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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
a great
tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Coronary Heart Disease: A Look At Risk Factors
Summary
Scientists have identified a number of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). These risk factors do not necessarily cause CVD, but rather help predict individuals' likelihood of developing this disease. Cigarette/tobacco smoke, hypercholesterolemia (total and low density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol), and high blood pressure are established risk factors for CVD. Other factors likely to contribute to this disease include diabetes mellitus, physical inactivity, low blood levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, elevated triglyceride levels, small, dense LDL cholesterol, and obesity.
Heredity, race, gender, and age are uncontrollable risk factors.
Research indicates that not all individuals with conventional risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia are at equal risk for CVD. For example, the risk associated with LDL cholesterol levels depends on the presence of other lipid risk factors such as HDL and triglyceride levels and LDL phenotype (particle size). Individuals with a small, dense version of LDL cholesterol (pattern B) are at greater risk of heart disease than those with a predominance of large, buoyant LDL particles (pattern A). Individuals who express LDL pattern B or who have a genetic predisposition to this pattern benefit more from a low fat diet than the majority of people without this trait or inherited tendency. These findings help explain why individuals differ in their blood lipid responses to changes in dietary fat.
CVD can occur in the absence of conventional risk factors. This has led researchers to hypothesize that additional factors may contribute to this disease. Recently, scientists have linked several factors to increased CVD risk, including elevated blood levels of homocysteine, high lipoprotein(a) levels, oxidative stress, low birth weight, and certain infections and viruses. An elevated blood level of homocysteine, an intermediate product formed during the metabolism of the amino acid methionine, is positively linked to CVD, whereas intakes and blood levels of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 are inversely associated with blood homocysteine levels.
A high blood level of lipoprotein(a) may increase the risk for CVD. Lipoprotein(a) levels appear to be largely genetically determined. Relatively little is known regarding the effect of lifestyle factors on lipoprotein(a) levels. Oxidative stress or oxidative modification of LDL cholesterol also may contribute to CVD. Preliminary findings link low birth weight and certain bacterial infections (e.g., Chlamydia pneumonia) and viruses (e.g., cytomegalovirus) to increased risk of CVD.
Consideration of the strong role of genetics in determining the blood lipid response to changes in dietary fat, along with the number of conventional and emerging risk factors for CVD, supports dietary and other lifestyle recommendations tailored to individuals to reduce the risk of this disease.
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