Tag: heart

Have A Heart-Healthy Holiday

The joy of the winter holiday season is often marred for many, since research shows that more people die from heart attacks during the last week of December than at any other time of the year. The American Heart Association (AHA), the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health, says being aware… Continue reading Have A Heart-Healthy Holiday

Housework Can Be Healthy

Physical and mental activities, such as household chores, exercise, and visiting with family and friends, may help lower the risk of dementia, according to a new study published in the July 27, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at the effects of these activities, as well… Continue reading Housework Can Be Healthy

Is Aspirin Right for You?

A panel of medical professors has issued a final recommendation on taking aspirin as a preventive measure against heart attack or stroke, saying the drug should not be automatically prescribed to certain groups of patients. The recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said that people aged 40 to 59 who are at higher… Continue reading Is Aspirin Right for You?

Protecting Your Heart from The Heat

With many areas of the country facing triple digit temperatures and summer heat and humidity elsewhere, experts from the American Heart Association (AHA), are urging people to take extra steps to protect their hearts. Precautions are especially important for older adults and individuals with high blood pressure, obesity or a history of heart disease and… Continue reading Protecting Your Heart from The Heat

Exercise and Heart Health

A common congenital heart defect may reduce your ability to exercise especially as you grow older, regardless of whether it was corrected with surgery or previously deemed too small for treatment, according to research published in September 2020 in the Journal of the American Heart Association (AHA),  an open access journal of the American Heart… Continue reading Exercise and Heart Health

COVID-19 and Heart Health

As hospitals, health professionals and healthcare systems, governments and leaders work to reduce community spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and protect the most vulnerable individuals, the American Heart Association (AHA) is offering further tips for heart attack and stroke survivors on preventing a second event in the midst of a pandemic. Reducing risk… Continue reading COVID-19 and Heart Health

Heart Attack Risk and Exercise

Invasive procedures such as bypass surgery and stenting—commonly used to treat blocked arteries—are no better at reducing the risk for heart attack and death in patients with stable ischemic heart disease than medication and lifestyle changes alone. However, such procedures offer better symptom relief and quality of life for some patients with chest pain, according… Continue reading Heart Attack Risk and Exercise

E-Cigarettes Cause the Same Kind of Damage to Arteries as Traditional Cigarettes

Using e-cigarettes damages the arteries and blood vessel function in the same way that smoking traditional cigarettes does, according to new research. The study was published in April in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association, and funded through the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science of… Continue reading E-Cigarettes Cause the Same Kind of Damage to Arteries as Traditional Cigarettes

Poor Sleep Patterns and High Blood Pressure

A bad night’s sleep may result in a spike in blood pressure that night and the following day, according to new research. The link between poor sleep and cardiovascular health problems is increasingly being documented, but the reason for the relationship is less understoodl The study, led by the University of Arizona, will be published… Continue reading Poor Sleep Patterns and High Blood Pressure

Lower Blood Pressure Isn’t Always Good

You’ve probably heard of “white-coat hypertension,” the phenomenon of having a higher blood pressure reading in the doctor’s office when compared to the same patient’s reading outside the clinic. Now there’s another type of distorted reading that’s exactly the opposite. Investigators say that approximately 20 to 30 percent of adults in the United States may… Continue reading Lower Blood Pressure Isn’t Always Good

Marathon Runners and Heart Problems

If you’re just a weekend runner, better think twice about signing up for that grueling race. Researchers say that full marathons (26.2 miles) may significantly raise concentrations of several biomarkers of stress in the heart. The study appeared in Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association. The strain on the heart muscle is much greater… Continue reading Marathon Runners and Heart Problems

Researchers Compare Lifetime Fitness Levels of Identical Twins

With fitness, which is more important: genetics or lifestyle, nature or nurture? Researchers at San Francisco State University, CSU Fullerton and Cal Poly, Pomona removed the nature part of the equation by studying a pair of identical 52-year-old twins who had taken radically different fitness paths over three decades. “One of the twins became a… Continue reading Researchers Compare Lifetime Fitness Levels of Identical Twins

Cash and Goal Setting Help Motivate Heart Patients to Take Healthy Steps

The thought of losing up to $14 a week along with personalized goal setting may have motivated ischemic heart disease patients to increase their exercise, according to a new clinical trial published in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Ischemic heart disease is the… Continue reading Cash and Goal Setting Help Motivate Heart Patients to Take Healthy Steps

Tai Chi: An Alternative for Patients After Heart Attack

An update from the American Heart Association on an alternative exercise for people who might not like physical activity: The slow and gentle movements of Tai Chi hold promise as an alternative exercise option for patients who decline traditional cardiac rehabilitation, according to preliminary research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access… Continue reading Tai Chi: An Alternative for Patients After Heart Attack

Eat Up: Skipping Breakfast Can Cause Hardening of The Arteries

Skipping breakfast is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis, or the hardening and narrowing of arteries due to a build-up of plaque, according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Eating a healthy breakfast has been shown to promote greater heart health, including healthier weight and cholesterol. While previous… Continue reading Eat Up: Skipping Breakfast Can Cause Hardening of The Arteries

Adults without Partners Monitor Blood Pressure Less Frequently

Having a lower education level and no partner is associated with a lower frequency of home blood pressure monitoring, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension 2017 Scientific Sessions. Researchers assessed the data of 6,113 U.S. adults from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They found:… Continue reading Adults without Partners Monitor Blood Pressure Less Frequently

Miniature Human Heart Created from Rat Heart

Creating a miniature human heart from an animal model sounds like futuristic science fiction, but it’s already been done. According to a release from the American Heart Association, a miniature human heart created by introducing human cells into the matrix of a whole rat heart may make it easier to confirm basic science findings and… Continue reading Miniature Human Heart Created from Rat Heart