Heart Health Archive

If you haven't made a video call yet, give it a try to fight isolation.

When much of the world began lockdowns to battle coronavirus in March 2020, many people turned to video calls to fight off the loneliness that often accompanies social isolation. Tech companies reported that the use of video calls for socializing surged by as much as 80%, enabling people to "see" family and friends. But it doesn't take a lockdown to warrant the use of this technology.

The epidemic of loneliness and isolation

Loneliness affects more than a third of older Americans. Another third of older adults feel isolated: they may be living alone, lack transportation, or live far from loved ones. Or they may have outlived a spouse or friends.

News briefs

Drinking coffee is linked to many health benefits, such as less weight gain, lower average daily blood pressure, and a reduced risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But which brewing method will help you get the most from your cup? A study published online April 22, 2020, by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that filtering coffee (for example, with a paper filter) — not just boiling ground coffee beans and drinking the water — was better for health, particularly for older people. Researchers analyzed the survey responses of more than 500,000 healthy coffee drinkers (ages 20 to 79) who were followed for about 20 years. People younger than 60 who drank one to four cups of coffee, particularly filtered coffee, had lower rates of artery disease and death. The lower rate of death with filtered coffee drinkers persisted in people ages 60 or older, but was lost in people who drank five or more cups per day. The study is observational and doesn't prove that filtered coffee is healthier than unfiltered coffee, but it makes sense. Unfiltered coffee contains diterpenes, compounds that can raise cholesterol, and researchers say a cup of unfiltered coffee contains 30 times more diterpenes than a cup of filtered coffee. So use that coffee filter, save the French press or Turkish unfiltered coffee for rare occasions, and consider limiting your coffee intake to less than five cups per day, on average.

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Q: I've heard that people shouldn't drink grapefruit juice if they're taking a statin. Why?

A: Certain classes of drugs — most notably statins — are metabolized (broken down) in your intestines by an enzyme called CYP3A, which normally reduces the amount of drug that enters your bloodstream. Grapefruit juice contains compounds called furanocoumarins that stop CYP3A from doing its job. As a result, more of the drug is absorbed, making it more powerful than it's meant to be — even toxic in some cases.

Given the economic stresses stemming from the current pandemic situation, many of us are trying to maintain healthy eating habits while also spending less. Adjusting your food purchases to include more plant-based choices can help your health and your budget.

Want to improve heart health? New research based on blood samples from the original DASH diet shows the DASH diet and another diet high in fruits and veggies can lower measures of heart strain and heart muscle damage within eight weeks.

Statins have been used to treat high cholesterol for decades, but some people who take statins still have LDL cholesterol levels that are too high. A different type of medication, PCSK9 inhibitors, were approved several years ago and are showing effectiveness in lowering LDL in such people.

Although quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is officially classified as a seed, most people think of it as a whole grain. Quinoa is usually boiled and eaten as a side dish or added to salads or soups. The small seeds come in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, red, and black.

Native to South America, quinoa became popular in this country over the past decade and is widely available in grocery stores, either packaged or in bulk bins. Quinoa's impressive nutrient profile has earned it a reputation as a "superfood." Unlike most plant proteins, quinoa is a complete protein, which means it contains all nine essential amino acids — the protein components that our bodies are unable to make on their own.

Research we're watching

Eating a vegetarian diet may lower your risk of stroke, according to a study in the March 17 issue of Neurology.

The study included two groups of people from Buddhist communities in Taiwan, where vegetarian diets are encouraged. About 30% of the more than 130,000 participants were vegetarian, meaning they didn't eat any meat or fish. Their average age was 50, and none had a prior stroke.

Ask the doctor

Q. I'm 74, and my doctor says severe aortic stenosis is causing me to feel breathless and faint, and that I need treatment soon: either surgery or something called TAVR. Neither sounds particularly appealing. Can't I just take medicine?

A. The heart pumps blood through the aortic valve and out to the rest of the body. With severe aortic stenosis, the aortic valve gets stiff and narrow, and the heart can't pump enough blood to the body. That's a problem.