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Excess Drinking Boosts Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Especially for women, heavy consumption tied to arterial stiffening, enlarged hearts

While research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may have health benefits, heavy drinking increases blood pressure, stiffens blood vessels and causes more rigid heart muscles in men and enlarged hearts in women — all risk factors for cardiovascular disease, a new study warns.

Men who drink more than 21 units of alcohol per week and women who drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week put themselves at serious risk for hypertensive heart disease, heart failure and stroke, the researchers found.

“These shocking findings illustrate the extreme risks that heavy drinkers are exposing themselves to — some of which are particularly pronounced in women,” lead investigator Dr. Azra Mahmud, a cardiovascular lecturer and hypertension specialist at the Trinity Centre for Health Science, St. James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, said in a prepared statement.

“We want to make sure people aren’t getting mixed messages about alcohol. The potentially fatal effects of heavy drinking may more than counteract the well-documented benefits of sensible alcohol intake,” Mahmud said.

The study included 100 women and 100 men (mean age 46, all healthy) who were divided into three groups: non-drinkers, moderate drinkers (males, less than 21 units of alcohol per week; females, less than 14 units per week) and heavy drinkers (males, more than 21 units per week; females, more than 14 units per week).

The participants underwent a number of tests including ultrasound of heart to assess arterial stiffness and pulse wave velocity to measure aortic blood pressures and wave reflections in the aorta.

The results showed that heavy drinking is associated with arterial stiffening and impaired left ventricular (LV) relaxation in males, and LV structural changes, including LV enlargement (hypertrophy), in females. Of special note, women who were heavy drinkers had an enlarged heart even without high blood pressure or stiff arteries.

“The excessive consumption of alcohol causes significant arterial and ventricular stiffening and an enlarged heart; factors associated with poor cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive populations,” Mahmud said. “Trends in heavy drinking continue to rise, and it is high time to recognize the potential of an alcohol-induced epidemic of cardiovascular disease. Binge and heavy drinkers must consider their behavior and control their intake before it’s too late.”

The study was expected to be presented Wednesday at the American Society of Hypertension annual meeting, in New Orleans.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. About 17.5 million people die from CVD each year, and that toll could increase to almost 20 million by 2015.

More information:
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about heart and vascular diseases.  — Robert Preidt

SOURCE: American Society of Hypertension, news release, May 14, 2008.

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Tags: Heart Disease / Blood Pressure by leon
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Your heart is an amazing organ. Think about it: your heart works hard each and every day of your life making sure your body runs smoothly. Knowing this, how many of us are really aware of what our heart needs? How many of us really think about the health of our heart on a daily basis?

Taking care of our heart is one of THE most important health actions we can take in order to enhance our life. It’s time to start taking care of that precious organ: your heart.

Studies show that by eating a variety of just ten foods each week, your chances of many heart malfunctions can be reduced. Isn’t that amazing! By simply including certain foods into our diet, we can improve our health and life a longer, healthier life.

Taking a proactive stance on your health can really improve the quality of your life. Look through the list below and see how many of these amazing foods you can incorporate into your daily diet in order to improve the health and stamina of your heart.

1. Eat fish twice a week to help maintain normal heart function, prevent platelets from clotting and promote healthy blood pressure through the valuable omega-3 fatty acids found in fish. Try eating salmon, tuna, sardines and swordfish at least twice a week.

2. Eat beans 3-4 times a week. Beans provide a lot of fiber that reduces LDL, the bad cholesterol. Try soy products like tofu or soy burgers. They really are tasty!

3. Eat lots of vegetables. Veggies provide a lot of fiber and nutrients that decrease LDL cholesterol and prevents hardening of the arteries. Try broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

4. Get in your bright colored vegetables. Including these amazing nutrients will have the same results as above but are also low in calories, which is great for weight loss. Try spinach, romaine lettuce, carrots and bell peppers.

5. Eat your fruit. Fiber and nutrients found in a variety of fruit can help in the decrease of LDL cholesterol. Try any fresh fruit including apples, plums, apricots, and berries - dried or frozen.

6. Get in your whole grains. Fiber and nutrients found in whole grains can help to reduce LDL cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease. Try whole-wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal and popcorn.

7. Use canola and soybean oil when cooking in place of butter, margarine or shortening. These oils are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which aid in many heart functions.

8. Eat low-fat or non-fat dairy products. These will help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Try buttermilk, cottage cheese and yogurt.

9. Alcohol is OK in moderation. A moderate amount of alcohol has been shown to increase HDL or good cholesterol lowering the risk of heart disease. Try a 12oz. beer, 5 oz. wine or 1.5 oz. of 80 proof liquor.

10. Try an occasional treat once in a while. Treat yourself, but in moderation. Try a piece of birthday cake or chocolate on a holiday or special occasion.

In addition to including the above dietary considerations, be sure to mix in some exercise. Try walking, taking the stairs or running to maintain a healthy heart. You’ll be healthier for it and your heart will beat with happiness!

Colleen is a health and fitness enthusiast who loves to pass on the latest information on health and wellness. Sign up for your free e-newsletter filled with cutting-edge information on health, nutrition, weight loss, and fitness. For your free e-newsletter, visit HealthyRevelations.com

Tags: Heart Disease / Blood Pressure by ColleenPalat
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While the number of elderly Americans newly diagnosed with heart failure has declined, the number of those living with the condition has increased, new research finds.

The Duke University study analyzed data on 622,789 Medicare patients, aged 65 and older, diagnosed with heart failure between 1994 and 2003. It found that the annual occurrence of heart failure decreased from 32 per 1,000 person-years (years of observation time during which each person is at risk to develop the disease) in 1994, to 29 per 1,000 person-years in 2003.

When the researchers looked at specific age groups, they found a sharper decline among people aged 80 to 84 (from 57.5 to 48.4 per 1,000 person-years), and a slight increase among those aged 65 to 69 (from 17.5 to 19.3 per 1,000 person years).

Between 1994 and 2003, the number of people living with heart failure increased, from about 140,000 to 200,000. More men than women live with the condition.

“The proportion of [Medicare] beneficiaries with a heart failure diagnosis increased from 90 per 1,000 in 1994 to 120 per 1,000 in 2000, and remained at about 120 per 1,000 through 2003,” the authors wrote.

The findings are published in the Feb. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Although the incidence of heart failure has declined somewhat during the past decade, modest survival gains have resulted in an increase in the number of patients living with heart failure,” the researchers concluded. “Identifying optimal strategies for the treatment and management of heart failure will become increasingly important as the size of the Medicare population grows.”

Almost 5 million people in the United States have heart failure, which kills more than 300,000 patients a year. Since it’s primarily a disease of older people, it places a significant and increasing burden on Medicare, said the study authors, who noted that the number of people age 65 and older hospitalized for heart failure increased by more than 30 percent from 1984 to 2002.

More information:
The American Heart Association has more about heart failure.
– Robert Preidt.

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Calcium heart scan score or simply calcium score is the amount of calcium accumulated and dispatched by your body. The score will offer clues about the health of your heart and arteries. In order to get your calcium score, you need to undergo a heart scan.

A heart scan is similar to taking a photo or picture of your heart. If you are over 40 and have two or more of the following risk factors: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, or sedentary lifestyle, then it’s highly recommended that you take a heart scan. It will reveal how much calcium has been accumulated in your arteries. The presence of calcium indicates the level of damage caused by plaques which are in turn made up of cholesterol and fats.

When plaque in an artery bursts, it can cause a heart attack. But our body is always trying to repair itself, in this case it heals the injury caused by plaques by dispatching calcium to form a scar. It’s this healing process that produces what is known as the calcium score. If the score is high, you are at risk of experiencing a heart attack. So if your calcium score is high, you need to reduce your heart attack risk with medications and lifestyle change.

If you think that you are at risk of heart attack, please take the time to have your scanned and examined by a doctor.

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It is very important to always ensure that your blood pressure has the healthy numbers. It can help to prevent heart attack or a stroke. Click here to understand about high blood pressure and its healthy numbers.

Here are three ways to bring your blood pressure down naturally:

1. Perform deep breathing exercises. Inhale and exhale slowly for 5 minutes several times a day, this is very easy to do, you can do it in your office or while driving but of course it will be much better if you can find a quiet room.

2. Eat Omega-3. Omega-3 can make your blood less viscous and has been proven to have the ability to lower your overall levels of blood fats. Each at least three servings of salmon each week. You can also complement your daily diet by supplementing 1,200 to 1,500 mg of fish oil.

3. Take about 1,200 mg of Calcium, 700 mg of Magnesium and 4,700 mg of Potassium everyday in your diet or in the form of supplement. These supplements can help to regulate your blood pressure and strengthen heart muscle.

Click here to find out more information on how you can drop your blood pressure naturally.

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Tags: Heart Disease / Blood Pressure by leon
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Curb Hypertension with ACEON

It can be a scary situation if you are suffering from hypertension or other cardiac condition. This condition can’t be taken lightly and treatment is crucial in order to live a normal life. One type of treatment that is often recommended by doctors as the first line of defense is the use of an ACE inhibitor. This particular type of medication treats congestive heart failure, hypertension, and other common heart conditions by increasing the amount of blood flow and reducing the congestion in the arteries.

Click here to continue reading this article…

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Tags: Heart Disease / Blood Pressure, Product Reviews by leon
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A group of Japanese researchers had found that stretching exercise can lower blood pressure and heart disease risk factor. The more easily you can touch your toes, the lower your risk of getting a heart attack. Stretching can improve your blood flow and expand arteries, keeping them pliable.

Stretching before any exercise (including walking) can reduce the risk of getting muscles and back pains. Make sure you stretch for about 5-10 minutes before and after your exercise routine.

Here are a few simple and easy tips on how to do Stretching:

1. Sit on the floor with legs spread apart. Place your hands in front of you slowly, and inhale and exhale. Take hold of your right foot and grab the toes; do the same with your left foot all the time placing your head down. Finally, slowly sit up.
2. Place your hands against a wall, and place your right leg as far back as possible while your foot is flat against the floor surface and hold the position for 30 seconds. Repeat the same exercise with the left foot.
3. Lift each leg behind you and holding it with one hand against your back for 30 seconds.

Stretching exercises is very good in keeping the muscles flexible, decrease soreness, diminish the chances of injury, lower blood pressure and risk of heart disease.

One great form of stretching exercise for both women and men is known as Pilates. For more information on pilates, please visit: “Pilates: A Beginners Guide“.

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What is the size of your cholesterol?

Most people know cholesterol numbers. For example, the optimal number for LDL (or bad cholesterol) is 100. LDL above 160 is considered to be on the high risk factor of heart attack. The optimal number for HDL (good cholesterol) is 60 or more. HDL less than 40 is considered to be on the high risk factor of heart attack.

But not many people know about the cholesterol size. Recent advance in cholesterol testing has helped doctors to accurately predict the chances of a patient to have a heart attack. The test for cholesterol size is known as lipoprotein subfraction test. The diagnostic tool will produce a red warning sign when it finds small LDL and HDL cholesterol particles.

If you have small cholesterol particles and you are prediabetic, you have a high risk of having a heart attack. The smaller the cholesterol particles, the more easily they penetrate into the blood vessels and form damaging plaques.

Even though if you have a small or optimal LDL number, you still can have blockages and heart attack if you have many small cholesterol particles. So make sure you ask your doctor to include this test in your annual checkup. Standard checkup doesn’t include cholesterol particles test. Make sure you request it.

So Who Needs The Cholesterol Particles Test?

You should definitely go for the test if you have the following:

• Heart disease in your family.
• High blood pressure.
• Diabetes.
• High triglycerides.

Click here for more information on how to live a HAPPY and HEALTHY life.

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