Merry Christmas Coronary: Maintaining the Festive Flow

greenseeds.org.uk

With Christmas just around the corner do you wonder the effects of the festive season on your microcirculation? Whilst Santa Claus appears to manage a mince pie and glass of sherry at each of the 1.6 billion households he visits worldwide, it has become apparent that our arteries might not be quite so tolerant. In 2004 Phillips and colleagues published a study in Microcirculation showing an increase in cardiac deaths during the holiday season, they describe two discrete peaks in cardiac death—one at Christmas and one at New Year. So what causes this coronary Christmas phenomenon? There are many possibilities, for example the colder weather associated with this time of year, increased emotional stress or even reduced levels of healthcare. Perhaps the most obvious cause is overindulgence. Christmas is often associated with calorific gluttony – Christmas pudding with ample supplies of sherry, chocolate by the bucket load and of course the customary Bucks fizz at breakfast poses the question: is all this food leading us towards a microvascular meltdown? Well it appears not all Christmas customs are bad for you. Brussels spouts, fabled as a mother’s way of getting even with her children during the festive season, are a cruciferous vegetable. They are reputed to have anti-cancer properties in addition to being rich in fiber, folic acid and vitamins A and C. Furthermore, a 1998 study by Staack and colleagues identified an influence of Brussels sprouts on phase II detoxification enzyme up-regulation. So whilst it appears that much of Christmas could be bad news for your coronary vessels, Brussels sprouts should be more than just a mother’s revenge.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15596560

By Melissa Gammons

FOOD AND MICROCIRCULATION: Anything with a pulse!

www.thedailygreen.com

Although it has long been recognised that different foods may affect the microcirculation it is only relatively recently that studies have begun to dissect the different mechanisms by which this occurs and take this information forward into clinical trials.  Such foods include Cranberries and Blueberries, consumption of which results in absorption of both vitamins and anthocyanins, powerful anti-oxidants, into the blood stream. These anti-oxidants trigger relaxation of coronary arteries helping to prevent coronary heart disease, act as vascular protective agents in part by stabilising membrane phospholipids and help to maintain normal capillary structure in diabetic patients. Similarly, current research suggests that anti-oxidant vitamins and phytoestrogens found in soy can reverse impaired vascular relaxation in patients with diabetes and coronary heart disease. 

Another group of plant anti-oxidants are the catechins, which are also found in blueberries and cranberries, as well as grapes, apples, red wine, tea and cocoa.  Studies investigating consumption of cocoa rich in these anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory catechins have demonstrated a significant increase in blood flow in cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue after both a single dose and regular consumption due to a vasodilatory effect. A greater number of studies have been carried out on green tea catechins, and especially epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is not present in black tea due to the differences in the manufacturing process. In contrast to the vasodilatory effect of catechins previously mentioned, these studies have shown that EGCG has anti-angiogenic activity inhibiting endothelial cell proliferation, chemotaxis and invasion, via inhibition of the VEGF pathway both by inhibiting VEGF production and by disruption of the VEGF-R2 complex. EGCG also has anti-tumour effects in animal studies, but has yet to be tested in a clinical trial in humans.

www.sisterearthorganics.wordpress.com

A relative new comer to this increasing list of beneficial foods is the Brazil nut.  These nuts have a complex composition different to other nuts and contain bioactive substances such as the anti-oxidant, Vitamin E; selenium, which acts as a co-factor for the anti-oxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidas;, mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids, which help to lower low density lipoproteins in the blood; magnesium; potassium; calcium; phenolic compounds and proteins. Following previous studies demonstrating a beneficial effect on endothelial cell function, a randomised control trial published this year in Nutrition and Metabolism has demonstrated that consumption of 3-5 Brazil nuts per day results in improved lipid profile, oxidative stress and microvascular function in obese adolescents.

In summary, many different food types, especially fruit, beans, nuts and green tea, have beneficial effects on the microcirculation and although knowledge of the mechanisms by which these benefits are achieved are increasing, clinical trials are necessary to fully maximise their potential in patients with microcirculation defects. After all, consumption of food or drink may well be easier for many patients than taking prescribed medication.


By Dr Carolyn Staton

ESM in Munich: An update on Microcirculation

Dear all,
Last week saw a number of our members attending the European Society for Microcirculation meeting, organised by Professor Ulrich Pohl and held at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich (a lovely city, still recovering from the annual Oktoberfest). The BMS sponsored an very interesting symposium on microRNAs in the microcirculation (ably organised by Richard Siow and Geraldine Clough). The ESM (http://www.esmicrocirculation.eu/) consists of individual members, and those who are members via their national society, and aims to meet every 2 years and provide an update on the latest advances in the filed: the next one will be in Birmingham in 2013 so do plan on being there! As with all meetings, there is a great opportunity to mix with other microcirculationists and share ideas with those using different approaches to your own (can I avoid using the horrid phrase 'networking'?). At the organisational level, as well, it was very helpful to be able to meet with those heading up other societies, in this case exploring ways of getting better support
for the 2013 meeting. Tiring, but useful. And, yes, the beer was nice!
Best wishes,
Stuart

Welcome from the BMS President - Stuart Egginton

Welcome! I'd like to start by thanking Melissa for her efforts in setting up the BMS networking opportunities. We hope this will be helpful in encouraging personal contacts, help solve problems, facilitate exchange of useful information/ideas, and provide a mechanism for sharing items of immediate interest or 'late breaking' news. I'll add my brief communications whenever appropriate. I chaired my first BMS committee meeting last week, and thought we had a productive time (more about that in the newsletter) with a great bunch of people full of ideas and desire to help the society develop. One issue I'm keen to pursue during my term of office is increasing the profile of the BMS (we have just submitted a response to the REF consultation document; thanks to Dave Bates for taking a lead on that) and working more closely with like-minded societies (we agreed closer cooperation with the MCS, look for an email to all members about that!). 

Best wishes for the new academic year,

Stuart Egginton

http://www.microcirculation.org.uk/