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Any type of physical exercise is good for the heart
Conclusion This study shows that all physical activity, in any form, is good for us. This includes both recreational and non-recreational activities. Don't be misled by some of the media: non-recreational activities like housework are not "better" than recreational activities like playing sports or going to the gym. The fact that reduced risk was seen with non-recreational activity across all countries, but only seen with recreational activity in high-income countries was probably just because fewer people in lower-income countries play sports or go to the gym. The researchers estimate that 8% of all deaths and...
Source: NHS News Feed - September 22, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Results of global fats and carbs study not very relevant for UK
Conclusion The results of the study have been presented in the media as if they overturn all current dietary guidelines. In the UK at least, that is completely misleading. The study results support the UK guidelines, having found that people who get around 50% of their calories from carbohydrates and 35% from fat, as recommended by Public Health England, were likely to live the longest. There are some limitations to the study, not least that observational studies cannot prove cause and effect. For example, the very low fat and high carbohydrate levels of diets found among some participants in the study might simply repres...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 30, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Source Type: news

'Exercise pill' could potentially help people with heart failure
Conclusion The protein hCT1 caused heart muscles to grow in a more healthy way in rodents with heart failure. When treatment stopped, the heart went back to its original condition – something that does not happen when the heart grows in a dysfunctional way. There is currently no cure for heart failure and treatment is only available for keeping symptoms under control. Therefore, this very promising early-stage research with potential for developing a drug for people with heart failure, has huge implications. However, it is important to remember that as this is experimental laboratory research, there are many more stage...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 9, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Long working week 'may increase risk of irregular heartbeat'
Conclusion This study draws together data from a large group of people to investigate whether working hours could be linked to AF. It found people who work 55 or more hours a week had an increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat. But before we jump to any conclusions, there are several important things to consider: The number of people who developed AF during this study was small: only 1.24%. That's the absolute risk of AF. Even if working more than 55 hours a week does increase your risk of AF by around 40%, it would only be increasing it to something like 1.74% – which is still very small. Only a small ...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 14, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Beta-blockers 'useless' for many heart attack patients, study reports
Conclusion This study aimed to see whether beta blockers reduce mortality in people who've had a heart attack but who don't have heart failure or systolic dysfunction. It found no difference between those who were and those who were not given beta-blockers on discharge from hospital. The authors say this adds to the evidence that routine prescription of beta blockers might not be needed for patients without heart failure following a heart attack. Current UK guidelines recommend all people who have had a heart attack take beta blockers for at least one year to reduce risk of recurrent events. Only people with heart failure ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 30, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Source Type: news

'Fat but fit' still at higher risk of heart disease
Conclusion The question of whether someone can be "fat but fit" has been much debated. If you're obese but exercise, eat well and don't have metabolic risk factors, the theory goes, you could be just as healthy as someone of recommended weight. This study suggests that may not be true. It is definitely worth adopting a healthy lifestyle, whatever your weight. The study found that, the more metabolic risk factors people had, the more likely they were to develop heart disease, cardiovascular disease and so on. Metabolic risk factors do make a difference. But in this large study, on average, people who were obese ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 17, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Obesity Source Type: news

Moderate drinking may reduce heart disease risk
Conclusion This study paints a more complicated picture than the "Pint a day keeps the doctor away" story proffered by The Sun. It seems to confirm the findings of other studies, which have shown that non-drinkers tend to have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases than people who drink moderately. It suggests that some cardiovascular diseases (mainly those directly affecting the heart) seem to have a stronger link to a possible protective effect from alcohol than other vascular diseases, such as mini-strokes and bleeding in the brain. However, this can't be concluded with certainty due to the study design. We ...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 23, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

A pattern of brain activity may link stress to heart attacks
Conclusion This intriguing study sets out a possible pathway by which the effects of stress on the brain could translate into inflammation in the blood vessels, and so raise the risks of cardiovascular disease. This would help to explain why people living in stressful situations, or with illnesses such as depression and anxiety, are more at risk of heart attacks and strokes. However, there are important limitations to the study which mean we should treat the findings with caution. The main study of 293 people was relatively small for a long-term study looking at cardiovascular disease, and only 22 people had a cardiovascul...
Source: NHS News Feed - January 12, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Mental health Source Type: news

'Dying of heartache?' Heart problems linked to bereavement
Conclusion The study found that people were more likely to have AF for the first time in the weeks immediately after a bereavement, but that this raised risk does not last. Despite the headlines, this does not mean that anyone who's had a bereavement is at immediate risk of "dying of a broken heart". Atrial fibrillation is treatable and not usually life-threatening. Because this was an observational study, we cannot rule out the possibility that factors such as family history of atrial fibrillation or lifestyle factors could have affected the results, although the researcher's conclusion that this is a small poss...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 6, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Mental health Source Type: news

Sugary drinks linked to increased heart failure risk in men
Conclusion This observational study found an association between the consumption of sweetened drinks and risk of heart failure. The study has some strengths, such as the large population size and long follow-up period. However, it has several limitations, which are acknowledged by the researchers. These include the following: The study included middle-aged and elderly men, so the results cannot be generalised to all age groups and genders. The men were all from Sweden, where there is a different typical diet to that of the UK. Researchers collected data on the daily and weekly intake of sweetened drinks in the pa...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 4, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

Overweight diabetics 'live longer' than slimmer diabetics
Conclusion This large prospective cohort following over 10,000 older adults with type 2 diabetes for 10 years has found that while being overweight or obese is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular events, being overweight is linked to reduced risk of death. This is similar to the "obesity paradox" seen in some other studies, where being overweight or obese is associated with a survival benefit in people with established cardiovascular disease. The researchers note that 16 other studies have assessed the same question and found conflicting results. Their study aimed to improve on the methods in these studies...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 11, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Food/diet Obesity Source Type: news

Does moderate boozing reduce heart failure risk?
Conclusion This study suggests drinking up to about 12 UK units a week is associated with a lower risk of heart failure in men compared with never drinking alcohol. There was a similar result for women, but the results were not as robust and did not rule out the possibility of there being no difference. The study benefits from its large size (more than 14,000 people) and the fact it collected its data prospectively over a long period of time. However, studying the impact of alcohol on outcomes is fraught with difficulty. These difficulties include people not being entirely sure what a "drink" or a "unit&q...
Source: NHS News Feed - January 21, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

Does moderate drinking reduce heart failure risk?
Conclusion This study suggests drinking up to about 12 UK units a week is associated with a lower risk of heart failure in men compared with never drinking alcohol. There was a similar result for women, but the results were not as robust and did not rule out the possibility of there being no difference. The study benefits from its large size (more than 14,000 people) and the fact it collected its data prospectively over a long period of time. However, studying the impact of alcohol on outcomes is fraught with difficulty. These difficulties include people not being entirely sure what a "drink" or a "unit&q...
Source: NHS News Feed - January 20, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

Viagra could double up as heart failure drug
ConclusionThis systematic review of 24 RCTs indicated PDE5is were more effective than placebos at improving specific measures of heart health and were broadly safe.PDE5is lower blood pressure, so these drugs are currently contraindicated or used with caution in people with cardiovascular disease, including those with low blood pressure and a history of stroke or heart attack, as the effects are unknown. However, various research studies have continued to investigate the possibility that these drugs could have a beneficial effect on heart function. This review has looked into their effect on cardiovascular outcomes further ...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 20, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Source Type: news

Air pollution linked to irregular heartbeat and lung blood clots
Conclusion This was a large national study that looked in detail at links between people's short-term exposure to air pollutants and national records on hospital admissions for heart attack, emergency admissions for all cardiovascular problems, and deaths from cardiovascular disease. The study had some limitations – for example, as the authors say, it did not include heart attacks that took place before hospital admission. It also used fixed monitoring sites, which may not accurately reflect personal exposure to air pollution.  For the public, the results of this study are probably confusing. That's because the resear...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 5, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

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