October 22, 2007 08:40:46 PM PST
By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) — Diets rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and even a little alcohol may help ward off heart woes, new studies show.

In one study, regular consumption of whole-grain breakfast cereal cut the risk of heart failure for male American physicians.

Another study, this time from Sweden, touted the benefits of fruits, veggies and the occasional drink in helping women beat heart attack.

The American study analyzed the association between breakfast cereal intake and new cases of heart failure, in which the heart progressively loses its ability to pump blood.

The study included data on more than 21,000 participants in the Physicians’ Health Study who were followed for almost 20 years.

Compared to those who ate no whole-grain cereal, men who consumed 2 to 6 servings per week saw their risk of heart failure fall by 21 percent, while those who ate 7 or more servings per week reaped a 29 percent reduction in risk, the researchers reported in the Oct. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

That effect is due, in part, to the high levels of magnesium, potassium and fiber in those breakfast cereals, said study co-author Dr. Luc Djousse, an associate in epidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“Our recommendation is that a lay person consuming breakfast cereal should look at fiber,” Djousse said. “At least four grams of fiber [per serving], that should be sufficient.”

Fiber increases cells’ sensitivity to insulin, thus reducing the risk of diabetes, while potassium and magnesium lower blood pressure, he explained.

Breakfast cereal is best taken with skim milk, Djousse said, “and if you want to add to it, a piece or half-piece of fruit would be good.”

While the study included only men, there is “no reason at all” why the results shouldn’t apply to women, he said.

The Swedish study, done at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, took a much broader approach to the food intake of more than 24,000 postmenopausal women who supplied information on how often they ate 96 common foods.

The study, published in the same issue of the journal, identified four major dietary patterns: healthy (vegetables, fruits and legumes); Western/Swedish (red meat, processed meat, poultry, rice, pasta, eggs, fried potatoes, fish); alcohol (wine, liquor, beer and some snacks); and sweets (sweet baked goods, candy, chocolate, jam and ice cream).

In an average 6.2-year follow-up period, 308 of the women had heart attacks. However, two dietary patterns, healthy and alcohol, were associated with a reduced risk of heart attack, the researchers said.

A low-risk diet is characterized by a high intake of whole grains, fish, vegetables, fruit and legumes, moderate alcohol consumption, along with not smoking and being physically active and relatively thin, the researchers concluded. “This combination of healthy behaviors — present in 5 percent [of those studied] — may prevent 77 percent of myocardial infarctions [heart attacks] in the study population,” the team wrote.

The study was called “empowering” by Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, because “it demonstrates that people have control over their health and can take control, eat properly and exercise and prevent onset of disease.”

“This study clearly demonstrates that it is within an individual’s control to change destiny and the ability to control his or her health,” Steinbaum said.

“What’s amazing is that a study of 24,000 women shows that a reduction of 77 percent is possible,” she said. “What could be more empowering than that?”

The issue is muddied by a plethora of books urging different diets, she acknowledged. But the real road to long-term health “is not so much going on a diet as adopting a healthy lifestyle,” Steinbaum said.

There’s more on heart-healthy lifestyles at the .

October 22, 2007 08:40:46 PM PST
By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) — Diets rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and even a little alcohol may help ward off heart woes, new studies show.

In one study, regular consumption of whole-grain breakfast cereal cut the risk of heart failure for male American physicians.

Another study, this time from Sweden, touted the benefits of fruits, veggies and the occasional drink in helping women beat heart attack.

The American study analyzed the association between breakfast cereal intake and new cases of heart failure, in which the heart progressively loses its ability to pump blood.

The study included data on more than 21,000 participants in the Physicians’ Health Study who were followed for almost 20 years.

Compared to those who ate no whole-grain cereal, men who consumed 2 to 6 servings per week saw their risk of heart failure fall by 21 percent, while those who ate 7 or more servings per week reaped a 29 percent reduction in risk, the researchers reported in the Oct. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

That effect is due, in part, to the high levels of magnesium, potassium and fiber in those breakfast cereals, said study co-author Dr. Luc Djousse, an associate in epidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“Our recommendation is that a lay person consuming breakfast cereal should look at fiber,” Djousse said. “At least four grams of fiber [per serving], that should be sufficient.”

Fiber increases cells’ sensitivity to insulin, thus reducing the risk of diabetes, while potassium and magnesium lower blood pressure, he explained.

Breakfast cereal is best taken with skim milk, Djousse said, “and if you want to add to it, a piece or half-piece of fruit would be good.”

While the study included only men, there is “no reason at all” why the results shouldn’t apply to women, he said.

The Swedish study, done at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, took a much broader approach to the food intake of more than 24,000 postmenopausal women who supplied information on how often they ate 96 common foods.

The study, published in the same issue of the journal, identified four major dietary patterns: healthy (vegetables, fruits and legumes); Western/Swedish (red meat, processed meat, poultry, rice, pasta, eggs, fried potatoes, fish); alcohol (wine, liquor, beer and some snacks); and sweets (sweet baked goods, candy, chocolate, jam and ice cream).

In an average 6.2-year follow-up period, 308 of the women had heart attacks. However, two dietary patterns, healthy and alcohol, were associated with a reduced risk of heart attack, the researchers said.

A low-risk diet is characterized by a high intake of whole grains, fish, vegetables, fruit and legumes, moderate alcohol consumption, along with not smoking and being physically active and relatively thin, the researchers concluded. “This combination of healthy behaviors — present in 5 percent [of those studied] — may prevent 77 percent of myocardial infarctions [heart attacks] in the study population,” the team wrote.

The study was called “empowering” by Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, because “it demonstrates that people have control over their health and can take control, eat properly and exercise and prevent onset of disease.”

“This study clearly demonstrates that it is within an individual’s control to change destiny and the ability to control his or her health,” Steinbaum said.

“What’s amazing is that a study of 24,000 women shows that a reduction of 77 percent is possible,” she said. “What could be more empowering than that?”

The issue is muddied by a plethora of books urging different diets, she acknowledged. But the real road to long-term health “is not so much going on a diet as adopting a healthy lifestyle,” Steinbaum said.

There’s more on heart-healthy lifestyles at the .

The Truth About Soy And Sperm Count

Caution: headlines claiming "soy products may lower sperm count" do not tell the whole story. The small scale, preliminary study that Dr. Jorge Chavarro from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine was based on recollected intake of soyfoods and not on specific diets containing soyfoods. "This study is confounded by many issues, thus I feel the results should be viewed with a great deal of caution," warned Dr. Tammy Hedland, a researcher on male fertility issues, including soy, from the Health Sciences Center, Department of Pathology at the University of Colorado. The research did not find a negative relationship between soy and sperm mobility or sperm quality, which are both key factors to fertility. The study also did not determine directly what other foods, medications, supplements, existing medical conditions, sexual activities or environmental factors may have directly affected the drop in sperm count.Generations of Asians have regularly consumed soyfoods without fertility disorders, and Asian countries have prodigiously produced very healthy, highly functioning children for centuries. According to New Scientist, "Chavarro admits that many East Asian men consume much more soya than the participants in his trial and do not develop fertility problems. He speculates that his study found a link between soya and low sperm count because many of the participants were overweight or obese. Men with high levels of body fat produce more oestrogen than their slim counterparts."Chavarro’s study conflicts with the large body of U.S. government and National Institute of Health-sponsored human and primate research, in which controlled amounts of isoflavones from soy were fed and no effect on quantity, quality or motility of sperm were observed. Upon hearing of Chavarro’s findings, Dr. Stephen Barnes, a pharmacologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, noted "This study is the first to find this correlation. The research on soy in men has not found a negative impact on male hormones but rather has suggested a preventive effect in prostate cancer."Learn the facts about healthy soyfoods. Studies have indicated soyfoods may lower cholesterol, may boost cognitive function and may protect against prostate cancer.

FDA Changes Labels for Cialis, Levitra, Viagra Due To Hearing Loss Side Effects

Potential side effects of sudden hearing loss with erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis to be displayed more prominently.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved labeling changes for erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs in the class that includes Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra, to display more prominently the potential risk of sudden hearing loss, and to guide consumers on what to do if they experience sudden problems with their hearing.

In addition, the FDA plans to require the same changes in labeling for the drug Revatio, also a member of this drug class known as phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. Revatio is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). PAH is a serious medical condition in which continuous high blood pressure in arteries of the lungs weakens the heart muscle and often leads to right heart failure and death.

The FDA asked manufacturers of Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra to revise product labeling after a very small number of patients taking the PDE5 inhibitors reported sudden hearing loss, sometimes accompanied by ringing in the ears and dizziness.

“Because some level of hearing loss is usually associated with the aging process, patients on these drugs may not think to talk to their doctor about it,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., FDA’s deputy commissioner for scientific and medical programs, chief medical officer, and acting director of its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Patients taking Cialis, Levitra, or Viagra who experience sudden hearing loss should immediately stop taking the drug and seek prompt medical attention. Those using Revatio should continue taking their medication but should contact their health care provider for further evaluation. Because Revatio is used to treat a potentially life-threatening condition, the FDA does not recommend patients abruptly stop taking this medication but should consult their physician if they experience sudden problems with their hearing.

A case report in the April 2007 issue of the Journal of Laryngology & Otology involving sudden hearing loss in a man taking Viagra prompted the FDA to search the FDA’s Adverse Events Reporting System for instances of hearing loss and PDE5 inhibitors. The FDA found a total of 29 postmarketing reports of sudden hearing loss, both with and without accompanying ringing in the ears, vertigo, or dizziness. In most of the cases, the hearing loss involved one ear. The hearing loss was either a partial or complete loss of usual hearing. In approximately one third of cases, the event was temporary. In the remainder, the hearing loss was ongoing at the time of the report or the final outcome was not described.

Although no causal relationship has been demonstrated, the strong relationship between the use of Cialis, Levitra, Viagra drugs and sudden hearing loss in these cases warrants revisions to the product labeling for this drug class.

Product Web sites, marketing and educational materials, and advertisements for PDE5 inhibitors will reflect the revised product labeling.