Research Points

1. HORMONE THERAPY AFTER MENOPAUSE DOES NOT INCREASE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR OR CANCER MORTALITY:
   A recent study addressing risks involved with harmone therapy after menopaus dispels concerns about increased incidence of breast cancer created by earlier studies. Allcause mortality among 27,347 participants in placebo control trial was 27.1% in hormone therapy group versus 27.6% in placebo group as reported by the investigators Dr. JoAnn E. Mason and her colleagues from Harvard Medical School. In the breakdown of the mortality risks into cardiovascular and cancer categories, the cardiovascular mortality was 8.9%with hormone therapy and 9.0% with placebo while cancer related mortality risk was 8.2% with hormone therapy and 8.0% with placebo. The trials included women aged 50-79 years who were enrolled between 1993 and 1998. These women were placed on hormone for 5-7 years post-menopause. The study provides substantial reassurance to women with troubling symptoms of menopause or early onset osteoporosis in the post-menopausal period.
2. SKIPPING BREAKFAST CONFERS INCREASED CARDIOVACULAR RISK:
   A study from Madrid, Spain from National Center for Cardiovascular investigations has concluded that poor quality and/or skipping of breakfast has significant effect on cardiovascular health. The researchers studied three patterns:

• High energy breakfast that contributes greater than 20% share of daily energy intake.
• Low energy breakfast contributing between 5% and 20% of total daily energy intake.
• Skipping breakfast contributing less than 5% (on an average no more than 3%) of total daily energy intake.

They found out that, independent of other risk factors, frequent skipping of breakfast was linked to higher rates of generalized atherosclerosis risk. Atherosclerosis is a technical medical term indicating lack of elasticity and
stiffness inside the walls of the arteries that can easily give rise to deposition of cholesterol in the arterial wall resulting in blockage to the free flow of blood and lack of oxygen to the tissues. The reason for this remarkable finding is supposed to be due to the fact that breakfast skippers usually indulge in erratic eating habits and are likely to have higher intake of red and processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages. Their overall quality and timing of food intake happens to be very unhealthy.

3. THE NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE TARGET TO BE ACHIEVED IS NOW LOWER THAN 120 MMGH:
Previously normal blood pressure level was considered to be below 140 mmHg but the latest research has pointed out that ideally normal level should be below 120 mmHg. People whose blood pressure is controlled to a level below 120 mmHg by aggressive treatment lived longer than those whose blood pressure was controlled to a level between 120 mmHg and 140 mmHg. Based on the results of this study, researchers concluded that intensive treatment of BP to a level lower than 120 mmHg in right category of patients who were free of other diseases prevented 107,500 deaths and 46,100 cases of heart failure per year.

4. WEIGHT GAIN CAUSES STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE HEART CAUSING ITS DYSFUNCTION: According to new data from “The Dallas Heart Study” published in the journal of American Heart Association, any weight gain may lead to abnormal changes in the structure of the heart causing heart failure. The researchers showed very clearly that prevention of heart failure (a weakened heart with dysfunction) should focus on weight loss and if meaningful weight loss cannot be achieved should at least be on maintaining weight and prevent any weight gain.

5. DRINKING COFFE IS “MORE LIKELY TO BENEFIT HEALTH THAN HARM IT.”: for a range of health outcomes, say researchers in The BMJ. They bring together evidence from over 200 studies and find that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of death and heart disease compared with drinking no coffee. Coffee drinking is also associated with lower risk of some cancers, diabetes, liver disease, and dementia.

However, drinking coffee in pregnancy may be associated with harms, and may be linked to a very small increased risk of fracture in women.