Heart Tab 2013

HEART TO HEART2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013 THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

By DIANE [email protected]

The number one leadingcause of death for men andwomen in America is pre-ventable and controllable.

According to the Centersfor Disease Control and Pre-vention, one out of everyfour deaths in the UnitedStates each year is the re-sult of heart disease.

“Despite making all theadvancement in the last 40years, cardiovascular dis-ease is still the number onekiller,” said Dr. Satya Nel-luri, interventional cardiol-ogist at Great Plains Heartand Vascular Center inNorth Platte. “We havemade significant stridesover the past four decades,thanks to public awareness,more sophisticated tools todiagnose early and advance-ment in treatment options,not only in medications butin all the aggressive treat-ment options like angio-plasty, stents and bypasses.”

While “heart disease” canmean several types of heartconditions, the most com-mon cause is coronaryheart disease. The buildupof plaque in the arteriesthat supply blood to theheart can create a mis-match in the demand for

oxygen and the amount ofsupply, leading to a majorheart attack.

Symptoms of a heart at-tack include pain in the jaw,neck and back, feelingweak, lightheaded andfaint, chest pain or discom-fort, shortness of breathand pain in the arms orshoulder.

Plaque formation is achronic process, Nellurisaid, that starts with cellformation and can be seenin children and teenagers,which is why it is so impor-tant to take steps to preventheart disease.

Diabetes, high blood pres-sure, high cholesterol, obe-sity, family history andsmoking all are risk factorsfor heart disease.

“Risk factors like diabetes,high blood pressure, smok-ing, all lead to different wayof interacting and lead totrauma to the lining of thevessels and will start plaquebuilding up,” Nelluri said.“The inner most layer [ofthe heart vessels] are a bar-rier between blood streamand inside of vessel wall. Ifthe barrier should breakdown and some of these fac-tors in blood stream seepinto vessel wall and initiatethe reaction and start theplaque build up. That’s why

it is so important to takecare of ourselves.”

Cardiologists want to seepeople eat healthier andwork to eliminate the riskfactors, Nelluri said.

“What we preach is peo-ple to cut back on total fatcontent to less than 30-35percent of total calories,”he said. “Try to each 15-20percent of calories in pro-teins. Eat more fish and cutdown on red meat. Eatright, do some regular exer-

cise 30 minutes a day and donot smoke. We tell peoplethat quitting smoking is ahuge incentive in eliminat-ing one risk factor.”

The more risk factors in-volved, the greater the oddsare for developing coronaryheart disease.

Some risk factors forheart disease cannot bechanged, such as age or ge-netic makeup. Other factorscan be modified to lessonthe risk.

“We cannot change peo-ple’s behavior,” Nelluri not-ed. “In order to slow downthe process of the disease,you want to have good con-trol on everything. Bloodpressure, cholesterol, diet,exercise. Even in patientswith diabetes, we can slowdown the process. We canmodify the risks with med-ication and treatment. Andwe want to get to people ear-lier in the game so theyhave better prospects.”

Heart disease: Are you at risk?Healthy lifestyle, diet choices canhelp you keep your ticker healthy

While some heart at-tacks are sudden andintense like in themovies, most start slow-ly, with mild pain or dis-comfort. Signs of aheart attack include:

n Uncomfortable pressure,squeezing, fullness or pain inthe center of your chest thatlasts more than a few min-utes or goes away andcomes back,n Shortness of breath or

sudden fatigue,n Pain or discomfort in oth-

er areas of the upper bodylike one or both arms, theback, neck, jaw or upperstomach,n Other signs of discomfort

like breaking out in a coldsweat, nausea or lighthead-edness.

As with men, women’s

most common heart attacksymptom is chest pain ordiscomfort. But women aresomewhat more likely thanmen to experience some ofthe other common symp-toms, particularly shortnessof breath, nausea/vomiting,and back or jaw pain.

Don’t hesitate to call 911. Itcould save your life.

The American Heart Associ-ation cautions to learn thesigns, and even if you’re notsure it’s a heart attack, haveit checked out immediatelyand tell a doctor about yoursymptoms.

Heart attacks — know the signs to save a life

Dr. Satya Nelluri (right), interventional cardiologist at Great Plains Heart and Vascular Center, ex-plains information to a patient using a model of a heart.

Courtesy photo

HEART TO HEART THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013 3THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

By ANDREW [email protected]

Pacemakers havecome a long way in 60years — from thebulky contraptions ofthe 1950s, which had tobe carried around andplugged in, to devicesthat are only slightlybigger than a quartertoday.

“The first was im-planted in Minnesota,”recalled Dr. RoqueArteaga, an invasivecardiologist withGreat Plains RegionalMedical Center. “Itwas a device that wasso big that it had to bepulled on a cart.”

Even though it wasbulky and hard totransport, it was a ma-jor breakthrough inthe medical world forone reason.

“It proved you canuse electronic devicesto pace the heart,”Arteaga said.

In the 1960s, compa-nies began to producesmaller pacemakers.However, they werestill not small enoughto implant, and so thepatient had to carrythe device around in apouch with the wiressurgically implantedthrough the belly. Theproblem this present-ed, Arteaga said, is itheightened the risk ofinfection.

“Within a decadethey downsized andthat was a huge tech-nological advance,” hesaid. “Size has contin-

ued to be one of the bigimprovements in de-vices.”

By the 1970s, compa-nies began to build de-vices that were smallenough to implant un-derneath the skin atopthe pectoral muscle,which is where devicesare placed today. Thewires are inserted intoa vein and then attachto the base of theheart.

With the decrease insize, also came an in-crease in technology.

“The devices gotsmaller,” Arteaga said.“But at the same timethey got more com-plex.”

The original devicesdid one thing, pace theheart at a specific rate.As technology devel-oped, pacemakers be-gan to monitor theheartbeat and then

change the pace of theelectrical current tomatch what the bodyneeded. Still other de-vices only kick inwhen heart rate goesbelow a specific beatper minute.

For example, Artea-ga said, devices haveevolved to where theycan recognize thebody’s need for an in-creased heart ratewhile moving, or a de-creased heart beatwhile sleeping.

Small microchipswere also insertedinto pacemakers astechnology allowed,making it easier fordata to be stored andfor doctors to accessthat data, whichArteaga said makesthe patient more com-fortable and lessensthe amount of timethey have to spend in

the doctor’s office.The computers can

automatically storeheart rate activity,sleep rate, battery lifeand many other fac-tors that are importantfor the patient’s doctorto know.

“It’s like a micro-computer,” he said.

Early pacemakersalso required batterycharging, which forcedthe patient to sit forlong periods of timewhile batteriescharged.

“You’d have tocharge it like a cellphone, then you couldunplug it an walkaround,” he said. Now,battery life for pace-makers can be up to 11years. “The batteryprogress was reallysignificant.”

He said that allowedpacemaker patients to

have more energy, amore active life and ul-timately live longer.

The latest technolo-gy upgrade is wirelesscapabilities. Arteagasaid patients have awireless monitor thatthey take home thatcan communicate withthe pacemaker andstore data. That datacan then be accessed

by the doctor withoutthe patient ever leav-ing home.

“The was a bigbreakthrough when itcomes to follow-ups,”he said.

Another recentbreakthrough in pace-maker technology isMRI-safe pacemakers.

Keeping pacePacemaker technology evolves by leaps and bounds

Above: Dr. Roque Arteaga, an invasive cardiologistwith Great Plains Regional Medical Center, displays achart that shows the evolution of pacemakers from the1960s through today.

Left: Dr. Arteaga discusses information with anotherGreat Plains Regional Medical Center staff member, inthe Heart and Vascular Center.

Courtes y photos

Please see PPAACCEE, Page A2


In the past, pace-maker patientscould not have anMRI because ofthe metal in thepacemaker. How-ever, companieshave recently de-veloped pacemak-ers that have aMRI-safe mode.

Myths andtruths

The most com-mon myth abouthaving a pace-maker, Arteagasaid, is the use ofa microwave. Hesaid many pa-tients believe thatif they get a pace-maker, they can’tuse a microwave,which he said isnot true.

“The only way it

can be affected isif the microwaveis on and the dooris open,” he said,which is impossi-ble, he noted.

“Assuming thedoor is closed, youcan turn any mi-crowave on.”

However, thereare things thatpacemaker pa-tients have toavoid, includingdirect contact be-tween the pace-maker and a cellphone, contactwith anythingthat vibrates thebody or contactwith anythingthat creates alarge magneticfield.

These items canchange the waythe pacemakerworks and beharmful to the pa-tient. In terms of

cell phones,Arteaga said thatpatients can stilluse them, but theycan’t keep them ina breast pocket,they have to bekept in a pantspocket, or on abelt.

Pacemaker pa-tients also have tobe leery of metaldetectors, whichgive off a magnet-ic field and can af-fect the pacemak-er. Large enginescan also have anegative affect onpacemakers, be-cause of the mag-netic field that en-gines give off andbecause of the vi-brations.

Vibrating ob-jects can make apacemaker thinkthat it needs tolower a patient’sheart rate.

PACEfrom Page A1

You’re never too young for prevention

Whatever your age, youshould think about how nu-trition and exercise canwork together to help youlive a heart-healthylifestyle.

Staying hearthealthy in your 20s

In your 20s, it can be easyto overlook the importanceof living a heart-healthylifestyle. Yet, this is the timeto check your family histo-ry of heart disease. Don’tsmoke and stay away fromsecondhand smoke. Drinkin moderation. Women, be

aware that some oral con-traceptives can cause an in-crease in your blood pres-sure.

In your 30sIn their 30s, many people

get so involved with theircareers and family, theyneglect to pay attention totheir own health. You’reyoung, but you’re not a kidanymore.

Now is the time to buildheart healthy habits. If youdon’t already exercise regu-larly, now is the time tostart. You don’t have to join

a boot camp class or run ahalf-marathon. All it takesis about 30 minutes of exer-cise a day on most days.

In your 40sIn your 40s, you may feel

like you are too set in yourways to make a change, butit’s never too late. Focus onnutrition and workinghealthy foods into your diet.Make sure you are gettingenough calcium.

Sometime in your 40s or50s, you may notice it be-comes harder to maintainyour usual weight. That’s

why it’s all the more impor-tant to manage stress andstick to a healthy diet andexercise routine now.

In your 50sUnfortunately, the num-

ber of people who haveheart attacks increases dra-matically once they turn 55— especially, for women, af-ter menopause.

But the good news is thatyou have the power to re-duce your risk, and if youdo have a heart condition,there is plenty that you cando to manage it. Ratherthan trying to look like youdid 20 years ago, your goalshould be to feel like youdid then.

Finding the balance of

healthy eating and regularexercise will allow you tofeel better and reach ormaintain a healthy weight.

In your 60s and beyond

The older we get, thetrickier exercise can be.Whether you’ve been activefor years or you are just get-ting started, it’s importantto find an activity you enjoythat provides the right levelof activity for your body.For some people, takingshort brisk walks (as littleas 10 minutes) throughoutthe day or water aerobicscan be just the right amountof exercise.

— Courtesy the AmericanHeart Association

Whatever stage of life you’re in, it’s the right time to take steps to protect your cardiac health

The lobby of the Great Plains Heart and Vascular Center awaits patients on a February afternoon.

Telegraph file photo


By HEATHER [email protected]

A new tool at theGreat Plains Heart andVascular Center inNorth Platte will limitthe traveling local pa-tients have to do forheart procedures. Doc-tors implemented arotablator into a proce-dure this month.

Although new to thecenter, it is equipmentthat Dr. Satya Nelluriand Dr. Arshad Ali, in-terventional cardiolo-

gists within the HVC,have each used forabout 10 years.

“Having this tooltremendously helps,”Nelluri said.

The rotablator is atiny, football-shapeddevice with diamondchips on one end. Theother end is attachedto a catheter, which isinserted into heavilycalcified coronary ar-teries.

“The rotablatorworks as a grinder ofsorts,” Nelluri said. “It

pulverizes the plaqueinto small particles,smaller than red bloodcells, which are ab-sorbed by the body.”

It does so by spin-ning at up to 200,000 ro-tations per minute. Afoot pedal controls thespeed, and the powercomes from a tank ofpressurized nitrogen.Speeds are monitoreddigitally.

Nelluri said therotablator is some-times used to brush upplaque prior to balloondilatation and stentimplantation. Duringangioplastys, emptyballoons are insertedinto narrow or blocked

Dr. Satya Nelluri, interventional cardiologist, listens to a patient’s heart at theGreat Plains Heart and Vascular Center in North Platte. The center implemented adevice called a rotablator this month, which is used to grind down plaque in heavilycalcified coronary arteries.

Courtesy photo

blood vessels then ex-panded to flattenplaque against the ar-tery wall and open thechannel. However, ifthere is too much calci-fication in the arterythe balloon won’t beable to expand.

Nelluri said patientswho needed the rotab-lator procedure beforeit was offered in NorthPlatte had to travel toLincoln or Denver tohave it done. Thosewho have blockages indelicate areas of thebody, such as the leftmain coronary artery,are still sent out oftown for bypasses.

“It’s our hope anddream to be able to dobypasses here oneday,” Nelluri said.“But, it’s a young pro-gram, so we have totake it one step at atime. Patient safetycomes first.”Rotablator procedure

available at GPRMCNew device can grind downplaque in coronary arteries

Simple steps for heart healthGetting and maintaining a healthy heart is vital to liv-

ing a long and active life. Many people mistakenly be-lieve that heart health is a goal they can’t obtain, butall it takes are a few simple changes to your everydayhabits to be on the road to living longer.

Visit www.MyLifeCheck.org to see how you’re do-ing right now in terms of a healthy heart and get tipson keeping that ticker going strong for years to come.

Get active. Just 30 minutes of physical activityevery day is enough to keep your heart, body andmind healthy. Play with your kids, walk the dog or sosome quick laps around the office at lunch – find away to work 20 minutes of movement into your day.

Control cholesterol. Know your numbers and getyour cholesterol checked. A cholesterol level of 200mg/dL or higher puts you in a high-risk category andis cause to take action.

Eat better. Aim for getting in more vegetables andfruits. They are high in vitamins, minerals and fiberand low in calories. Eating a variety of fruits and veg-etables may help you control your weight and yourblood pressure.

Manage blood pressure. By keeping your bloodpressure in the healthy range (less than 120 mm Hgsystolic AND less than 80 mm Hg diastolic), you are:Reducing your risk of your vascular walls becomingoverstretched and injured, reducing your risk of yourheart having to pump harder to compensate forblockages, protecting your entire body so that yourtissue receives regular supplies of blood that is rich inthe oxygen it needs.

WWW.NPTELEGRAPH.COM


By DIANE WETZEL [email protected]

Tom Didier is no strangerto the world of health care.

For nearly 28 years, Didierhas been responsible for thebuilding and grounds, themedical equipment, security,safety and ongoing construc-tion projects at GPRMC.

“We have a lot stuff hap-pening right now,” he noteswith understatement.

Recently, the 58-year-old di-rector of engineering atGreat Plains Regional Med-ical Center recently experi-enced it from the patient’spoint of view.

In August 2012, Didier de-cided to take advantage ofthe hospital’s offer of a re-duced cost calcium screen-ing.

Although stress tests hadshown that everything heart-wise seemed to be all right,Didier decided to go aheadwith the test. He had severalof the risk factors associatedwith heart disease, includingweigh issues and history ofsmoking.

“My wife and I both decid-ed it would be a good thing todo,” he said. “Her score waszero, mine was over 1,400.”

A calcium test is one com-petition where the highestscore is the worse score.

For a coronary calciumscreening, the patient is giv-en a CT scan to check forbuildup of calcium in plaqueon the walls of arteries ofthe heart. The test is used to

check for heart disease in anearly stage.

A subsequent heartcatheterization showed a 90percent blockage in one ar-tery, and a 60 percent block-age in another.

Two weeks after hiscatheterization in NorthPlatte, Didier was at BryanMedical Center in Lincoln,where Dr. Richard Thomp-son performed a double by-pass.

“I was dismissed four dayspost op and did my cardiacrehabilitation here at GreatPlains,” Didier said.

A calcium scan is benefi-cial for people who have nocardiac symptoms but dohave several risk factors forheart disease, said Dr. SatyaNelluri, cardiac interven-tionist with Great PlainsHeart and Vascular Center.

“There are a significantnumber of people who wereasymptomatic before theirfirst heart attack,” Nellurisaid. “People with a strongfamily history of heart dis-ease and one of two risk fac-tors are at a moderate risk.This is a group you want totarget the most.

“I’m not saying we ignorepeople who at high risk, butan early detection of theplaque process means we canprevent progress of the dis-ease. Calcium scores help be-cause they are indirect evi-dence of plaque progress.”

Didier says the treatmenthe received at Great Plainscath lab and from the physi-cians and staff was amazing.

“Their model of takingcare of patients like family isreally true,” he said. “Thequality of people and equip-ment here is second to none.”

Now, GPRMCis fixing him upHospital’s directorof engineering getsto see the otherside of health care

Lose weight. 145 millionAmericans are overweightor obese. If you have toomuch fat — especially if alot of it is at your waist —you’re at higher risk forsuch health problems ashigh blood pressure, highblood cholesterol and dia-betes.

Reduce blood sugar. TheAmerican Heart Associationconsiders diabetes andhigh blood sugar one of thesix major controllable riskfactors for cardiovascular

disease. Adults with dia-betes are two to four timesmore likely to have heartdisease or a stroke.

Stop smoking. Smokingis the most important pre-ventable cause of prema-ture death in the UnitedStates. Smokers have ahigher risk of developing

many chronic disorders, in-cluding atherosclerosis,which can lead to coronaryheart disease, heart attack(myocardial infarction) andstroke. Controlling or re-versing atherosclerosis isan important part of pre-venting future heart attackor stroke.

More simple steps for heart health

Heart disease is the number onekiller of Americans, but did most ofthe risk factors that cause heart dis-ease are preventable. By taking chargeof your health and scheduling yearlycheck-ups, you increase your odds ofcatching preventable conditions early.

Check-ups may seem like a waste oftime, but they are invaluable when itcomes to detecting underlying prob-lems.

“The largest predictors of heart dis-ease are conditions that you may notknow that you have,” said RebeccaRundlett, MD, cardiologist with Ne-braska Heart Institute. “High bloodpressure and diabetes often have noassociated symptoms, yet; if left un-treated can have very significant con-sequences on your health and will putyou at a very high risk of a heart at-tack and stroke. A routine healthexam could assess these, start treat-ment and reduce your risk substan-tially.”

Major risk factors of heart diseaseinclude high blood pressure, high cho-lesterol, obesity, lack of physical activ-ity, smoking, high blood sugar andlack of physical activity. At a routineyearly check-up, a doctor will take intoaccount your overall health, includingyour risk factors, family health histo-ry, medications and any new condi-tions since your last visit.

“The physician will conduct a physi-cal exam basically to look for any ear-ly signs of preventable disease,” said

Rundlett. “This usually includes ex-amination of your eyes, ears, mouth,throat, thyroid gland, heart, lungs, ab-domen, skin and pulses. Your doctormay perform other exams as is appro-priate given your individual healthproblems and concerns.”

Rundlett recommends coming pre-pared to your check-up to make themost of your time:

Go to your check-up fasting in caseyour doctor needs to order fastinglabs. It may save you an additional tripto the lab on another day.

Bring in a list of your medicationprescribed by all of your doctors sothat your primary doctor knows whatyour specialists are also prescribingyou.

Ask your family about their healthhistory so that you can tell your doctorabout your own possible risks.

Between your regular visits keeptrack of any procedures that you mayhave had done by another physician orexams performed by other physicianssuch as your eye exams, mammo-grams, well-woman exams etc. Alsokeep track of your immunizations ifnot received by your regular doctor sothat he can update you records.

If need be, make a list of questionsthat you have been wanting to askyour doctor, likely if you don’t write itdown you will forget when you areseen.

— Courtesy the American Heart Asso-ciation

Take charge of yourhealth: Get a check-up

By MARILYNN MARCHIONEAP Chief Medical Writer

Pour on the olive oil,preferably over fish andvegetables: One of thelongest and most scien-tific tests of a Mediter-ranean diet suggeststhis style of eating cancut the chance of suffer-ing heart-related prob-lems, especially strokes,in older people at highrisk of them.

The study lasted fiveyears and involvedabout 7,500 people inSpain. Those who ateMediterranean-stylewith lots of olive oil ornuts had a 30 percentlower risk of major car-diovascular problemscompared to those whowere told to follow alow-fat diet but who inreality, didn’t cut fatvery much. Mediter-ranean meant lots offruit, fish, chicken,beans, tomato sauce,salads, and wine and lit-tle baked goods and pas-tries.

Mediterranean dietshave long been touted asheart-healthy, but that’sbased on observationalstudies that can’t provethe point. The new re-search is much strongerbecause people were as-signed diets to follow fora long time and careful-ly monitored. Doctorseven did lab tests to ver-ify that the Mediter-ranean diet folks wereconsuming more oliveoil or nuts as recom-mended.

Most of these peoplewere taking medicinesfor high cholesterol andblood pressure, and re-searchers did not alterthose proven treat-ments, said one studyleader, Dr. Ramon Es-truch of Hospital Clinicin Barcelona.

But as a first step toprevent heart problems,“we think diet is betterthan a drug” because it

has few if any side ef-fects, Estruch said.“Diet works.”

Results were pub-lished online Mondayby the New EnglandJournal of Medicineand were discussed at anutrition conference inLoma Linda, Calif.

People in the studywere not given rigidmenus or calorie goalsbecause weight loss wasnot the aim. That couldbe why they found the“diets” easy to stickwith — only about 7 per-cent dropped out withintwo years. There weretwice as many dropoutsin the low-fat groupthan among those eat-ing Mediterranean-style.

Researchers also pro-vided the nuts and oliveoil, so it didn’t cost par-ticipants anything touse these relativelypricey ingredients. Thetype of oil may havemattered — they usedextra-virgin olive oil,which is minimallyprocessed and richerthan regular or lightolive oil in the chemi-cals and nutrients thatearlier studies have sug-gested are beneficial.

The study involvedpeople ages 55 to 80, justover half of themwomen. All were free ofheart disease at thestart but were at highrisk for it because ofhealth problems — halfhad diabetes and mostwere overweight andhad high cholesteroland blood pressure.

They were assigned toone of three groups:Two followed a Mediter-ranean diet supple-mented with either ex-tra-virgin olive oil (4 ta-blespoons a day) or withwalnuts, hazelnuts andalmonds (a fistful aday). The third groupwas urged to eat a low-fat diet heavy on bread,potatoes, pasta, rice,

fruits, vegetables andfish and light on bakedgoods, nuts, oils and redmeat.

Independent moni-tors stopped the studyafter nearly five yearswhen they saw fewerproblems in the twogroups on Mediter-ranean diets.

Doctors tracked acomposite of heart at-tacks, strokes or heart-related deaths. Therewere 96 of these in theMediterranean-olive oilgroup, 83 in theM e d i t e r r a n e a n - n u tgroup and 109 in thelow-fat group.

Looked at individual-ly, stroke was the onlyproblem where type ofdiet made a big differ-ence. Diet had no effecton death rates overall.

The Mediterraneandiet proved better eventhough its followers ateabout 200 calories moreper day than the low-fatgroup did. The studyleaders now are analyz-ing how each of the di-ets affected weight gainor loss and body massindex.

The Spanish govern-ment’s health researchagency initiated andpaid for the study, andfoods were supplied by


olive oil and nut produc-ers in Spain and the Cal-ifornia Walnut Commis-sion. Many of the au-thors have extensive fi-nancial ties to food,wine and other industrygroups but said thesponsors had no role indesigning the study oranalyzing and reportingits results.

Rachel Johnson, aUniversity of Vermontprofessor who heads theAmerican Heart Associ-ation’s nutrition com-mittee, said the study isvery strong because ofthe lab tests to verify oiland nut consumption

and because re-searchers tracked actu-al heart attacks, strokesand deaths — not justchanges in risk factorssuch as high choles-terol.

“At the end of the day,what we care about iswhether or not diseasedevelops,” she said. “It’san important study.”

Rena Wing, a weight-loss expert at BrownUniversity, noted thatresearchers providedthe oil and nuts, andsaid “it’s not clear ifpeople could get thesame results from self-designed Mediter-

ranean diets” — or ifAmericans would stickto them more than Eu-ropeans who are used tosuch foods.

Dr. George Bray ofthe Pennington Biomed-ical Research Center inBaton Rouge, La., saidhe would give the study“a positive — even glow-ing — comment” andcalled it “the best andcertainly one of thelargest prospective di-etary trials ever done.”

“The data are suffi-ciently strong to con-vince me to move my di-etary pattern closer tothe Mediterranean Dietthat they outline,” headded.

Another independentexpert also praised thestudy as evidence dietcan lower heart risks.

“The risk reduction isclose to that achievedwith statins,” choles-terol-lowering drugs,said Dr. Robert Eckel, adiet and heart diseaseexpert at the Universityof Colorado.

“But this study wasnot carried out or in-tended to compare dietto statins or blood pres-sure medicines,” hewarned. “I don’t thinkpeople should thinknow they can quit tak-ing their medicines.”

‘Mediterranean-style’ diet found to cut heart risks

In this Jan. 17 file photo, a woman buys fruit at a market in Barcelona, Spain.Mediterranean diets have long been touted as heart-healthy, but that’s based onobservational studies. Now, one of the longest and most scientific tests suggeststhis style of eating can cut the chance of suffering heart-related problems.

The Associated Press

Heart Tab 2013

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