Beware of Stopping Low-Dose Aspirin Therapy
If your health care provider has advised low-dose aspirin therapy, don’t stop taking it without consulting him or her first. A 2017 study of 601,000 Swedes, published in Circulation, found that...
View ArticleEating Right for Healthy Eyes
There has been much interest in the role of nutrition in eye health, and hundreds of observational studies have linked various aspects of diet to various eye outcomes—but such studies can only suggest...
View ArticleWeight Gain Has Direct Effect on Heart
Gaining just a little weight over time can have direct adverse effects on the heart, according to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, which included 1,262 middle-aged adults in...
View ArticleCity Walking: Busy Streets vs. Parks
If you live in a city and walk for exercise, try to do it in a park rather than along busy streets where traffic-related air pollution is likely to be elevated.In a study in the Lancet in January...
View ArticleBad News for Occasional Smokers
Occasional smokers have a one-third higher mortality rate than never smokers, according to a Norwegian study in BMJ Open in December 2017. More than 7,000 people reported their smoking habits and were...
View ArticleAnemia: Much More Than Iron-Poor Blood
Remember those old Geritol commercials promising you an elixir for tired blood? With the promise of “twice the iron in a pound of calf’s liver,” you would no longer feel “tired, listless, and rundown.”...
View ArticleShould You Have Your Coronary Calcium Measured?
In January 2018, among the results of President Trump’s medical exam by the White House physician, it was reported that he was one pound shy of being obese, based on his body mass index, and had fairly...
View ArticleHow High Is Your Cardiovascular Risk?
Until five years ago, the decision to treat people with cholesterol-lowering drugs was based almost exclusively on their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. That changed with the guidelines from ACC/AHA in...
View ArticleCautions About Coronary Calcium Testing
If you are considering having your coronary artery calcium (CAC) measured to better assess your cardiovascular risk, you should know its downsides:Radiation. The CT scans produce radiation, albeit...
View ArticleWhy Nitric Oxide Is So Important
Until a few decades ago, researchers paid little attention to nitric oxide’s role in the body. It has long been known that we exhale tiny amounts of this chemical compound, and that it’s an air...
View ArticleHigh Blood Sugar Can Increase Cognitive Decline
Another reason to keep your blood sugar under control, whether or not you have diabetes: Elevated blood sugar can increase age-related cognitive decline. This was supported by a study in Diabetologia...
View ArticleMediterranean vs. Vegetarian Diets
An Italian study comparing a Mediterranean diet with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet for weight control and overall health was published in Circulation in February 2018. The Mediterranean diet focused on...
View ArticleYogurt Reduces Heart Attacks and Strokes
Yogurt may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with high blood pressure, according to an observational study of 74,000 nurses and other health professionals with hypertension,...
View ArticleCruciferous Veggies May Help Arteries
Eating a lot of vegetables—especially the cruciferous type—is associated with healthier carotid arteries among older women compared with those who eat fewer vegetables, new research has shown.In an...
View ArticleDon't Blow Off Shortness of Breath
Feeling breathless after a passionate kiss or during the heady rush of a roller-coaster ride can be thrilling. But when you regularly struggle to catch your breath after climbing a few stairs, or your...
View Article7 Tips to Help You Breathe More Easily
The American Thoracic Society suggests taking the following steps to help you control breathlessness once your doctor has diagnosed the underlying cause:1. Take your medication as prescribed....
View ArticleBlood Pressure: 6 Common Errors in Measuring It
We recently discussed the revised official guidelines for blood pressure, which lowered the cutoff for hypertension from 140/90 to 130/80—as well as the debate that ensued about this change. Often lost...
View ArticleCoffee, Caffeine, and Abnormal Heart Rhythms
Most people with abnormal heart rhythms (atrial fibrillation or ventricular arrhythmias) can safely consume coffee and other caffeinated beverages in moderation, despite the common concern that...
View Article3 Strikes Against Omega-3 Capsules
Recent studies may have put the kibosh on three common health claims made for fish oil (omega-3) supplements:1. No, for preventing age-related cognitive decline.It has been proposed that “fish is brain...
View Article13 Key Facts About Strokes
Here are things you may not know about strokes, some of which may save a life, according to the American Heart Association:1. 87 percent of strokes are ischemic, caused by a clot blocking an artery to...
View Article