Cardiovascular Health

    Heart disease is the top killer of Americans and experts say there is no doubt that high cholesterol plays a big part. Cholesterol-lowering drugs or statins are “game-changers” for many patients, but for millions of Americans and their doctors it may be tough to decide whether to statin, or not. Erin O’Connell Peiffer walks a lot and watches her weight. … [Read more...]

When someone suffers a stroke, time is critical. For every few minutes that blood and oxygen are blocked, portions of the brain suffer irreversible damage. Now, a technique designed to remove clots from large vessels in the brain may be highly effective in reducing stroke’s life-altering side effects. Patrick Mitchell is an actor and director with a community theater in … [Read more...]

Stroke is very rare in children, but colds, flu and other minor infections may temporarily increase stroke risk in children, according to a study published in the September 30, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found routine childhood vaccines may decrease the risk of stroke. "Parents should be … [Read more...]

Scientists have evidence that Popeye was right: Spinach makes you stronger. But it's the high nitrate content in the leafy greens -- not the iron -- that creates the effect. Building on a growing body of work that suggests dietary nitrate improves muscle performance in many elite athletes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that drinking … [Read more...]

Adolescents who perform just eight to ten minutes of high-intensity interval exercise three times a week could be significantly reducing their risk of developing heart conditions, new research has concluded. Even apparently healthy teenagers showed significant improvements in markers which are indicators of cardiovascular health, according to research by the University of … [Read more...]

Midday naps are associated with reduced blood pressure levels and prescription of fewer antihypertensive medications, according to research presented at ESC Congress today by Dr Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion Voula General Hospital in Athens, Greece. "Although William Blake affirms that it is better to think in the morning, act at noon, eat in the … [Read more...]

Women who drink beer at most once or twice per week run a 30 per cent lower risk of heart attack, compared with both heavy drinkers and women who never drink beer. These are the findings of a Swedish study which has followed 1,500 women over a period of almost 50 years. In the study, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have followed a … [Read more...]

People who sleep fewer than 6 hours or more than 10 hours per night suffer from low-grade inflammation more often than people who sleep 7-8 hours per night. This was observed in a University of Eastern Finland study focusing on the health and lifestyle habits among middle-aged men. "Earlier studies have found a relation between reduced sleep and low-grade inflammation," says … [Read more...]

New research shows that medications which have raised safety concerns over heart attack and stroke risks may not have gotten approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) if the cardiovascular effects of fluid retention had been better understood. Fluid retention may explain the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes of medications such as Vioxx®, Bextra®, and … [Read more...]

For better cardiovascular health, check your gut. Bacteria living in your gut may impact your weight, fat and good cholesterol levels, factors necessary to help maintain a healthy heart, according to new research in Circulation Research, an American Heart Association journal. "Our study provides new evidence that microbes in the gut are strongly linked to the blood level of … [Read more...]

Are you getting enough quality sleep? Are you sleeping longer than you should? Poor sleep habits may put you at higher risk for early signs of heart disease when compared to those who get adequate, good quality sleep, according to a study published in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. "Inadequate sleep is a common … [Read more...]

Digoxin, a medication used in the treatment of heart failure, may be adaptable for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive, paralyzing disease, suggests new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, destroys the nerve cells that control muscles. This leads to loss of mobility, … [Read more...]

3D printing is used to make car parts, phone cases, and even fashion accessories. The process is also being used successfully in medicine. Now, 3D printing is making heart surgery safer for a growing number of pediatric patients. Three weeks after open heart surgery, Mia Gonzalez was living it up on the playground and the dance stage. At home she holds a plastic replica of … [Read more...]

Blood pressure is effectively lowered by mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for patients with borderline high blood pressure or "prehypertension," according to new research. The finding is reported in the October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. The journal is published by … [Read more...]

Strategies to prevent heart attack, stroke and other major cardiac events should be individualized for older adults who should play a role in choosing their therapies, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in its journal Circulation. The statement is a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of medical and lifestyle interventions … [Read more...]

Riding a couple roller coasters at an amusement park appears to have triggered an unusual stroke in a 4-year-old boy, according to a report in the journal Pediatric Neurology. The sudden acceleration, deceleration and rotational forces on the head and neck likely caused a tear in the boy's carotid artery. This tear, called a dissection, led to formation of a blood clot that … [Read more...]

Congenital heart experts from Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital have successfully integrated two common imaging techniques to produce a three-dimensional anatomic model of a patient's heart. The 3D model printing of patients' hearts has become more common in recent years as part of an emerging, experimental field devoted to enhanced visualization of individual … [Read more...]

Atrial fibrillation, or Afib, affects more than one million Americans. It’s the most common form of heart arrhythmia and can greatly increase the risk of stroke. Now, doctors are using a minimally invasive procedure known as the “ring and sling” to treat the heart. Bob Hundevadt is a man on the move. As director of security for the Miami Heat, he covers a lot of ground. But … [Read more...]

Amyloid build-up is commonly talked about in relation to Alzheimer's disease, but amyloidosis can be found throughout the body. An excessive accumulation of these insoluble proteins could cause a heart attack or even death. A new molecular imaging scan of amyloid in the heart could help diagnose the problem, say researchers at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear … [Read more...]

An emergency room rapid response plan for children can help diagnose stroke symptoms quickly, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. "Just as there are rapid response processes for adults with a possible stroke, there should be a rapid response process for children with a possible stroke that includes expedited evaluation and imaging or … [Read more...]

Drinking tea reduces non-cardiovascular mortality by 24%, reveals a study in 13,000 people presented at ESC Congress by Professor Nicolas Danchin from France. Professor Danchin said: "If you have to choose between tea or coffee it's probably better to drink tea. Coffee and tea are important components of our way of life. Their effects on cardiovascular (CV) health have been … [Read more...]

Chelation is a treatment doctors have used for years to remove certain toxins from the body, most often when someone suffers accidental lead poisoning, but for any other treatment, most traditional doctors thought it was a scam or called it “quackery”. A decade long study has now convinced the conventional cardiologist who led it to reconsider chelation for heart … [Read more...]

Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, professor of medicine, cell biology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has led a study with international collaborators identifying the mechanism by which patients with various autoimmune and connective tissue disorders may be at risk for life-threatening cardiac events if they take certain anti-histamine or anti-depressant … [Read more...]

Cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. Evidence suggests that elevated levels of triglycerides (fats) in the blood after meals, known as postprandial lipemia (PPL), is associated with an increased risk for hardening of the arteries -- a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Numerous population studies have associated the Mediterranean lifestyle -- … [Read more...]

Young women with stable coronary heart disease are more likely than men to have reduced blood flow to the heart if they're under emotional stress, but not physical stress, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. Compared to men of the same age, when subjected to a mental stress test, women: age 55 and younger had three … [Read more...]

There is "promising evidence" that the popular mind-body practice of yoga is beneficial in managing and improving the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and is a "potentially effective therapy" for cardiovascular health. Indeed, following a systematic review of 37 randomised controlled trials (which included 2768 subjects), investigators from the Netherlands … [Read more...]