Heart(y) news, July 30

Trans fat use “close to zero” in fast-food chains
Sounds too good to be true but American fast food chains seem to be making progress in getting rid of transfat from their menus, especially the notoriously fatty fries. Burger King, Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, and Dairy Queen  – the top five reportedly managed to reach the “almost zero” level of transfat in their products without increasing saturated fats in the process. The results of the study were presented last week at the 2010 National Nutrient Database Conference in Grand Forks, ND. This is based on data collected by the University of Minnesota’s nutrition coordinating center, which tracks the nutritional value of more than 18,000 food.

The antitrans fat movement goes back just a few years but seems to be making lots of progress. Heartwire reports:

“In New York City, where a two-phase ban on trans-fatty acids was instituted in 2007, as reported previously by heartwire, the use of the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil declined to less than 2%, a recent study showed. The use of trans fat is banned in California, and other cities and states have partial or full bans in place. Denmark was the first country to introduce laws regulating the sale of food with trans-fatty acids. The UK Faculty of Public Health and the Royal Society for Public Health have called for the elimination of trans fat in the UK by 2011.”

Two new randomized trials bolster benefits of compression-only CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): with or without mouth-to-mouth ventilation? New data from two trials seem to answer the question. Compression-only CPR is just as good as or maybe even better than CPR with both compressions and mouth-to-mouth ventilations. In recent years, experts campaigned for the so-called hands-only CPR which is supposedly easier and more acceptable and encourages bystander CPR.

“Overall, this [nationwide] study lends further support to the hypothesis that compression-only CPR, which is easier to learn and to perform, should be considered the preferred method for CPR performed by bystanders in patients with cardiac arrest,”

AHA Scientific Statement
Earlier this month, the American Heart Association (AHA) issued this scientific statement: “Combined behavioral interventions are the best way to reduce heart disease risk.” This is an indirect way of saying that medications alone are not enough. According to an AHA press release:

“Combining counseling, extended follow-up with a healthcare provider and self-monitoring of diet and exercise is the most effective way to help patients embrace lifestyle changes that can lower their risk for heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) diseases.”