Category Archives: Heart Health

Anemia can lead to a false type 2 diabetes diagnosis, according to research. Anemia is a condition where there is fewer red blood cells found in the bloodstream than normal. This can be due to lack of iron which is necessary for red blood cells and can leave a person feeling low-energy, dizzy, low appetite, ...click here to read more

In a recent study, supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, scientists from Oregon State University, found that liver damage caused by the typical “Western diet” may be difficult to reverse. The study shows that while a diet with reduced fat, sugar and cholesterol helped the liver, it did ...click here to read more

In a current clinical study, scientists are exploring the possibility of Simvastatin (a cholesterol lowering drug) being an effective method of treatment for people with Parkinson’s disease. They hope this cholesterol-lowering drug could join the growing list of effective treatments available for treating Parkinson’s disease. The study, which will take place in 21 centres in ...click here to read more

There are many illnesses and conditions that can plague the heart: Heart failure, heart attack, angina, palpitations, heart disease and endocarditis. These are just some examples of heart health conditions that affect how the heart functions. Some heart conditions can even be fatal. Endocarditis, in particular, is a condition of the heart where an infection occurs within the ...click here to read more

Diet can play a large role when it comes to maintaining a healthy blood pressure. For starters salt has been shown to increase blood pressure. Fatty foods, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and processed foods all can raise blood pressure, but a new Harvard led study has revealed that sugary drinks, too, make the list of foods ...click here to read more

There are close to 24 million people in the United States suffering from COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder and now experts believe this lung disease increases the risk of cardiac death in those with atrial fibrillation. Research conducted through Ghent University Hospital in Belgium indicates that COPD is linked to cardiac issues, such as ...click here to read more

A new study has found that high blood sugar levels may increase the risk of heart attack complications. High blood sugar has been found to lead to stronger contractions of blood vessels along with researchers identified a protein responsible for these contractions. The findings could help improve current treatments for stroke and heart attack. A ...click here to read more

Women with early menopause have a lower risk of atrial fibrilliation (irregular heartbeat) as found by recent research. The study found that women who go through menopause earlier have a slightly lower risk of atrial fibrillation compared to women who experience menopause later in life. The study consisted of 18,000 middle-aged or older American women who ...click here to read more

For years, even decades, we have been told to cut out or minimize our salt intake. The reasoning behind the theory was that too much salt can lead to heart problems, especially if you have high blood pressure. Furthermore, we were consuming excessive amounts of salt everyday as part of our typical Western diet. Most ...click here to read more

Hemophilia B, or what some call Christmas disease, is a rare genetic blood disorders that some experts say could be treated by a new gene therapy. If someone has Christmas disease, his or her body produces little or no blood-clotting factor IX. This leads to spontaneous or prolonged bleeding. The less factor IX the body ...click here to read more

The holidays are supposed to be carefree, but in fact holiday stress can increase the risk of heart disease and other conditions, especially when it comes to women’s health. The holidays can bring unwelcome guests and a long list of demands, such as shopping, parties, cooking, baking, wrapping, cleaning and entertaining. It’s no wonder so ...click here to read more

The Mediterranean diet may prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The Mediterranean diet is a style of eating similar to that of people living in and around the Mediterranean. Unlike the typical Western diet, the Mediterranean diet focuses on high consumption of fruits and vegetables, the use of olive oil, minimal consumption of saturated ...click here to read more

Sjögren’s syndrome may raise the risk of heart attack, stroke and pulmonary hypertension, according to research. Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune inflammatory disease; the body’s immune system attacks the glands where fluid is excreted, like the tear or saliva glands. When this occurs the eyes are unable to produce tears, the mouth becomes very dry ...click here to read more

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) use in obstructive sleep apnea reduces atrial fibrillation recurrence. It has been observed that in patients with heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke, there is a high prevalence of sleep apnea – a sleep disorder where a person stops breathing for brief moments throughout the night. Although an evident ...click here to read more