Heart Health – Page 18

New Blood Pressure Guidelines Could Save Lives and Money

Adhering to new hypertension guidelines could prevent thousands of heart attacks and deaths each year – without increasing health care costs, according to researchers. The investigators, from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Our findings clearly show that it would be worthwhile to significantly increase spending… Continue reading New Blood Pressure Guidelines Could Save Lives and Money

6 Heart-Healthy Habits for February, American Heart Month 

Despite decades of medical research and public campaigns to ease the problem, heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States and throughout the Western world.One of the problems driving heart disease is the messaging, says Robert Thompson, M.D., an integrative medicine specialist deemed by his peers to be in the top 5… Continue reading 6 Heart-Healthy Habits for February, American Heart Month 

Surprise! Cutting “Bad” Carbs Doesn’t Reduce Risk of Diabetes & Heart Disease

Research led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore resulted in unexpected findings about high carbohydrate foods that increase blood sugar, known as the glycemic index. The team looked at the glycemic index’s effect on cardiovascular disease and diabetes and found that low-glycemic diets did not improve insulin sensitivity… Continue reading Surprise! Cutting “Bad” Carbs Doesn’t Reduce Risk of Diabetes & Heart Disease

Herbs, Spices and Heart Disease

Spices and herbs may do more than add a flavorful touch to food – researchers say it’s possible that they may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Penn State nutritionists said that spices and herbs do that by improving triglyceride concentrations and other blood lipids. It’s well known that triglyceride levels rise after eating… Continue reading Herbs, Spices and Heart Disease

A New Understanding of Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Researchers appear to have found an improved way of diagnosing cardiovascular disease risk. An investigation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center focused on cholesterol efflux capacity (cholesterol efflux), which measures the risk of heart disease. It appears to be a better indicator of risk than standard HDL cholesterol measurements. The findings were published… Continue reading A New Understanding of Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Calcium Channel Blockers Don’t Up Breast Cancer Risk

Women who take calcium channel blockers, a common type of medication to control high blood pressure, are not at increased risk of developing breast cancer due to the drug, according to study done in November 2014 by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah. A release from the medical center explains… Continue reading Calcium Channel Blockers Don’t Up Breast Cancer Risk

4 Amazing Foods That Lower High Blood Pressure Naturally

Blood pressure, sometimes referred to as arterial blood pressure or hypertension, is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels. The blood pressure in your circulation is principally due to the pumping action of the heart as well as cell salt content. You can greatly reduce your risk for high… Continue reading 4 Amazing Foods That Lower High Blood Pressure Naturally

Life after Heart Attack and Stroke

Increasing numbers of people are surviving heart attacks and stroke, but they may suffer a sharper, decline in physical abilities than previously thought, according to a new study led by the University of Michigan. Many heart attack and stroke survivors required long-term assistance for activities such as dressing, bathing, grocery shopping and managing finances. Additionally,… Continue reading Life after Heart Attack and Stroke

A Genetic Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease

Researchers have discovered possible genetic links between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The two conditions have long been known to occur together and to have similar risk factors such as obesity, but this is the first time they’ve been linked at the level of genes, proteins, and fundamental physiology. The investigators, from Brown University,… Continue reading A Genetic Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease

Valve Replacement Is Often Low Risk for Older Patients

Patients who are 90 years or older and have a narrowed heart valve can safely be given a valve replacement, according to new research. The operation to do this, known as aortic valve replacement (AVR), has only a low risk of death, or a stroke during the procedure. In the study, four out of five… Continue reading Valve Replacement Is Often Low Risk for Older Patients

New Hope for Healing the Heart

Researchers from UCLA have discovered that cells that form scars in the heart can change into the kind of cells that help the heart to heal. The study focused on the scar-forming cells, known as fibroblasts, and their ability to transform into endothelial cells, which form blood vessels. That discovery could pave the way for… Continue reading New Hope for Healing the Heart

Fall Fruit and Vegetable Guide

With fall come brisk days, turning leaves – and a bounty of tempting, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Here, the experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offer tips on what fruits and veggies are best right now, and how to pick the best in the market: F R U I T… Continue reading Fall Fruit and Vegetable Guide

A New Tool to Detect Atrial Fibrillation

Thanks to a new technology, a web camera can distinguish whether someone is suffering atrial fibrillation, a potentially serious heart condition.

A project by researchers from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, showed that subtle changes in skin color can be used to detect the kind of uneven blood flow caused by atrial fibrillation. The technology was developed in a partnership between the university and Xerox.

The findings were published in the journal Heart Rhythm.

Drinking Tea Reduces Non-CV Mortality

Drinking tea reduces non-cardiovascular mortality by 24% according to a study of 131,000 people presented at European Society for Cardiology Congress in Barcelna on August 31st 2014 by Professor Nicolas Danchin from France.

Wine Doesn’t Protect Couch Potatoes from CVD

Evidence suggesting that mild to moderate consumption of wine protects against cardiovascular disease has been accumulating since the early 1990s. Now, however, researchers have shown that wine only protects against cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people who exercise. That was the finding of the In Vino Veritas (IVV) study presented at the European Society for Cardiology Congress in Barcelona on August 31st 2014 by Professor Milos Taborsky from the Czech Republic.

Mobile App for Emergency Cardiac Care

When dealing with acute cardiovascular diseases, instant access to the best recommendations can save lives. This fact led the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) of the European Society for Cardiology (ESC) to develop a user friendly interactive application that lets healthcare professionals have immediate access to diagnostics pathways on their mobile devices.

YouTube CPR Videos Not Reliable

If you want to learn CPR, better not trust a YouTube video to be your teacher. According to Turkish researchers, only a handful of CPR and basic life support (BLS) videos available on YouTube provide instructions that are consistent with recent health guidelines. The study was published in August 2014 in Emergency Medicine Australasia, the journal for the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM).

New Statin Guidelines an Improvement

New national guidelines can improve the way statin drugs are prescribed to patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, a Yale University study has found.
The research, published August 25th 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also showed the new guidelines produce only a modest increase in the number of patients being given the drugs.