Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified a key player in the spread of breast cancer. The findings, published today in the online edition of Nature, identify a critical molecule that helps cancer spread beyond the primary tumor. The research highlights a potential new strategy against metastatic disease. The study's senior author is Jeffrey Pollard, Ph.D., professor of developmental and molecular biology and of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health at Einstein. He also holds the Louis Goldstein Swan Chair in Women's Cancer Research and is the deputy director of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center. People rarely die from their primary (original) tumor. Instead, most cancer deaths occur because the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body. "By focusing on sites where cancer had spread, we were able to detect a molecule that stimulates metastasis," said Dr. Pollard. "This raises the possibility that metastasis could be kept from progressing – or even prevented – if the stimulating molecule could be blocked. This we achieved in mouse models of breast cancer."
Metastasis begins when cells break away from the primary tumor and gain the ability to move on their own. These cells invade nearby blood vessels (a process known as intravasation) and are carried by the bloodstream to other parts of the body. The bloodborne tumor cells then escape from vessels in a process known as extravasation. Once these tumor cells escape from the vessels, they seed new and deadly tumors that grow in these distant locations.
In previous studies, Dr. Pollard and his research team have shown that macrophages – immune system cells whose functions include fighting infections – actually promote the spread of cancer. His research has shown that macrophages not only assist tumor cells during both intravasation and extravasation but also help those wayward cells take root in their new locations and grow into metastatic tumors. In the current study, Dr. Pollard and colleagues investigated the process by which these macrophages are recruited to metastatic sites and subsequently promote tumor-cell extravasation, seeding and tumor growth.
Using models of human and mouse breast cancer, the researchers demonstrated that when breast tumor cells travel to the lung, these cells secrete CCL2, a chemokine molecule (i.e., one that attracts cells). CCL2 attracts immune cells called inflammatory monocytes -- in particular, those bearing receptors for CCL2, which then develop into macrophages. The monocytes and macrophages "invited" by CCL2 signaling then facilitate extravasation – the critical step in metastasis in which bloodborne tumor cells cross the vessel wall and implant in nearby tissue. One way monocytes help tumor cells escape from blood vessels and cause metastasis, the Einstein researchers found, is by secreting vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, a substance that makes blood vessels leaky at the site where tumor cells exit from them.
Once the tumor cells are seeded, inflammatory monocytes continue to flock to the metastatic site – now attracted by CCL2 secreted not only by the tumor cells but also by nearby lung tissue that the tumor cells have targeted. In turn, these continuously recruited monocytes and the resultant macrophages promote the growth of the emerging metastatic tumor.
To confirm their findings, the researchers used anti-CCL2 antibodies to suppress CCL2 signaling in a mouse model of human metastasis – with striking results. In lungs challenged with metastatic tumor cells, the anti-CCL2 antibodies inhibited the influx of inflammatory monocotyes and macrophages to the metastatic sites, and the number of metastatic sites that developed in the lungs was markedly reduced. In addition, the mice lived much longer when CCL2 signaling was blocked.
"These findings have potential implications for therapy, since in human breast cancer we know that CCL2 expression and macrophage infiltration are associated with poor prognosis and metastatic disease," said Dr. Pollard. "If we can develop ways to inhibit these processes, we might be able to slow or stop breast cancer from spreading."
**Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
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Traductor
09 June 2011
Swine flu spread was much wider than first thought, scientists say
2010 was much more widespread than was previously realised, research suggests. Blood samples taken from Scottish adults in March last year at the end of the H1N1 flu season showed that almost half were carrying antibodies to the virus.
Most of the 44 per cent who tested positive had contracted swine flu, although some had acquired immunity from a previous bout of flu, or had been vaccinated.
The research, led by the University of Edinburgh, shows that many cases of swine flu went unreported. Only 100,000 people consulted their GP regarding flu, out of about two million who are believed to have contracted the virus.
People living in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to have contracted the virus. Scientists add that it is possible that many people who were vaccinated against the virus were already immune.
Almost 1600 adults from the east of Scotland and Glasgow, who are participants in the Generation Scotland Scottish Family Health Study voluntary health scheme, took part.
The research, carried out in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, Health Protection Scotland and West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, was funded by the Chief Scientist Office and published in the journal PLoS One.
Professor Mark Woolhouse of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Infectious Diseases, who led the study, said: "This flu spread very quickly. Fortunately most cases were mild but this also means that they weren't reported. Testing for antibodies to flu could be invaluable in tracking future pandemics and targeting vaccination to those groups who most need it."
**Source: University of Edinburgh
Most of the 44 per cent who tested positive had contracted swine flu, although some had acquired immunity from a previous bout of flu, or had been vaccinated.
The research, led by the University of Edinburgh, shows that many cases of swine flu went unreported. Only 100,000 people consulted their GP regarding flu, out of about two million who are believed to have contracted the virus.
People living in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to have contracted the virus. Scientists add that it is possible that many people who were vaccinated against the virus were already immune.
Almost 1600 adults from the east of Scotland and Glasgow, who are participants in the Generation Scotland Scottish Family Health Study voluntary health scheme, took part.
The research, carried out in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, Health Protection Scotland and West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, was funded by the Chief Scientist Office and published in the journal PLoS One.
Professor Mark Woolhouse of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Infectious Diseases, who led the study, said: "This flu spread very quickly. Fortunately most cases were mild but this also means that they weren't reported. Testing for antibodies to flu could be invaluable in tracking future pandemics and targeting vaccination to those groups who most need it."
**Source: University of Edinburgh
Immediate use of an IUD following abortion more likely to prevent unintended pregnancies
Women who receive a contraceptive known as an intrauterine device or IUD immediately following a first trimester abortion experience few complications and are less likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who delay getting an IUD by several weeks, according to a new study at Oregon Health & Science University. The findings are published in the June 9 New England Journal of Medicine.
Research has shown that IUDs are safe, highly effective, long-term reversible contraceptives that don't require active use once they've been inserted. IUDs are underused, however, in part because federal policy prohibits physicians from providing contraceptive services at the time of an abortion, the investigators report.
"Immediate use of any contraceptive method after abortion has been linked to a reduced risk of repeat abortion with the immediate use of an IUD being the most effective method for reducing this risk. However, federal policy makes access a challenge, particularly for low-income patients," said Paula Bednarek, M.D., principal investigator and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine.
A primary concern with inserting an IUD immediately after an abortion is the risk of expulsion, or having it falling out. In the study, the researchers found the rate of expulsion after immediate insertion was higher but statistically not inferior to that of delayed insertion.
"Our data add to the growing body of evidence that IUDs are safe and highly effective, and supports expanding access to IUDs to a wider range of women," Bednarek said.
To conduct this research, Bednarek and colleagues enrolled 575 women, ages 18 and older, who requested abortions at Oregon Health & Science University and three other U.S. academic health centers. The women were randomized into two groups: one group received an IUD within 15 minutes of their abortion, and the other group received an IUD two to six weeks later.
At six months, the researchers found the 258 women who immediately received IUDs had no significant adverse affects and no pregnancies, and more than 90 percent of the women were still using the device. Of the 226 women who underwent delayed insertion, there were, likewise, no significant adverse events; however, five of the 226 women became pregnant — all were not using IUDs — and only 77 percent were using the device at six months.
"A significant number of women who were randomized to the delayed insertion group did not return to get an IUD placed and instead chose a substantially less effective contraceptive method or none at all," explained Bednarek. "Our results show that women who would like to receive an IUD after an abortion, but are asked to make an appointment for a later date, may not return to actually receive the IUD, and, therefore are at higher risk to have another unintended pregnancy."
**Source: Oregon Health & Science University
Research has shown that IUDs are safe, highly effective, long-term reversible contraceptives that don't require active use once they've been inserted. IUDs are underused, however, in part because federal policy prohibits physicians from providing contraceptive services at the time of an abortion, the investigators report.
"Immediate use of any contraceptive method after abortion has been linked to a reduced risk of repeat abortion with the immediate use of an IUD being the most effective method for reducing this risk. However, federal policy makes access a challenge, particularly for low-income patients," said Paula Bednarek, M.D., principal investigator and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine.
A primary concern with inserting an IUD immediately after an abortion is the risk of expulsion, or having it falling out. In the study, the researchers found the rate of expulsion after immediate insertion was higher but statistically not inferior to that of delayed insertion.
"Our data add to the growing body of evidence that IUDs are safe and highly effective, and supports expanding access to IUDs to a wider range of women," Bednarek said.
To conduct this research, Bednarek and colleagues enrolled 575 women, ages 18 and older, who requested abortions at Oregon Health & Science University and three other U.S. academic health centers. The women were randomized into two groups: one group received an IUD within 15 minutes of their abortion, and the other group received an IUD two to six weeks later.
At six months, the researchers found the 258 women who immediately received IUDs had no significant adverse affects and no pregnancies, and more than 90 percent of the women were still using the device. Of the 226 women who underwent delayed insertion, there were, likewise, no significant adverse events; however, five of the 226 women became pregnant — all were not using IUDs — and only 77 percent were using the device at six months.
"A significant number of women who were randomized to the delayed insertion group did not return to get an IUD placed and instead chose a substantially less effective contraceptive method or none at all," explained Bednarek. "Our results show that women who would like to receive an IUD after an abortion, but are asked to make an appointment for a later date, may not return to actually receive the IUD, and, therefore are at higher risk to have another unintended pregnancy."
**Source: Oregon Health & Science University
Los cultivos transgénicos aumentaron el 10% en 2010
Casi el 10% del total de la superficie agraria del planeta se dedica ya al cultivo de plantas modificadas biotecnológicamente (el nombre por el que los defensores conocen a los transgénicos), según el último recuento realizado por el Servicio Internacional para la Adquisición de Aplicaciones Agro-biotecnológicas (ISAAA por sus siglas en inglés). Ello representa un aumento del 10% en un año, el segundo más alto desde que, en 1996, se empezaron a usar estas plantas, dijo ayer en Madrid el presidente de ISAAA, Clive James.
Aunque el grueso sigue concentrándose en Estados Unidos (66,8 de los 148 millones de hectáreas que el instituto atribuye a estos cultivos, incluida la parte que se siembra para investigar), la zona de mayor crecimiento es Asia, con casi 13 millones de hectáreas solo entre India y China. En estos dos países viven 12,4 millones de los 15,4 millones de personas que se dedican a estos cultivos, la mayoría pequeños propietarios, lo que, para James, es la prueba de sus beneficios.
La excepción a este aumento es Europa. En el continente, solo España cultiva comercialmente una gran superficie (James le asigna 100.000 hectáreas de maíz-bt resistente al taladro, aunque el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente lo rebaja a unas 70.000).
Pero el presidente del ISAAA cree que la situación puede cambiar. Alemania y Suecia empezaron el año pasado a plantar parcelas pequeñas y experimentales de patata transgénica Amflora (que produce más almidón para usos industriales), y él cree que con este tipo de plantas, clave en la alimentación europea, se puede vencer la resistencia de la opinión pública a estos cultivos, una vez que los científicos (Comisión Europea, Agencia Europea de Seguridad Alimentaria) no les ven problemas de seguridad.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
Aunque el grueso sigue concentrándose en Estados Unidos (66,8 de los 148 millones de hectáreas que el instituto atribuye a estos cultivos, incluida la parte que se siembra para investigar), la zona de mayor crecimiento es Asia, con casi 13 millones de hectáreas solo entre India y China. En estos dos países viven 12,4 millones de los 15,4 millones de personas que se dedican a estos cultivos, la mayoría pequeños propietarios, lo que, para James, es la prueba de sus beneficios.
La excepción a este aumento es Europa. En el continente, solo España cultiva comercialmente una gran superficie (James le asigna 100.000 hectáreas de maíz-bt resistente al taladro, aunque el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente lo rebaja a unas 70.000).
Pero el presidente del ISAAA cree que la situación puede cambiar. Alemania y Suecia empezaron el año pasado a plantar parcelas pequeñas y experimentales de patata transgénica Amflora (que produce más almidón para usos industriales), y él cree que con este tipo de plantas, clave en la alimentación europea, se puede vencer la resistencia de la opinión pública a estos cultivos, una vez que los científicos (Comisión Europea, Agencia Europea de Seguridad Alimentaria) no les ven problemas de seguridad.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
Breast cancer drug pushes colon cancer cells to their death
A new treatment for colon cancer that combines a chemotherapy agent approved to treat breast cancer and a cancer-fighting antibody is ready for clinical trials, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. More than 150,000 cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed each year, and about 50,000 people die from colorectal cancer yearly. Currently there are limited chemotherapy treatments for colorectal cancer with little that has been in the pipeline in recent years.
Wafik S. El-Deiry, M.D. Ph.D., American Cancer Society Research Professor and Rose Dunlap Professor and chief of hematology/oncology, and his team have tested lapatinib, a targeted chemotherapy agent currently approved for breast cancer treatment, in a new combination with artificial antibodies that mimic a natural cancer-fighting protein produced in the human body. The monoclonal antibodies mapatumumab and lexatumumab act similarly to TRAIL -- tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-related apoptosis-inducing ligand -- a naturally occurring molecule in the body that tells a cell it is time to die. TRAIL sets a process in motion that targets and shuts down tumor cells and keeps them from spreading.
"These are therapeutic antibodies that are manufactured very efficiently, and given to patients," said El-Deiry, who is also the associate director for translational research, Cancer Institute.
The TRAIL receptors -- death receptors -- on the cancer cells respond to TRAIL by dying. The artificial antibodies act as surrogates of TRAIL by activating the same signaling pathway resulting in tumor cell death.
The monoclonal antibodies have an advantage over TRAIL because they remain active in the body for a longer period of time. TRAIL receptor antibodies last for less than 30 minutes, while the artificial monoclonal antibodies last for about nine days. Although the antibodies can act similarly to TRAIL, they do not completely substitute for TRAIL and ultimately which one gets used in what situation is still being tested in clinical trials. But for the purpose of these new advances either one works.
Lapatinib increases the amount of "death receptor" protein available for TRAIL to do its job -- killing off cancerous cells -- El-Deiry and his colleagues report in this week's issue of Science Translational Medicine.
The researchers tested the lapatinib and monoclonal antibody combination in mice. Separately, the two treatments did not increase tumor cell suppression -- but when the drugs were administered together, the researcher found that cell death escalated.
"We have discovered a mechanistic basis for combining these drugs that says one drug upregulates the receptor for the other drug, and maybe now when we combine these two drugs we'll get an even better synergy between them," said El-Deiry. "I think that's probably the most exciting result, to be able to provide a molecular rationale for a new treatment combination for difficult-to-treat advanced colorectal cancers."
The Food and Drug Administration approved lapatinib in 2007 for use as a breast cancer chemotherapy. It blocks two specific types of proteins located on tumor cell surfaces from causing tumors to grow. These proteins are a potent way that tumors are signaled to grow -- and if the proteins are blocked, there is one less mechanism for tumors to proliferate. However, in the treatment El-Deiry has proposed, lapatinib would be used off-label by increasing a different tumor cell death-inducing protein to help colon cancer patients.
**Source: Penn State
Wafik S. El-Deiry, M.D. Ph.D., American Cancer Society Research Professor and Rose Dunlap Professor and chief of hematology/oncology, and his team have tested lapatinib, a targeted chemotherapy agent currently approved for breast cancer treatment, in a new combination with artificial antibodies that mimic a natural cancer-fighting protein produced in the human body. The monoclonal antibodies mapatumumab and lexatumumab act similarly to TRAIL -- tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-related apoptosis-inducing ligand -- a naturally occurring molecule in the body that tells a cell it is time to die. TRAIL sets a process in motion that targets and shuts down tumor cells and keeps them from spreading.
"These are therapeutic antibodies that are manufactured very efficiently, and given to patients," said El-Deiry, who is also the associate director for translational research, Cancer Institute.
The TRAIL receptors -- death receptors -- on the cancer cells respond to TRAIL by dying. The artificial antibodies act as surrogates of TRAIL by activating the same signaling pathway resulting in tumor cell death.
The monoclonal antibodies have an advantage over TRAIL because they remain active in the body for a longer period of time. TRAIL receptor antibodies last for less than 30 minutes, while the artificial monoclonal antibodies last for about nine days. Although the antibodies can act similarly to TRAIL, they do not completely substitute for TRAIL and ultimately which one gets used in what situation is still being tested in clinical trials. But for the purpose of these new advances either one works.
Lapatinib increases the amount of "death receptor" protein available for TRAIL to do its job -- killing off cancerous cells -- El-Deiry and his colleagues report in this week's issue of Science Translational Medicine.
The researchers tested the lapatinib and monoclonal antibody combination in mice. Separately, the two treatments did not increase tumor cell suppression -- but when the drugs were administered together, the researcher found that cell death escalated.
"We have discovered a mechanistic basis for combining these drugs that says one drug upregulates the receptor for the other drug, and maybe now when we combine these two drugs we'll get an even better synergy between them," said El-Deiry. "I think that's probably the most exciting result, to be able to provide a molecular rationale for a new treatment combination for difficult-to-treat advanced colorectal cancers."
The Food and Drug Administration approved lapatinib in 2007 for use as a breast cancer chemotherapy. It blocks two specific types of proteins located on tumor cell surfaces from causing tumors to grow. These proteins are a potent way that tumors are signaled to grow -- and if the proteins are blocked, there is one less mechanism for tumors to proliferate. However, in the treatment El-Deiry has proposed, lapatinib would be used off-label by increasing a different tumor cell death-inducing protein to help colon cancer patients.
**Source: Penn State
Las familias con menos recursos tienen hijos más sedentarios según un estudio
No es extraño pensar que las familias con condiciones de vida más favorables poseen una mejor salud y mayor esperanza de vida. Ahora, un nuevo estudio confirma además la relación entre el nivel socioeconómico familiar y determinados comportamientos sedentarios –como ver la televisión o jugar a los videojuegos– durante los primeros años de vida.
"La adolescencia se considera un periodo crítico para las personas, ya que muchas de las conductas que se tendrán en la vida adulta se establecen durante las dos primeras décadas de vida", explica a SINC Juan Pablo Rey-López, autor principal e investigador de la Universidad de Zaragoza. "La adopción de hábitos sedentarios en esta época puede tener importantes implicaciones en el desarrollo educativo y el estado de salud".
El trabajo, realizado en cinco ciudades españolas (Granada, Madrid, Santander, Murcia y Zaragoza), valora la asociación entre el nivel socioeconómico familiar y el tiempo que los adolescentes españoles dedican a tres conductas sedentarias: ver la televisión, jugar con videojuegos y estudiar, todo ello en horario extraescolar.
Las conclusiones, publicadas en el 'European Journal of Public Health', confirman que estos jóvenes presentan diferentes patrones sedentarios dependiendo del nivel socioeconómico familiar. Es más, el tipo de trabajo que desempeñan los padres influye más que su educación en el tiempo empleado en dichos comportamientos sedentarios.
El paradigma de estos hallazgos, que reafirman la tendencia de otros países europeos, está en las familias con madres dedicadas a las tareas del hogar, en las que los adolescentes son significativamente más sedentarios.
En la investigación, que utiliza datos del estudio AVENA, una evaluación del estado nutricional y metabólico de los jóvenes españoles, estos afirman ver menos televisión que otros países enriquecidos (sólo un 12% más de tres horas al día frente al 17–21% de austríacos, el 24,7% de ingleses, el 22-24% de finlandeses y el 25-32% de húngaros, que ve la televisión más de cuatro horas al día).
-El papel del género y la edad
Al igual que en estudios previos, se han encontrado diferencias de género en el tiempo ocupado en conductas sedentarias: las chicas dedican más horas a estudiar mientras que los chicos pasan más tiempo con los juegos electrónicos. En ellas, un bajo nivel de ocupación laboral de ambos padres incrementa la probabilidad de ver excesiva televisión y de estudiar menos de tres horas diarias.
En los chicos se observa una mayor relación con las variables sociodemográficas que en las chicas. Tanto un bajo nivel de educación como de ocupación de los padres se relaciona con un mayor riesgo de ver demasiado la televisión. Al igual que ocurre con ellas, los chicos más jóvenes tienen una mayor probabilidad de pasar tiempo con juegos electrónicos que los de mayor edad.
**Publicado por "SINC"
"La adolescencia se considera un periodo crítico para las personas, ya que muchas de las conductas que se tendrán en la vida adulta se establecen durante las dos primeras décadas de vida", explica a SINC Juan Pablo Rey-López, autor principal e investigador de la Universidad de Zaragoza. "La adopción de hábitos sedentarios en esta época puede tener importantes implicaciones en el desarrollo educativo y el estado de salud".
El trabajo, realizado en cinco ciudades españolas (Granada, Madrid, Santander, Murcia y Zaragoza), valora la asociación entre el nivel socioeconómico familiar y el tiempo que los adolescentes españoles dedican a tres conductas sedentarias: ver la televisión, jugar con videojuegos y estudiar, todo ello en horario extraescolar.
Las conclusiones, publicadas en el 'European Journal of Public Health', confirman que estos jóvenes presentan diferentes patrones sedentarios dependiendo del nivel socioeconómico familiar. Es más, el tipo de trabajo que desempeñan los padres influye más que su educación en el tiempo empleado en dichos comportamientos sedentarios.
El paradigma de estos hallazgos, que reafirman la tendencia de otros países europeos, está en las familias con madres dedicadas a las tareas del hogar, en las que los adolescentes son significativamente más sedentarios.
En la investigación, que utiliza datos del estudio AVENA, una evaluación del estado nutricional y metabólico de los jóvenes españoles, estos afirman ver menos televisión que otros países enriquecidos (sólo un 12% más de tres horas al día frente al 17–21% de austríacos, el 24,7% de ingleses, el 22-24% de finlandeses y el 25-32% de húngaros, que ve la televisión más de cuatro horas al día).
-El papel del género y la edad
Al igual que en estudios previos, se han encontrado diferencias de género en el tiempo ocupado en conductas sedentarias: las chicas dedican más horas a estudiar mientras que los chicos pasan más tiempo con los juegos electrónicos. En ellas, un bajo nivel de ocupación laboral de ambos padres incrementa la probabilidad de ver excesiva televisión y de estudiar menos de tres horas diarias.
En los chicos se observa una mayor relación con las variables sociodemográficas que en las chicas. Tanto un bajo nivel de educación como de ocupación de los padres se relaciona con un mayor riesgo de ver demasiado la televisión. Al igual que ocurre con ellas, los chicos más jóvenes tienen una mayor probabilidad de pasar tiempo con juegos electrónicos que los de mayor edad.
**Publicado por "SINC"
La obesidad frena el descenso de los infartos en los últimos 20 años
Un estudio británico con 9.453 personas ha dibujado la evolución de los infartos de miocardio en el Reino Unido durante las dos últimas décadas. La buena noticia es que entre 1985 y 2004 estos ataques al corazón disminuyeron un 74%. La mala es que la cifra podría haber sido un 11% más alta si la obesidad no hubiera jugado en contra.
Si hubiera que poner un título cinematográfico a esta historia de los infartos sería 'Cuatro bodas y un funeral'. Porque cuatro son principalmente los factores responsables de la disminución de los ataques al corazón -el descenso de los niveles de colesterol malo, el aumento del colesterol bueno (HDL), el mejor control de la presión sanguínea y la reducción de personas fumadoras-. Pero luego llega otro factor, la obesidad, a rebajar la alegría por el dato positivo y echar un poco por tierra los logros obtenidos. El aumento del índice de masa corporal (IMC) incrementó un 11% estos episodios cardiacos durante el mismo periodo.
El trabajo, realizado por un equipo de la University College London Medical School (Reino Unido) y publicado en 'European Heart Journal', es el primero que analiza una cohorte tan grande (6.379 hombres y 3.074 mujeres) a tan largo plazo. Los cuatro factores citados son responsables del 56% del descenso de los infartos, lo que según los autores "demuestra la eficacia de las medidas para combatir el colesterol y promover estilos de vida saludables". El descenso anual de ataques al corazón fue del 6,5% para ambos sexos.
Por orden de importancia, el descenso de los niveles de colesterol malo redujo un 34% los infartos; el aumento del colesterol bueno un 17%; el control de la presión sanguínea un 13% y el abandono de los cigarrillos un 6%. Sin embargo, aunque el beneficio de estos aspectos ha eclipsado en parte la contribución negativa del aumento del IMC sobre los ataques al corazón, "si continúa la tendencia creciente de la obesidad, volverán a aumentar los infartos.
Por eso es urgente abordar cuanto antes este aspecto del IMC tanto en el Reino Unido como en el resto de países", explica Sarah Hardoon, una de las investigadoras, "ya que la obesidad, por sí sola, incrementa los infartos".
Otra de las cosas que ha llamado la atención de los investigadores es que el aumento del consumo de frutas y verduras no tuvo un efecto significativo sobre los ataques al corazón, como tampoco fue relevante la práctica de ejercicio físico, el consumo de alcohol o de pan. Posiblemente, "esto quiere decir que hemos sobreestimado algunos factores de riesgo que, en realidad no son tan importantes, y puede que estemos infravalorando otros", afirma Hardoon. Un tema para el que piden más investigaciones futuras.
**Publicado en "EL MUNDO"
Si hubiera que poner un título cinematográfico a esta historia de los infartos sería 'Cuatro bodas y un funeral'. Porque cuatro son principalmente los factores responsables de la disminución de los ataques al corazón -el descenso de los niveles de colesterol malo, el aumento del colesterol bueno (HDL), el mejor control de la presión sanguínea y la reducción de personas fumadoras-. Pero luego llega otro factor, la obesidad, a rebajar la alegría por el dato positivo y echar un poco por tierra los logros obtenidos. El aumento del índice de masa corporal (IMC) incrementó un 11% estos episodios cardiacos durante el mismo periodo.
El trabajo, realizado por un equipo de la University College London Medical School (Reino Unido) y publicado en 'European Heart Journal', es el primero que analiza una cohorte tan grande (6.379 hombres y 3.074 mujeres) a tan largo plazo. Los cuatro factores citados son responsables del 56% del descenso de los infartos, lo que según los autores "demuestra la eficacia de las medidas para combatir el colesterol y promover estilos de vida saludables". El descenso anual de ataques al corazón fue del 6,5% para ambos sexos.
Por orden de importancia, el descenso de los niveles de colesterol malo redujo un 34% los infartos; el aumento del colesterol bueno un 17%; el control de la presión sanguínea un 13% y el abandono de los cigarrillos un 6%. Sin embargo, aunque el beneficio de estos aspectos ha eclipsado en parte la contribución negativa del aumento del IMC sobre los ataques al corazón, "si continúa la tendencia creciente de la obesidad, volverán a aumentar los infartos.
Por eso es urgente abordar cuanto antes este aspecto del IMC tanto en el Reino Unido como en el resto de países", explica Sarah Hardoon, una de las investigadoras, "ya que la obesidad, por sí sola, incrementa los infartos".
Otra de las cosas que ha llamado la atención de los investigadores es que el aumento del consumo de frutas y verduras no tuvo un efecto significativo sobre los ataques al corazón, como tampoco fue relevante la práctica de ejercicio físico, el consumo de alcohol o de pan. Posiblemente, "esto quiere decir que hemos sobreestimado algunos factores de riesgo que, en realidad no son tan importantes, y puede que estemos infravalorando otros", afirma Hardoon. Un tema para el que piden más investigaciones futuras.
**Publicado en "EL MUNDO"
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