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More Millennials Are Having Strokes

A Scientific American analysis finds this trend differs based on where one lives

www.scientificamerican.com|Dina Fine Maron

But an analysis by Scientific American has revealed significant differences in where these strokes are occurring, depending both on region and whether people live in rural or urban settings. The investigation, which used data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), was reviewed by five stroke experts and found that the West and Midwest have seen especially worrisome increases among younger adults. Moreover, large cities appear to have seen bigger increases than rural areas. The analysis employed hospital discharge data from 2003 to 2012 from the AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) database.

Younger adults, for example, saw statistically significant increases in stroke rates in the Midwest and West. This is somewhat at odds with regional risks in the broader population, which are more concentrated in the southeastern U.S. In western cities with more than one million residents, for example, the analysis found strokes increased about 85 percent during the 2003 to 2012 time period. In the West as a region, strokes rose 70 percent at the same time. Across the Midwest they increased 34 percent. But in the South the relative increase was smaller and, unlike the spikes in other mentioned areas, this jump did not appear to be statistically significant.

Replacing butter with vegetable oils does not cut heart disease risk

A research team led by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health has unearthed more evidence that casts doubt on the traditional “heart healthy” practice of replacing butter and other saturated fats with corn oil and other vegetable oils high in linoleic acid.

sciencebulletin.org

The findings, reported today in the British Medical Journal, suggest that using vegetable oils high in linoleic acid might be worse than using butter when it comes to preventing heart disease, though more research needs to be done on that front. This latest evidence comes from an analysis of previously unpublished data of a large controlled trial conducted in Minnesota nearly 50 years ago, as well as a broader analysis of published data from all similar trials of this dietary intervention.The analyses show that interventions using linoleic acid-rich oils failed to reduce heart disease and overall mortality even though the intervention reduced cholesterol levels. In the Minnesota study, participants who had greater reduction in serum cholesterol had higher rather than lower risk of death.

The report, entitled “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America,” also found that obesity rates decreased in four states – Minnesota, Montana, New York and Ohio. Only two states – Kansas and Kentucky – saw their obesity rates get worse. In all other states, the obesity rates remained stable from 2014 to 2015.

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The results also shed some light on racial and ethnic disparities. Specifically, the report found:

• Adult obesity rates are at or above 40 percent for blacks in 14 states.
• Adult obesity rates are at or above 30 percent for blacks in 40 states and Washington, D.C.  
• Adult obesity rates are at or above 30 percent for Latinos in 29 states and Washington, D.C.
• Adult obesity rates are at or above 30 percent for whites in 16 states and Washington, D.C.
• American Indian/Alaska Natives have an adult obesity rate of 42.3 percent.

Studying such inequities is important, researchers say, as they allow state, local, and federal officials to recognize patterns and implement research-based strategies to help fight obesity.

U.S. Bans Trans Fat

Artificial trans fat will be banned from the U.S. food supply over the next three years under a ruling by regulators that the products pose health risks that contribute to heart disease, the leading killer of Americans.

www.bloomberg.com

“I don’t know how many lives will be saved, but probably in the thousands per year when all the companies are in compliance,” said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

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About 70 percent of palm oil is produced in Malaysia and some also comes from Indonesia and South America, Tiger Tangavelu, technical director at Global Agri-Trade Corp., said in an e-mail. The U.S. market size for palm oil is 2.6 billion pounds (1.2 billion kilograms) annually, he said. He expects that to increase by half a billion pounds a year once trans fats are eliminated.

Modified soybean oil is also an option. Monsanto Co. is testing an oil called Vistive Gold made from soybeans that have been genetically modified to make it heart-healthier and good for frying without the need to hydrogenate it, said Sarah Vacek, soybean quality traits manager at Monsanto. Restaurants will be Vistive Gold’s main target.

“It’s been in the works for over a decade,” Vacek said. “We are pre-commercial right now. We are anticipating a full commercial launch in 2016.”

New York City was the first to ban trans fat from restaurants, followed by California, Philadelphia and Seattle, said Jacobson, with the Center for Science in the Public Interest.