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Blood donations may help donors' health
Blood donations may help donors' health
U.S. study says blood donations may help donors' health
Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:05PM EST
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Blood donations may help keep the body's
circulatory system healthy by reducing stores of iron, but the effect
may not work for older people, a U.S. study suggested on Tuesday.
Researchers at the White River Junction, Vermont, Veterans Affairs
Medical Center and Dartmouth Medical School said they looked at 1,277
men and women ages 43 to 87 who had peripheral arterial disease, a
common condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the
limbs. The study lasted for six years.
Blood was drawn to promote iron reduction at six-month intervals from
some of the patients but not from others. As a whole there was no
significant difference between the two groups in terms of deaths,
heart attacks or other problems.
But when the researchers analyzed the results just for younger
patients aged 43 to 61 they found fewer deaths from all causes in the
iron-reduction group, and also fewer nonfatal heart attacks and
strokes.
"While our study did not show that reducing iron led to across-the-
board decreases in overall mortality, or combined death plus nonfatal
(heart attack) and stroke, it did support the theory that vascular
health might be preserved into later life by maintaining low levels of
iron over time," said lead author Dr. Leo Zacharski.
He said blood letting is "safe and inexpensive, and correlates to
routine blood donation (and) appears to contribute to improved
vascular health." But, he added, until more research is done people
should not try to donate blood just to lower their iron levels, and
added that reductions in iron can also be achieved through dietary
restrictions or drug treatment.
"We suspect that the toxic effect of excess (iron) may become
permanent at an older age, such that the benefits of iron reduction
are realized only if it is started early and continued over time,"
Zacharski added.
Excess iron in the blood is thought to promote free-radical damage to
arteries, particularly in the early stages of heart disease, said the
study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical
Association.
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------------------------------
Source: American Medical Association (AMA) Released: Thu 08-
Feb-2007, 16:25 ET
Embargo expired: Tue 13-Feb-2007, 16:00 ET Printer-friendly Version
Reducing Iron Levels in Body Does Not Appear to Decrease Risk of
Death, Cardiovascular Events for PAD Patients
Libraries
Medical News Keywords
IRON LEVELS, CARDIOVASCULAR, PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE
Contact Information
Available for logged-in reporters only
Description
The reduction of body iron stores through phlebotomy (blood removal)
in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) does not appear to
decrease the risk of death plus nonfatal cardiovascular events,
according to a study published in the February 14 issue of JAMA.
Newswise - The reduction of body iron stores through phlebotomy (blood
removal) in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) does not
appear to decrease the risk of death plus nonfatal cardiovascular
events, according to a study published in the February 14 issue of
JAMA.
PAD is a partial or total blockage of an artery, usually one leading
to a leg or an arm. According to background information in the
article, "accumulation of iron in excess of physiologic requirements
has been implicated in the risk of several chronic diseases through
increased iron-catalyzed free radical-mediated oxidative stress.
Common diseases of aging that have been attributed to this mechanism
include cardiovascular disease and cancer." The authors cite the "iron-
heart" hypothesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to explain
the age-related increase in myocardial infarction (MI) [heart attack]
in women following menopause. Men have increasing levels of iron from
childhood to late teens and their rates of MI increase earlier as
compared to women.
Leo R. Zacharski, M.D., from the VA Medical Center, White River
Junction, VT, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, randomized
controlled clinical trial from May 1, 1999 and April 30, 2005 based on
the Iron (Fe) and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST), a pilot study that
demonstrated the accuracy of a formula for calculating the amount of
blood required to be removed to achieve the desired iron (ferritin)
reduction safely and without causing iron deficiency. Patients with
symptomatic PAD were assigned to a control group (n = 641) or to a
group undergoing reduction of iron stores by phlebotomy with removal
of defined volumes of blood at six-month intervals (n=636).
"There were no significant differences between treatment groups for
the primary (all-cause death) or secondary (death plus nonfatal MI and
stroke) study end points," the authors report. "All-cause deaths
occurred in 148 patients (23 percent) in the control group and in 125
(20 percent) in the iron-reduction group. Death plus nonfatal
myocardial infarction and stroke occurred in 205 patients (32 percent)
in the control group and in 180 (28 percent) in the iron-reduction
group." The researchers also examined whether effects of iron
reduction differed across subgroups. They found apparent improvement
with iron reduction among younger patients, those without diabetes and
in smokers.
In conclusion the authors write, "The FeAST data show that it should
be possible to test definitively whether controlling iron levels may
reduce disease risk. Additional research is needed to further define
ferrotoxic diseases, stratify risk reduction with intervention, and
clarify mechanisms, particularly in younger patients."
(JAMA. 2007;297: 603-610. Available pre-embargo to the media at *
w w w .jamamedia.org.)
Editor's Note: This study was funded by the Cooperative Studies
Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and
Development Clinical Science Research & Development Service. Please
see the article for additional information, including other authors,
author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding
and support, etc.
Editorial: The Iron-Heart Hypothesis
In an accompanying editorial Frank B. Hu, M.D., Ph.D., from the
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, writes that results from this
first randomized controlled clinical trial assessing iron-store
reduction have been eagerly awaited to test the hypothesis that iron
depletion through phlebotomy or other means can lower the risk for
coronary heart disease (CHD).
"The results from this well-designed and executed trial generate more
questions than answers." Dr. Hu questions whether the study was
adequately powered, whether the study patients were a suitable
population and whether the findings can be generalized to healthy
individuals.
"Like any other theory in cardiovascular medicine, the iron-heart
hypothesis will undergo many 'trials and tribulations' before it is
proven or refuted. Fortunately, it is not necessary to wait for
additional data to implement effective strategies that can prevent
coronary arteries from getting 'rusty.' Even though the question of
whether reduced iron stores and CHD risk are causally linked remains
unanswered, there is solid evidence that regular exercise and
maintaining a healthy weight can reduce both iron stores and risk of
CHD."
(JAMA. 2007;297:639-641. Available pre-embargo to the media at *
w w w .jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: No financial disclosures reported.
© 2007 Newswise. All Rights Reserved
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----
Who loves ya.
Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian!
* jesuswasavegetarian.7h . com
Man Is A Herbivore!
* tinyurl . com /a3cc3
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING
* tinyurl . com /zk9fk
U.S. study says blood donations may help donors' health
Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:05PM EST
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Blood donations may help keep the body's
circulatory system healthy by reducing stores of iron, but the effect
may not work for older people, a U.S. study suggested on Tuesday.
Researchers at the White River Junction, Vermont, Veterans Affairs
Medical Center and Dartmouth Medical School said they looked at 1,277
men and women ages 43 to 87 who had peripheral arterial disease, a
common condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the
limbs. The study lasted for six years.
Blood was drawn to promote iron reduction at six-month intervals from
some of the patients but not from others. As a whole there was no
significant difference between the two groups in terms of deaths,
heart attacks or other problems.
But when the researchers analyzed the results just for younger
patients aged 43 to 61 they found fewer deaths from all causes in the
iron-reduction group, and also fewer nonfatal heart attacks and
strokes.
"While our study did not show that reducing iron led to across-the-
board decreases in overall mortality, or combined death plus nonfatal
(heart attack) and stroke, it did support the theory that vascular
health might be preserved into later life by maintaining low levels of
iron over time," said lead author Dr. Leo Zacharski.
He said blood letting is "safe and inexpensive, and correlates to
routine blood donation (and) appears to contribute to improved
vascular health." But, he added, until more research is done people
should not try to donate blood just to lower their iron levels, and
added that reductions in iron can also be achieved through dietary
restrictions or drug treatment.
"We suspect that the toxic effect of excess (iron) may become
permanent at an older age, such that the benefits of iron reduction
are realized only if it is started early and continued over time,"
Zacharski added.
Excess iron in the blood is thought to promote free-radical damage to
arteries, particularly in the early stages of heart disease, said the
study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical
Association.
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------------------------------
Source: American Medical Association (AMA) Released: Thu 08-
Feb-2007, 16:25 ET
Embargo expired: Tue 13-Feb-2007, 16:00 ET Printer-friendly Version
Reducing Iron Levels in Body Does Not Appear to Decrease Risk of
Death, Cardiovascular Events for PAD Patients
Libraries
Medical News Keywords
IRON LEVELS, CARDIOVASCULAR, PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE
Contact Information
Available for logged-in reporters only
Description
The reduction of body iron stores through phlebotomy (blood removal)
in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) does not appear to
decrease the risk of death plus nonfatal cardiovascular events,
according to a study published in the February 14 issue of JAMA.
Newswise - The reduction of body iron stores through phlebotomy (blood
removal) in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) does not
appear to decrease the risk of death plus nonfatal cardiovascular
events, according to a study published in the February 14 issue of
JAMA.
PAD is a partial or total blockage of an artery, usually one leading
to a leg or an arm. According to background information in the
article, "accumulation of iron in excess of physiologic requirements
has been implicated in the risk of several chronic diseases through
increased iron-catalyzed free radical-mediated oxidative stress.
Common diseases of aging that have been attributed to this mechanism
include cardiovascular disease and cancer." The authors cite the "iron-
heart" hypothesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to explain
the age-related increase in myocardial infarction (MI) [heart attack]
in women following menopause. Men have increasing levels of iron from
childhood to late teens and their rates of MI increase earlier as
compared to women.
Leo R. Zacharski, M.D., from the VA Medical Center, White River
Junction, VT, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, randomized
controlled clinical trial from May 1, 1999 and April 30, 2005 based on
the Iron (Fe) and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST), a pilot study that
demonstrated the accuracy of a formula for calculating the amount of
blood required to be removed to achieve the desired iron (ferritin)
reduction safely and without causing iron deficiency. Patients with
symptomatic PAD were assigned to a control group (n = 641) or to a
group undergoing reduction of iron stores by phlebotomy with removal
of defined volumes of blood at six-month intervals (n=636).
"There were no significant differences between treatment groups for
the primary (all-cause death) or secondary (death plus nonfatal MI and
stroke) study end points," the authors report. "All-cause deaths
occurred in 148 patients (23 percent) in the control group and in 125
(20 percent) in the iron-reduction group. Death plus nonfatal
myocardial infarction and stroke occurred in 205 patients (32 percent)
in the control group and in 180 (28 percent) in the iron-reduction
group." The researchers also examined whether effects of iron
reduction differed across subgroups. They found apparent improvement
with iron reduction among younger patients, those without diabetes and
in smokers.
In conclusion the authors write, "The FeAST data show that it should
be possible to test definitively whether controlling iron levels may
reduce disease risk. Additional research is needed to further define
ferrotoxic diseases, stratify risk reduction with intervention, and
clarify mechanisms, particularly in younger patients."
(JAMA. 2007;297: 603-610. Available pre-embargo to the media at *
w w w .jamamedia.org.)
Editor's Note: This study was funded by the Cooperative Studies
Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and
Development Clinical Science Research & Development Service. Please
see the article for additional information, including other authors,
author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding
and support, etc.
Editorial: The Iron-Heart Hypothesis
In an accompanying editorial Frank B. Hu, M.D., Ph.D., from the
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, writes that results from this
first randomized controlled clinical trial assessing iron-store
reduction have been eagerly awaited to test the hypothesis that iron
depletion through phlebotomy or other means can lower the risk for
coronary heart disease (CHD).
"The results from this well-designed and executed trial generate more
questions than answers." Dr. Hu questions whether the study was
adequately powered, whether the study patients were a suitable
population and whether the findings can be generalized to healthy
individuals.
"Like any other theory in cardiovascular medicine, the iron-heart
hypothesis will undergo many 'trials and tribulations' before it is
proven or refuted. Fortunately, it is not necessary to wait for
additional data to implement effective strategies that can prevent
coronary arteries from getting 'rusty.' Even though the question of
whether reduced iron stores and CHD risk are causally linked remains
unanswered, there is solid evidence that regular exercise and
maintaining a healthy weight can reduce both iron stores and risk of
CHD."
(JAMA. 2007;297:639-641. Available pre-embargo to the media at *
w w w .jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: No financial disclosures reported.
© 2007 Newswise. All Rights Reserved
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----
Who loves ya.
Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian!
* jesuswasavegetarian.7h . com
Man Is A Herbivore!
* tinyurl . com /a3cc3
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING
* tinyurl . com /zk9fk
