heart disease

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US Life Expectancy Hits Record
US Life Expectancy Hits Record

US Life Expectancy Hits Record

Americans expected to live almost 78 years, but country still places 42nd

(Newser) - Americans can expect to live longer than ever before, according to figures out today, thanks to falling rates of deaths from heart disease, cancer, and stroke. In 2005, US life expectancy increased to almost 78 years, the country’s highest number ever—but only 42nd in the world. The news...

Employees Go Lean for Green
Employees Go Lean for Green

Employees Go Lean for Green

Forget the vegetables: people lose weight to fatten their wallets, study finds

(Newser) - A new study shows that paying people to lose weight works, a possible boon to employers and employees beset by the high costs of obesity. Researchers separated participants, who weren’t given a specific weight loss program, into three groups—two of which would be paid either $7 or $14...

American Kids' Blood Pressure Creeps Up

Obesity epidemic fallout foreshadows serious health troubles

(Newser) - The ranks of US children with dangerously high blood pressure and hypertension have been growing for 20 years, reversing a decades-long trend, says a new study that tracks the effects of youth obesity. Hypertension, which usually doesn't develop until patients are in their 30s or 40s, is a leading cause...

'Herbal' Sex Aids Were Viagra
'Herbal' Sex Aids Were Viagra

'Herbal' Sex Aids Were Viagra

Vigor-25 maker scammed $24 million

(Newser) - Federal officials yesterday arrested the maker of an "herbal," non-prescription sex supplement, Vigor-25, for lacing the pills with the active ingredient in Viagra, reports Newsday. More than 4 million of the surprisingly effective pills have been sold on the internet and at health food stores, with a label...

Heart Meds May Work Against Alzheimer's

Anti-cholesterol drugs appear to combat brain disease

(Newser) - The best medicine for Alzheimer's disease may be a heart drug, researchers say, and the discovery may shed light on the way the devastating disorder acts on the brain. Subjects taking popular statin-based cholesterol meds developed fewer protein deposits in their brains, reports Time, possibly confirming suspicions that Alzheimer’s...

We're Still Getting Fatter
We're Still Getting Fatter

We're Still Getting Fatter

Obesity epidemic continues to spread

(Newser) - Americans just keep getting fatter. Obesity rates were up in 31 states this year and declined in none, a new study by a health advocacy group finds. That brings the percentage of American adults who are either obese or overweight to 60%, Reuters reports, and the usual suspects are to...

Human Stem Cells Grow Heart Muscle
Human Stem Cells Grow Heart Muscle

Human Stem Cells Grow Heart Muscle

Rats' cardiac tissue regenerated, halting progress of disease

(Newser) - Researchers are using human embryonic stem cells to regrow heart muscle and actually stop the progression of heart failure in rats. Although stems cells injected into rat heart tissue had previously been shown to become muscle tissue, very few had survived. Now  a team from the University of Washington has...

Simple Technique Could Bypass Cardiac Arrest

Restricting arm blood circulation helps heart in surgery—and attacks, docs hope

(Newser) - A simple technique temporarily restricting the arm's blood supply before heart bypass surgery significantly improves the chances of a full recovery—and could one day be used to prevent cardiac arrest, reports the Guardian. The technique uses cycles of arm compressions with cuffs to remotely restrict  blood flow to the...

Some Laser Printers May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Office machines puff pollutants like smokers

(Newser) - Working near a laser printer might be as bad for you as second-hand smoke, according to a new study. Some major brands of printers emit particles of toner that can damage the lungs of people nearby—and even light concentrations can potentially cause heart and lung diseases.

Lifting That Glass Boosts Cancer Risk

Single large glass of wine a day ups colon cancer odds by 10%

(Newser) - What's a bloke to do? After the reassuring news that a glass of red wine a day helps fend off heart disease, now comes a British study that one large glass—or a pint of beer—increases the risk of colon cancer by 10%. ""The research shows quite...

Skipping Meds Can Be Deadly
Skipping Meds Can Be Deadly

Skipping Meds Can Be Deadly

Half of patients undermine health by skipping doses, quitting medication

(Newser) - Half of all patients with chronic illnesses don't take their medication as prescribed, says a new report, undermining their health and hastening their death. Patients with illnesses like heart disease and asthma often skip doses, misunderstand prescriptions or drop medication as soon as they feel better. The result is  more...

British Doc Prescribes Statins to All Men Over 50

Mass anti-cholesterol dosing proposed

(Newser) - All men aged 50 and over should forestall heart disease with daily doses of cholesterol-reducing statins,  a leading health figure in British government has proposed. The so-called “heart czar” acknowledged he might provoke “nanny state” accusations, but said the process of identifying at-risk men is  too cumbersome,...

Soda—Even Diet—Is Linked to Heart Risk

More than one a day increases metabolic syndrome

(Newser) - People who drink more than one soda a day—even diet soda—face an increased risk of heart trouble, a new study has found. Consumption of  soda was linked to metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms that  are risk factors for heart disease, in a new analysis of the 6,...

Obesity Ups Odds of Beating Heart Attack

Fat have more attacks, but are more likely to survive

(Newser) - Chew on this: While obese people are at much higher risk for having heart attacks, they also more likely than their thinner counterparts to survive them, the AP reports. Three years after their heart attacks, as many as 10% of healthy-weight patients had died compared to 3.6% of obese...

Sweet Tooth Bolsters Heart Health
Sweet Tooth Bolsters
Heart Health

Sweet Tooth Bolsters Heart Health

Even most tasty kinds of dark chocolate will lower blood pressure, study shows

(Newser) - More sweet news for chocoholics: Small doses of dark chocolate—even candy-aisle favorites like Dove or Hershey's—may reduce blood pressure by 2-3 points, new research shows. The study, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests commercial chocolate can provide some of the same benefits as...

10 Worst Hereditary Conditions
10 Worst Hereditary Conditions

10 Worst Hereditary Conditions

Heart disease? Hair loss? Blame mom and pop

(Newser) - MSNBC lists the 10 lamest heredity conditions.
  1. Baldness: People usually blame mom on this one, but cue ball syndrome can come from either side of the gene pool.
  2. Lactose intolerance: Humans developed the ability to digest milk only in the past 10,000 years, and only where dairy farming is
...

Coffee's Perks Not in the Caffeine
Coffee's Perks Not in the Caffeine

Coffee's Perks Not in the Caffeine

Go for decaf: other chemicals in coffee give health a jolt

(Newser) - Scientists have long championed coffee's health benefits, but a series of recent studies is waking them up to the fact that caffeine has nothing to do with it. Regular consumption of coffee or tea can provide protection against cancer, diabetes and heart disease, but researchers say other chemicals are responsible.

Genes Give Up Secrets of 7 Serious Diseases

Landmark study sheds light on diabetes, depression, more

(Newser) - In an outcome one scientist describes as a "new dawn," researchers have identified genetic variations linked to seven common diseases, opening the door to improved tests and treatments. The study, which focused on depression, Crohn's disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and Type 1 and 2 diabetes,...

Researchers Link Gene, Heart Disease

Common variation dramatically increases risk

(Newser) - A gene that can more than double the risk of heart disease, especially in relatively young people, is present in about half of those of European descent, researchers say. The discovery, reported this week, raises hopes of more accurate genetic testing for heart disease—the world's leading cause of death—...

Stents Show No Lasting Benefit In Heart Study

Better blood flow doesn't translate in to fewer heart attacks

(Newser) - Stents used to open arteries are no more useful than conventional drug treatment for patients who haven't yet had a heart attack, a new study reveals. In more than 2,000 patients over five years, those who had surgery suffered the same number of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths as...

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