Short-Term Heart Disease Risks Of Combination Menopausal Hormone Therapy Confirmed By WHI Data
New analyses from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) confirm that combination hormone therapy increases the risk of heart disease in healthy postmenopausal women. Researchers report a trend toward an increased risk of heart disease during the first two years of hormone therapy among women who began therapy within 10 years of menopause, and a more marked elevation of risk among women who began hormone therapy more than 10 years after menopause. Analyses indicate that overall a woman's risk of heart disease more than doubles within the first two years of taking combination HT.
High Levels Of Vitamin D In Older People Can Reduce Heart Disease And Diabetes
Middle aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%, according to researchers at the University of Warwick. A team of researchers at Warwick Medical School carried out a systematic literature review of studies examining vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders. Cardiometabolic disorders include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods and is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis.
Experts Identify Why Women And African Americans Face A Greater Risk Of Dying From Heart Disease Than White Men And What Can Be Done About It
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) announced an educational event for the public highlighting the gender and racial disparities in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The "Know What Counts" educational program titled, "The Path to Health Care Equity: Identifying and Solving Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Health Care in the New Century, " will feature a distinguished physician panel, along with a keynote address by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin.
Significant Hazards Discovered In New Research On Secondhand Smoke
New research by the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center (OTRC) shows that concentrations of secondhand tobacco smoke inhaled in smoking rooms of restaurants and bars are exceptionally high and hazardous to health. According to the study, which appears in the center's new report "Tobacco Smoke Pollution in Oklahoma Workplaces, " the average particulate level measured in restaurant smoking rooms was beyond the hazardous extreme based on levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Use Of Multiple Genetic Markers Not Associated With Improved Ability To Predict Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease In Women
Creation of a genetic risk score comprised of multiple genetic markers associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) was not associated with significant improvement in CVD risk prediction in a study that included more than 19, 000 women, according to a study in the February 17 issue of JAMA. "Risk prediction is a central part of cardiovascular disease prevention and refining prediction strategies remains important for targeting treatment recommendations. One area of potential improvement has been the discovery of genetic markers for cardiovascular disease as well as intermediate phenotypes [physical manifestations] such as cholesterol and blood pressure.
Heart Failure Worse When Right Ventricle Goes Bad
New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) suggests that the ability of right side of the heart to pump blood may be an indication of the risk of death to heart-failure patients whose condition is caused by low function by the left side of their heart. The ability of the two chambers of the heart, the left and right ventricles, to pump blood is described as ejection fraction. Healthy individuals typically have ejection fractions between 50 and 65 percent in both chambers. In findings reported in January in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, researchers at UAB say that low right-ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) increased the risk of death in patients with systolic heart failure - heart failure associated with low left-ventricular ejection fraction.
Three Year Partnership Between Go Red For Women And Dona Bertarelli's Ladycat Enables Campaign To Grow By 56
The three year partnership between Dona Bertarelli, her Decision 35 catamaran Ladycat (SUI10) and Go Red for Women, the international campaign of the World Heart Federation to raise public awareness of heart disease and stroke in women, ended successfully in December 2009. "Thanks to Dona Bertarelli's support, the campaign has taken off in 47 countries, from 30 when the partnership began, increasing awareness among women of the need to look after their heart health and creating real momentum.
Immediate Risk Of Suicide And Cardiovascular Death After A Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
Being diagnosed with prostate cancer may increase a man's risk of suicide or cardiovascular death, especially right after diagnosis, according to a new study published online February 2 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. To study the risks men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States face, Fang Fang, M.D., of the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, and colleagues used data from over 340, 000 prostate cancer patients listed in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 1979 and 2004 and from the general population.
Tiny Constraints In Heart Blood Flow: A Better Sign Of Blood Vessel Narrowing And Early Coronary Artery Disease
Cardiologists and heart imaging specialists at 15 medical centers in eight countries, and led by researchers at Johns Hopkins, have enrolled the first dozen patients in a year-long investigation to learn whether the subtle squeezing of blood flow through the inner layers of the heart is better than traditional SPECT nuclear imaging tests and other diagnostic radiology procedures for accurately tracking the earliest signs of coronary artery clogs. Each year, nearly 800, 000 American men and women with coronary artery disease suffer a heart attack, resulting in more than 150, 000 deaths.
Mediterranean Diet: Ingredients For A Heart-Healthy Eating Approach
In countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, heart disease is less common than in the United States. Researchers believe that foods common to Greece and southern Italy are a major reason for this difference. The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource covers key components of the Mediterranean diet as well as reasons why this approach is beneficial to heart health. Key components include: Eating generous amounts of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. In most Mediterranean countries, fruits and vegetables are part of every meal.