HealthBeat News

Blog

  • Does Testosterone Therapy Increase Heart Attack And Stroke Risk?

    By Nurse Mark

     

    A recently published study in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) has caused no end of worry among men. It seems that the study is quite clear in it’s conclusions that testosterone therapy does indeed cause an increased risk of death from all causes, including heart attacks and strokes.

    Yikes!

    Hey fellas, we better run, not walk to our doctors and get off that stuff that we’ve been prescribed, right?

    Not so fast guys… let’s take another look at this.

    First, what do the final numbers boil down to?

    In the group of men that were studied, some 8700 veterans, 20% had “bad outcomes” over the course of the study – meaning they died from a heart attack, stroke, or some other reason. And that was the group that was NOT taking testosterone. In the group that WAS taking testosterone, 26% of the men had “bad outcomes.”

    So, a whopping six percent difference between the two groups. That’s the difference between a fifth and a quarter.

    And who were these men?

    These men were veterans who had undergone coronary angiography – a heart imaging test. Many, probably most, had risk factors for heart problems, including blocked heart arteries. Of course they did – nobody does coronary angiography just for fun!

    According to the researchers:

    In the cohort [group] of 8709 veterans with a total testosterone level less than 300 ng/dL who underwent coronary angiography, there was a high burden of comorbidities. Approximately 20% had a prior history of MI, 50% had diabetes, and more than 80% had CAD.

     

    Wow! “Co-morbidities” ?!?

    One fifth of this bunch had already survived at least one heart attack.

    Half of the group had diabetes.

    Four out of every five of these guys had known coronary artery disease.

    Most had additional health problems including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

    Talk about your “ticking time bombs”!

    Could the researchers have possibly found a group of men at higher risk? Maybe, but they would have had to work hard to find them – these guys were in rough shape!

    So let’s see… We’ll take a bunch of men with cardiovascular problems who are also experiencing the symptoms of low testosterone – low bone and muscle mass; increased fat mass; low energy; and impaired physical, sexual, and cognitive function – and we’ll give some of them testosterone.

    The guys that get the testosterone suddenly start feeling better, and some of them might even feel better enough to “over-do” things a bit. Since the body might take a little longer to be stronger than it does to feel better, can you see a potential problem developing here?

    “Well, Frank always loved tennis – but he hadn’t played much for the past few years, especially after that heart attack and the stents they put in. But then he saw his doc and started getting those testosterone shots and he was suddenly full of energy. His granddaughter came to visit and he just had to challenge her to ‘best two-out-of-three’ on the tennis court… He passed away that evening, after the big Thanksgiving family dinner – it must have been the testosterone that killed him, right?”

    Yeah, sort of…

    Or maybe this was a failure on his doctor’s part – perhaps a caution to “start slow, take it a little easy, and don’t over-do it just because you feel like you can” would have been in order… You see, Frank’s idea of excitement and activity for the past few years was sitting in his easy chair watching re-runs of “Dancing With The Stars” – he really hadn’t shown much interest or energy for anything else since the heart attack.

    But the numbers don’t lie – it’s a six percent increase in risk of death, right?

    Yes, the way the numbers were crunched in this study do show a six percent increase in risk of death.

    And the authors of the study acknowledge a number of “limitations” to the accuracy of their work:

    1. The study was “observational” meaning that they didn’t actually interact with the participants, they just looked at their records and drew their conclusions from that.
    2. They couldn’t know whether the reported testosterone levels were accurate since they had no way of knowing what time of day the tests were done. Testosterone levels vary widely throughout the day.
    3. This was a retrospective study – meaning that they got their cause of death information by looking at diagnosis codes in old patient charts – and ICD codes are not always entirely accurate. They didn’t go through the charts to see if the ICD code really matched what was in the patient’s records.
    4. This ended up being a small group of patients, followed over a long period of time – this tends be less accurate than looking at a large group of patients over a shorter time period.
    5. Finally, they acknowledge that this was a very specialized group of patients – and that this limits any ability to make the study apply to, for example, otherwise healthy men with low testosterone.

     

    Well, haven’t there been other studies that show testosterone is dangerous?

    Not really. There have been a few that have raised questions, but none that presented any “smoking guns.” One previous study, Adverse Events Associated with Testosterone Administration, also looked at a very small group of very debilitated (sick and sedentary) older men with low testosterone and found that improving their testosterone resulted in marked improvements in health and well-being, but also resulted in an increased risk of “cardiac adverse events”:

    RESULTS
    A total of 209 men (mean age, 74 years) were enrolled […] there was a high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity […]
    As compared with the placebo group, the testosterone group had significantly greater improvements in leg-press and chest-press strength and in stair climbing while carrying a load.

    CONCLUSIONS
    In this population of older men with limitations in mobility and a high prevalence of chronic disease, the application of a testosterone gel was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events. The small size of the trial and the unique population prevent broader inferences from being made about the safety of testosterone therapy.

     

    So that proves it’s dangerous, right?

    No, it proves that if you take a sedentary old guy with low testosterone and make him feel young and spry again with testosterone therapy you might be asking for trouble.

    But dangerous? Here’s what the paper Testosterone for the aging male; current evidence and recommended practice has to say:

    Contrary to fears of the potential adverse effects of testosterone on cardiovascular disease, there are over forty epidemiological studies which have examined the relationship of testosterone levels to the presence or development of coronary heart disease, and none have shown a positive correlation. Many of these studies have found the presence of coronary heart disease to be associated with low testosterone levels.

     

    But is it really safe? Why is the FDA so freaky about testosterone shots?

    Guys, there is a big, big difference between anabolic steroid abuse by athletes, bodybuilders and wannabe tough guys and the legitimate medical treatment of low testosterone levels.

    The feds are rightly concerned about the sleazy and dangerous side of this issue, and especially concerned with protecting impressionable young people from the dangers of inappropriate testosterone use. Contaminated and counterfeit testosterone products exist. “‘Roid-Rage” and other ill effects from abuse of steroids is a real thing. We really don’t need to have famous sports figures telling kids by example that they can only succeed / be popular / win by taking steroids.

    But in their usual fashion, the feds have gone overboard in their efforts to “protect” us, making it very difficult for anyone to receive needed treatment. Testosterone, a hormone that occurs naturally in the human body (both make and female) is now as tightly regulated and controlled as morphine or even heroin!

    So, if I’m just a regular guy with low testosterone it might be safe?

    According to Testosterone for the aging male; current evidence and recommended practice:

    …the effects of testosterone treatment are well recognised and it seems clear that testosterone treatment for aging hypogonadal men can be expected to increase lean body mass, decrease visceral fat mass, increase bone mineral density and decrease total cholesterol. Beneficial effects have been seen in many trials on other parameters such as glycemic control in diabetes, erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular risk factors, angina, mood and cognition.

     

    Alright, so what is your opinion on all this, Nurse Mark?

    Well fellas, since you ask… I am 58 years young now, and my testosterone levels are still within the “normal range” – so there is no possibility for me to use testosterone replacement therapy legally. But I can assure you that the day my T level falls below the reference range for normal I will be looking to start treatment. In my opinion the medical benefits of appropriately applied testosterone replacement therapy are far too important to be ignored, and the quality of life improvements far outweigh any minute risks that there may be.

    However – for me and for all the rest of you men considering testosterone replacement therapy, Dr. Michael Ho, a cardiologist with the VA’s Eastern Colorado Health System in Denver and the lead author of the study that reports the 6% increase in overall risk acknowledged that this “should prompt doctors and patients to discuss potential risks and benefits of using the products.”

    It can’t be said more clearly – in testosterone replacement or any other medical therapy – be aware of the benefits and of the risks, and discuss them fully with your doctor. If your doctor doesn’t have the time or doesn’t want to discuss the risks and benefits fully, get another doctor who will.

    And don’t allow “studies” like this one to spook you!

     

    References:

    Testosterone Treatments May Increase Heart Risks: http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2013/11/testosterone-treatments-may-increase-heart-risks?location=top#.UnwXSnBHTD4

    Association of Testosterone Therapy With Mortality, Myocardial Infarction, and Stroke in Men With Low Testosterone Levels: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1764051

    Adverse Events Associated with Testosterone Administration: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1000485

    Low Serum Testosterone and Mortality in Older Men: Conclusions: Testosterone insufficiency in older men is associated with increased risk of death over the following 20 yr, independent of multiple risk factors and several preexisting health conditions. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2190742/

    Testosterone for the aging male; current evidence and recommended practice: Contrary to fears of the potential adverse effects of testosterone on cardiovascular disease, there are over forty epidemiological studies which have examined the relationship of testosterone levels to the presence or development of coronary heart disease, and none have shown a positive correlation. Many of these studies have found the presence of coronary heart disease to be associated with low testosterone levels. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2544367/

  • Halloween Funnies For Kids Of All Ages

    This was Sent to us by subscriber Peg from Washington:

    Here are some fun Halloween quiz questions – lucky 13 of them – try your luck first, the answers are below.

    Have fun with the kids and grandkids with these!

    Questions:

    1. Who won the skeleton beauty contest?
    2. What do you call a skeleton who won’t work?
    3. What did the skeleton say before eating?
    4. What is a skeleton’s favorite musical instrument?
    5. Why can’t skeletons play music in church?
    6. How did the skeleton know it was going to rain?
    7. What happened to the sailors who sank in the river full of piranha?
    8. Why did the skeleton stay out in the snow all night?
    9. Why did the skeleton stay late at school?
    10. How do skeletons get their mail?
    11. What kind of plate does a skeleton eat off of?
    12. Why do skeletons hate winter? (Peg says “are they snowbirds?”)
    13. Why are skeletons so calm?

    Answers:

    1. No body
    2. Lazy bones
    3. Bon Appetite
    4. Trombone
    5. They have no organs
    6. Could feel it in his bones
    7. They came back as a skeleton crew
    8. He was a numbskull
    9. He was boning up for his exams
    10. Boney express
    11. Bone china
    12. The wind goes right through them
    13. Nothing gets under their skin

  • Statins Proven To Cause… Umm, I Can’t Remember!

    Part VIII of a multi-installment series on cholesterol and the dangers of statin drugs.

    Part ViI can be found here: Statin Drugs Proven To Increase Risk Of Cataracts
    Part VI can be found here: Statins Proven To Cause Increased Injuries
    Part V can be found here: Saturated Fats Are NOT Bad For You – Here’s PROOF
    Part IV can be found here: Cholesterol: Life-Giving Or Life-Threatening?
    Part III can be found here: New Research Into Statin Drug Memory Loss
    Part II can be found here: Trade Your High Cholesterol For Diabetes!
    Part I can be found here: Lower Your Cholesterol – Lose Your Marbles?

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    StatinWarningJust in case you needed more reason to avoid statin drugs, there is a most recent research article showing that pravastatin (brand name Pravacol) causes measurable impairment of memory in rats.

    If this is a surprise to anyone it shouldn’t be – users of the drugs have been reporting problems like this for years, and Big Pharma has been poo-poo’ing and dismissing their complaints for just as long.

    One of the more notable people to report this problem is Duane Graveline MD – a former USAF Flight Surgeon and former NASA Astronaut. Dr. Graveline, a retired family doctor was prescribed statins by his doctors at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He then experienced not one, but two episodes of profound transient global amnesia, recovering from the episodes each time when he stopped taking the statins.

    Graveline has been attacked and villified by Big Pharma and conventional medicine. He has been labeled a “quack” but it looks like there is now even solid research to support his claims.

    Researchers from the School of Physiology and Pharmacology at University of Bristol, in Bristol, England recently completed a study where rats were given two kinds of statin drug – pravastatin and atorvastatin and then tested for their ability to remember and perform tasks. Those rats given the pravastatin were found to be significantly impaired.

    The good news is that the effects were reversible – the rats recovered their memory when the drug was no longer given.

    In the words of the authors of the study:

    In conclusion, we have demonstrated that chronic treatment with pravastatin impairs recognition memory in normal rats. We also found impairments in working memory towards the end of treatment although this effect was less clear and was limited by the duration of treatment used in this study. Both effects observed were fully reversed following cessation of treatment. Overall, these findings support clinical observations that statins have adverse cognitive effects in certain patients undergoing long-term treatment. This study provides some of the first data obtained from animal studies suggesting statin treatment can impair cognitive function in a reversible manner in normal animals. The deficits observed with pravastatin were present in both models suggesting impaired working memory and/or attention, impaired cognitive flexibility and impaired recognition memory.

     

    So… Your memory “ain’t what it used to be”? Maybe it’s not “just ’cause you’re getting older”!

    Have a look at the medicines you are taking.

    Maybe that drug that is supposed to be “saving your heart” from “high cholesterol” is really just stealing your memories.

     

    References:

    Dr. Duane Graveline website: http://www.spacedoc.com/statin_amnesia_true_cost.html

    Study finds link between commonly prescribed statin and memory impairment: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/uob-sfl092513.php

    Chronic Pravastatin but Not Atorvastatin Treatment Impairs Cognitive Function in Two Rodent Models of Learning and Memory: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0075467

  • How To Reduce Your Risk Of Death By Over 22%

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Imagine a drug that could reduce overall risk of death by 22 percent – and even better, reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, and respiratory diseases by 24% to 56% in men and by 34% to 59% in women.

    A drug that could do that amount of good would be considered by conventional medicine to be the greatest advance in health science since antibiotics and it would be a dream-come-true for Big Pharma. Doctors would be prescribing it to every patient that they see.

    Well, sorry – there isn’t a drug that can do all that.

    But there is something that can – and does.

    It’s not high-tech, it’s not cutting-edge, it’s not sexy or miraculous, and it gets little respect or attention from most doctors. In fact, when you visit your doctor you’ll be lucky to hear it mentioned at all beyond a recommendation to “try to get more” – mumbled while the doctor is scribbling out yet another prescription for statin drugs…

    What is this “miracle” substance?

    Fiber. Dietary fiber.

    Hard to believe? Well, believe it – increased dietary fiber intake will help you stay healthier and live longer.

    Fiber can help:

    • lower cholesterol
    • stabilize blood sugar
    • prevent Type II diabetes
    • reduce inflammation
    • fight obesity
    • reduce blood pressure
    • prevent respiratory infections
    • prevent cancer
    • and much more

     

    Researchers at the National Cancer Institute analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health / AARP Diet and Health Study and reported:

    Dietary fiber intake was associated with a significantly lowered risk of total death in both men and women. […] Dietary fiber intake also lowered the risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases by 24% to 56% in men and by 34% to 59% in women.

     

    Another article, titled Study Strengthens Link Between Low Dietary Fiber Intake and Increased Cardiovascular Risk reported on October 18, 2013:

    A new study published in the December issue of The American Journal of Medicine shows a significant association between low dietary fiber intake and cardiometabolic risks including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular inflammation, and obesity.

    “Overall, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and obesity each decreased with increasing quintiles of dietary fiber intake,” comments  Clark. “Compared with participants in the lowest quintile of dietary fiber intake, participants in the highest quintile of dietary fiber intake had a statistically significant lower risk of having the metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and obesity.”

    [Senior investigator Cheryl R. Clark, MD, ScD, Center for Community Health and Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston]

     

    So, all a person needs to do is eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, right?

    Maybe. But it takes an awful lot of all those things to get the recommended daily fiber intake.

    The Institute of Medicine recommends fiber intake levels according to age and sex: 38g per day for men aged 19-50 years, 30g per day for men 50 and over, 25g for women aged 19-50 years, and 21g per day for women over 50.

    So you are going to try to eat more fiber – how about a nice salad? A half-cup of lettuce, a half-cup of tomato, maybe a bell pepper, and a half-cup of broccoli for good measure – that’s a lot of veggies, right? But all told you’ll only be getting about 4 grams of fiber from all that…

    OK, so let’s add a slice of whole wheat bread – why, that’ll add a whopping 1.9 grams of fiber right there!

    And after all, you started your day with some oatmeal – that half-cup (uncooked) gave you two whole grams of fiber.

    And your half grapefruit gave another 2 grams…

    All that and you are just up to 10 grams of fiber – do you see a problem beginning to develop?

    You are going to be eating rabbit food all day long if you want to get your recommended fiber from your meals!

    Want to check it out for yourself? To see how much fiber you are really getting? Have some fun with our Rate Your Plate fiber counter page. You’ll be surprised… and maybe disappointed at just how low your fiber intake is!

    What to do?

    The obvious answer is to supplement your fiber intake.

    But with what? Pills? It takes a lot of capsules to get in any amount of fiber. Better to save that for when you are traveling.

    Most powdered fiber supplements either turn into wallpaper paste if you don’t choke them down fast enough or they taste like ground-up recycled cardboard – or both. Ugh!

    Dr. Myatt had a great-tasting fiber product called Maxi Fiber that was so good that another company bought the rights to it and produced it for a while. Then they stopped making it, claiming that it was too expensive to make and they couldn’t sell it for enough of a profit.

    They were right – a really great-tasting fiber formula that contains both soluble and insoluble fiber and that doesn’t turn to glue if it sits for a few minutes IS an expensive proposition to make. It took Dr. Myatt over 2 years to develop her Maxi Fiber formula, and no-one was more disappointed when the company that she licensed it to stopped making it.

    Dr. Myatt immediately set about finding another company to manufacture Maxi Fiber – but it has been an arduous task as the ingredients are not cheap and Dr. Myatt’s quality standards are very, very high.

    It has taken over a year to bring back Maxi Fiber – but we are pleased and proud to announce that IT’S BACK – and as good as ever, and at the same price as before!

    Maxi Fiber is perfect to add to your daily Super Shake or smoothie.

    Maxi Fiber is an important part of our delicious, easy-to-make, low-carb, guilt-free Myatt Muffins.

    Maxi Fiber even tastes good enough that you can actually mix it with water and drink it all by itself – try that with any other fiber formula! (Any formula that doesn’t contain fake artificial flavoring chemicals that is!)

    And here’s an amusing story about Maxi Fiber that we didn’t learn until recently. When the company making Maxi Fiber decided to stop making it we tried to secure the remaining supplies so that we could keep our loyal customers supplied while we found a new manufacturer. But there were no “remaining supplies” to be had. None. Not at any price. We were baffled, and disappointed.

    It turns out that one of the top executives of that company also used our Maxi Fiber and liked it so much that she quietly bought up all the remaining stock for her own personal use! Now there’s a testimonial…

    We didn’t learn of this until she was running out of her stash and contacted us to find out when we would be able to sell her some more!

    Well Folks, Maxi Fiber is back and we are not going to let anyone run out of this great product ever again!

    –> Get your Maxi Fiber here! <–

     

    References:

    Park Y, Subar AF, Hollenbeck A, et al.  Dietary fiber intake and mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Arch Intern Med 2011; DOI:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.18.

    de Koning L and Hu FB. Do the health benefits of dietary fiber extend beyond CV disease? Arch Intern Med 2011; DOI:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.18.

    Dietary Fiber Intake and Cardiometabolic Risks among US Adults, NHANES 1999-2010.  http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(13)00631-1/fulltext#sec3  

    More Support for Dietary Fiber Reducing CV, All-Cause Death. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/737400

    An Update on Statin Alternatives and Adjuncts. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/776919_6

    Study Strengthens Link Between Low Dietary Fiber Intake and Increased Cardiovascular Risk. http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/study-strengthens-link-between-low-dietary-fiber-intake-and-increased-cardiovascular-risk

  • Ambien Dangers – Maybe We’re Right After All?

    By Nurse Mark

     

    We have been preaching the dangers of Ambien and all the other “Z-drug” sleeping pills for some time now, despite the feeling that our warnings have been falling largely on deaf ears.

    When will Americans “wake up” to the problems that these drugs are causing? (all puns intended!)

    Well, it seems that maybe, just maybe, the “mainstream media” might be noticing the problems and dangers of these drugs too.

    A recent article in MSN “Healthy Living” titled “Ambien: Worth the few extra zzz’s?” author Melinda Wenner Moyer reviews many of the cautions that we have written about in previous HealthBeat News articles.

    Moyer notes the “Zombie Effect” of sleep-walking, sleep-eating, sleep-driving, and other even more bizzare behaviors during sleep with no memory following, the increased risk of developing cancer and increased risks of death from all causes, and the disproportionately greater effects and risks for women, and finally notes that for all these risks users only manage to fall asleep some 13 to 17 minutes faster and only get about 11 to 32 more minutes of sleep in a night.

    But hey – where’s your sense of adventure? Think of all the excitement you could be missing out on if you don’t use these drugs – even if you don’t remember any of it the next day…

     

    MSN “Healthy Living” article: “Ambien: Worth the few extra zzz’s?”

    Previous HealthBeat News articles: