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This year's top 10 advances in cardiovascular disease
Progress in the fight against heart
disease and stroke came on many fronts during 2014, from novel drugs and
procedures to improvements and newfound benefits from existing treatments. In
the December 2014 Harvard Heart Letter, Editor in Chief Dr. Deepak L. Bhatt selected
10 of the most important advances.
New drugs cut cholesterol
levels by half. A new class of drugs, given by injection just once or twice
a month, can slash harmful LDL cholesterol levels by about 50%. Studies are
under way to see if any of these experimental agents, called PCSK9 inhibitors,
prevent heart attacks or improve heart disease survival.
Replacing...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - November 24, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News 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 much alcohol is safe? It varies from one person to the next
A decent body of
research has made the phrases "consume alcohol in moderation" and
"good for the heart" go together like gin and tonic. But moderate
drinking may not be good for everyone, so a personalized approach is best,
reports the November 2014 Harvard Men's Health Watch.
"For some people, depending on what medications you are
taking and other factors, even light drinking might not be a good thing,"
says Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, associate professor of medicine at Harvard-affiliated
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "For other people, moderate drinking
could plausibly be beneficial." “Moderate” when applied...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - October 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Green tea compound may improve cancer drugs
Conclusion
This study developed a new way of packaging and carrying protein drugs by combining them with a green tea extract called Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), which itself may have anti-cancer properties.
They formed a complex between derivatives of EGCG and the protein cancer drug Herceptin. Tests in the laboratory and in mice indicated it might have better anti-cancer properties than non-complexed free Herceptin.
This is encouraging research and may lead to improvements in delivery mechanisms for protein drugs further down the line.
But this research remains at a very early stage of development. The results f...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 6, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Source Type: news
Check the pulse to track irregular heartbeats after a stroke
The rapid, irregular heartbeat known as atrial
fibrillation is a key cause of stroke. New research suggests that it's to blame
for more strokes than doctors realized, and that simply measuring the pulse could
help detect unrecognized atrial fibrillation and avert a second stroke, reports
the October 2014 Harvard Heart Letter.
Atrial fibrillation can come and go,
lasting from a few seconds to several days. Some people have distressing
symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, or chest pressure. For many others, atrial
fibrillation passes silently. Either way, blood can pool in the heart's upper
chambers, or atria. This stag...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - September 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Daily aspirin is good for some men, not others
For men who have had a heart attack, stroke, or other
problem related to clogged arteries, the benefits of taking aspirin outweigh
the risks. In this group, the benefits include preventing a first or repeat
heart attack or stroke or dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease. But in
otherwise healthy men, the balance of benefits and risks shifts, according to
the October 2014 Harvard
Men's Health Watch.
The best research to date shows that men who have not been
diagnosed with cardiovascular disease glean no overall benefit to taking
aspirin every day—including men at higher risk, like those with diabetes.
In other...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - September 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
Eating more than 5 a day 'brings no extra benefit'
Conclusion
This systematic review of cohort studies has found higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause, with an average reduction in risk of 5% for each additional serving per day.
There was a threshold observed at around five servings per day, after which the risk of death did not reduce further.
Greater fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, but higher consumption was not appreciably associated with death from cancer.
As many of the news stories point out, this threshold at around five servings ...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Food/diet 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
Take common-sense steps to stay safe this summer
When the mercury rises, heat can strain the limits of the body's cooling system. Its driving engine, the heart, takes on a heavier load in hot weather to keep body temperature within norms, reports the July 2014 issue of the Harvard Men's Health Watch.
For otherwise fit, active men, handling the heat requires no more than knowing their limits and drinking enough fluids. But what about men with heart conditions? "They are going to be more sensitive to the heat," says Dr. Joanne Foody, director of cardiovascular wellness services at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "They may just need to limit their activitie...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - June 27, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Stress 'causes damage to the heart,' study finds
Conclusion
This research investigates the widely held perceived wisdom that psychological stress is associated with coronary heart disease.
It found 29 medical residents working in a stressful intensive care unit setting had increased levels of white blood cells, which form part of the immune system. The researchers also found exposing mice to chronic stress similarly increased their levels of certain white blood cells.
When they examined the bone marrow of stressed mice, they found this increase in the number of white blood cells seemed to be mediated by an increase in the activity of hematopoietic stem cells, which prod...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 23, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Source Type: news
Fruits And Vegetables May Not Prevent Cancer
BOSTON (CBS) – Who hasn’t heard that eating a lot of fruits and vegetables can help you fend off cancer?
Dr. Walter Willett, a leading expert on nutrition and health at the Harvard School of Public Health, says your diet may play less of a role in cancer prevention as originally thought. “As better data have come along,” he says, “the benefits for cancer don’t look nearly as impressive.”
And fat doesn’t appear to be as bad as once thought for promoting cancer either. “There had been a strong belief that fat in our diet was the major cause of breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and oth...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - June 5, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: deanreddington Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Cancer Dr. Mallika Marshall Dr. Walter Willett Fruit Vegetables Source Type: news
Study: Too Much Or Too Little Sleep For Women Can Lead To Memory Loss
BOSTON (CBS) – How much or how little sleep you get may adversely affect your memory as you age, according to new research.
Dr. Elizabeth Devore of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School led the study, which looked at 15,000 women.
Researchers found that women who slept five or fewer hours or nine or more hours per day had worse memory.
Their findings suggest that getting an average amount of sleep, said to be about seven hours a day, may help maintain memory in later life.
“Women who reported longer and shorter sleep durations, so the extremes on both ends in mid-life and later life, had lower c...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - May 1, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: miketoole Tags: Health Heard On WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Local Syndicated Local Watch Listen Brigham and Women's Hospital CBS Boston Dr. Elizabeth Devore Dr. Mallika Marshall Harvard Medical School Sleep Study Source Type: news
Heart attack survivors 'gain from high-fibre diet'
Conclusion
This was a well-designed study. Although it was a cohort study and so cannot prove causation, attempts were made to analyse the results while taking multiple factors into account.
Its strengths include that it used data from a large number of people and measured dietary habits over the previous year, which may be a more accurate assessment than snap-shot 24-hour food questionnaires. However, there will still be room for bias in people's recall and estimates of portion size.
There were a few limitations to the study:
it was not able to take into account people who suffered from a heart attack and died before ...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news
