Ideal CV health

Lloyd-Jones DM, Hong Y, Labarthe D, Mozaffarian D, Appel LJ, Van Horn L, Greenlund K, Daniels S, Nichol G, Tomaselli GF, Arnett DK, Fonarow GC, Ho PM, Lauer MS, Masoudi FA, Robertson RM, Roger V, Schwamm LH, Sorlie P, Yancy CW, Rosamond WD. Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: the American Heart Association's strategic Impact Goal through 2020 and beyond. Circulation 2010; 121:586-613.

Bambs C, Kip KE, Dinga A, Mulukutla SR, Aiyer AN, Reis SE. Low prevalence of "ideal cardiovascular health" in a community-based population: the heart strategies concentrating on risk evaluation (Heart SCORE) study. Circulation 2011; 123:850-7.

Folsom AR, Yatsuya H, Nettleton JA, Lutsey PL, Cushman M, Rosamond WD. Community prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health, by the american heart association definition, and relationship with cardiovascular disease incidence. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2011; 57:1690-6.

Mozaffarian D. Achieving cardiovascular health a bleak outlook or tremendous potential? Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2011; 57:1697-9.

Trial clouds use of niacin with a statin

National Institutes of Health. NIH stops clinical trial on combination cholesterol treatment. May 26, 2011.

Food and Drug Administration. FDA Statement on the AIM-HIGH Trial. May 26, 2011.

Update on aspirin

Aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine 2009; 150:396-404.

Huang ES, Strate LL, Ho WW, Lee SS, Chan AT. Long-term use of aspirin and the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. American Journal of Medicine 2011; 124:426-33.

Raju N, Sobieraj-Teague M, Hirsh J, O'Donnell M, Eikelboom J. Effect of Aspirin on Mortality in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. American Journal of Medicine published online, 2011.

Sussman JB, Vijan S, Choi H, Hayward RA. Individual and population benefits of daily aspirin therapy: a proposal for personalizing national guidelines. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 2011; 4:268-75.

What’s the best target for blood pressure when it is high?

Principal results of the Japanese trial to assess optimal systolic blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients (JATOS). Hypertension Research 2008; 31:2115-27.

Cushman WC, Evans GW, Byington RP, Goff DC, Jr., Grimm RH, Jr., Cutler JA, Simons-Morton DG, Basile JN, Corson MA, Probstfield JL, Katz L, Peterson KA, Friedewald WT, Buse JB, Bigger JT, Gerstein HC, Ismail-Beigi F. Effects of intensive blood-pressure control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. New England Journal of Medicine 2010; 362:1575-85.

ClinicalTrials.gov. Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.

Information about the development of JNC 8: the Eighth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

Sliding scale for LDL: How low should you go?

Grundy SM, Cleeman JI, Merz CN, Brewer HB, Jr., Clark LT, Hunninghake DB, Pasternak RC, Smith SC, Jr., Stone NJ. Implications of recent clinical trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Circulation 2004; 110:227-39.

Forrester JS. Redefining normal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: a strategy to unseat coronary disease as the nation's leading killer. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2010; 56:630-6.

O'Keefe JH, Jr., Cordain L, Harris WH, Moe RM, Vogel R. Optimal low-density lipoprotein is 50 to 70 mg/dl: lower is better and physiologically normal. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2004; 43:2142-6.

Information about the development of Adult Treatment Panel IV: Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults.

Research continues to serve up heart perks for coffee drinkers

Wang Y, Tuomilehto J, Jousilahti P, Antikainen R, Mahonen M, Mannisto S, Katzmarzyk PT, Hu G. Coffee consumption and the risk of heart failure in Finnish men and women. Heart 2011; 97:44-8.

Levitan EB, Ahmed HN, Mittleman MA, Wolk A. Coffee Consumption and Incidence of Heart Failure in Women. Circulation: Heart Failure, published online, April 14, 2011.

Larsson SC, Virtamo J, Wolk A. Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women. Stroke 2011; 42:908-12.

Enga KF, Braekkan SK, Hansen-Krone IJ, Wilsgaard T, Hansen JB. Coffee consumption and the risk of venous thromboembolism - The Tromso study. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, published online, May 19, 2011.

Lopez-Garcia E, Rodriguez-Artalejo F, Li TY, Mukamal KJ, Hu FB, van Dam RM. Coffee consumption and mortality in women with cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, published online, May 11, 2011.

Pelchovitz DJ, Goldberger JJ. Caffeine and cardiac arrhythmias: a review of the evidence. American Journal of Medicine 2011; 124:284-9.

Li J, Seibold P, Chang-Claude J, Flesch-Janys D, Liu J, Czene K, Humphreys K, Hall P. Coffee consumption modifies risk of estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research 2011; 13:R49.

Goto A, Song Y, Chen BH, Manson JE, Buring JE, Liu S. Coffee and caffeine consumption in relation to sex hormone-binding globulin and risk of type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women. Diabetes 2011; 60:269-75.

Wilson KM, Kasperzyk JL, Rider JR, Kenfield S, van Dam RM, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci E, Mucci LA. Coffee Consumption and Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2011; 103:876-84.

“Just in case” artery scans offer little or no payoff, possible harm

Johnson HM, Einerson J, Korcarz CE, Aeschlimann SE, Stein JH. Long-term effects of carotid screening on patient outcomes and behaviors. Archives of Internal Medicine 2011; 171:589-91.

No connection between ARBs and cancer

No increase in risk of cancer with certain blood pressure drugs--Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs). FDA Drug Safety Communication, June 2, 2011.