•  People eating high-quality snacks were more likely to have a healthy weight

By Shaun Wooller

Published: 16:37 EDT, 24 September 2023 | Updated: 17:50 EDT, 24 September 2023

A Maryland man with a terminal heart disease has become the second-ever patient to receive a genetically modified pig heart. 

This week, Lawrence Faucette, 58, underwent transplant surgery after being deemed ineligible for a human heart transplant due to peripheral vascular disease, which reduces blood circulation. 

The procedure, known as a xenotransplant, has only been performed once before on an ex-convict who died two months later. Both historic procedures were performed at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). 

Mr Faucette, a married father-of-two and a 20-year Navy veteran, is breathing on his own, and his heart is functioning without any supportive devices after the surgery, which took place on Tuesday. Without the procedure, he was facing certain death. 

‘My only real hope left is to go with the pig heart, the xenotransplant,’ Mr Faucette said a few days before surgery. 

‘Dr. Griffith, Dr. Mohiuddin and their entire staff have been incredible, but nobody knows from this point forward. At least now I have hope, and I have a chance.’

His wife, Ann Faucette, added: ‘We have no expectations other than hoping for more time together. That could be as simple as sitting on the front porch and having coffee together.’ 

Mr Faucette likely has a long road ahead. He’s at risk of his body rejecting the foreign organ, which occurs in 10 to 20 percent of transplant patients. The UMMC doctors believe this risk could be greater for xenotransplant patients. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency approval for the surgery last week with what’s called its single-patient investigational new drug (IND) ‘compassionate use’ pathway. 

This is used when an experimental medical product, such as a genetically modified pig heart, is the only option available to treat a serious or life-threatening condition. 

‘We are once again offering a dying patient a shot at a longer life, and we are incredibly grateful to Mr Faucette for his bravery and willingness to help advance our knowledge of this field,’ Dr Bartley P Griffith, who transplanted pig hearts into both patients, said. 

‘We are hoping that he will get home soon to enjoy more time with his wife and the rest of his loving family.’  

The gene-edited pig used in this procedure was provided by Revivicor, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics, one of several biotech companies in the running to develop suitable pig organs for potential human transplant. 

On the morning of the surgery, the transplant team removed the heart and placed it in an XVIVO Heart Box, the size of a microwave, which keeps the organ preserved in a nutrient-rich oxygenated solution. 

Pigs have a gene that produces a molecule not found in humans that triggers an immediate and aggressive immune response in humans, called hyperacute rejection. Within minutes, the body attacks the foreign organ. 

In Mr Faucette’s surgery, three genes were ‘knocked out’ in the donor pig. Six human genes, which are responsible for the immune system accepting the organ, were inserted into the genome. One additional gene in the pig was knocked out to prevent excessive growth of the pig heart tissue. In total, 10 unique genes were edited in the donor pig. 

Xenotransplantation could provide another option for the 110,000 Americans currently waiting for an organ transplant. More than 6,000 of these patients die every year before they can get the organs they need, according to federal data. 

Dr Mark Gladwin, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland Baltimore, said: ‘This innovative program embodies the future of molecular medicine in surgery and speaks to a possible future where organs may be available to all patients.’

‘We recognize a heroic partnership with Mr Faucette and his family, as we partner to advance the field of transplantation medicine into the next era.’

This procedure was first performed last year on David Bennett, 57. Like Mr Faucette, Mr Bennett was also ineligible for a human heart. He also did not follow his doctors’ orders, missed appointments and stopped taking drugs he was prescribed.

He was bedridden, on life support, and out of options. ‘It was either die or do this transplant,’ he said.

Though the surgery was deemed a success, Mr Bennett died two months later. However, the organ wasn’t rejected; experts claimed that the heart could have been infected with a virus.

Mike Curtis, chief executive of competing pig breeder eGenesis, told MIT Technology Review: ‘Without the virus, would Mr Bennett have lived? We don’t know, but the infection didn’t help. It likely contributed to the failure.’

The choice to perform the procedure on Bennett was deemed controversial when it was discovered that he served five years in prison for attacking Edward Shumaker while he played pool at a Maryland bar in April 1988 after he caught his then-wife Norma Jean Bennett sitting in Shumaker’s lap while the pair were talking and drinking.

Shumaker, then 22,  was paralyzed after being stabbed seven times in the back, abdomen and chest. He survived for 19 years before suffering a stroke in 2005 and dying two years later at age 40.

His sister, Leslie Shumaker Downey, bemoaned the praise being heaped on a man who robbed her younger brother of a healthy life in an interview with the BBC in January. 

Downey said he is ‘not a worthy recipient’ and dislikes his portrayal as a hero.

‘Morally, in my opinion, no,’ she said, when asked if he should have been the first person to benefit from the medical breakthrough.

‘For the medical community, the advancement of it and being able to do something like that is great and it’s a great advancement but they’re putting Bennett in the storylines portraying him as being a hero and a pioneer and he’s nothing of that sort.’

‘I think the doctors who did the surgery should be getting all the praise and not Mr Bennett.’ 

Scientists have been toying with animal-to-human organ donation, known as xenotransplantation, for decades.  

Skin grafts were carried out in the 1800s from a variety of animals to treat wounds, with frogs being the most popular. 

In the 1960s, 13 patients were given chimpanzee kidneys, one of whom returned to work for almost 9 months before suddenly dying. The rest passed away within weeks.

At that time human organ transplants were not available and chronic dialysis was not yet in use. 

In 1983, doctors at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California transplanted a baboon heart into a premature baby born with a fatal heart defect.

Baby Fae lived for just 21 days. The case was controversial months later when it emerged the surgeons did not try to acquire a human heart.

More recently, waiting lists for transplants from dead, or allogenic, donors is growing as life expectancy rises around the world and demand increases. 

In October 2021, surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human for the first time.

It started working as it was supposed to, filtering waste and producing urine without triggering a rejection by the recipient’s immune system. 

The recipient was a brain-dead patient in New York with signs of kidney dysfunction whose family agreed to the experiment before she was taken off life support. 

It’s unclear what Mr Faucette’s prognosis is, though he is currently in stable condition.

Biscuits before bed may be off the menu.

For a quarter of people are undoing the benefits of healthy meals by snacking unhealthily, a study has suggested. 

Researchers from London, who monitored the eating habits of more than 850 people, found that one in four reported eating unhealthy snacks — such as chocolate, crisps and cakes — alongside ‘healthy meals’.

Results suggested that this group were ‘undoing the benefits’ of eating a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner, as eating junk food snacks were linked with having a higher BMI and blood sugar — raising their risk of strokes, heart disease and obesity.

However, analysis showed that snacking itself is not unhealthy — as long as the people chose healthy treats, such as fruit, nuts and seeds. 

The scientists tracked the snacking habits of 854 people from the ZOE PREDICT study, a group of in-depth nutritional research studies that aim to reveal how and why people respond differently to the same foods.

Participants consumed ‘standardised test meals’ over nine to 11 days and logged the quantity and types of snacks consumed using an online food diary. 

Some 95 per cent of cohort confessed to snacking, while the average daily intake was recorded at 2.28 snacks per days. 

Some 29 per cent of people ate more than two, researchers said. 

But writing in the European Journal of Nutrition, the scientists from Kings College London said 26 per cent of participants reported eating healthy meals but opting for ‘poor quality snacks’ which left them ‘feeling hungry’.

This group had ‘poorer health markers’. 

Snacking frequency, however, had no impact on blood fats and blood pressure. 

Dr Sarah Berry from King’s College London and chief scientist at ZOE said: ‘Considering 95 per cent of us snack, and that nearly a quarter of our calories come from snacks, swapping unhealthy snacks such as cookies, crisps and cakes to healthy snacks like fruit and nuts is a really simple way to improve your health.’ 

The most popular snacks consumed were cookies, fruit, nuts and seeds, cheese and butter, cakes and pies and granola or cereal bars, scientists said. 

High blood sugar and fat can lead to diabetes and heart disease, studies have found. 

People with diabetes are also more likely to have other conditions that raise the risk of heart disease, such as high blood pressure.

The researchers also found those who ate ‘high-quality snacks’ — like nuts, fresh fruit and granola bars — had ‘better metabolic health’ and were not as hungry. 

Ultra-processed foods like cakes, crisps and brownies generally have higher sugar, salt and saturated fat content compared with less processed foods.

The term covers food that contains ingredients that a person wouldn’t add when cooking at home — such as chemicals, colourings and preservatives.

These include ready meals, ice cream, sausages, southern fried chicken, cereals and ketchup.

They are different to processed foods, which are processed to make them last longer or enhance their taste, such as cured meat and cheese.

But researchers also found the timing of snacking was also crucial to health, with eating later at night carrying ‘significantly more negative health implications’. 

People who ate most of their snacks in the evening after 9pm saw larger spikes in their blood sugar compared to those snacked earlier in the day, they said. 

Those who snacked later also had higher concentrations of fat in their blood compared to those who snacked earlier.

Snackers at this time tended to eat energy-dense foods which were high in fat and sugar.

Dr Kate Bermingham from King’s College London and senior scientist at ZOE said: ‘This study contributes to the existing literature that food quality is the driving factor in positive health outcomes from food. 

‘Making sure we eat a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, protein and legumes is the best way to improve your health.’

• People who felt safe were 10% less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases
• The study showed people who felt safe were 9% less like to die from all causes

By Louis Goss

Updated: 21:03 EDT, 24 August 2023

My husband had an operation on his heart last year due to angina. He is on blood thinners, statins and medication for high blood pressure. But he also drinks a lot, most days, and I worry that he has a problem. Should I try to get him to stop?

This is a problem I often hear in my clinic. Alcohol is a huge health risk, particularly if a person drinks excessively.

On the other hand, not everyone who drinks a lot ends up unwell – it is all to do with an individual’s constitution and genetics.

People often worry about liver disease due to alcohol but this is by no means the only issue drink can cause. High blood pressure, heart disease and cancer, not to mention brain diseases such as dementia and depression, are all linked to alcohol intake. And it is very addictive – I often see people who can’t cut down for a sustained period of time, let alone stop.

My worry for someone drinking while on blood thinners and other heart drugs is the effect of alcohol on those medications. There’s also the chance of falling if drunk and then having a serious bleed from an injury due to bleeding a lot more than usual when on blood thinners. A head injury would be a particular concern.

Safe drinking for men and women is considered to be under 14 units a week – that’s about six pints or glasses of wine.

Sometimes there are very clear signs that someone drinks too much: opting to drink over other activities, not being able to say no or even hiding the habit. It can be hard to broach the subject with a loved one without being judgmental or confrontational.

Talking about your concern and being supportive – when they’re sober – is the best way, rather than using accusatory words such as alcoholic.

Drinkaware.co.uk has more advice on what to do if you’re worried about someone’s drinking, including tips on what to say and what not to say.

I am suffering from a dragging and pushing feeling in my pelvis, a swollen tummy and discomfort around my bottom. My GP checked for a prolapse but she said that wasn’t the problem. I then had an ultrasound and was told that they could see ‘congestion’ – which I’m not sure I understood. Could the doctor be missing something?

Dragging and pushing are classic features of a prolapse – when one of the organs within the pelvis, such as the womb, drops down into the vagina. It is normally caused by an issue with a weakened pelvic floor and often occurs after the menopause.

What the ultrasound revealed may be a condition called pelvic congestion syndrome. This can be identified on a scan as the blood vessels around the ovaries wider and different to normal.

It is usually seen in women before menopause and causes pelvic pain because the blood vessels are not working as efficiently as they should. It can cause a dull ache, a dragging type of pain, and piles which would cause discomfort in the anus. For proper diagnosis, you need a scan of the pelvic veins.

With no clear answer, it would be reasonable to ask for a further conversation with the doctor, another examination and even a referral to gynaecology. These are not symptoms to be ignored.

I’m on a drug called levothyroxine for my underactive thyroid. But when I take it, I get a feeling of pins and needles in my face and my ears feel blocked, as if I am on an aeroplane. It takes a few hours to wear off. The specialist I saw says it is not the drug, which I have been taking for 22 years, and until this year I have never had a problem. What do you think it could be?

An underactive thyroid gland, known as hypothyroidism, is where the thyroid, which is in the neck, does not produce enough hormones. These are important for maintaining energy levels, and symptoms of having insufficient amounts include tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed.

Levothyroxine is a hormone tablet prescribed to treat these problems. It’s common for people with an underactive thyroid to also suffer nasal congestion, stuffiness, sinus issues and even impaired hearing – but they are not side effects of levothyroxine.

It is perfectly possible that these symptoms have nothing to do with the drug but that they occur first thing, before breakfast, which is coincidentally when you take your tablets – so you are wrongly associating the two.

It would not be unusual for your sinus and ear congestion symptoms to appear first thing in the morning. When we get up from lying down, it causes fluid to move within the ear or sinuses, which can cause these symptoms. If a medication has been taken long term – in this case 22 years – it’s possible these problems are a result of the condition not being controlled as well, and there may be a need for a dose adjustment.

It’s also possible the sinus problems are linked to an allergy, and a two-week trial of antihistamine tablets might be worth considering to see if this has any impact.

Tackling the nightmare of sleeping pill addiction 

UK health chiefs introduced a brilliant initiative which I want everyone to know about – a guide for patients who take sleeping tablets but want to reduce or come off their dose.

Sleeping pill dependence is a huge problem in the UK. About a million people take the pills – so-called z-drugs such as zopiclone and benzodiazepines – to help them sleep or tackle severe anxiety.

But they are not a long-term solution. They come with a serious risk of addiction – over time you have to keep taking more to get the same effect.

And after just a few weeks of use, my patients tell me that they suffer brain fog, struggle to concentrate and feel emotionally numb.

As a doctor, you worry that patients haven’t taken in the risks of these drugs, because they’re often prescribed in a time of crisis. But now they will have a simple guide to help weigh-up their pros and cons. It’ll also offer advice for those worried about going cold turkey.

I’ll be pointing my patients towards it, and other GPs should do the same. 

I was right about beta blocker

Earlier this month I answered a reader’s question about her husband’s heart condition, atrial fibrillation.

He was taking a medicine called bisoprolol and I mentioned that it was not often prescribed for the condition – it’s not what GPs would call first-line treatment. I suggested her husband ask the doctor why he was on it.

I’ve since received emails from other readers saying that they have atrial fibrillation and have been on bisoprolol for years without issue.

Bisoprolol is a beta blocker – it slows the heart beat – but it is only recommended for atrial fibrillation if the patient also has another medical condition, such as diabetes.

I suspect that the readers who say they are on bisoprolol for atrial fibrillation will also be suffering a concurrent problem.

AFL champion and Fitzroy legend Matthew Rendell is fighting for life after suffering a heart attack

• Matt Rendell is in a critical condition in a Melbourne hospital
• Former AFL great suffered a heart attack over the weekend
• The 64-year-old played 164 games for Fitzroy over a decade at the club 

By Dan Cancian For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 09:38 EDT, 26 June 2023 | Updated: 09:47 EDT, 26 June 2023

Almost 100,000 people have died needlessly from heart attack and stroke since the start of the pandemic, according to a report.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said ongoing disruption to the NHS and the fallout from Covid has left the country is in the ‘grip of a heart and stroke care emergency’.

Its analysis of official data found there have been more excess deaths involving cardiovascular conditions than any other disease– with 96,540 since March 2020.

It means there have been more than 500 extra deaths a week over and above what would be expected for heart disease since the start of the pandemic.

The charity has called for heart care must to be urgently prioritised while steps must also be taken to reduce growing preventative risk factors, such as obesity.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the BHF, said: It is deeply troubling that so many more people with cardiovascular disease have lost their lives over the last three years.

‘For years now, it has been clear that we are firmly in the grip of a heart and stroke care emergency.

‘If little changes, we could continue to see a sustained rise in death rates from cardiovascular conditions that undoes decades of scientific progress to reduce the number of people who die of a heart attack or stroke.’

More than half of the excess deaths involving CVD occurred during the first year of the pandemic, with Covid known to cause significant heart and circulatory problems.

The data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) showed these fell dramatically in the second year, between March 2021/22 but rebounded during the same period last year.

Experts said ongoing disruption to NHS heart care are likely behind the spike, with record waiting lists and disruption from strikes leading to further treatment delays.

This is on top of the additional heightened risk of heart attack and stroke caused by Covid.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, Associate Medical Director at the BHF and Consultant Cardiologist, said: ‘Covid-19 no longer fully explains the significant numbers of excess deaths involving cardiovascular disease. Other major factors are likely contributing, including the extreme and unrelenting pressure on the NHS over the last few years.

‘Long waits for heart care are dangerous – they put someone at increased risk of avoidable hospital admission, disability due to heart failure and premature death. Yet people are struggling to get potentially lifesaving heart treatment when they need it due to a lack of NHS staff and space, despite cardiovascular disease affecting record numbers of people.’

The number of people waiting for time-sensitive cardiac care was at a record high of nearly 390,000 at the end of April, according to latest figures.

While ambulance response times strokes have improved since lows of 90 minutes in December 2022, average waits were consistently above 30 minutes last year.

Meanwhile, detection rates of conditions that put people at higher risk of disease have fallen.

NHS England figures show 2 million fewer people were recorded as having controlled hypertension in 2021 compared to the previous year.

Research has shown people without pre-existing heart conditions who caught Covid before the vaccine roll-out were 40 per cent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, with those who experienced severe infection at higher risk.

Professor John Greenwood, President of the British Cardiovascular Society, said the numbers are ‘worrying, but unfortunately not surprising’.

He said: ‘We know that Covid has caused direct (Covid leading to new CVD), indirect (reduced treatment and prevention of CVD) and long-term effects (CVD and Long Covid).

‘The BCS recommends urgent prioritisation of CVD prevention and treatment, as well as an increase in the cardiovascular workforce (primary and secondary care, and multidisciplinary team) to begin tackling the backlog of work and long waiting lists for treatment. Added to this we need a strong public health strategy from government to promote healthy behaviours and prevent heart disease in the first place.’

A government spokesperson said: ‘We are cutting waiting lists, ambulance response times are falling, staff increasing and we are improving access to blood pressure and health checks.

‘We know there is more to do which is why we are consulting on a Major Conditions Strategy to tackle cardiovascular disease – including strokes and diabetes – and we have opened 108 community diagnostic centres that have delivered over 4 million tests, scans and checks including for those with cardiovascular disease.

‘The government is also working with NHS England to combat some of the causes of cardiovascular disease, with schemes to support increased physical activity, reduce obesity rates and encourage people to stop smoking.’

A wine a day really does keep the doctor at bay: Light drinkers are less likely to suffer heart problems, study finds

• Scientists studied brain scans of 754 people taken for cancer surveillance
• It is the first study to indicate alcohol’s longer-term neurobiological effects 

By Kate Pickles Health Editor For The Daily Mail

Updated: 18:14 EDT, 12 June 2023

Millions have an abnormal heart rhythm or arrythmia — and many don’t even realise it.

The most common type is atrial fibrillation (AF), which causes an irregular and often unusually fast heartbeat and drastically raises the risk of a stroke.

If diagnosed, AF can be treated. 

However, it’s estimated there are at least 270,000 people in the UK who are unaware they have the condition, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF). The figure is thought to stand at closer to 1.5million in the US.

‘What remains troubling is the sheer number of people who are undiagnosed and unaware they are living with a heightened risk of stroke,’ says BHF medical director, Professor Sir Nilesh Samani. 

‘Finding people with this hidden threat must remain a priority.’

Trudie Lobban, founder of the Arrhythmia Alliance, a coalition of patients, healthcare professionals and policymakers, adds: ‘Heart rhythm disorders are a leading cause of sudden cardiac death and devastating strokes.

‘And yet too few people are aware of the rhythm of their heart.’

To mark World Heart Rhythm Week, experts are highlighting the importance of being aware of arrhythmia warning signs and getting things checked out. Here’s what you need to know…

Arrhythmias can affect all age groups

However, AF is most common in older age groups. 

As Dr Anthony Chow, a consultant cardiologist at The Wellington Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, explains: ‘Heart rhythm problems are a very common condition that can affect all age groups.

‘But AF is more common in older people. 

‘It can be as common as [affecting] 10 per cent of the population in their 70s, and almost 29 per cent of those in their 80s.’

Arrhythmias can have many causes

Lobban says many conditions can cause heart rhythm problems, including thyroid disorders, infections and sleep apnoea.

Triggers can also include stress, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, diet pills, and cough or cold medicines. 

‘But there is usually an underlying physical reason for it,’ Lobban adds.

Warning signs to look out for

Key warning signs, according to Dr Chow, are palpations (a thumping or fluttering sensation in your heart/chest), dizzy spells and feeling faint, breathlessness, chest discomfort, and feeling overly tired.

These things don’t automatically mean you have a heart problem, but it’s important to get any symptoms checked out. 

And Dr Chow adds: ‘Not everyone experiences these exact symptoms and, in some cases, patients can experience no symptoms at all.’

How to measure your heart rhythm

There are many ways heart rhythms can be measured clinically, through ECGs or monitors. You can check your pulse yourself at home, too.

‘The easiest way to detect an arrhythmia is to feel your pulse and hence your heart rhythm – is it irregular, too fast, or too slow?’ says Lobban. ‘Such a simple thing as a 30-second pulse rhythm check can literally save your life.’

The Heart Rhythm Alliance has a ‘know your pulse’ guide on their website. Lobban says you should sit down for five minutes beforehand, and remember that any stimulants you’ve taken, like caffeine or nicotine, will affect the rate.

You’ll need a watch that measures seconds (take it off to do the test), or your phone timer could work. Hold your left or right hand out with your palm facing up and elbow slightly bent. With your other hand, place your index and middle fingers on your wrist near the base of your thumb, between the bone and stringy thumb tendon, to find your pulse.

Once you’ve found your pulse, maintain a firm pressure and count the beats for 30 seconds, then multiply by two to get your heart rate in beats per minute. If your heart rhythm is irregular, you should count for one minute and don’t multiply.

Arrhythmia can cause many serious health problems

Heart arrhythmia can cause a variety of serious heart health complications including strokes, heart failure and heart attacks, explains Dr Chow. 

‘Heart arrhythmias, in particular AF, are often associated with an increased risk of blood clots, so it’s extremely important to be aware of the warning signs,’ he says. 

‘If a blood clot breaks loose, it can travel directly from the heart to the brain, which can cause a stroke. 

‘You should consult your doctor and get referred to a cardiac rhythm specialist for assessment if you have significant symptoms.’

When to see a doctor

If you have any previous history of heart problems and/or are becoming increasingly concerned about palpations, you should speak to a medical expert, Dr Chow advises. Those with a family history of arrythmia and/or sudden cardiac death should also make sure they get checked out.

‘It’s not usual that we’re aware of our heart beating, unless there’s a disturbed rhythm,’ he says. 

‘You should speak to your doctor if your heart palpations are lasting a long time, or aren’t improving and seem to be getting worse. 

‘Acute instances of symptoms could be a warning sign of something more serious, so it’s important to seek medical advice if you’re concerned. In some cases, arrhythmia could be an indication of a medical emergency such as a heart attack.’

Treatment for arrhythmia

Arrhythmias can be treated in a variety of ways. ‘Some require no more than reassurance after diagnosis, but others may need drug therapy, or implantation of an electrical device such as a pacemaker or ICD,’ says Lobban.

Dr Chow says therapies such as cardioversion can be used to reset the heart rhythm by sending a shock through the chest to the heart, and there are also procedures and surgeries including catheter ablation, where wires are threaded through blood vessels directly to the heart and heat is used to create tiny scars in the heart to block abnormal electrical signs and restore a normal heartbeat.

Dr Chow adds: ‘Most people with abnormal heart rhythms can lead a normal life when the condition has been properly diagnosed and managed.’

Women with irregular menstrual periods appear to face a significantly higher risk of heart disease, a study suggests.

Up to a fifth of American women of reproductive age – roughly 12 million of them – deal with an abnormal period that occurs when the length of one’s menstrual cycle unexpectedly falls outside of the regular range, typically fewer than 21 days or longer than 35 days.

Irregular menstrual periods can be an inconvenience for millions of women at best, but at worst, they increase women’s risk of heart disease by 19 percent and of irregular heartbeat by a staggering 40 percent, according to a team of researchers in China.

The study followed more than 58,000 women for 12 years, after which researchers found 3.4 percent of the women with irregular cycles developed heart disease compared to about 2.5 percent of those with normal periods.

Dr Huijie Zhang, a professor at Southern Medical University in China and lead author of the study, said: ‘These findings have important public health implications for the prevention of atrial fibrillation and heart attack among women and highlight the importance of monitoring menstrual cycle characteristics throughout a woman’s reproductive life.’

The sweeping study reflected health data of more than 58,000 healthy women in the UK who reported on their cycle length at the start of a 12-year follow-up period. 

The menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. 

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, relied on extensive health data in the UK BioBank, a large-scale population health research initiative containing in-depth genetic and health information from half a million UK participants.

The average age of the participants, none of whom had cardiovascular disease at the start of the study, was 46.

After 11 years and eight months, researchers recorded 1,623 cardiovascular ‘events’ among the participants, including 827 incident cases of coronary heart disease, 199 heart attacks, 271 strokes, 174 cases of heart failure, and 393 cases of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots.

Over 1.7 percent of women with irregular cycles developed coronary heart disease (CHD), a result of plaque buildup on the walls of the arteries that then restricts the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. 

But just 1.3 percent of women with regular periods developed CHD.

And about 0.6 percent of those with regular cycles developed atrial fibrillation, compared with nearly one percent of those with irregular cycles.

The connection between irregular menstrual cycles and heart disease is not completely clear, though previous research has found that they are strongly linked with various heart disease risk factors including high cholesterol, hypertension, and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Hormone fluctuations that are fundamental to the menstrual cycle also influence cardiovascular function. Estrogen, which dips after ovulation but then gradually rises, has protective effects on the heart.

Estrogen helps tissues and blood vessels stay supple and flexible, aiding in healthy blood flow, keeping blood pressure low, increasing HD (good) cholesterol, and absorbing damaging free radicals.

While irregular cycles are common, they are not healthy and in fact reflect a poorly-functioning hypothalamic‐pituitary‐ovarian axis, the tightly regulated network of systems that control female reproduction. 

Dr Zhang said: ‘The association between menstrual cycle characteristics and adverse cardiovascular outcomes remains unclear. 

‘Considering the increasing prevalence of heart disease — with 45 percent of women in Western countries affected — and related mortality, there is a need to explore these risk factors.’