Chocolate may be good for you – at least in small quantities and preferably if it’s dark chocolate – according to research that shows just one small square of chocolate a day can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease.
Click to continue reading “Chocolate reduces blood pressure and risk of heart disease”
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Tags: 100g, Absolute Risk, Dark Chocolate, Dr Brian, Eating Chocolate, Energy Dense Food, Epidemiologist, European Heart Journal, German Institute, Having A Heart Attack, Healthy Foods, Heart Attack, Heart Attacks, Heart Disease, Heart Stroke, Human Nutrition, Intakes, Lower Blood Pressure, Risk Of Heart Disease, Small Quantities 
Comments OffOn November 15, 2009, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) researcher Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., the first Sir Richard Doll Research Professor in the Charles E.
Click to continue reading “Beneficial Effects of Aspirin in Cardiovascular Disease”
Posted in Diet and Exercise Tags: American Heart Association, Biomedical Science, Blood Platelets, Charles E Schmidt, Charles E Schmidt College, Charles H Hennekens, Clinical Instructor, Clinical Science, First Heart Attack, Florida Atlantic University, Health Relevance, Heart Attacks, Ischemic Stroke, Myocardial Infarction, Novel Mechanism, Sir Richard Doll, Sound Evidence, Transient Ischemic Attacks, Unstable Angina, Vessel Wall Comments OffPatients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according to the results of a first-ever study presented during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Fla., on Nov.16, 2009.
The trial was sponsored by a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and was conducted at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in collaboration with the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.
The nine-year, randomized control trial followed 201African American men and women, average age 59 years, with narrowing of arteries in their hearts who were randomly assigned to either practice the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique or to participate in a control group which received health education classes in traditional risk factors, including dietary modification and exercise.
All participants continued standard medications and other usual medical care.
The study found:
A 47 percent reduction in the combination of death, heart attacks, and strokes in the participants
Clinically significant (5 mm Hg average) reduction in blood pressure associated with decrease in clinical events
Significant reductions in psychological stress in the high-stress subgroup
According to Robert Schneider, M.D., FACC, lead author and director of the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, “Previous research on Transcendental Meditation has shown reductions in blood pressure, psychological stress, and other risk factors for heart disease, irrespective of ethnicity.
Click to continue reading “Transcendental Med=less heart attack,stroke,death”
Posted in Diet and Exercise Tags: American Heart Association, Cardiovascular Events, Coronary Heart Disease, Dietary Modification, Facc, Fairfield Iowa, Health Education Classes, Heart Attacks, Medical College Of Wisconsin, Mm Hg, National Heart Lung, National Heart Lung And Blood Institute, National Institutes Of Health, Natural Medicine, Psychological Stress, Risk Factors For Heart Disease, Robert Schneider, Stress Reduction Program, Traditional Risk Factors, Transcendental Meditation Technique Comments OffA drug that raises levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, when taken in addition to standard statin therapy to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol, can reduce the furring up of arteries in patients with established heart disease, an Oxford University study has shown.
The findings are published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
‘This is the first clear evidence that a therapy to raise levels of good cholesterol when taken alongside statins can have a beneficial effect,’ says Dr Robin Choudhury of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Oxford, who led the study.
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Posted in Diet and Exercise Tags: American College Of Cardiology, Artery Walls, Bad Cholesterol, Beneficial Effect, Cardiovascular Medicine, Clear Evidence, Clogged Arteries, Furring, Hardening Of Arteries, Heart Attacks, High Density Lipoprotein, Journal Of The American College Of Cardiology, Low Density Lipoprotein, Mri Scans, New Prospect, Oxford University, Raising Good Cholesterol, Risk Of Heart Disease, Statin Therapy, University Of Oxford Comments OffA glass of wine here, a nightcap there – new research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that moderate alcohol intake offers long-term cognitive protection and reduces the risk of dementia in older adults.
The study is being presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD), in Vienna on July 13.
While previous studies have shown that moderate alcohol intake, particularly wine, is linked with lower risk of heart attacks and dementia, most of the studies have been done in middle-aged people, and it has remained unclear if the benefits of alcohol also apply to older adults in general or to older adults who might already have some mild memory problems.
Click to continue reading “Moderate alcohol intake has cognitive benefits”
Posted in Diet and Exercise Tags: Beer Wine, Benefits Of Alcohol, Cognitive Benefits, Dementias, Geriatrician, Glass Of Wine, Heart Attacks, Heavy Drinkers, Light Drinkers, Memory Problems, Moderate Alcohol Intake, Moderate Drinkers, Nightcap, Older Adults, Stroke Dementia, Study Researchers, Types Of Alcohol, Wake Forest University, Wake Forest University School, Wake Forest University School Of Medicine Comments Off
When we stop to think of a a heart attack victim most think of a 40 plus year old male man.
Click to continue reading “HEART DISEASE: THE LEADING KILLER OF WOMEN”
Posted in Health Tips Tags: Accidents, African American Women, Blood Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Death Rates, Deaths, Decades, Diabetes, Different Story, Fate, Heart Attack, Heart Attack Victim, Heart Attacks, Heart Disease, Heart Problem, Heart Rates, Male Man, Men And Women, Menopause, Types Of Cancer Comments Off
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