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The over-the-counter supplement nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3, increased the walking endurance of patients with peripheral artery disease, a chronic leg condition for which there are few effective treatments. In a preliminary, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, patients who took nicotinamide riboside daily for six months increased their timed walking distance by more than 57 feet, compared to participants who took a placebo. As expected, walking speed declined in those who took a placebo, because peripheral artery disease causes progressive declines in walking performance. The scientists recruited 90 people with an average age of 71 who had peripheral artery...

Aspirin therapy, as opposed to statin use, for non-obstructive coronary artery disease does not reduce major cardiovascular events, according to a new study. Non-obstructive coronary artery disease occurs when there is less than 50% stenosis, or narrowing, of the coronary arteries due to plaque buildup. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is often recommended as a first-line test to detect plaque. Medications called statins are commonly prescribed for patients who are diagnosed with non-obstructive coronary artery disease. Statins reduce the production of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and draw cholesterol out of plaque, therefore stabilizing the plaque and reducing the risk of it...

Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases — Lima A, Ferin R, Fontes A, et al.This study was intended to assess whether cysteine is a better prognosticator of coronary artery disease than conventional homocysteine in high-risk subjects under preventive medication. Researchers enrolled a total of 174 individuals with symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) (age 56±9y; 68% men) who submitted to coronary angiography were split into 2 groups: one formed by CAD patients (≥50% stenosis in at least one major coronary vessel) and the other by non-CAD patients (<50% stenosis). Via RP-HPLC/FLD, Plasma and erythrocyte aminothiol profiles were assessed. Compared with non-CAD group,...

It has been pointed out by many opponents of the saturated fat/cholesterol theory of coronary artery disease (CAD) that a paper from January, 2009 shreds this notion. The work is entitled “Lipid levels in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease: An analysis of 136,905 hospitalizations.” You can obtain an abstract here, with a link to a free full text version. Among the findings: “In a large cohort of patients hospitalized with CAD, almost half have admission LDL levels In other words, more than half of this group—heart patients with diagnosed disease—met the current LDL and HDL guidelines. This is a...

Trial involves injecting patients' own (autologous) stem cells into areas of their hearts with poor blood flow CHICAGO - Rush University Medical Center is one of the first medical centers in the country, and currently the only site in Illinois, participating in a novel clinical trial to determine if a subject’s own stem cells can treat a form of severe coronary artery disease. The Autologous Cellular Therapy CD34-Chronic Myocardial Ischemia (ACT34-CMI) Trial is the first human, Phase II adult stem cell therapy study in the U.S. designed to investigate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of blood-derived selected CD34+ stem cells...