Newsletter November 2006

Welcome to the Fall Newsletter. There is much new to report. First, there are two new studies to consider and then some information on our Mediterranean cooking classes, the Heart Healthy Restaurant Program and the announcement of a new home for the Center for Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health.

A basic tenet promulgated in the articles on this web site is that obtaining antioxidants, vitamins and phyto-nutrients from whole foods is generally superior and preferred to obtaining them from supplements. Two recent articles from the medical literature support the efficacy of whole foods in preventing disease.

The first study (American Journal of Medicine. 2006; 119:751-759) involves the effects of whole fruit and vegetable juices on the development of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in 1,836 Japanese Americans in Washington State. The subjects with a mean age of 72 years and no evidence of dementia at baseline were followed for a mean of 6 years. Subjects periodically filled out food frequency questionnaires and underwent cognitive testing. Over the 6 year study, 81 cases of Alzheimer’s Dementia were diagnosed. Subjects who consumed whole fruit and vegetable juices three or more times a week had a significant reduction in disease onset compared to those drinking fewer times. Moreover, the benefit was seen in subjects regardless of fat intake, physical activity, education level or smoking status. Vitamin supplements did not appear to confer the same benefit. While intriguing, the study was limited by self-reporting of juice consumption and by no breakdown of the types of juice consumed. Randomized prospective clinical trials are needed.

The second study from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) suggests that individuals who consumed two servings of nuts per week, especially tree nuts, had a 16% lower risk of death from coronary artery disease than those who rarely or never ate nuts. 37,000 EPIC participants were categorized as rare consumers (less than 1 gram per day), low consumers (1-3.9 grams per day), moderate consumers (4.0-12.9 grams per day), and high consumers (at least 13 grams per day). Compared to those with rare or no consumption of nuts, low consumers had a 12% reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) death, moderate consumers had a 16% reduction in CHD death and high consumers had a 24% reduction in CHD death. In the EPIC study the benefit was strongest in those countries were consumption of tree nuts was highest. Examples of tree nuts are walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. The EPIC study corroborates the Nurses Health Study and the Physicians Health Study which also document a benefit for nut consumption. While generally safe, consumption of nuts should be avoided in individuals with diverticulosis, or small pockets in the wall of the large intestine. Nut particles may lodge in such pockets and cause diverticulitis, a serious and potentially fatal infection in the bowel. (Individuals considering the consumption of nuts should discuss the issue first with their personal physician.)

Many people have asked me to refer them to a Mediterranean cookbook which is relatively easy to use, has tasty dishes and exemplifies the high omega-3 Mediterranean diet used in our CARDIOFIT cardiovascular risk and weight reduction classes. While there are many good recipes in a number of excellent cookbooks, no one cookbook has recipes all of which are completely acceptable. Folks will just have to wait for the cookbook we are working on! Until that is published, I would suggest joining us in our monthly Mediterranean cooking classes with master Chef Jim Rhoads. Usually the second Wednesday of the month (click the cooking class icon on the home page for schedule) each class runs from 5:30 PM till 7:30 PM and allows you to sample a number of Mediterranean dishes which we recommend. If you like what you sample, we include the recipe and show you how to make it quickly and easily. Please join us, but as space is limited, be sure to e-mail me paul.lemanski@primecarepc.com to reserve your place in class.

I am proud to announce the Heart Healthy Restaurant Program continues to grow with the addition of Brindisi’s Restaurant in Saratoga Springs. Additionally, we have expanded outside of the local area. Bellini’s Italian Eatery which has been collaborating with us for the last two years with their restaurants in Slingerlands and Clifton Park has asked to include two of their newest restaurants in Fairfield, Connecticut and Rochester, New York to the program. We are pleased that the financial benefit to restaurants of the Heart Healthy Restaurant Program becomes clear as patrons order the suggested dishes with increasing frequency.

Finally, I am happy and proud to announce the Center for Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health is moving about 4 minutes from its present location to Patroon Creek Blvd, just off Washington Avenue Extension, across from SUNY. The move is scheduled for April 2007. Prime Care Physicians, PLLC will be procuring space in a new building being constructed next to CDPHP main headquarters. We will join Prime Care Medical Imaging, the Albany Associates in Cardiology Vascular Lab, Prime Care Physicians Urgent Visit Center and St. Peter’s Cardiac Rehabilitation, among others, in a state of the art facility. We will have an enhanced capability to detect, prevent and treat heart disease with access to the 64 slice CT Angiography x-ray machine as well as a larger area for holding CARDIOFIT classes and an updated and larger kitchen. There will be more information to come as the day of move approaches.

Wishing everyone a heart healthy Fall and Thanksgiving,

PEL

Center for Preventive Medicine & Cardiovascular Health

at Mid-Valley Cardiology 111 Mary's Ave. Suite 3 Kingston, NY 845-339-3663

Main Office 400 Patroon Creek Blvd. Albany, NY 518-618-1100

at Glens Falls Associates in Cardiology 747 Upper Glen St. Queensbury, NY 518-793-1083