- Author: HealthDay.com by Maureen Salamon
Examining data from female employees of a Miami-based health system, researchers theorized that a more upbeat attitude among Hispanic women might contribute to their better cardiovascular health.
Hispanic women logged more favorable results in 10 of 12 heart conditions and risk factors -- such as high blood pressure or cholesterol -- than non-Hispanic women, according to the research, published April 29 in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
"Obviously, this group has something that is set apart," said study author Emir Veledar, a biostatistician at Baptist Health South Florida in Miami.
"There is no difference among all these women in knowledge, but in positive attitude," he added. "Hispanic women are more satisfied with their jobs and their lives. They don't think they need to get more exercise; they have good or excellent health, and they're happy with their weight."
This so-called "Hispanic paradox," Veledar said, extends to the significant gap in average life expectancies between Hispanic and white women. Female Hispanics in the United States are expected to live for 87 years, about six years longer than white females.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults of both genders and all races, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly 422,000 American women die of heart disease each year.
Veledar and his colleagues studied annual health-fair and test results gathered from nearly 7,700 female employees at Baptist Health South Florida. Of those, more than half were Hispanic.
Nearly two dozen measures of cardiovascular health were examined, including blood pressure, blood sugar levels and body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height. The women's knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors was assessed and they were also asked about their attitudes about their job, weight and desire for more exercise.
With equal access to health care and benefits because of their shared employment situation, the women had notably different cardiovascular risk factors. Not only did Hispanics have lower rates of type 1 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, they reported job and life satisfaction in greater numbers, the investigators found.
More than half of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic women wished to lose weight, but that number was about 54 percent among Hispanics and nearly 60 percent among non-Hispanics. Fewer Hispanics wished to get more exercise -- less than 33 percent compared to over 37 percent, the findings showed.
Veledar said there's no way to know if a more upbeat attitude among Hispanic women has any direct relationship to their better cardiovascular risk profile, but he said all ethnicities could benefit from a "balance in attitude."
Dr. Miguel Quinones, chairman of cardiology at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, said research has long linked lower stress levels -- which can be influenced by a positive attitude -- with lower heart disease risks.
"There's no question that stress is one of the factors that modifies whether someone who is at risk for heart disease presents with heart disease," said Quinones, who wasn't involved with the new research. "For Hispanic women, if they have a less stressful environment because their family and cultural life is better, that may potentially be good."
Quinones explained that female Hispanics' lower heart risks likely have little to do with shared genetics, since Hispanics' roots may be, among others, Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, African or European.
"Ethnicity does not equal race," he said.
Quinones also noted that the association between an upbeat attitude and improved cardiovascular health does not mean the former caused the latter.
Source: Published originally on HealthDay.com as HispanicWomen's Upbeat Outlook May Boost Heart Health by Maureen Salamon. April 29, 2015.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It promises to be a lively discussion.
UC Davis entomologist Bruce Hammock, distinguished professor of entomology, will speak on “From Butterflies to Blood Pressure and Beyond: Is It Possible to Get a Drug to the Clinic with a University’s Help?” at a Science Café session set Wednesday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. in Crepeville, 330 3rd St., Davis.
The session, open to the public and billed as “a conversation with Professor Bruce Hammock,” will be hosted by the UC Davis Division of Math and Physical Sciences. Co-sponsor is the Department of Chemistry. Professor Jared T. Shaw will introduce Hammock.
Said Hammock: “The science is how basic research on insects has led to a drug for blocking hypertension and neuropathic pain. The general discussion is on the difficulties of translating basic science paid for by the taxpayer, into a technology that can actually help the taxpayer.”
Hammock, a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty since 1980, holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, and directs the campuswide Superfund Research Program, National Institutes of Health Biotechnology Training Program, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Combined Analytical Laboratory.
He is a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, and the recipient of the 2001 UC Davis Faculty Research Lecture Award and the 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching.
![Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/14774.jpg)
![Bruce Hammock in his habitat. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Bruce Hammock in his habitat. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/14775.jpg)
- Author: American Heart Association
Compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States, Hispanics had higher rates of ideal blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, were less likely to smoke, and were more likely to get recommended amounts of exercise. Like most Americans, however, too few Hispanics ate a heart-healthy diet and too many were overweight, the investigators found.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 16,000 Hispanic-American adults of Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Central and South American origins to determine if they met the American Heart Association's seven cardiovascular health goals for 2020.
They found:
- 5 percent met six of the seven goals, which is higher than the national average of 3.8 percent.
- 76.6 percent never smoked or quit; nonsmoking was the most commonly achieved goal.
- 53.4 percent had ideal blood pressure, which is 21.9 percent higher than the national rate.
- Only 2 percent ate an ideal heart-healthy diet, which was the least achieved goal.
- More than half (51.2 percent) had ideal levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity, which is 23 percent higher than the national rate (39.5 percent). Still, less than one-fourth had an ideal body mass index compared to the national rate of 32 percent.
Source: American Heart Association, news release, Hispanics More Heart-Healthy Than Other Americans: Study, November. 6, 2012.
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