Category: Cardiology

World’s largest study shows the more you walk, the lower your risk of death, even if you walk fewer than 5,000 steps

The number of steps you should walk every day to start seeing benefits to your health is lower than previously thought, according to the largest analysis to investigate this. The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology [1], found that walking at least 3867 steps a day started to reduce the risk of […]

Blood biomarkers plus genomics predict common disease risk more accurately than genomic information alone

Glasgow, UK: Being to identify people at high risk of chronic disease means that they can be targeted with prevention measures before they become sick. Polygenic risk scores, where genomic information alone is used to assess the risk of developing diseases, have been receiving a lot of attention recently, but research presented at the annual […]

Plant-based diets are better for your health – as well as for the climate

Vegetarian and vegan diets are linked to lower levels of cholesterol and fats in your blood, according to an analysis of all the evidence from randomised trials published since 1982. The authors of the study, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], say this means that plant-based diets can play a significant role […]

World first: Researchers identify specific regions of the brain that are damaged by high blood pressure and are involved in a decline in mental processes and dementia

For the first time, researchers have identified specific regions of the brain that are damaged by high blood pressure and may contribute to a decline in mental processes and the development of dementia. High blood pressure is known to be involved in causing dementia and damage to brain function. The study, which is published in […]

Study shows ‘obesity paradox’ does not exist: waist-to-height ratio is a better indicator of outcomes in patients with heart failure than BMI

New research has debunked the idea that there is an “obesity paradox”, whereby patients with heart failure who are overweight or obese are thought to be less likely to end up in hospital or die than people of normal weight. The study, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], shows that if doctors […]

More cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage if patients already have type 2 diabetes

Barcelona, Spain: A study of 11,945 people in six European countries has shown that people with type 2 diabetes who develop cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease if the condition is one that is not screened for routinely. In a presentation to the 13th European Breast Cancer Conference, Dr Anna Jansana, […]

Adversity in childhood is linked to increased risk of heart and blood vessel diseases in early adulthood

Children who experience adversity, including serious family illness or death, poverty, neglect, or dysfunctional and stressful family relationships, are at increased risk of developing diseases of the heart or blood vessels in early adulthood. The new research, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], is the largest study so far to look at […]

Obstructive sleep apnoea linked to increased risk of cancer, a decline in mental processing powers and an increased risk of blood clots

People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are at an increased risk of cancer, according to a large study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. A second study showed that OSA was also linked to a decline in processing powers in the elderly; in particular, those aged […]

Aldosterone linked to increased risk of chronic kidney disease progression and end-stage kidney disease

A steroid hormone called aldosterone is linked to an increased risk of kidney failure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. The risk of CKD worsening and developing into end-stage kidney disease was independent of whether or not patients had diabetes. The findings are […]

PCOS in mothers is linked to increased risk of health problems in their children

Children born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk of developing infections, allergies and other childhood illnesses by the age of 13, according to the largest study to investigate this. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, looked at 1,038,375 children […]