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Ageless Forever Anti-Aging News Blog

4 Surprisingly Heart-Healthy Foods

surprisingly heart-healthy foods

Cardiovascular disease has been the number one cause of deaths in the US. Because of this, a ton of research has been done on preventing heart disease and it has been clear that a healthy and active lifestyle can make the world of a difference. We at Ageless Forever know how important a healthy balanced diet can affect the heart. There are certain foods you should incorporate into your diet to be more heart-conscious and we’ll be discussing what you should keep stocked in your fridge and pantry. If you haven’t been trying your best to have a healthy heart, the time is now to change direction before it’s too late. Keep reading!

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Cardiovascular Disease: Signs, Symptoms, and Prevention

cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular Disease: Signs, Symptoms, and Prevention 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one person dies from cardiovascular disease every 37 seconds in the United States [1]. These numbers show that millions of Americans are affected by heart-related issues and are suffering the fatal consequences of not taking a proactive approach to their heart health. 

Understanding what cardiovascular disease is, identifying symptoms early, and preventing irreversible damage can help you or your loved one live a long, healthy, and happy life. 

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4 Ways to Improve Your Heart Health

ways to improve your heart health

The heart is one of the most vital organs responsible for our survival. Our hearts are constantly working 24/7, beating approximately 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. With that said, heart disease is also the number one cause of death, claiming about 1 million lives a year. Heart disease is often caused by buildup of plaque, calcium, cholesterol, and other substances inside the coronary arteries that are responsible for supplying oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles. Too much buildup restricts blood flow to the heart, which can result in a heart attack, stroke, or death. Knowing this, we must do what we can to ensure our hearts are functioning properly and optimally. Thankfully, there are some relatively simple lifestyle changes you can adopt to help you avoid or slow down, or drastically improve heart-related issues. Keep reading to learn more about how to work towards a healthier heart!

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Long-Term Testosterone Therapy Improves Cardiometabolic Function and Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Real-Life Results

 
Most men with testosterone deficiency need testosterone therapy for the rest of their life in order to achieve and maintain best possible health outcomes. Therefore, studies that investigate the effects of testosterone therapy in real-life are needed, to shed light on adherence and health outcomes in routine clinical practice.[1] While randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are gold standard in medical research [2, 3], RCTs are conducted in highly controlled environments and therefore their results may not carry over to the uncontrolled setting of real-life.[1] It is increasingly recognized that conclusions drawn from RCTs are not always a useful aid for decision-making because evaluating the value of a drug or technology requires an understanding of its impact on current clinical practice and management of patients in a real-life setting.[4]
 
A series of “real-life studies” have been conducted, all showing numerous health benefits of testosterone therapy in testosterone deficient (hypogonadal) men and confirming its safety, with an observation period of up to 17 years.[5-23] Here I summarize the results from the most recent real-life study, published February 9th 2017 in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics which investigated the long-term effects and safety of testosterone therapy for up to 8 years in testosterone deficient men attending a urological office.[5] Differences in cardiovascular risk factors and deaths with testosterone therapy were compared to those seen in testosterone deficient men not receiving testosterone therapy but attending the same urological office.[5] 
 
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Testosterone treatment is NOT associated with risk of adverse cardiovascular events – the RHYME study

It is well-documented that testosterone therapy effectively restores testosterone levels in hypogonadal men and improves many health outcomes, such as quality of life [1-4], libido [4, 5], metabolic parameters [5-9] and body composition.[4, 5, 9, 10]
 
However, a few conflicting studies raised concerns about the cardiovascular safety of testosterone therapy [11, 12], which in 2015 prompted the FDA to issue warnings to physicians and patients about potential cardiovascular risks of testosterone therapy.
 
In contrast, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) acknowledged the flaws of the conflicting studies and concluded that there is no consistent evidence of harm associated with testosterone therapy, regardless of mode of delivery.[13]
 
Here I summarize the cardiovascular results of the notable RHYME (The Registry of Hypogonadism in Men) study, which contrary to prior clinical trials, enrolled men with a wide range of comorbid illnesses and cardiovascular risk factors.[14] The aim was to evaluate the safety of testosterone therapy in a sufficiently diverse population to reflect real-world, clinical experience.[14]
 
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Video Summary: Testosterone Deficiency and Treatment - International Expert Consensus Resolutions

In a previous article "Testosterone Deficiency and Treatment - the FACTS" I presented the conclusions from an International Expert Consensus Conference on Testosterone Deficiency and Its Treatment.[1]
 
Here I summarize the key points, and link to a video summary by Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, an internationally renowned testosterone scientist and clinician.
 
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Testosterone Deficiency and Treatment - the FACTS

 
Testosterone deficiency and treatment is a very misunderstood and controversial topic among scientists, regulatory agencies (such as the FDA and EMA) and doctors, as well as the popular media.
 
On October 1, 2015, an international expert consensus conference about testosterone deficiency and its treatment was held in Prague, sponsored by King’s College London and the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male (ISSAM). The impetus for this meeting was to address the widespread misinformation and confusion about testosterone deficiency and testosterone therapy.[1]
 
The ultimate goal of this consensus conference was to document what is true or untrue about testosterone deficiency and testosterone therapy, to the best degree possible based on existing scientific and clinical evidence.
 
There were 18 experts from 11 countries on 4 continents. Specialties included urology, endocrinology, internal medicine, diabetology, and basic science research. Experts were invited on the basis of extensive clinical experience with testosterone deficiency and its treatment and/or research experience.
 
The final consensus on several key issues related to testosterone therapy was published in the form of 9 resolutions (i.e. firm decisions), coupled with expert comments.[2] These are summarized in table 1.
 
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Remnant Cholesterol and non-HDL – What’s that? Why bother?

 
In a previous article "Blood Cholesterol Testing - don't let the routine standard lipid panel fool you!" I talked about the standard lipid panel that doctors use to check your “bad” cholesterol, aka LDL level. In "Why you need to look beyond your “bad" cholesterol” - level" I’ve also gone into some depth on why a myopic focus on LDL-C can do more harm than good.
 
In this article I will talk about 2 relatively unknown cholesterol parameters and explain why you want to keep an eye on these…
 
The routine standard lipid panel checks your levels of:
 
- Total cholesterol 
 
- LDL-C (or just LDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the “bad" cholesterol)
 
- HDL-C (or just HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the “good" cholesterol) 
 
- VLDL-C (or just VLDL, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) 
 
- Triglycerides (a.k.a. blood fats)
 
If you have read my previous articles you know the limitations of LDL-C and the standard lipid panel. However, while the advanced lipid panel gives you much more accurate information on your health status, the standard lipid panel is not totally worthless if you know what to look for…The caveat is, what to look for - non-HDL-C and remnant cholesterol – are not printed in your standar lipid test results. And your doctor may not even know about non-HDL-C and remnant cholesterol! That’s why I had to write this article…
 
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Survival and cardiovascular events in men on testosterone treatment

On the surface, testosterone therapy is a controversial treatment because previous studies investigating the effects of testosterone therapy have been conflicting, with some studies showing supposed harm and others showing significant benefit.
 
Here I summarize the results of a new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology on May 7 2016, which addressed some shortcomings in previous studies by analyzing effects based on duration of testosterone treatment.[1]
 
 
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Everything We Learned About TESTOSTERONE Is WRONG - video presentation by Dr. Morgentaler

Historically testosterone therapy was only indicated in men with pituitary tumors and testicular dysfunction. Dr. Morgentaler pioneered the field when he started to treat men – who did not have any underlying pituitary tumors and testicular dysfunction - with Low-T with testosterone therapy. His patients reported improved erections, libido, orgasm, as well as increased energy, mood, cognition and wellbeing.
 
This use of testosterone therapy in otherwise healthy men defied standard medical practice in the 1990s...
 
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