Exercise may be the best way to keep hearts healthy – and it works even for people with a genetic predisposition for heart disease, according to new findings in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation. Data assessed from roughly a half-million people in the UK Biobank database showed that greater grip strength, more physical activity… Continue reading When Heart Disease Runs in The Family, Exercise May Be The Best Defense
Tag: heart disease
African-Americans Have More Exposure than Whites to Air Pollutants Raising Risk of Heart Disease, Death
African-Americans often have higher exposure to air pollution than whites, which may partially explain their higher risk heart disease and death compared to whites, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal. Exposure to air pollution is associated with elevated blood sugar levels, poorly functioning blood vessels,… Continue reading African-Americans Have More Exposure than Whites to Air Pollutants Raising Risk of Heart Disease, Death
Heart Disease and Disability
Older adults who have a healthy heart may lower their risk of disability, according to new research. The American Heart Association (AHA) defines “ideal cardiovascular health” based on four health behaviors (current smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and healthy diet) and three health factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure), and fasting blood glucose level). Recently,… Continue reading Heart Disease and Disability
New Guidelines Expand Definition of High Blood Pressure
Experts are resetting the numbers indicating high blood pressure, and that means that 46 percent of U.S. adults now are identified as having the condition, compared with 32 percent under the previous definition. Those guidelines, released Monday, Nov. 14, by the American Heart Association (AHA), also redefine the condition and provide tactics for doctors to… Continue reading New Guidelines Expand Definition of High Blood Pressure
Statin Use Linked to Diabetes Risk
Long term use of statins to lower blood fats and stave off cardiovascular disease is associated with a 30 per cent heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes in susceptible individuals, according to a large study published in the online journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. The researchers based their findings on 3,234 participants… Continue reading Statin Use Linked to Diabetes Risk
Meditation Might Be Useful Addition to Heart-Healthy Lifestyle and Medical Treatment
Meditation has the potential to reduce some risk factors for heart disease, but the gold standard for lowering risk remains a heart-healthy lifestyle and following medical recommendations, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Studies have shown that meditation can have long-term effects on the brain and how it works, and… Continue reading Meditation Might Be Useful Addition to Heart-Healthy Lifestyle and Medical Treatment
Obese but Healthy? Not Really
Extra weight can raise the risk of heart attack by more than 25 percent, researchers have found, even if a person is healthy otherwise, with good blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that suggests being ‘fat but fit’ is a myth, and that people should… Continue reading Obese but Healthy? Not Really
Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Risk of Weight Gain, Heart Disease, and Other Health Issues
Artificial sweeteners may be associated with long-term weight gain and increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, according to a study published in July 2017 in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Manitoba’s George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation and… Continue reading Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Risk of Weight Gain, Heart Disease, and Other Health Issues
Opioids Linked to Heart Disease in Older COPD Patients
Older COPD patients who have recently started using opioids have an increased risk of coronary artery disease-related death when compared to COPD patients who don’t use opioids. That conclusion was reached by researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital, in Toronto. According to a news release from the hospital, the study found that among these patients, new… Continue reading Opioids Linked to Heart Disease in Older COPD Patients
Good News: Study Casts Doubt on Link Between Atopic Dermatitis & Cardiovascular Disease
For the roughly 7% of adults who live with atopic dermatitis, a common form of eczema, a study done at Brown University and published in June 2017 in British Journal of Dermatology, reports a little good news: Despite recent findings to the contrary, the skin condition is likely not associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk… Continue reading Good News: Study Casts Doubt on Link Between Atopic Dermatitis & Cardiovascular Disease
Update: Heart Disease and Women
Here, an update from the American Heart Association (AHA), an update on the progress made against heart disease in women, and what still needs to be done: From American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown and co-author of the study “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs Regarding Cardiovascular Disease in Women” published in the Journal of the American… Continue reading Update: Heart Disease and Women
A New View of Diabetes Management
Heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide and exacerbated by type 2 diabetes, yet diabetes treatment regimens tend to focus primarily on blood sugar maintenance. Researchers now say that this usual approach to type 2 diabetes management can cause patients to be at risk for heart attack and stroke. Results from four recent… Continue reading A New View of Diabetes Management
Traditional Chinese Medicine May Benefit Some Heart Disease Patients
Traditional Chinese medicine might be effective as a complement or alternative to traditional Western medicine for primary and secondary prevention of heart disease, according to a state of the art review paper published June 12th 2017 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. A release from the publisher notes that heart disease is… Continue reading Traditional Chinese Medicine May Benefit Some Heart Disease Patients
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
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
Best Heart-Healthy Food Choices
Experts affiliated with the nonprofit Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) have recommended whole food, plant-based eating patterns for optimal heart health. The recommendation, by PCRM president and founder Neal Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C., was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Twelve co-authors worked with Barnard on the article “Trending Cardiovascular Nutrition… Continue reading Best Heart-Healthy Food Choices
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
Loneliness and Serious Illness
Loneliness and social isolation take a substantial toll on the human body, researchers say, in some frightening ways. But they are beginning to find out exactly why that is. Studies show that people who are chronically lonely have significantly more heart disease, are more vulnerable to metastatic cancer, have an increased risk of stroke and… Continue reading Loneliness and Serious Illness