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Source: Harvard Health Blog
Condition: Heart Disease
Management: Hospitals
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Total 15 results found since Jan 2013.
Understanding the heart attack gender gap
Imagine someone in the throes of a heart attack. If you pictured a man clutching his chest in agony, that’s understandable. At younger ages, men face a greater risk of heart disease than women. On average, a first heart attack — the most common manifestation of this prevalent disease — strikes men at age 65. For women, the average age of a first heart attack is 72.
However, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both genders. In fact, since 1984, more women have died of heart disease than men each year, although that is partly because women generally live longer than men.
So why do middl...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - April 15, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julie Corliss Tags: Health Heart Health Women's Health Source Type: news
The type of fat you eat matters!
By: JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, and Shari S. Bassuk, ScD
Contributing Editors, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
If you saw last month’s news headlines declaring that saturated fat is no longer deemed harmful to your heart, you may be (understandably!) confused. After all, for years, clinicians and scientists have recommended reducing saturated fat for heart health. Is it time to rethink this advice? Hardly. Here’s the deal.
The research that sparked the recent news splash was an analysis by Canadian researchers of up to a dozen long-term observational studies of diet that included a total of 90,000...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - September 22, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Contributing Editors Tags: Health Healthy Eating Fats saturated fats unsaturated fats Source Type: news
Studies support broader use of cholesterol-lowering statins
The latest guidelines used to determine who should take a cholesterol-lowering statin to prevent heart disease appear to be more accurate and cost-efficient than the previous guidelines. That’s according to two studies led by Harvard researchers, both published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
For many years, the main deciding factor in who needed to take a statin was the level of an individual’s harmful low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). Updated guidelines published in 2013 by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association moved away from LDL and ...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - July 16, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julie Corliss Tags: Drugs and Supplements cholesterol high cholesterol statins Source Type: news
Tight blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes linked to fewer heart attacks and strokes
Diabetes damages every part of the body, from the brain to the feet. High blood sugar, the hallmark of diabetes, wreaks havoc on blood vessels. It makes sense that keeping blood sugar under control should prevent diabetes-related damage — but how low to push blood sugar is an open question.
A study published in today’s issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) provides reassuring evidence that so-called tight blood sugar control is good for the heart and circulatory system.
“Tight blood sugar control represents a new age of diabetes care,” says Dr. David Nathan, professor of medicine at Harvar...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - June 4, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Urmila Parlikar Tags: Diabetes blood sugar blood sugar control Source Type: news
More than a stretch: Yoga’s benefits may extend to the heart
As a long-time yoga enthusiast, I’m always happy to hear about benefits newly attributed to this ancient practice. Doing yoga for a few hours each week helps me feel calmer and more balanced, both physically and mentally. Now, new research suggests that my habit also may be helping my heart.
A recent review of yoga and cardiovascular disease published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology indicates that yoga may help lower heart disease risk as much as conventional exercise, such as brisk walking.
As I write in the April issue of the Harvard Heart Letter, the studies in the review looked at different types...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - April 15, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julie Corliss Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Heart Health alternative therapy cardiovascular disease exercise yoga Source Type: news
Sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems
After shoveling for days, breaking up ice dams, and now shivering in this week’s frigid temperatures, I wouldn’t mind sitting in a sauna for a bit. A new report in JAMA Internal Medicine makes this pastime even more appealing: regularly spending time in a sauna may help keep the heart healthy and extend life.
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland tracked 2,300 middle-aged men for an average of 20 years. They categorized the men into three groups according to how often they used a sauna each week. The men spent an average of 14 minutes per visit baking in 175° F heat. Over the course of the study, ...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - February 25, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Beverly Merz Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Heart Health sauna Source Type: news
Nuts, seeds, beans are good steps toward a plant-based diet
A plant-based
diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy plant oils can help
men stay healthy and ward off heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and
other chronic conditions. Adding fresh fruits and vegetables is a no-brainer for
adopting a plant-based diet, but don't neglect nuts and seeds along with beans
and other legumes, recommends the December 2014 Harvard
Men's Health Watch.
Choosing the right portions is important, too. Nuts and
seeds are rich in vegetable oils, which pack nine calories per gram. That means
eating too many nuts and seeds in a day can deliver an overload of calories.
But it doesn'...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - November 24, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Treating gum disease may help the heart
Gum disease has long been linked to heart disease. New
research suggests that for people with both conditions, treating the gum
disease may lower their health care costs and the number of times they end up
in the hospital, reports the November 2014 Harvard
Heart Letter.
Gum disease begins when the sticky, bacteria-laden film
known as plaque builds up around your teeth. Daily tooth brushing and flossing
and regular cleanings by a dentist or hygienist can prevent and even reverse
gingivitis, the earliest form of gum disease (also called periodontal disease).
Left untreated, gingivitis can turn into gum disease. The gums pull...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - October 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
How to tame stubbornly high blood pressure
High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke
and heart disease. Dozens of medications and other therapies are available to
treat high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Yet many people can't
get their blood pressure under control even by taking multiple medications, reports
the September 2014 Harvard Heart Letter.
"When people have high blood pressure despite being on
three different medications, including a thiazide diuretic, they have what's
known as resistant hypertension," says Dr. Joshua Beckman, a cardiologist
at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Some people with resistant hypertension may...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - August 23, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Biomarkers aim to help predict heart disease risk
Wouldn't it be wonderful if a single blood test could gauge the heart's health? Medicine isn't quite yet at that point. But there are a few indicators that can signal where your cardiovascular health is headed and let you know whether you need to take action now to prevent a heart attack or stroke, according to the August 2014 Harvard Women's Health Watch.
Substances called biomarkers they reflect processes that are going on inside the body. "Biomarkers could be used both for predicting disease risk and for selecting those who would potentially benefit most from therapy," says Dr. Samia Mora, a cardiologist at Brigha...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - July 25, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Daily low-dose aspirin can prevent heart attack and stroke but is often misused
Aspirin is often hailed as a wonder drug, thanks to its ability to help stave off heart attacks and clot-caused strokes. But fewer than half of people who could benefit from a daily low-dose aspirin take it, while many others take it when they shouldn't, reports the January 2014 Harvard Heart Letter.
If you don't have heart disease, but do have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other risk factors for heart disease, don't automatically assume that taking aspirin every day is a good idea. "A lot of people take aspirin who really shouldn't," says Dr. Christopher Cannon, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and profe...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - December 20, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Better food choices for better heart health: simple substitutions improve the diet
It's easier to follow a heart-healthy diet than you think. All it takes are some simple changes in food choices, reports the October 2013 Harvard Heart Letter.
Wholesale changes aren't necessarily needed. Instead, small changes can make a big difference, says registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the department of nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
"The typical American diet contains a large proportion of unhealthy fats, too few fruits and vegetables, too much sugar and sodium, and too little fiber," she says. "This contributes to risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity."
The Harva...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - September 27, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Taking over the counter pain relievers safely
For aching joints or a throbbing head, millions of Americans turn to aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) every day. They are generally safe, but if not used carefully NSAIDs can have a dark side, according to the September 2013 Harvard Women's Health Watch.
NSAIDs are widely used because they perform double duty. “They not only relieve pain, but they reduce inflammation too,” says Dr. Lucy Chen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and attending physician in the anesthesia, critical care, and pain medicine department at Massachusetts General Hos...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - August 23, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Having "the talk" when heart disease runs in the family
When heart disease or stroke runs in a family, it's important to talk about it with children and other close family members. The conversation may be hard, but the payoff—better health for all—can be huge, according to the September 2013 Harvard Heart Letter.
"Knowing your family history is one of most powerful tools we have to guide how we take care of ourselves from a health perspective," says Dr. Paula A. Johnson, professor of cardiology at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Women's Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "This is a chance for your children to make changes that will have both...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - August 23, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
High blood pressure is a silent danger in older women
Millions of American women harbor a secret even they don't know they carry. It's high blood pressure, an often silent, symptomless condition that can damage blood vessels and overwork the heart, leaving women prey to heart disease, stroke, and premature death. The April 2013 Harvard Women's Health Watch looks at the reasons why so many women don't know their blood pressure and explains how the treatment of high blood pressure has changed.
A woman's risk of developing high blood pressure is extremely high if she lives long enough, says Dr. Deepak Bhatt, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Int...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - April 11, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
