Category Archives: Heart Health

High resting heart rate and lower heart rate variation increases the risk of heart disease in older adults. Researcher Dr. Behnam Sabayan wrote, “It has been hypothesized that heart rate and heart rate variability are markers of frailty, an increased vulnerability to stressors and functional decline. However, the direct link between these two parameters and ...click here to read more

Did you know that there is a higher risk of heart attacks during the winter months, especially near the holidays? It’s sad but true. There is generally an influx of heart attacks between the months of November and March, and if you already have some cardiovascular factors, your risk can increase during this time. While ...click here to read more

A faster heart rate increases the risk of diabetes, according to research findings. The study was conducted over a four-year period involving 73,357 Chinese adults. Based on the researchers’ observations, faster heart rates were associated with poorer blood sugar outcomes. Senior author Xiang Gao explained, “In this study, we measured resting heart rate among about ...click here to read more

Atrial fibrillation patients doing yoga improved their quality of life and lowered their heart rate and blood pressure. Nurse and Ph.D. candidate Maria Wahlström explained, “Many patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) can’t live their lives as they want to – they refuse dinners with friends, concerts, and travelling – because they are afraid of ...click here to read more

People who suffer from high blood pressure and hypertension can have different challenges and, as it turns out, up to 40 percent suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Research seems to suggest that sleep apnea therapy may benefit those who live with high blood pressure. A study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine ...click here to read more

You may have heard that moderate alcohol consumption can benefit your heart, but did you know it can also work to improve HDL cholesterol, too? HDL is considered the good type of cholesterol that removes built-up plaque from the arteries, allowing for healthy blood flow. LDL cholesterol, on the other hand, clogs up the arteries, ...click here to read more

Heart recovery may be improved by resuming regular exercise soon after a heart attack. Simply restoring the blood flow to the oxygen-starved areas of the heart after a heart attack in not enough for the proper heart functioning. The heart changes structurally as the affected areas become thinner and scarred. As a result, heart attack ...click here to read more

Heart disease continues to be the number one cause of death in America, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. A new study has found that integrating a regular walking routine into your daily life is enough to help lower your risk of heart failure by improving cardiovascular risk factors. Researcher Pamela ...click here to read more

Modest increase in blood pressure among seniors has been linked to higher risk of heart failure and death. Recommended blood pressure readings for healthy people over 60 have been recently changed by the Joint National Committee (JNC) from 140/90 mm Hg to less than 150/90 mm Hg. The impact of these new guidelines on African ...click here to read more

Fibrosis in heart and kidneys increases with smoking, according to research findings. In addition, smoking can worsen already existing kidney disease. Fibrosis, which is scarring of organ tissue, can negatively impact the function of the affected organ. The researchers conducted their study on two groups of rats: One with normal kidney function and the other ...click here to read more

Physical activity improves psychological well-being and reduces the risk of heart attack in older adults. Lead author of the study Julia Boehm explained, “Researchers have long studied how physical activity can lead to improved mood and feelings of well-being, however, less well understood is whether being happy and optimistic might actually encourage a person to ...click here to read more

Resistance interval training lowers the risk of heart disease in seniors with type 2 diabetes. The researchers of the study wrote, “The endothelium plays a pivotal role regulating the many factors that determine vascular tone, tissue perfusion, coagulation and inflammation. Endothelial dysfunction is an early manifestation in many chronic diseases, including diabetes, and contributes to ...click here to read more

A heart murmur happens when the blood doesn’t flow through the valves as usual, so instead of the traditional “lub-dub” sound, the heart beat may sound more like swishing in different volumes, pitches, and durations. Dr. Nisha Chandra-Strobos, chief of cardiology and professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said, “Where does the ...click here to read more

Blood pressure in type 2 diabetics can be lowered with easy exercises. Coauthor of the study Bronwyn Kingwell explained, “It appears you don’t have to do very much. We saw some marked blood pressure reductions over trial days when people did the equivalent of walking to the water cooler or some simple body-weight movements on ...click here to read more