Controversial Dietary Patterns: A High Yield Primer for Clinicians.

In cardiology clinic visits, the discussion of optimal dietary patterns for prevention and management of cardiovascular disease is usually very limited. Herein, we explore the benefits and risks of various dietary patterns, including intermittent fasting, low carbohydrate, Paleolithic, whole food plant-based diet, and Mediterranean dietary patterns within the context of cardiovascular disease to empower clinicians with the evidence and information they need to maximally benefit their patients.

Trending Nutrition Controversies #3: Top Controversies in 2021.

Each year, patients are bombarded with diverging and even contradictory reports concerning the impact of certain additives, foods, and nutrients on cardiovascular health and its risk factors. Accordingly, this third review of nutrition controversies examines the impact of artificial sweeteners, cacao, soy, plant-based meats, nitrates, and meats from grass compared to grain-fed animals on cardiovascular and other health outcomes with the goal of optimizing clinician-led diet counseling.

Oral health and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A review.

Periodontal disease (PD) is common in the US and globally. Evidence suggests that poor oral health is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD); however, this relationship has not been a major focus in clinical cardiology. This manuscript will review the growing evidence linking PD to ASCVD, including pathophysiologic mechanisms and coexistent risk factors. Public health considerations with a focus on disparities, social determinants, preventive strategies, and a call to action to reduce the burden of coincident ASCVD and PD are also reviewed.

Vasculogenic Erectile Dysfunction: The Impact of Diet and Lifestyle.

Vasculogenic erectile dysfunction has been aptly called the "canary in the coal mine" for cardiovascular disease because it almost always precedes other manifestations of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke. It is common, associated with the presence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, and impacted by diet and lifestyle choices. This concise review provides an update on the use of dietary and other lifestyle interventions to improve vasculogenic erectile dysfunction and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Plant-Based Diets for Cardiovascular Safety and Performance in Endurance Sports.

Studies suggest that endurance athletes are at higher-than-average risk for atherosclerosis and myocardial damage. The ability of plant-based regimens to reduce risk and affect performance was reviewed. The effect of plant-based diets on cardiovascular risk factors, particularly plasma lipid concentrations, body weight, and blood pressure, and, as part of a healthful lifestyle, reversing existing atherosclerotic lesions, may provide a substantial measure of cardiovascular protection. In addition, plant-based diets may offer performance advantages. They have consistently been shown to reduce body fat, leading to a leaner body composition. Because plants are typically high in carbohydrate, they foster effective glycogen storage. By reducing blood viscosity and improving arterial flexibility and endothelial function, they may be expected to improve vascular flow and tissue oxygenation. Because many vegetables, fruits, and other plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants, they help reduce oxidative stress. Diets emphasizing plant foods have also been shown to reduce indicators of inflammation. These features of plant-based diets may present safety and performance advantages for endurance athletes. The purpose of this review was to explore the role of nutrition in providing cardioprotection, with a focus on plant-based diets previously shown to provide cardiac benefits.

A Clinician's Guide for Trending Cardiovascular Nutrition Controversies: Part II.

The potential cardiovascular (CV) benefits of many trending foods and dietary patterns are still incompletely understood, and scientific inquiry continues to evolve. In the meantime, however, a number of controversial dietary patterns, foods, and nutrients have received significant media attention and are mired by "hype." This second review addresses some of the more recent popular foods and dietary patterns that are recommended for CV health to provide clinicians with current information for patient discussions in the clinical setting. Specifically, this paper delves into dairy products, added sugars, legumes, coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, energy drinks, mushrooms, fermented foods, seaweed, plant and marine-derived omega-3-fatty acids, and vitamin B12.

An unusual presentation of scimitar syndrome in a military service member.

This is the case of a twenty-two-year-old active duty male soldier with nonexertional chest pain and worsening performance on his physical fitness test. His history was significant for a diagnosis of dextrocardia upon entry to the military. On acute presentation to the emergency department, he was deemed a candidate for the expedited coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) protocol to assess for a possible anatomic cause of his symptoms. CCTA revealed the presence of an anomalous right pulmonary vein draining into the inferior vena cava. Additionally, the imaging showed dextroversion of the heart, dilation of the inferior vena cava, right atrium, and right ventricle, as well as a hypoplastic right lung, a collection of findings consistent with scimitar syndrome and not dextrocardia.

A case of congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries discovered on coronary computed tomography.

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries is a rare condition accounting for less than 1% of all congenital cardiac diseases. The fundamental nature of this condition involves a blend of atrioventricular as well as ventriculoarterial discordance. Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries is classically associated with three additional abnormalities, including ventricular septal defect, right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and tricuspid valve abnormalities. Patients with this anomaly have been shown to exhibit reduced exercise tolerance as well as reduced health-related quality of life when compared to patients with normal cardiovascular anatomy. We present the case of a 33-year-old active duty lieutenant in the United States Air Force referred to the cardiology clinic for evaluation of valvular heart disease with subsequent discovery of congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries on cardiac gated computed tomography.