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Health Tips ... from UPI

By LIDIA WASOWICZ, UPI Senior Science Writer

YO-YO DIETING CAN HURT OLDER HEART

A University of Michigan study has linked yo-yo dieting to heart problems in post-menopausal women. The study shows gaining or losing 10 or pounds in a year five or more times in a lifetime ups the risk of cardiovascular problems, which also are exacerbated by high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and smoking. Cardiologist Dr. Claire Duvernoy and her team looked at how fluctuating weight affected blood flow to the heart and the lining of the blood vessels. They found post-menopausal yo-yo dieters were much more likely to have reduced myocardial blood flow, regardless of current weight. "So, even if a woman in our study was now thin, getting there by yo-yo dieting was shown to have a negative affect on the blood flow to her heart," said Duvernoy, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at the VA/Ann Arbor Healthcare System and assistant professor of internal medicine/cardiology at the U-M Medical School. "This is important because reduced blood flow to the heart could be an indication of a blockage in coronary arteries or in the small blood vessels of the heart, which could eventually trigger a heart attack or stroke."

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EXERCISE CAN SPARE HEART

Routine exercise can lower the risk of heart trouble in post-menopausal women with high cholesterol and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The University of Michigan study showed without regular exercise these women had less blood flow in their heart. The women were healthy but at high risk for heart disease. "We found a significant difference in blood flow between the women who exercise regularly and those who didn't," said cardiologist Dr. Claire Duvernoy. When estrogen levels -- associated with healthy cholesterol -- decline during menopause, the risk for heart disease goes up. High cholesterol alone is a risk factor for heart disease, but the risk is even greater in smokers and people with diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and family history of heart disease. "The common-sense conclusion should be that moderate physical activity helps to protect your heart, and it may help to normalize the blood flow in the heart. Post-menopausal women who don't exercise can still add exercise to their weekly routine to promote a healthy cardiovascular system," Duvernoy said.


LOW ESTROGEN MEANS HIGH HEART DISEASE RISK

A study shows coronary artery disease in young women appears to be related to estrogen deficiency, and perhaps psychosocial stress. The results, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, are based on an analysis of statistics from a major investigation of heart disease in women. "Although coronary artery disease is the leading killer of premenopausal women, taking even more lives than breast cancer does, most studies have focused on heart disease in older women. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that young women with low blood estrogen levels have a significantly greater prevalence of coronary artery disease," said study author Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Doctors have been aware the prevalence of coronary artery disease increases after menopause, and for this population they have urged a greater use of coronary diagnostics. "Now we're seeing that even young, premenopausal women lose protection from coronary artery disease when ovarian function and hormonal balances are disrupted," Merz said. "We hope the knowledge gained from these studies will lead to gender-specific treatments that will reverse this process."

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DOCTORS SCRAMBLING IN VACCINE SHORTAGE

A study shows a shortage in vaccines against meningitis and pneumonia has doctors scrambling to provide children with the necessary immunizations. The national shortage has exposed gaps in the nation's "patchwork" vaccine system, the study of the problem indicates. Some 75 percent of 405 doctors' offices in 12 states reported problems with supplies of the vaccine known as Prevnar, and more than half said they had run out at least once. The survey, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found variation among states in the availability of Prevnar, or heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Many doctors said they had borrowed Prevnar from public stocks reserved for poor and uninsured children to vaccinate privately insured children, or vice versa, as their stock ran out. "For parents, this means that depending on what state you're in, and the source of vaccine for which you are eligible, you may not have been able to protect your child against these preventable, potentially serious diseases," said lead author Dr. Gary Freed, the Percy and Mary Murphy Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health Delivery in the University of Michigan Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended Prevnar for children under age 2 in mid-2000, following its approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The Prevnar shortage began in 2001, and may continue through 2003, due to high demand and manufacturing problems, doctors said.

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(EDITORS: For more information about YO-YO, contact Mary Beth Reilly at 734-764-2220 or [email protected]; about exercise, contact Andi McDonnell at 734-764-2220 or [email protected]; about HEART, call 310-855-4970; about VACCINE, contact Kara Gavin at 734-764-2220 or [email protected].)

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