Lifestyle Intervention Leads to 10-point Drop in Systolic Blood Pressure
In the first randomized, double-blinded trial of an online behavioral intervention for high blood pressure, participants in web-based lifestyle counseling reduced their systolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg, compared with a 6 mmHg reduction for those taking part in a web-based control intervention, a statistically…
Study suggests evolucamab alongside statins can significantly cut cholesterol
A new class of cholesterol-lowering drug has been found to help patients cut their risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack.In a trial of more than 27,000 patients, researchers found that taking monthly or twice-monthly injections of the medication, called evolocumab, on top of…
Fish oil supplements may help prevent death after a heart attack but lack evidence of cardiovascular benefit for the general population
Omega-3 fish oil supplements prescribed by a healthcare provider may help prevent death from heart disease in patients who recently had a heart attack and may prevent death and hospitalizations in patients with heart failure, but there is a lack of scientific research to support…
People who Trust Their Doctor Tend to Feel Better
Confidence in doctors, therapists and nursing staff leads to an improvement in subjectively perceived complaints, satisfaction and quality of life in patients. This is the conclusion of a meta-analysis by psychologists at the University of Basel, published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Statin side effects are strongest predictor of failure to meet cholesterol targets
Statin side effects are the strongest predictor of failure to meet low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol targets, according to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.Other predictors were statin non-adherence and use of weaker statins.
Brisk exercise linked to better arterial health already in childhood
High levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity are associated with lower arterial stiffness in 6-8-year-old children, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. No similar association was found for light physical activity. Published in Pediatric Exercise Science, the findings constitute part of…
Give Your Heart a Healthy Valentine’s Day Gift
While boxes of decadent chocolates treats, celebratory champagne and romantic high-calorie dinners may dance in your mind as a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, your heart may be pining for something else. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it is a great time to…
Number of children emerging as cardiovascular risk factor for both parents
Number of children is emerging as a novel factor that influences the risk for some cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and in some societies in both parents, according to Professor Vera Regitz-Zagrosek, chairperson of the European Society of Cardiology “management of CVD During Pregnancy” guidelines task force.
Offering a ‘stop smoking’ taster session and personalised disease risk doubles likelihood smokers will seek help to quit
Smokers underestimate their personal risk of illness, and a key aim of the study was to try and persuade them that these risks are personally relevant. Offering smokers a taster session at an NHS Stop Smoking Service and explaining their personal risk of developing smoking-related…
Depression as hard on the heart as obesity and cholesterol
Depression poses a risk for cardiovascular diseases in men that is just as great as that posed by high cholesterol levels and obesity. This is according to a report recently published in the ‘Atherosclerosis’ journal by researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, together with colleagues…
Daily Folic Acid Supplementation Remains Important for Prevention of Birth Defects
Despite the mandatory addition of folic acid to enriched grain products in the United States, many women still do not consume adequate amounts of this important vitamin, according to an editorial written by Laura E. Mitchell, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics…
Study unveils how stress may increase risk of heart disease and stroke
Heightened activity in the amygdala – a region of the brain involved in stress – is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a study published in The Lancet that provides new insights into the possible mechanism by which stress…