Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Latest News on Heart Health

New discoveries are made every day. The field of heart research is no different. It can be difficult to follow what scientists discovered recently. Here we summarized the latest news on heart health.

1. People who survived heart attack are at risk for diabetes or prediabetes, according to Harvard researchers. A study of 8,300 Italians who had survived a heart attack revealed that after 3.5 years, almost two-thirds of them or 62% developed diabetes or prediabetes.

2. HDL, also called the "good" cholesterol, might have a bad side, according to researcher from the University of Washington in Seattle. They found that defective forms of HDL can increase the risk of a heart attack. However, overall the substance is beneficial.

3. First, scientists told us that high levels of vitamin E are no so good at preventing a heart attack. Late, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center said that failure of vitamin E to prevent heart attacks is because of underdosing.

4. The World Health Organisation announced a report suggesting that people can die from heart disease caused by prolonged exposure to excessive noise. British doctors discovered that 3 percent of fatal heart attacks and strokes were linked to noise pollution. Researchers at the University College London claim that levels exceeding 75 decibels can raise blood pressure to a large extent.

5. A new animal study showed that excessive exercise can worsen high blood pressure and progression to heart failure. The implications for humans are not yet clear, but the results warn against the potential damage too much exercise can do to persons with untreated high blood pressure.

6. Plant compounds - sterols and stanols - are very good at protecting human heart. They are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oils. If you adding 2g of either to your every day diet you can lower risk of heart disease by 20 percent within 14 days.

7. Some people with high blood pressure develop heart failure, while others don't. Scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis discovered that a lack of a protein called estrogen-related receptor alpha is responsible for this incident.

8. Antioxidants are playing an important role in the defense against heart disease. But, too much of reduced glutathione can contribute to the disease, according to University of Utah researchers. They showed that an overload of this antioxidant can cause heart failure.

9. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that consuming two to three daily cups of caffeinated drinks, including coffee, can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease by 31 percent.

10. Too much salt in your diet can lead to high blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The average American consumes 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams of salt each day. The American medical institutions recommend a limit of 1,500 mg to 2,400 mg a day.


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