Heart Health
Die, diesel, die !
How quickly will we realise that health among vulnerable groups is really suffering from the effects of nitrogen dioxide on city-dwellers. This is as important as the smoking bans for those who already have lung or heart problems.
Air pollution linked to heart health, Beijing olympic study finds
Even a short fall in air pollution can improve heart health, a study undertaken during the Beijing Olympics has discovered.
Hot peppers help prevent heart problems
Chili peppers contain ingredients that can help keep the heart healthy in different ways. Capsaicinoids may help keep your heart healthy.
Mount Everest - A Living Laboratory
The rarified atmosphere and lack of oxygen at high altitudes on Mount Everest can produce symptoms in climbers that replicate heart disease, obesity and old age. A team from the Mayo Clinic will be monitoring the effects of this on nine climbers during an expedition in April/May this year.
Death of loved-one raises heart attack risk up to 21 times
The death of someone close increases the risk of a heart attack 21 times in the first 24-hours, say Boston scientists.
Working shifts linked to heart disease in women
According to a recent study, the risk of heart disease could increase in women who participate in shift work. The study, conducted by The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, tested two groups of women for early signs of heart disease: those who worked in shifts and those who did not.
Mammals' heart disease risk may be a quirk of evolution
Mammals have developed a uniquely efficient blood clotting mechanism, which probably offered a survival advantage. But that same advantage comes at a price: a higher risk of heart disease. The culprits are important components of mammalian blood known as platelets, which helped protect early mammals from injury.
The eyes have it - clues to heart disease found
Little raised patches of skin could be a vital tool in spotting heart disease according to new research from Denmark. Professor Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen at the University of Copenhagen led the research which found that yellow raised patches of skin around the eyelids (called xanthelasmata) are a good indicator of cardiac problems like heart attacks, stroke, thickening of the arteries and heart disease.
Moderate consumption of alcohol could be beneficial for women in later life
Research shows that one to two alcoholic drinks each day could have health benefits for middle-aged women. The study suggests that women who consumed small amounts of alcohol on a regular basis improved their chances of avoiding several major age-related ailments, including heart disease and diabetes.
Chocs away! Heart disease risk reduced by chocolate
Don't go mad, warn researchers who have found a reduced risk of cardiac disease in those who eat chocolate. Work must be done to reduce sugar and fat content in chocolate products say the Cambridge University team. The team looked at seven recent studies of the effect of chocolate on cardiometabolic disorders which included over 110,000 participants.
Arthritis sufferers at higher heart disease risk
A new study found that some drug treatments help to reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers developing associated heart problems. Inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis itself is one of the reasons for the increased risk of heart disease according to the new research but some treatments may help reduce that risk.
'Map-reading' for male mice falls foul of BPA
Bisphenol A (BPA) - a widely-used chemical that has been connected to health worries over cancer, heart disease, and hormone disruption - has left male deer-mice unable to find, or impress, the ladies. The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences adds credence to concerns that mothers and infants exposed to BPA in the womb may suffer from reproductive and behavioral knock-ons.
CT Scan could identify diabetics at high risk of death from heart disease
A simple CT test could predict early death in diabetics. Heart disease is twice as common in diabetics as it is in the general population. Diabetes Care, reports that a simple CT scan could identify those diabetics that are at greatest risk of early death due to heart disease.
3,500 year old mummy diagnosed with coronary disease
Horus Project confirms that heart disease is not a ailment of modern times. At the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging in Amsterdam this week, one of the biggest talking points was an Egyptian princess known as Ahmosa-Meryet-Amon, is now officially the first person in history to be diagnosed with coronary disease.
Eat well now, benefit for life, say scientists
A new study has found that a high-fibre diet in youth has a life-long beneficial effect on reducing the risk of heart disease. Scientists found that eating a high fibre diet when young and middle-aged can help protect from heart disease in later life. While eating well in old age may be acting too late to have beneficial effects the study found that those between 20 and 59-years-of-age with the highest fibre intake lowered their risk of cardiovascular for life.
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Recent News
Where are we going, as climate begins to dominate the years news? With Ukraine and Syria big on bad behaviour, the concentration needs to shift to the millions threatened by other events. As Lennon (and not Lenin) said, war is over, except it seems to hang on like an unwanted spectre. Global problems should now begin to occupy our collective thoughts.
Auto-Immune Deficiency Disease is very much an issue still although many, young and old, ignore it. Those who can afford to spend our health service cash on drugs survive well, but in Africa, the support for prevention or relief is almost nil.
While the world ponders climate change, Texas, which suffers badly from drought, has been trying to frack its way forward. It now seems these workers will have to return home and that oil is not the future. It has lasted over a century, but the oil executives are now grasping at straws, instead of embracing renewable or at least less polluting energies. New jobs will have to be found, but this is not the first time oil has gone bust!
Recent Blog Posts
Need to save money after the spending boom to end them all? Here are 2 sets of opinions on how to pull out the plugs at night at least.
When dolphins are 'rescued' in various countries, the car given seems to be ill-considered. We are simply looking at the success rate which is reported to be low, in most places. They could even end up in commercial aquarium shows, but they certainly rarely make it back to the sea.
What is killing bees? Chelsea has the answer here.
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