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BACKGROUND: Choline and betaine intake have been related to cardiovascular health. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the relationship between 1-year changes in dietary intake of choline or betaine and 1-year changes in cardiometabolic and renal function traits within the frame of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. DESIGN: We used baseline and 1 year follow-up data from 5,613 participants (48.2% female and 51.8% male, mean age 65.01 ± 4.91) to assess cardiometabolic traits, and 3,367 participants to assess renal function, of the Spanish PREDIMED-Plus ("PREvention with MEDiterranean DIet") trial. Participants met at least three criteria of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and had overweight or obesity (BMI =27 and =40kg/m2). These criteria were similar to those of the PREDIMED parent study. Dietary intake of choline and betaine was estimated from the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). RESULTS: The greatest one-year increase in dietary choline or betaine intake (Q4) was associated with improved serum glucose (-3.39 and -2.72 mg/dL for choline or betaine, respectively) and glycated hemoglobin levels (-0.10% for Q4 of either choline or betaine intake increase). Other significant changes associated with the greatest increase in choline or betaine intake were: reduced body weight (-2.93 and -2.78 Kg, respectively), BMI (-1.05 and -0.99 Kg/m2, respectively), waist circumference (-3.37 and -3.26 cm, respectively), total cholesterol (-4.74 and -4.52 mg/dL, respectively) and LDL cholesterol (-4.30 and -4.16 mg/dL, respectively). Urine creatinine was reduced in Q4 of one-year increase in choline or betaine intake (-5.42 and -5.74 mg/dL, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Increase in dietary choline or betaine intake were longitudinally related to improvements in cardiometabolic parameters. Markers of renal function were also slightly improved, and they required further investigation.

Aims: During 2019 and 2020 a series of meetings over the country were carried out, with the aim of explaining the methodology and criteria for the ellaboration of the recommendations on the use of iPCSK9, published by the Spanish Society of Atherosclerosis (SEA in Spanish). At the end of the meetings, a survey was conducted among the participants, in order to describe the prescription requirements of these drugs in the Spanish regions. Methodology: Butterfly Project was developed by a scientific Committee of experts in lipids. After the ellaboration of the materials for the project, a train the trainers program was carried out, imparted by 17 experts who were the Project coordinators. Later, 16 regional workshops were performed, with the attendance of 169 medical doctors involved in the management of hipercolesterolemia. The attendants responded the survey, where they were asked different questions on the use of iPCSK9 on their clinical practice. Results: A high heterogeneity among centers regarding the requirements and difficulties for iPCSK9 prescription was revealed. Twenty one per cent of responders indicated to have low difficulties to prescribe iPCSK9 in their hospitals, whereas 78% found moderate or high difficulties. The difficulties came from burocracy- administrative aspects (18%), restrictions in the indication (41%) and both (38%). In general, the obstacles did not depend on the hospital level, neither the speciality, or the presence of lipid units, although the existance of lipid units was associated with a higher number of patients treated with iPCSK9. The factors which were associated with higher difficulty in the prescription were: the presence of an approval committee in the hospitals, the frequency in the revision of the treatment by hospital pharmacy, the temporal cadence of the prescription, the profile of patients seen and the criteria followed by the specialists for the prescription. Conclusion: The results show important diferences in the treatment with iPCSK9 in the context of clinical practice in Spain. The analysis of these results will permit to make proposals regarding future actions addressed to reach the equity in the access to iPCSK9 in Spain, with the main aim of maximizing their potential benefit according to the patients profile. © 2021 The Authors

Scope To examine the association between milk and dairy products intake and the prevalence of cognitive decline among Spanish individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Methods and results Cross-sectional analyses are performed on baseline data from 6744 adults (aged 55-75 years old). Intake of milk and dairy products is estimated using a food frequency questionnaire grouped into quartiles. The risk of developing cognitive impairment is based on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). A higher prevalence of cognitive decline was found in subjects who consumed more grams. Patients with worse MMSE score (10-24) consumed a mean of 395.14 +/- 12.21 g, while patients with better MMSE score (27-30) consumed a mean of 341.23 +/- 2.73 g (p < 0.05). Those subjects with the lower milk consumption (

In general, both European and American clinical guidelines have addressed the management of atherogenic dyslipidaemia in an unconvincing and even superficial way, largely because of the available therapeutic limitations. Consequently, this type of dyslipidaemia is underdiagnosed, under-treated, and under-controlled. Given the recent presentation of the 2019 guidelines of the European Atherosclerosis Society and the European Society of Cardiology on the management of dyslipidaemias, it seems appropriate to examine its position with respect to atherogenic dyslipidaemia and/or its main components, the increase in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and the decrease of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. (C) 2020 Sociedad Espanola de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Resumen Es indudable la relación del cLDL y el riesgo cardiovascular, así como de los beneficios del tratamiento con estatinas. Una vez conseguido el objetivo de cLDL, son notables las evidencias que demuestran la persistencia de un elevado riesgo cardiovascular, concepto denominado riesgo residual. El riesgo residual de origen lipídico se fundamenta en la dislipidemia aterogénica, caracterizada por un aumento de triglicéridos y de las lipoproteínas ricas en triglicéridos, un descenso del cHDL y alteraciones cualitativas de las partículas LDL. Las medidas más utilizadas para identificar esta dislipidemia se basan en la determinación de colesterol total, triglicéridos, HDL, colesterol no HDL y colesterol remanente, además de las apolipoproteínas B100 y la lipoproteína(a) en determinados casos. El tratamiento de la dislipidemia aterogénica se basa en la pérdida de peso y ejercicio físico. En cuanto al tratamiento farmacológico, no tenemos evidencia del beneficio cardiovascular con los fármacos dirigidos al descenso de triglicéridos y cHDL; el fenofibrato parece tener eficacia en situaciones de dislipidemia aterogénica. There is no doubt about the relationship between LDL-c and cardiovascular risk, as well as about the benefits of statin treatment. Once the objective of LDL-c has been achieved, the evidences that demonstrate the persistence of a high cardiovascular risk, a concept called residual risk, are notable. The residual risk of lipid origin is based on atherogenic dyslipidemia, characterized by an increase in triglycerides and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, a decrease in HDL-c and qualitative alterations in LDL particles. The most commonly used measures to identify this dyslipidemia are based on the determination of total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, non-HDL cholesterol and remaining cholesterol, as well as apolipoprotein B100 and lipoprotein (a) in certain cases. The treatment of atherogenic dyslipidemia is based on weight loss and physical exercise. Regarding pharmacological treatment, we have no evidence of cardiovascular benefit with drugs aimed at lowering triglycerides and HDL-c, fenofibrate seems to be effective in situations of atherogenic dyslipidemia.

There is no doubt about the relationship between LDL-c and cardiovascular risk, as well as about the benefits of statin treatment. Once the objective of LDL-c has been achieved, the evidences that demonstrate the persistence of a high cardiovascular risk, a concept called residual risk, are notable. The residual risk of lipid origin is based on atherogenic dyslipidemia, characterized by an increase in triglycerides and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, a decrease in HDL-c and qualitative alterations in LDL particles. The most commonly used measures to identify this dyslipidemia are based on the determination of total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, non-HDL cholesterol and remaining cholesterol, as well as apolipoprotein B100 and lipoprotein (a) in certain cases. The treatment of atherogenic dyslipidemia is based on weight loss and physical exercise. Regarding pharmacological treatment, we have no evidence of cardiovascular benefit with drugs aimed at lowering triglycerides and HDL-c, fenofibrate seems to be effective in situations of atherogenic dyslipidemia. (C) 2018 Sociedad Espanola de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The introduction of singular therapies, such as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i), to lower high cholesterol levels requires better classification of patients eligible for intensive lipid lowering therapy. According to the European Medicines Administration, PCSK9i are recommended in primary prevention in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) patients. Therefore, an FH diagnosis is not simply an academic issue, because it has many clinical implications. The bases of a diagnosis of FH are not entirely clear. The availability of genetic testing, including large genome-wide association analyses and whole genome studies, has shown that some patients with a clinical diagnosis of definite FH have no mutations in the genes associated with the disease. This fact does not exclude the very high cardiovascular risk of these patients, and an early and intensive lipid lowering therapy is recommended in all FH patients. Because an FH diagnosis is a cornerstone for decisions about therapies, a precise definition of FH is urgently required. This is an expert consensus document from the Spanish Atherosclerosis Society. We propose the following classification: familial hypercholesterolemia syndrome integrated by (1) heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: patients with clinically definite FH and a functional mutation in one allele of the LDLR, ApoB:100, and PCSK9 genes; (2) homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: mutations affect both alleles; (3) polygenic familial hypercholesterolemia: patients with clinically definite FH but no mutations associated with FH are found (to be distinguished from non-familial, multifactorial hypercholesterolemia); (4) familial hypercholesterolemia combined with hypertriglyceridemia: a subgroup of familial combined hyperlipidaemia patients fulfilling clinically definite FH with associated hypertriglyceridemia.

ProposalThe aim of this study was to examine the association between the consumption of total and specific types of dairy products and the risk of incident cataracts in an elderly Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk.MethodsWe prospectively analyzed 5860 subjects from the PREvencion con DIeta MEDiterranea (PREDIMED) Study. The time to cataract surgery was calculated as the time between recruitment and the date of the surgery, last visit of the follow-up, date of death, or until the end of the study. Dairy products intake was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires. We used Cox proportional hazard regression to assess the risk of cataract surgery according to average dietary energy-adjusted total dairy products, milk, yogurt and cheese consumption.ResultsWe documented a total of 768 new cataract events after a median of 5.6years of follow-up. Subjects in the second [hazard ratio (HR) 0.62; 95% CI 0.52, 0.74] and third tertile (HR: 0.71; 95% CI 0.60, 0.85) of skimmed yogurt intake had a significantly lower risk of cataracts after adjusting for potential confounders. No significant associations were observed for total dairy products, whole and skimmed milk, whole yogurt and cheese consumption.ConclusionThe intake of skimmed yogurt was associated with a reduced risk of cataracts in an elderly Mediterranean population with high cardiovascular risk. No significant associations were observed for other type of dairy product.Clinical Trial registrationInternational Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 35739639. Registration date: 5 October 2005.

Although cholesterol linked to low-density lipoproteins (c-LDL) is well established as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, there is often a more complex dyslipidaemia pattern that contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. Non-HDL cholesterol (c-NO-HDL) is used to estimate the total amount of atherogenic lipoproteins in plasma, some of which are not usually determined in daily clinical practice. c-NO-HDL is easily calculated from the subtraction of total plasma cholesterol from the cholesterol content carried by high density lipoproteins. The c-NO-HDL has a predictive value superior to that of C-LDL to estimate the risk of major cardiovascular events in epidemiological studies. Genetic studies by analysis of the complete genome, together with those based on Mendelian randomisation, point to the aetiological character of c-NO-HDL on ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Intervention studies, and the meta-analyses derived from them, close the causal circle between c-NO-HDL and IHD, by demonstrating that any intervention that decreases the concentrations of the former reduces the incidence of arteriosclerotic heart disease. The European ESC/EAS 2016 guide for the management of dystipidaemia considers c-NO-HDL as a therapeutic target with a Class I la recommendation (should be performed) Level B (data from a single randomised clinical trial [RCT]) or from several non-RCTs), and sets its target at less than 100 or 130 mg/dL for those patients with very high risk or high risk, respectively. These achievable c-NO-HDL values are easily calculated by adding 30 mg/dL to the c-LDL targets. (C) 2019 Sociedad Espanola de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

La enfermedad del hígado graso no alcohólico (EHGNA) comprende una serie de lesiones hepáticas histológicamente similares a las inducidas por el alcohol, en personas con un consumo del mismo muy escaso o nulo. La importancia de la EHGNA radica en su alta prevalencia en el mundo occidental y, desde el punto de vista hepático, en su progresiva evolución desde esteatosis a esteatohepatitis, cirrosis y cáncer de hígado. Durante la última década se ha observado que la EHGNA da lugar a un incremento del riesgo cardiovascular con aceleración de la arteriosclerosis y de los eventos a ella vinculados, principal causa de su morbimortalidad. Esta revisión actualizada a enero de 2016 consta de dos partes, analizando en esta primera parte la asociación de la EHGNA con la enfermedad cardiovascular. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises a series of histologically lesions similar to those induced by alcohol consumption in people with very little or no liver damage. The importance of NAFLD is its high prevalence in the Western world and, from the point of view of the liver, in its gradual progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. During the last decade it has been observed that NAFLD leads to an increased cardiovascular risk with acceleration of arteriosclerosis and events related to it, being the main cause of its morbidity and mortality. This review, updated to January 2016, consists of two parts, with the first part analysing the association of NAFLD with cardiovascular disease.