A worldwide study has shown that physical activity during work and leisure time significantly lowers the risk of heart attacks in both developed and developing countries. Ownership of a car and a television was linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The findings come from the INTERHEART study, […]
Category: Cardiology
New research links endurance exercise to damage in the right ventricle of the heart
Researchers have found the first evidence that some athletes who take part in extreme endurance exercise such as marathons, endurance triathlons, alpine cycling or ultra triathlons may incur damage to the right ventricles of their hearts – one of the four chambers in the heart involved in pumping blood around the body. The research, published […]
Undernutrition in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood increases risk of heart disease in later life
A study of women who were children, teenagers or young adults during the Dutch famine in 1944-45 has shown that undernutrition, particularly in the adolescent years, is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in later life. The research, published online today in the European Heart Journal [1], provides the first direct evidence […]
Professional exposure of physicians to radiation prompt cellular changes that may protect the body from harm
Cardiologists who perform heart operations using x-ray guided catheters are exposed to ionising radiation at levels two to three times higher per year than those experienced by radiologists. Now, new research has found the first evidence that these constant, high levels of exposure cause changes at cell level that might represent the body’s way of […]
Smoking during pregnancy lowers levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in children: findings suggest adverse impact on health in later life
Researchers in Australia have discovered that mothers who smoke during pregnancy are causing developmental changes to their unborn babies that lead to them having lower levels of the type of cholesterol that is known to protect against heart disease in later life – high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The research, published online today in the European […]
Study finds a decline in heart attacks over 20 years, but rising BMIs may reverse this in the future
Better control of cholesterol levels and blood pressure and a decline in smoking have contributed to a 74% drop in the risk of heart attack among nearly 10,000 civil servants working in London over a 20-year period, according to new research. However, the reduction would have been even greater were it not for the fact […]
Fear of dying during a heart attack is linked to increased inflammation
Intense distress and fear of dying, which many people experience when suffering the symptoms of a heart attack, are not only fairly common emotional responses but are also linked to biological changes that occur during the event, according to new research published online today in the European Heart Journal [1]. These changes, in turn, are […]
Mother’s body size and placental size predict heart disease in men
Researchers investigating the foetal origins of chronic disease have discovered that combinations of a mother’s body size and the shape and size of her baby’s placenta can predict heart disease in men in later life. The research is published online today in the European Heart Journal [1]. Professor David Barker and colleagues studied 6975 men […]
Study reveals increased inequality in stroke deaths across Europe and central Asia
There is growing inequality between different countries in Europe and central Asia in the proportion of people who die from stroke, according to a study published online in the European Heart Journal [1]. In countries where the proportions of stroke deaths have been low at the end of the 20th century, the death rates are […]
Some diabetes drugs are better than others according to new study
New research suggests that several commonly prescribed drugs for type 2 diabetes may not be as effective at preventing death and cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and stroke, as the oral anti-diabetic drug, metformin. Insulin secretagogues (ISs), such as glimepiride, glibenclamide (known as glyburide in the USA and Canada), gliclazide and tolbutamide, have been […]