor quality of life and no other option," Cecere said in a telephone interview.

The doctor said Legere, who is in her mid-50s, was not a suitable candidate for a transplant at that moment and that other medical treatments weren't working for her.

Legere had the C-Pulse implanted last Dec. 21.

The pump, which was invented in New Zealand, is based on a concept that's been around for 30 years, Cecere said. In the past, the technique has been used on heart patients who need additional, temporary support after surgery.

"It's based on the concept of a balloon which is inserted in the aorta (which) inflates and deflates in synchrony with the heart's rhythm," he explained.

"That concept was applied to a device which is implantable and can be operated on the long term versus the original device which was a short-term device."

The pump can be stopped and disconnected for a short period so the patient can take a shower or go for a brief swim.

"They may not have that assist, that extra boost that the pump provides but it shouldn't be tragic for them," Cecere said.

"This is why it can be extremely well tolerated for the patient to disconnect the pump and carry out some activities.''

Legere, whose next step may be a heart transplant when she's healthy enough and a donor heart is available, said she's hooked up to the machine 23 out of 24 hours.

"If I'm disconnected too long, I start breathing like before."

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today!
For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Rare heart infection killed German exchange student

This is a very sad story about a young girl who died from a heart infection. 15% of those affected with viral myocarditis will need a heart transplant or else they will die. In Hannah Hinrichsen's case time was not on her side.

Special to The Herald - FILE. Hannah Hinrichsen, 16, a foreign exchange student who came to South Pointe High from Germany, died on Oct. 28.

By Shawn Cetrone Heraldonline, South Carolina

A South Pointe High School foreign exchange student whose unexpected death in October shocked friends and family died from a rare heart infection, York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said.

An autopsy determined Hannah Hinrichsen, 16, of Germany had viral myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle that affects roughly one in 10,000 people and often goes undetected.

The disease ranges in severity, said John Reed, an assistant professor of pediatric cardiology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Of those who contract it, about 15 percent must have a heart transplant or die, he said.

The infection, which generally brings symptoms similar to the flu, is difficult to detect.

Viral myocarditis is the cause in 15 percent to 20 percent of unexplained deaths of children and young adults, Reed said.

“It's an unfortunate reminder that otherwise minor viral infections can occasionally have severe consequences,” he said. “There really wasn't anything that should've been done ahead of time.”

Hinrichsen, an 11th-grader, woke up on Oct. 28 with a headache and feeling nauseous, so she stayed home from school, her host mother, Barbara Moseley, said. During the day, Moseley went to check on her to see if she was hungry and found her dead.

Moseley met Hinrichsen over the summer, after clicking on a Web ad for Youth For Understanding, a nonprofit international education program that places foreign exchange students with host families.

After a criminal background check, interviews and a home inspection, Moseley was given several student profiles to choose from. The description for Hinrichsen, who lived on a farm in northern Germany near the Baltic Sea, said she was an evangelical Christian.

“She just sounded interesting,” Moseley said in an interview with The Herald on Oct. 31.

Hinrichsen arrived in August, two weeks before school started.

An early autopsy failed to determine how she died. Gast had warned that pathologists might never find a cause. But last week, she received the final report and shared it with Moseley.

“At least now we know,” said Moseley. “I'm relieved to know what the answer is.”
Moseley said she still is grieving but is relieved to know there's nothing she could have done to prevent Hinrichsen's death.

Moseley was taken to the hospital the day after Hinrichsen's memorial at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill. Struggling with stress and grief, she suffered a strained heart muscle. She's out of the hospital and feels better, she said.

Hinrichsen's parents, who flew in for the memorial, have kept in touch. Moseley plans to visit them next year.

In her short time at South Pointe, students said, Hinrichsen's beaming smile, quick wit and outgoing personality attracted many friends.

The day after Hinrichsen died, the school was in tears. Classes were halted. Counselors consoled students, many of whom were too distraught to focus on their lessons. Groups gathered in rooms around campus to grieve.

Dozens of Hinrichsen's friends huddled in a hallway outside the chorus room sharing memories of Hannah, trading cell phone photos and crying on each others' shoulders.

A Facebook page titled “In Loving Memory of Hannah Hinrichsen” has 1,190 members from around the world, many of whom have posted photos, video, condolences and comments about how she touched their lives.

The page's description reads: “Hannah, you were in the SP family for 3 months but you have touched many hearts forever. You always had a smile on your face, and no matter what you saw the positive in everything and everyone. We will never forget you. Your friends and families, both biological and host, are in our prayers. We love you.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario or Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network. NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save up to eight lives with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants. One tissue donor can help up to 100 other people by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.