Oct

31

Whole Grains May Cut Heart Failure Risk

October 31, 2007 | Comments Off

Starting the day with whole-grain cereal may lower the risk of heart failure in the long run. A new study shows men who eat whole-grain breakfast cereal regularly are less likely to develop heart failure than those who eat it rarely or never. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to […]

Oct

31

Obesity ‘becoming a global problem’

October 31, 2007 | Comments Off

People are getting fatter in all parts of the world, with the possible exception of east Asia, doctors found in a one-day global snapshot of obesity. Overall, 24 per cent of men and 27 per cent of women seeing their doctors that day were obese, and another 30 per cent of men and 40 per […]

Oct

31

Sleep Deprivation Stirs Up Emotions

October 31, 2007 | Comments Off

Sleep deprivation may make it harder to keep your emotions in check. A new study shows that sleep deprivation is linked to a disconnect in the part of the brain responsible for keeping emotions under control, adding to the already long list of negative effects of lack of sleep on health. Researchers say the results […]

Oct

16

Why garlic is good for the heart

October 16, 2007 | Comments Off

Researchers have cracked the mystery of why eating garlic can help keep the heart healthy. The key is allicin, which is broken down into the foul-smelling sulphur compounds which taint breath. These compounds react with red blood cells and produce hydrogen sulphide which relaxes the blood vessels, and keeps blood flowing easily.

Oct

16

Acid Reflux: GERD Can Masquerade As Persistent Cough Or Even Chest Pain

October 16, 2007 | Comments Off

Many people may not realize that symptoms such as chronic cough or chest pain can be caused by acid reflux into the esophagus, because they do not experience classic heartburn symptoms or acid regurgitation. Two new studies presented at the 72nd ACG Annual Scientific Meeting highlight the little known connection between gastroesophageal reflux and seemingly […]

Oct

15

Expecting an afternoon nap can reduce blood pressure

October 15, 2007 | Comments Off

Where does the benefit lie in an afternoon nap" Is it in the nap itself–or in the anticipation of taking a snooze" Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that the time just before you fall asleep is where beneficial cardiovascular changes take place. This finding is part of a study entitled Acute Changes in […]

Oct

12

Blood pressure can predict heart failure

October 12, 2007 | Comments Off

Higher blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) in mid-life appear to increase the risk of heart failure in later life, according to findings published in the medical journal Hypertension. Ramachandran S Vasan, of Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues studied 3,362 subjects (57 per cent women) who attended routine examinations between 1969 and […]

Oct

12

Cholesterol drugs reduce risk of heart attack

October 12, 2007 | Comments Off

THE use of cholesterol-lowering drugs can reduce heart attacks by more than 25 per cent, researchers said yesterday. In the 1990s, a landmark Scottish study opened the door for patients worldwide to start taking the drugs - known as statins - to prevent heart problems. Now, follow-up research has found people using statins for five […]

Oct

12

How Stress Harms the Heart

October 12, 2007 | Comments Off

Researchers have long suspected that stress does the body harm, but bulletproof clinical evidence linking stress to heart attacks and other disease has been elusive — partly because stress is such a personal and variable thing. Only recently have such studies started to gather critical mass, and researchers have begun calling on clinicians to include […]

Oct

12

CT Scans of the Heart Come With Trade-Offs

October 12, 2007 | Comments Off

When my LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol rose alarmingly (and for no apparent reason), I tried changing my diet. When that didn’t work, the obvious answer was the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. But first, several people urged me to have a CT scan of my coronary arteries.

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