New Guide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease -- American Medical Association (AMA) Guide

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Greetings,

Here is a new book for discussion:

American Medical Association Guide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease:
Essential Information You and Your Family Need to Know about Having a Healthy Heart
by American Medical Association, Martin S., MD Lipsky, Marla, MD Medelson, and Stephen, MD, MPH Havas (Hardcover - Jan 2, 2008)

Book Description provided by the Publisher (Wiley):

More Than 3 Million American Medical Association Books Sold.

American's most trusted medical authority shows you how to prevent and treat heart disease.

When you or someone you love is diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, it's important to know the facts, which can help save a life. In the American Medical Association Guide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease, you will learn everything you need to know about heart disease to ensure a long, full, and active life.

Authoritative and up to date, the American Medical Association Guide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease explains the most common forms of heart and blood vessel disease and lays out practical strategies to get you on the road to better health. The book also provides up-to-date information on women and their unique heart disease risks and symptoms as well as information on hart6-healthy eating, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's DASH diet.

Even if heart disease runs in your family, you can still lower your risk of developing it by following the simple guidelines found in this comprehensive resource. For every 3 pounds you lose, there is a corresponding drop of about 2mm Hg in your diastolic pressure, and by bringing down your blood pressure to healthy levels, your risk of stroke can be reduced by 35 to 50 percent. If you have already had a heart attack or a stroke, this book offers vital practical information on preventing another one.

Highlighting prevention, lifestyle changes, testing, and treatments, the American Medical Association Guide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease provides you and your loved ones with the essential tools you need to reclaim a healthier life.


From the Inside Flap:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in both men and women in the United States today. The good news is that with knowledge and practical lifestyle changes, heart disease is both treatable and preventable. In the American Medical Association Guide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease, you'll learn everything you need to know to lessen your risk of cardiovascular disease, take control of it if you have it, or help a loved one.

Heart and blood vessel disease takes many forms, including high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, vascular heart disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, and stroke. Drawing on the most authoritative information and the most up-to-date research, the American Medical Association Gide to Preventing and Treating Heart Disease helps pinpoint your major risk factors and shows you how to deal with them. In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about your heart and how it functions, about why it is so important to quit smoking, and about heart-conscious ways to exercise. You'll also learn the critical warning signs you should tell your doctor about right away, and how heart disease manifests itself differently in women and men.

The book empowers you to take charge of your family's treatment regimen by providing essential facts on vital topics including:
-- How to control your cholesterol level and why this is so crucial
-- The latest information on medications, including high blood pressure medications such as ACE inhibitors, angiogenesis 2 receptor blocks, cholesterol-lowering statins, antiarrhythmia drugs, and more
-- Women-specific heart disease symptoms
-- How to lower your blood pressure in as little as 2 to 4 weeks through diet
-- Painless ways to incorporate exercise into your day
-- The role of inflammation in atherosclerosis
-- The effects of saturated fats and trans fats on cholesterol levels
-- Symptoms of cardiac arrest, stoke, angina, heartburn, and arrhythmias-and how to tell them apart
-- How birth control pills, pregnancy, menopause, and hormone therapy can affect a woman's cardiovascular health

By following the recommendations and guide-lines found in the American Medical Association Gide to Preventing and treating Heart6 Disease, you can minimize or even eliminate the risk of serious complications of cardiovascular disease while optimizing your family's health


About the Authors:

The AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION is the leading professional association of physicians in the United States and has been one of the most respected health-related organizations in the world for more than 150 years.
MARTIN S. LIPSKY, MD, a family physician, is regional Dean at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford,
MARLA MENDELSON, MD, a cardiologist, is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
STEPHEN HAVAS, MD, MPH, is Vice President of Science, Quality, Public Health, and Medical Education at the American Medical Association.
MICHAEL MILLER, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine and Director, Center for Preventive Cardiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Key words:
New books, Heart Disease, American Medical Association, AMA, Martin Lipsky, Marla Medelson, Stephen Havas, Wiley, blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease, vascular heart disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, cholesterol, ACE inhibitors, angiogenesis 2 receptor blocks, cholesterol-lowering statins, antiarrhythmia drugs, exercise, inflammation, atherosclerosis, saturated fats, trans fats, cardiac arrest, angina, heartburn, birth control pills, pregnancy, menopause, hormone therapy


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Cholest-Off

This is a place to discuss the efficacy and potential side effects of the "Cholest-Off" -- a mix of plant sterols and stanols (Reducol) distributed by Amazon.com, and claimed that it "may reduce the risk of heart disease, and clinically proven to reduce cholesterol." Please post your comments below!


Here is what they claim:

Product Description
Cholest-Off contains Reducol- a unique, proprietary blend of natural plant sterols and stanols. Plant sterols and stanols, also known as phytosterols and stanols, are naturally occurring substances present in leaves, nuts, vegetables and other plants. Over 40 years of clinical research on plant sterols and stanols have demonstrated their long-term safety with no known adverse effects. Products containing at least 0.4 grams per serving of plant sterols and stanols, eaten twice a day with meals for a daily intake of at least 0.8 grams as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, helps support cardiovascular health. One serving of Nature Made Cholest-Off supplies 0.9 grams of plant sterols and stanols. As part of a cholesterol management program, you should consult your physician and have your cholesterol levels checked regularly. Many factors such as diet, body weight, physical exercise and age can affect your cholesterol levels. That is why a diet low in saturated fat and regular exercise are recommended as part of a cholesterol management program. However, diet and exercise alone don't always reduce your cholesterol levels to the desired range. That's where Nature Made Cholest-Off can help. Total Cholesterol: Desirable......Less than 200 mg/dL Borderline.....200 to 239 mg/dL High..............240 mg/dL or greater Cholest-Off with Reducol, is clinically proven to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol by blocking cholesterol absorption. As a result, taken as directed, Cholest-Off will lower your cholesterol levels and help support your cardiovascular health. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Nature Made Cholest-off 240 Caplets - Clinically Proven to Reduce Cholesterol


Here are some definitions:

Sterols -- Sterols are a subgroup of steroids with a hydroxyl group in the 3-position of the A-ring. They are lipids synthetised from Acetyl coenzyme A. Important sterols include cholesterol, phytosterols, and some steroid hormones. Sterols of plants are called phytosterols. Plant sterols are also known to block cholesterol absorption sites in the human intestine thus helping to reduce cholesterol levels in humans

Stanols -- hydrogenated sterols. The difference between stanols and sterols is that the former are saturated (by hydrogen) and the latter are not.

Reducol -- is a patented blend of naturally occurring compounds found in plants known as phytosterols and phytostanols. It works primarily by blocking absorption of cholesterol in the gut without being absorbed into your body. Reducol is a tasteless and odourless ingredient that can be incorporated into a variety of applications including non-fat and fatty functional foods and dietary supplements. It is derived from coniferous trees, and is manufactured in the USA by Canadian biotech firm Forbes Medi-Tech.

Reducol is listed and discussed in these new books:

Physicians Desk Reference 2006:
Guide to Drug Interactions, Side Effects, and Indications


Handbook of Functional Lipids (Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals)



But what about the potential side effects of impaired cholesterol absorption?
Does anybody know?

Please post your comments below if you have any kind of experience with this product, and side effects in particular; or know the most recent scientific literature on possible side effects. Thanks!