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Common drug increases women’s risk for second heart attack
For over four decades now, treatment after a heart attack has included drugs known as beta-blockers.
In fact, if you’ve suffered from a myocardial infarction, your doctor has probably warned you that not taking these medications could increase your risk of a second heart attack.
There’s a problem, though…
Not only can taking beta-blockers lead to side effects like fatigue, low heart rate and sexual dysfunction, but study after study has demonstrated the medications may be both ineffective and dangerous.
A 2017 study found that taking beta-blockers following a heart attack, in which heart function was retained, made no statistical difference in the risk of a secondary heart attack.
Worse, additional research in 2020 determined that taking beta-blockers actually increased the risk of heart failure in women.
So what was done with those findings?
Not much. Beta-blockers continued to be recommended because skeptics believed the studies weren’t definitive enough!
But now, the jury is in, and the news is not good…
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Massive trial provides definitive answer on beta-blockers
This breakthrough discovery was made during the “REBOOT Trial,” a massive study that enrolled over 8,500 patients across 109 hospitals, and followed patients who either did or did not take beta blockers after a heart attack with regular heart function.
Sure enough, the results showed no significant differences between the two groups in rates of death, recurrent heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure.
But the most disturbing finding came from a substudy of the REBOOT Trial…
That data confirmed that women treated with beta blockers had a higher risk of death, heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure compared to women not receiving the drug.
In other words, not only did beta-blockers not prevent a second heart attack in women, they made the chances of another heart attack (or heart-related issue or death) more likely.
The results of the study were so significant that the investigators believe they will reshape the current treatment protocol for post-heart attack patients.
“REBOOT will change clinical practice worldwide. Currently, more than 80 percent of patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction are discharged on beta blockers. The REBOOT findings represent one of the most significant advances in heart attack treatment in decades,” says Principal Investigator Borja Ibáñez.
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Choosing what’s right for your heart
If you’re currently taking beta-blockers, don’t stop them cold turkey without talking to your doctor first.
But how can you avoid a second heart attack?
Maintaining healthy arteries is vital to avoiding a second heart attack — and choosing the right diet is one of the best things you can do on your own towards that goal.
Ditch the typical American diet, which sets you up for heart trouble. It’s an obesogenic diet — basically a high-fat diet with lots of omega-6 fatty acids, and according to previous research, it promotes an inflammatory environment that contributes to heart attack by:
- Damaging blood vessels
- Promoting the buildup and destabilization of plaque
- Triggering blood clots
- And reducing blood flow to the heart
An obesogenic diet also prevents cells known as leukocytes from performing a crucial function: repairing the heart after a heart attack and protecting it from future damage.
If you’ve suffered a heart attack and want to avoid another, your diet should contain lots more omega-3s and much fewer omega-6s. Here’s a link to four diets Harvard recommends to lower the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition to those four, spirulina is a supplement that promotes a healthier heart in three ways: reducing free radical damage that can lead to inflammation, and supporting healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Don’t forget the importance of exercise. Following a heart attack, get your doctor’s permission, but even in heart failure, exercise can help turn the heart’s health around.
Editor’s note: There are perfectly safe and natural ways to decrease your risk of blood clots including the 25-cent vitamin, the nutrient that acts as a natural blood thinner and the powerful herb that helps clear plaque. To discover these and other secrets of long-lived hearts, click here for Hushed Up Natural Heart Cures and Common Misconceptions of Popular Heart Treatments!
Sources:
Common heart drug taken by millions found useless, possibly risky — Science Daily
Heart attack survivors: 5 tips to support your heart health goals — American Heart Association
By Dr. Adria Schmedthorst
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