Menopause symptoms ---may increase cardiovascular disease risk

Menopause, associated with frequent and severe symptoms such as sleep disturbance, hot flashes and depression, may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), a study says. The study found that menopause transition is marked with a number of adverse health effects, including hot flashes and depression to vascular aging, which is typically seen as artery stiffening and endothelial dysfunction.

In this study, the frequency, but not severity, of hot flashes was specifically associated with greater arterial stiffening and reduced endothelial function.

“Perimenopausal and early menopausal women are more vulnerable to increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” said a researcher.

“With fluctuating and then declining estrogen during the menopause transition, it is important to monitor mood, blood pressure, lipids, blood sugars, and body composition because of the increased risk of abdominal fat.

“Healthy eating and exercise are encouraged, with individualised discussion about benefits and risks of hormone therapy,” the Dr. added.

For the findings, published in the journal, the team examined 138 menopausal women for the association of mood, symptoms, and quality of life measures with the key markers of vascular aging, a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.

In addition, across the stages of menopause, arterial stiffening and vascular dysfunction were associated with more frequent and severe menopause symptoms and a lower quality of life.
No association, however, was found with depressive symptoms.

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Walnuts may prevent diabetes and heart disease

Eating walnuts daily can ward off diabetes and heart disease in at-risk individuals, a new study has found.

Researchers  found that daily intake of 56 g of walnuts improves endothelial function in overweight adults with visceral adiposity.

The study included a sample of 46 adults aged 30-75.

Participants had a Body Mass Index larger than 25, and a waist circumference exceeding 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women.

They were also required to be non-smokers, and all exhibited one or more additional risk factors for metabolic syndrome, a precursor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The group was randomly assigned to two 8-week sequences of either a walnut-enriched ad libitum diet or an ad libitum diet without walnuts.

Those chosen for the walnut diet were instructed to consume 56 g of shelled, un-roasted English walnuts per day as a snack or with a meal.

“We know that improving diets tends to be hard, but adding a single food is easy,” explained Dr and lead author of the research team.

“Our theory is that if a highly nutritious, satiating food like walnuts is added to the diet, there are dual benefits: the benefits of that nutrient rich addition and removal of the less nutritious foods,” Dr. said.

The research found that daily intake of 56 g of walnuts improves endothelial function in overweight adults with visceral adiposity.

“The primary outcome measure was the change in flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery,” researchers said.

“Secondary measures included serum lipid panel, fasting glucose and insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance values, blood pressure, and anthropometric measures.

“FMD improved significantly from baseline when subjects consumed a walnut-enriched diet as compared with the control diet. Beneficial trends in systolic blood pressure reduction were seen, and maintenance of the baseline anthropometric values was also observed. Other measures were unaltered,” they said.

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Walnuts and their extracted oil cuts cardiovascular disease risk

Consumption of whole walnuts or their extracted oil can reduce cardiovascular risk through a mechanism other than simply lowering cholesterol, researchers have claimed.

“We already know that eating walnuts in a heart-healthy diet can lower blood cholesterol levels,” a Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, said.

“But, until now, we did not know what component of the walnut was providing this benefit. Now we understand additional ways in which whole walnuts and their oil components can improve heart health,” she said.

In a randomised trial, the researchers gave 15 participants with elevated blood cholesterol one of four treatments -- either 85 grams of whole walnuts, 6 grams of skin, 34 grams of defatted nutmeat, or 51 grams of oil.

The team evaluated biochemical and physiological responses in the participants before the treatments were administered and again 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, four hours and six hours after administering the treatments.

The researchers repeated this process for each of the remaining three treatments.

Results showed that a one-time consumption of the oil component in walnuts favourably affected vascular health.

In addition, consumption of whole walnuts helped HDL -- good cholesterol -- perform more effectively in transporting and removing excess cholesterol from the body.

“Our study showed that the oil found in walnuts can maintain blood vessel function after a meal, which is very important given that blood vessel integrity is often compromised in individuals with cardiovascular disease,”.

“The walnut oil was particularly good at preserving the function of endothelial cells, which play an important role in cardiovascular health,” she said.

According to the researchers, walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, gamma-tocopherol and phytosterols, which may explain the positive effects of the walnut oil treatment.

“Implications of this finding could mean improved dietary strategies to fight heart disease,” she said.

Goodness of Walnuts

Walnuts are rich in Omega- 3 fatty acids, which all know boosts immunity, anti-inflammatory protection against arthritis, asthma, psoriasis, PMS & certain types of cancer. Where anti-depressant medications have failed, it is worth trying Omega-3 fats through supplements, walnuts, flax or fish.  Intake of Omega-3 fats has also been found to help patients of schizophrenia, manic depression, mood instabilities & bipolar disorders.

Many studies have shown that walnut enriched diets have lowered cholesterol & cardio-vascular risks. Walnuts also have an anti-inflammatory effect & improve endothelial function. Impaired endothelial function is associated with increased risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol level & heart disease.

Walnuts also contain a number of potentially neuro-protective compounds like Vitamin E, folate, melatonin, polyphenols & antioxidants. These may also offer additional benefits in brain function & delay ageing. Walnuts contain multiple nutrients that individually have been shown to slow cancer growth, including antioxidants & phytosterols