Excessive alcohol consumption has been associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. An enlarged left atrium and impaired left atrial ...function may lead to atrial fibrillation. The association of alcohol consumption with structural and functional left atrial measures, however, has received limited attention.
We studied 503 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) trial, a randomized trial testing intensive weight loss intervention with an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and physical activity promotion in preventing cardiovascular disease in adults with metabolic syndrome. Participants underwent transthoracic echocardiography at baseline, year 3, and year 5 of the study. Outcomes of interest included volume index and reservoir, conduit, and contractile strains of the left atrium. Alcohol consumption was calculated through food frequency questionnaires and presented as drinks consumed per day. Multiple linear regression and mixed models estimated the association of alcohol consumption with left atrial measurements at baseline and through follow-up. Cross-sectionally, higher alcohol consumption (per 1 drink/day increases) was associated with larger left atrial volume (0.65 mL/m
95% CI, 0.18-1.11) and lower left atrial reservoir and contractile strain (-0.44% 95% CI, -0.87 to -0.01; and -0.44% 95% CI, -0.75 to -0.14). Baseline alcohol consumption was not associated with changes in left atrial measurements, but increases in alcohol consumption (per 1 drink/day increase) during follow-up were associated with left atrial enlargement (0.71 mL/m
95% CI, 0.17-1.26).
In a population at high cardiovascular risk, increased alcohol consumption was associated with left atrial enlargement and worsening atrial function.
URL: http://www.controlled-trials.com; Unique identifier: ISRCTN89898870.
Current recommendations for echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function (2016 guidelines of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging ...(EACVI) in patients with metabolic syndrome and overweight/obesity result in a significant number of patients with indeterminate diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). The aim of this article is to study whether the use of the left atrial strain criterion (LALS) reduces the number of indeterminate patients.
229 patients were studied with a complete echocardiographic study that included left ventricular longitudinal strain (LVLS) analysis, LALS and a maximal ergospirometry test with assessment of oxygen uptake (VO2max).
The mean age was 65 ± 5 years, 153 (67%) males, with a mean EF of 60 ± 5%. The mean LVLS was −19.4 ± 2% and the LALS Reservoir was 23.8 ± 7%. There were 140 patients who did not meet LVDD criteria and 82 who did meet the indeterminate LVDD criterion. When the left atrial volume index (LAVI) >34 ml/m2 criterion was replaced in the 2016 ASE/EACVI algorithm by LALS Reservoir ≤20%, the number of indeterminate patients was reduced from 36% to 23% (p < 0.001) at the expense of increasing normal studies (61% and 74%). Adding the LALS Reservoir criterion ≤23% in the 82 patients of the indeterminate group resulted in two groups with a different VO2max (11.6 ± 3 and 18 ± 5 ml/kg/min, p:0.081).
This study confirms the low prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in overweight/obese patients with metabolic syndrome. Adding left atrial strain criterion to the current recommendations significantly reduces the number of indeterminate patients by reclassifying them as normal.
•Diastolic dysfunction is often associated with metabolic syndrome and overweight/obesity.•Guidelines for echocardiographic diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction show a high proportion of indeterminate studies.•It explores the usefulness of longitudinal left atrial strain for echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function.•The use of this parameter reduces the number of indeterminate patients when applying current recommendations.
: Lifestyles influence atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. Determining the effect of lifestyle interventions on blood concentrations of biomarkers of AF-related pathways could help understand AF ...pathophysiology and contribute to AF prevention.
: We studied 532 participants enrolled in the PREDIMED-Plus trial, a Spanish randomized trial conducted in adults (55-75 years) with metabolic syndrome and body mass index between 27-40 kg/m
. Eligible participants were randomized 1:1 to an intensive lifestyle intervention, emphasizing physical activity, weight loss, and adherence to an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet or to a control group. Serum biomarkers carboxy-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I (PICP), high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT), high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and N-terminal propeptide of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were measured at baseline, 3 and 5 years after randomization. Mixed models were used to evaluate the effect of intervention on changes in biomarkers through year 5. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the proportion mediated by each component of the intervention.
: At baseline, participants' mean age was 65, 40% were female, and 50% were assigned to the intervention. After five years, mean changes in log-transformed biomarkers were -0.01 (PICP), 0.20 (hsTnT), -0.17 (hsCRP), 0.12 (3-NT), and 0.27 (NT-proBNP). Compared to the control group, participants in the intervention group experienced greater decreases in hsCRP (-14%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -26%, 0%) or smaller increases in 3-NT (-16%, 95% CI -25%, -5%) and NT-proBNP (-12%, 95% CI -23%, 1%). The intervention had minimal impact on hsTnT (-3%, 95% CI -7%, 2%) or PICP concentrations (-2%, 95% CI -9%, 6%). The effect of the intervention on hsCRP was primarily mediated by weight loss (89% at year 5).
: Over five years, a dietary and lifestyle intervention for weight-loss favorably affected concentrations of hsCRP, 3-NT, and NT-proBNP, pointing to specific mechanisms in pathways linking lifestyles and AF.
Evidence supports associations of lifestyle (including diet and physical activity) and weight with cognitive functioning, but the pathways responsible for these associations have not been fully ...elucidated. Because healthier lifestyles have been associated with better left atrial structure and function, which in turn is associated with better cognitive functioning, we tested the hypothesis that left atrial structure and function is a potential mediator of the association between lifestyle and cognition. We included 476 participants classed as overweight or obese with metabolic syndrome from three centers in Spain. These participants underwent lifestyle assessments and transthoracic echocardiography at baseline and repeated measurements of the Trail Making A test, a measure of executive function, taken at baseline and at the two-year follow-up. We conducted mediation analyses to test if measures of left atrial structure and function mediated associations between adherence to the Mediterranean diet scores, physical activity, and weight at baseline, as well as a two-year change in Trail Making A scores. The analysis did not find an association between these factors and Trail Making A scores, and no indirect effects appeared to be mediated by echocardiographic measurements. The modest sample size in this analysis is a limitation, and larger studies should be conducted to determine potential cardiovascular factors mediating the association between lifestyle and cognition.
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Characterization of cardiac structural and functional abnormalities due to the MetS can help ...recognize individuals who would benefit the most from preventive interventions. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) provides an opportunity to identify those abnormalities in a reproducible and cost-efficient manner. In research settings, implementation of protocols for the acquisition and analysis of TTE images are key to ensure validity and reproducibility, thus facilitating answering relevant questions about the association of the MetS with cardiac alterations.
The Palma Echo Platform (PEP) is a coordinated network that is built up to evaluate the underlying structural and functional cardiac substrate of participants with MetS. Repeated TTE will be used to evaluate 5-year changes in the cardiac structure and function in a group of 565 individuals participating in a randomized trial of a lifestyle intervention for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The echocardiographic studies will be performed at three study sites, and will be centrally evaluated at the PEP core laboratory. Planned analyses will involve evaluating the effect of the lifestyle intervention on cardiac structure and function, and the association of the MetS and its components with changes in cardiac structure and function. Particular emphasis will be placed on evaluating parameters of left atrial structure and function, which have received more limited attention in past investigations. This PEP will be available for future studies addressing comparable questions.
In this article we describe the protocol of a central echocardiography laboratory for the study of functional and structural alterations of the MetS.
Left ventricle diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is a common finding in high risk individuals, its presence being associated with reduced exercise capacity (EC). We assessed the prevalence of LVDD, ...applying the 2016 guidelines of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), in a population with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome and its association with EC.
This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of a cohort of 235 patients (mean age of 65 ± 5 years old and 33% female) without heart disease and an ejection fraction >50% who underwent a complete echocardiographic assessment and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Individuals meeting three or more criteria of the 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines are considered to have LVDD, while tests are considered indeterminate in those meeting only two. Overall, 178 (76%) of our patients met one echocardiographic cutoff value for LVDD, 91 (39%) met two and 7 (3%) three or more. Patients meeting three cutoffs values showed a significant reduction in maximal oxygen uptake (16 ± 3 vs. 19.6 ± 5 ml/kg/min, p < .05), unlike those with indeterminate tests. In multiple regression analysis, meeting three cutoffs was associated with number of METS (ß = −2.2, p = .018). In exploratory analysis, using two criteria based on cutoffs different from those proposed in the guidelines, we identified groups with different EC.
The application of 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines limited the prevalence of LVDD to 3%. This group showed a clear reduction of the EC. New echocardiographic cutoff values proposed in this study allow us to establish subgroups with different levels of EC.
IMPORTANCE: High-quality dietary patterns may help prevent chronic disease, but limited data exist from randomized trials about the effects of nutritional and behavioral interventions on dietary ...changes. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a nutritional and physical activity education program on dietary quality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Preliminary exploratory interim analysis of an ongoing randomized trial. In 23 research centers in Spain, 6874 men and women aged 55 to 75 years with metabolic syndrome and no cardiovascular disease were enrolled in the trial between September 2013 and December 2016, with final data collection in March 2019. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized to an intervention group that encouraged an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet, promoted physical activity, and provided behavioral support (n = 3406) or to a control group that encouraged an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet (n = 3468). All participants received allotments of extra-virgin olive oil (1 L/mo) and nuts (125 g/mo) for free. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was 12-month change in adherence based on the energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (er-MedDiet) score (range, 0-17; higher scores indicate greater adherence; minimal clinically important difference, 1 point). RESULTS: Among 6874 randomized participants (mean SD age, 65.0 4.9 years; 3406 52% men), 6583 (96%) completed the 12-month follow-up and were included in the main analysis. The mean (SD) er-MedDiet score was 8.5 (2.6) at baseline and 13.2 (2.7) at 12 months in the intervention group (increase, 4.7 95% CI, 4.6-4.8) and 8.6 (2.7) at baseline and 11.1 (2.8) at 12 months in the control group (increase, 2.5 95% CI, 2.3-2.6) (between-group difference, 2.2 95% CI, 2.1-2.4; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this preliminary analysis of an ongoing trial, an intervention that encouraged an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and physical activity, compared with advice to follow an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet, resulted in a significantly greater increase in diet adherence after 12 months. Further evaluation of long-term cardiovascular effects is needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: isrctn.com Identifier: ISRCTN89898870
Abstract only
Background:
Lifestyles influence atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. Blood biomarkers can characterize the atrial substrate that facilitates the development of AF. Therefore, determining the ...effect of lifestyle interventions on blood concentrations of biomarkers of AF-related pathways could help understand AF pathophysiology and contribute to AF prevention.
Methods:
The PREDIMED-PLUS study is a Spanish multicenter randomized trial in adults (55-75 years) with metabolic syndrome and body mass index between 27-40 kg/m
2
. Participants were randomized 1:1 to an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) program, emphasizing physical activity, weight loss, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, or a control intervention. In a sub-sample, serum biomarkers including carboxy-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I (PICP), high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT), high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP), N-terminal propeptide of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) were measured at baseline and years 3 and 5 after randomization. Mixed models were used to evaluate the effect of ILI on changes in biomarkers through years 3 and 5. Follow-up time was modeled as a categorical and continuous variable.
Results:
Of 481 participants (65 mean age, 40% female, 49% assigned to ILI), 453 (94%) and 442 (92%) had available samples at years 3 and 5. After 5 years, mean changes in log-transformed biomarkers were -0.01 (PICP), 0.20 (hsTnT), -0.17 (hsCRP), 0.12 (3-NT), and 0.25 (NT-proBNP). Participants in the ILI group experienced greater decreases in hsCRP or smaller increases in 3-NT, NT-proBNP, and in hsTnT to a lesser extent, as compared to the control group (Table). The ILI did not affect PICP concentrations. Results were consistent when modeling follow-up time as a continuous variable.
Conclusion:
Over five years, an ILI favorably affected concentrations of hsCRP, 3-NT, and NT-proBNP, and of hs-TnT to a lesser degree, pointing to specific mechanisms in the pathways linking lifestyles and AF.
Genetic, observational, and clinical intervention studies indicate that circulating levels of triglycerides and cholesterol transported in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (remnant cholesterol) can ...predict cardiovascular events.
This study evaluated the association of triglycerides and remnant cholesterol (remnant-C) with major cardiovascular events in a cohort of older individuals at high cardiovascular risk.
This study determined the baseline lipid profile and searched for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in the high-risk primary prevention PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) trial population (mean age: 67 years; body mass index: 30 kg/m2; 43% men; 48% with diabetes) after a median follow-up of 4.8 years. Unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between lipid concentrations (either as continuous or categorical variables) and incident MACEs (N = 6,901; n cases = 263).
In multivariable-adjusted analyses, triglycerides (hazard ratio HR: 1.04; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.02 to 1.06, per 10 mg/dl 0.11 mmol/l; p < 0.001), non−high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.10, per 10 mg/dl 0.26 mmol/l; p = 0.026), and remnant-C (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.33, per 10 mg/dl 0.26 mmol/l; p < 0.001), but not low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or HDL-C, were associated with MACEs. Atherogenic dyslipidemia (triglycerides >150 mg/dl 1.69 mmol/l and HDL-C <40 mg/dl 1.03 mmol/l in men or <50 mg/dl 1.29 mmol/l in women) was also associated with MACEs (HR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.00; p = 0.030). Remnant-C ≥30 mg/dl (0.78 mmol/l) differentiated subjects at a higher risk of MACEs compared with those at lower concentrations, regardless of whether LDL-C levels were on target at ≤100 mg/dl (2.59 mmol/l).
In overweight or obese subjects at high cardiovascular risk, levels of triglycerides and remnant-C, but not LDL-C, were associated with cardiovascular outcomes independent of other risk factors.
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