Risk factors for heart attack remain low seven years after gastric bypass

ScienceDaily (June 20, 2012) — Total cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein levels are among 11 risk factors for heart attack that remained greatly reduced up to seven years after gastric bypass surgery, according to a new Stanford University study

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Longer sleep times may counteract genetic factors related to weight gain

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2012) — Toss out another old wives' tale: Sleeping too much does not make you fat. Quite the opposite, according to a new study examining sleep and body mass index (BMI) in twins, which found that sleeping more than nine hours a night may actually suppress genetic influences on body weight.

See Also:Health & MedicineObesitySleep Disorder ResearchDiet and Weight LossMind & BrainSleep DisordersInsomniaObstructive Sleep ApneaLiving WellReferenceCircadian rhythm sleep disorderOverweightBody mass indexSleep deprivation

The study looked at 1,088 pairs of twins and found that sleeping less than seven hours a night was associated with both increased BMI and greater genetic influences on BMI. Previous research has shown that genetic influences include things like glucose metabolism, energy use, fatty acid storage and satiety. In this study, the heritability of BMI was twice as high for the short sleepers than for twins who slept longer than nine hours a night.

"The results suggest that shorter sleep provides a more permissive environment for the expression of obesity related genes," said principal investigator Nathaniel Watson, MD, MSc, of the University of Washington. "Or it may be that extended sleep is protective by suppressing expression of obesity genes."

Watson and colleagues determined that for twins sleeping less than seven hours, genetic influences accounted for 70 percent of the differences in BMI, with common environment accounting for just 4 percent and unique environment 26 percent. For twins averaging more than nine hours of sleep, genetic factors were attributed to 32 percent of weight variations, with common environment accounting for 51 percent and unique environment 17 percent.

More research is needed, Watson said, but these preliminary results may suggest that behavioral weight loss measures would be most effective when genetic drivers of body weight are mitigated through sleep extension.

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Health Tip: Know Your Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis

HealthDay – 57 mins ago (HealthDay News) -- Atherosclerosis, sometimes called hardening of the arteries, occurs when sticky fat deposits called plaque adhere to the walls of blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood throughout the body. These deposits limit blood flow and can lead to heart attack or stroke.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute says risk factors for developing atherosclerosis include:

Above-normal amounts of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, low levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, and high blood pressure.Smoking and being overweight.Having diabetes or being resistant to insulin.Getting insufficient exercise.Eating an unhealthy diet.Getting older.Having family members who developed heart disease at a young age.

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