Thickening of the lining of the carotid arteries significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and death

When the intima-media (the layers of the lining) of the common carotid artery (the artery that splits to supply the head and brain with blood) thickens it is well connected to the prediction of cardiovascular morbidity (stroke, heart attack) and mortality (death from a heart related event). In this study 146 patients with cardiovascular risk factors or arteriosclerosis (thickening and hardening of the arteries) were followed for 36 months to assess the relationship between thickening of the lining and the incidence of stroke, heart attack, and death (referred to as cardiovascular events in this study). There were 39 cardiovascular events in the 36 months of the study. It was found that for every increase of 1 above the standard deviation for thickening of the intima media the risk of stroke, heart attack and death increases by 53%. As thickness increased, the level of risk increased correspondingly. The study is published in the March 2006 issue of the journal Stroke, a journal of the American Heart Association.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

Studies show it is not the caffeine which helps decrease the risk of developing diabetes but probably the polyphenols.

More evidence that Resveratrol helps prevent kidney damage

Rhabdomyolysis is a painful destruction of muscle fibers causing the release of muscle content into the circulation. Levels of Creatine kinase (or CCK - an enzyme that creates energy in the muscle) and myoglobin (the oxygen carrying protein in muscle that functions like hemoglobin) increase in the blood. These patients generally feel muscle tenderness and muscle aching.The urine can become dark or cola colored. Rhabdomyolysis leads to kidney damage, kidney failure, and death. Rhabdomyolysis accounts for 10% to 40% of all cases of sudden kidney failure (acute renal failure). Statin drugs that reduce cholesterol have caused rhabdomyolysis and then death in some patients. In this study a large amount of a chemical was injected into rats to cause acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis. Injury to the kidney was assessed by measuring the level of plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and blood creatinine (not the supplement creatine) in the plasma and by urea clearance by the kidneys.Giving Resveratrol supplementation 60 minutes before injecting the chemical markedly decreased damage to kidney tissue, a drop in kidney function, and production of inflammatory free radicals, while improving antioxidant enzyme levels in the kidneys (protective levels of glutathione, glutathione reductase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase). The study is published in the current issue of the journal Renal Failure (2006;28[2]).