Heparin Reduces Heart Attacks
Compared with those on placebos, giving heparin to people who have heart conditions like unstable angina and some forms of heart attack reduces the risk of having another heart attack, concluded a Cochrane Systematic Review.
However, heparin also increases the chance of suffering from minor bleeding. In each study the agents were given within 24 to 72 hours of the first symptoms, and were given for between two and eight days.
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April 17, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Attack | Leave a CommentStatins May Help Reduce Blood Pressure
The medications known as statins, typically prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels, may also modestly reduce blood pressure, according to a report in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Several previous studies have suggested that statins may have an effect on blood pressure, particularly in patients with hypertension (high blood pressure), according to background information in the article. Statins may activate compounds that widen blood vessels and improve their function.
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April 16, 2008 | Filed Under Blood Pressure | Leave a CommentDASH Diet Cuts Women’s Risk of Heart Disease
Women who ate foods recommended by the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) had a lower risk of heart disease and stroke than women whose diets were normal.
Healthy, middle-aged women who closely followed the DASH diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables and low in animal protein, considerably lowered their risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to a study.
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April 15, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Disease | Leave a CommentHeart Healthy Diet Should Include Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts included in a heart healthy diet reduced low-density cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and should be included among nuts with qualified health claims, according to researchers.
“We looked at macadamia nuts because they are not currently included in the health claim for tree nuts, while other tree nuts are currently recommended as part of a heart healthy diet,” says Dr. Amy E. Griel, a recent Penn State Ph.D. recipient in nutrition and now senior nutrition scientist at The Hershey Company. “Macadamia nuts have higher levels of monosaturated fats, like those found in olive oil compared with other tree nuts.”
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April 14, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Health | Leave a CommentModus Operandi of Heart Muscle Protein
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a protein called leiomodin (Lmod) promotes the assembly of an important heart muscle protein called actin. What’s more, Lmod directs the assembly of actin to form the pumping unit of the heart. The findings appear in this week’s issue of Science.“Very little was known about Lmod when we began this study,” says lead author Roberto Dominguez, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology.
“It appeared that this protein was present in muscle cells but this had not been demonstrated directly and nobody knew what it did,” explains Dominguez. “We compared the amino acid sequence of Lmod with the sequence of another protein called tropomodulin [Tmod] that was already known to bind actin filaments in muscle cells. We found that one part of Lmod was very similar to Tmod, but Lmod was a bigger protein than Tmod and contained unique features that made us suspect that it could assemble the actin filaments of the heart muscle. This is exactly what we found.”
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April 13, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Health | Leave a CommentExercise During Pregnancy has Cardiovascular Benefits
Studies have shown that exercise has a positive effect on mothers-to-be, and no detrimental impact on their developing offspring. A new study further extends the knowledge of research in this area and has found that not only do women benefit from exercise in pregnancy, but their fetuses do too.
These findings are contained in a new study entitled, Effects of Maternal Exercise on the Fetal Heart. It was conducted by Linda E. May of the Department of Anatomy, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB), Kansas City, MO; Kathleen F. Gustafson, Anda Popescu and Mihai Popescu of the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, KUMC, Kansas City, KS; and William B. Drake, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children’s Mercy Hospital/UMKC School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO. Dr. May will present her team’s findings at the 121st annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS; www.the-APS.org/press), part of the Experimental Biology 2008 scientific conference. Research support was provided by HBIC pilot Funds and KCUMB intramural grants.
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April 11, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Health | Leave a CommentPistachios are Good for the Heart
More good news for pistachio fans! According to new data unveiled this week at the Experimental Biology Conference in San Diego, snacking on pistachios has proved once again to have a positive impact on improving cardiovascular health by significantly reducing inflammation in the body, a prominent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor.
CVD remains the number one cause of death in the U.S., with millions more Americans currently living with the disease. A new study, led by researcher Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton from Penn State University’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, looked at the effects of pistachios on multiple CVD risk factors, some of which include cholesterol, blood pressure and the genetic expression of various genes related to inflammation. The study positively supports other recent studies that show a diet rich in pistachios packs a powerful nutrition punch.
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April 10, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Health | Leave a Comment6 Heart Health News
1. Apples can reduce the symptoms that can lead to heart disease
According to a new study, people who eat apples or applesauce or drink apple juice have a reduced risk for developing metabolic syndrome, a group of health problems that can be precursors to heart disease and diabetes.
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April 9, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Health | 2 CommentsTart Cherries Help Prevent Heart Disease
Eating lots of tart cherries on a daily basis may help protect against heart disease, according to a new animal study from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.
The study was presented at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting in San Diego, CA.
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April 8, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Disease | Leave a CommentMajor Advancement in Use of Stem Cells in Heart Disease
Researchers announced a major advancement in the treatment of heart disease.
Doctors at the Texas Heart Institute became the first in the world to directly inject (through a catheter) primitive adult stem cells into the heart of a heart attack victim.
The procedure involved a 65-year-old man who suffered a heart attack. Doctors plan to enroll 24 more patients.
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April 7, 2008 | Filed Under Heart Disease | Leave a Comment
