Although many people rely on home blood pressure monitors, new research has found that 70 percent of the readings for such devices are not accurate. The finding, by investigators from the University of Alberta, was published in The American Journal of Hypertension. According to a news release from the university, the discovery could have serious… Continue reading Home Blood Pressure Devices Often Inaccurate, Research Finds
Category: Heart Health
Your heart keeps your body running. And we keep you on top of everything you need to know about heart health so that you’re in the know.
Sleep and Heart Disease
People who have a common set of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes – and who sleep less than six hours daily – are about twice as likely to die of heart disease or stroke as are people who don’t have those risk factors, according to new research. For those with the same factors who did… Continue reading Sleep and Heart Disease
Healthy Arteries May Be Possible as We Age
Having the blood vessels of a healthy 20-year-old into one’s 70s is possible but difficult in Western culture, according to 2017 research in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension. A release from the association quotes study author Teemu J. Niiranen, M.D., research fellow at Boston University School of Medicine, Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Massachusetts, as… Continue reading Healthy Arteries May Be Possible as We Age
Heart Health and Post-Separation Journaling
Writing after a separation or divorce could improve your heart health – but you have to do it in a certain way, according to new research from the University of Arizona. The findings, to be published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, are based on a study of 109 separated or divorced… Continue reading Heart Health and Post-Separation Journaling
Exercise and Vitamin D: Working Against Heart Disease
Johns Hopkins researchers report that an analysis of more than 10,000 American adults for nearly 20 years suggests a link between exercise and good vitamin D levels in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Both exercise and adequate vitamin D have long been implicated in reducing heart disease risks, but in a new… Continue reading Exercise and Vitamin D: Working Against Heart Disease
Adherence to Statins Drops off Following Heart Attacks
A substantial proportion of patients prescribed high-intensity statins following hospitalization for a heart attack did not continue taking this medication with good adherence at two years after discharge. That is the finding of a 2017 study done at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York and published by JAMA Cardiology. A release from… Continue reading Adherence to Statins Drops off Following Heart Attacks
A New Factor in Hypertension
Research led by scientists at the University of Birmingham, UK, has revealed a new cause of high blood pressure, and the discovery could lead to major changes in managing the disease. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, often goes unnoticed but if left untreated can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Studies… Continue reading A New Factor in Hypertension
Banning Trans Fats Lessens Incidence of Heart Disease
People living in areas that restrict trans fats had fewer hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke compared to residents in areas without restrictions, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine and Yale School of Medicine. The findings were published in JAMA Cardiology. “The results are impressive, given that… Continue reading Banning Trans Fats Lessens Incidence of Heart Disease
6 Things I Learned from My Hollywood Heart Attack
Few life experiences described as ‘unremarkable’ merit high approval. A doctor’s appointment that concludes with ‘unremarkable’ in your medical chart is one. A seamless, multi-stop transatlantic airline flight is another. I had just landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport after one such unremarkable flight, my husband of 36 years beside me. I felt rested and energized, and mused… Continue reading 6 Things I Learned from My Hollywood Heart Attack
Potassium May Help Reduce Hypertension
Eating potassium-rich foods like avocados, sweet potatoes, spinach, beans, bananas — and even coffee — could be key to lowering blood pressure, according to new research. “Decreasing sodium intake is a well-established way to lower blood pressure,” said Alicia McDonough, PhD, professor of cell and neurobiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “But… Continue reading Potassium May Help Reduce Hypertension
Many People Don’t Know How to Manage High Cholesterol
Although there is a great deal of publicity about high cholesterol, people who have it often aren’t sure how to manage their condition – even though they know they should. That conclusion comes from a new survey by the American Heart Association (AHA). The survey was conducted as part of Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol™, the association’s new initiative… Continue reading Many People Don’t Know How to Manage High Cholesterol
Good Communication Improves Outcomes for Heart Patients
Patients with hardened arteries who reported good communication with their healthcare providers were less likely to use the emergency room and more likely to comply with their treatment plans, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2017 in April in Arlington, Virginina. A release… Continue reading Good Communication Improves Outcomes for Heart Patients
Automated Blood Pressure Monitoring Reduces Over-Treatment
Previous research suggests as many as one-third of patients who are hypertensive in a clinical setting have white-coat hypertension, a phenomenon in which patients exhibit a blood pressure level above the normal range in a clinical setting but not in other settings, often leading to overtreatment. In research done in 2017 in the Netherlands, researchers… Continue reading Automated Blood Pressure Monitoring Reduces Over-Treatment
New Treatment Target for Blood Pressure
New, more effective treatments for high blood pressure could be possible thanks to the discovery that the nitric oxide that regulates blood pressure is formed in nerves rather than in the walls of blood vessels. The surprising findings, published March 6th 2017 in the journal Hypertension, by researchers at King’s College London follows a world-first… Continue reading New Treatment Target for Blood Pressure
Trainer Bob Harper Had a Heart Attack: Does This Mean We’re All Doomed?
When a fitness guru suffers from a heart attack, where does that leave the rest of us? That’s what Bob Harper’s heart attack, just a few weeks ago, is leaving many people wondering. You may know Bob Harper, 51, as star trainer turned host from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” He has authored several weight loss… Continue reading Trainer Bob Harper Had a Heart Attack: Does This Mean We’re All Doomed?
Pacemakers and Appliances: Caution Advised
Ordinary household appliances and electrical tools can interfere with pacemakers if the devices are used very close to the body, according to new research. The finding was published in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Circulation. The researchers said that the danger comes from electric and magnetic fields (EMF) generated by the appliances and tools.… Continue reading Pacemakers and Appliances: Caution Advised
What You Should Know About Statins
Experts from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share the latest about cholesterol-lowing drugs: You go to the gym faithfully and try to watch your diet. But after your annual physical, you find out that your blood cholesterol is surprisingly high. Your doctor calls you back to discuss taking a medication known as a… Continue reading What You Should Know About Statins
Seven Ways to Modify Heart-Disease Risk
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease is the number one killer of women, causing one in three deaths per year. Yet many cases could be prevented by improving a number of factors the AHA calls Life’s Simple 7. Here, from the AHA experts, is an outline of what these factors are and… Continue reading Seven Ways to Modify Heart-Disease Risk