coronary heart disease risk

coronary heart disease risk
The National Institutes of Health funded the diet heart feasibility study to determine whether it was possible to reduce the cholesterol in the blood of Americans eat at home, by choosing the type and amount of fat in their diet. Over 1000 men aged 45 to 54 in five cities, all healthy volunteers, became one of the three diets. Diets 1 o'clock-2 o'clock in the low cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, but highly unsaturated fats, which means they have a higher proportion of multiple unsaturated to saturated fatty acids, or P / S ratio. Diet 2 differed from diet 1 in that it is more mono-unsaturated fats and fat. The diet (diet 3) was similar to a typical American diet, that is, high cholesterol, total fat, saturated fatty acids, but with low P / S ratio.

The men picked up all their food in special distribution centers. The food container does not have the ingredients, and neither the participants nor the doctors who knew who the study was on the diet. This approach, called "double blind" is to reduce unintended distortions on the part of a study of the issues or the medical science, since neither aware of who in the program until the end of the study.

After a year on the assigned diet, blood cholesterol levels fell between 11% and 12% of men on diets 1 and 2 The average cholesterol level in the group to the typical American diet was only 3%.

The next question was, "" will be the reduction of cholesterol by diet for healthy Americans drop in the rate of cardiovascular disease? "" There were several problems in trying to answer this question. Firstly, the symptoms of cardiovascular disease is usually four or more years to manifest. Secondly, even though cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in this country, the actual proportion of new cases per year in the proportion of people of middle age is relatively low, about five to ten new cases per 1000 middle-aged men. Thirdly, what the control group could use such a study?

Ideally, neither the participants nor the staff conducting the study should know what participants in the treatment group and that in the untreated control group. Diets, the high or low in animal fat and cholesterol are clear, and unless unlabeled food were taken to a Commissioner, everyone would know whether he for a diet high or low in cholesterol and saturated fatty acids. Because 100,000 men were needed for a final diet heart study, it was not possible, a blind control of the required size.

Because of these difficulties and a prospective price of approximately one billion U.S. Dollar, another approach was adopted. First, only patients with very high blood-cholesterol levels were, secondly, a drug treatment is chosen, that lowers the blood cholesterol to a greater extent than diet alone. This approach reduces the number of participants needed to a manageable level. A drug process can replace a diet process, provided that the drug has a specific effect on lowering blood cholesterol (and LDL-cholesterol). This allows a direct verification of the hypothesis that a reduction in blood cholesterol levels reduces cardiovascular disease. Further, a drug trial medical scientists to develop a suitable drug or inactive placebo that does not lower the cholesterol in the blood, so that the double-blind study.

Around 4,000 healthy middle-aged men with high levels of blood total and LDL cholesterol were either a treatment group, with an active medication called cholestyramine, or with a control group receiving placebo. Cholestyramine has been known to a significant decrease (10 to 20 percent) in the amount of total and LDL cholesterol in the blood. Both the treatment and control groups were compared on the same diet. Neither the participants nor the medical staff knew which of the two groups, a participant has been assigned. Cholesterol levels were every two months. After a year the results of the study are as follows:

Man from the group, the active ingredient: His cholesterol level at the beginning of the study was 281, and at the end was 199th Man from the group, the placebo from cholesterol was 273, and at the end was 274th The men, the cholestyramine was significantly greater decrease in blood cholesterol than men, placebo. Therefore, it is known that the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Angelo Abruzzese Author How can you run the risk of cardiovascular disease? Heart Disease