Prevention With Joel Kahn, MD

Cardiology

Dr. Kahn is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He practices cardiology in Detroit, is a clinical professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and specializes in vegan nutrition and heart disease reversal.


Sobering News for Heart Month

Dear readers,

February is Heart Month, Go Red for Women Month, and other good reminders of the bad news: heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in most countries. This is being driven by poor food, a toxic environment, and a sedentary lifestyle leading to obesity and insulin resistance (IR). This was found in a study of young steelworkers where a simple tool for IR, the triglyceride-glucose index, predicted carotid disease. An interesting study linked smoking, other than cigarettes, with inflammation and thrombosis.

Whole-food plant meals, please, help lower cholesterol and weight. Potatoes, preferably plain baked, are fine for a heart diet. In fact, a plant-based diet is again associated with reduced all-cause mortality. Flossing lowers stroke risk, and oral health should be stressed with all patients. Finally, a study from a few years ago is one of many finding a benefit for autoimmune thyroid disease from the ingestion of black cumin seeds. I have patients who have used this to reverse their thyroid antibodies successfully.

Be well,

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC


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    • A study led by a researcher from the University of Granada and carried out in collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the Francisco de Vitoria University has shown that replacing meat consumption with plant-based alternatives that simulate meat products would reduce total cholesterol (6%), LDL cholesterol (12%) and even body weight (1%) in the short term (1 to 8 weeks).

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    • In a recent article in Nutrients, researchers explored whether eating potatoes raises the risk of hypertension and heart disease.

      They found that while consuming potatoes did not appear to be linked to the chances of developing either illness, consuming fried potatoes more than once a week could increase hypertension.

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      • People who regularly floss their teeth (one or more times per week) may lower their risk of stroke caused by a blood clot traveling from the heart and a stroke associated with an irregular heartbeat such as atrial fibrillation (AFib).
      • The benefits of regular flossing may be independent of tooth brushing and other oral hygiene behaviors.
      • Researchers suggest that flossing is a healthy habit that is affordable, easy to adopt and accessible everywhere.