It’s estimated that only 10% of us inherit cardiovascular disease. That means that the other 90% give it to themselves. They eat the wrong foods and they fail to exercise regularly.
To lower your risk of heart disease here are 5 things you can do:
Stop Smoking
Keep your cholesterol levels within the proper ranges
Work to avoid diabetes
Control [...]
Research shows that fewer than 3 percent of American 15-year olds get some exercise most days. This is a terrible statistic. If this inactivity is continued into adulthood – well the results could be advanced heart disease at an early age.
Last week I wrote about 8-year olds starting on statin drugs. Now a study [...]
Researchers say that comparing blood pressure in the ankle and the arm could give doctors a quick way to know which patients are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This measure is known as the ‘ankle brachial index’ and can be used to determine who is at risk of heart attack or stroke.
This procedure can [...]
A Baltimore newspaper came out with a great article against giving statins to 8 year olds to reduce their cholesterol levels. To quote them: “These drugs have certainly prolonged the lives of thousands of middle-aged men with heart disease. But there is insufficient evidence that statins benefit other groups, notably younger children.”
They mirror my sentiments when they [...]
A few days ago I wrote a post about doctors suggesting that statins be administered to 8 year olds to control their cholesterol levels. At the time the thought occurred to me – what about the long term effects? What would the 50 year old’s vascular system be like?
Well, this concern of the long term effects has [...]
Obesity in the United States has finally reached the point where it is competing with smoking as a cause of death? A study by researchers at the University of Illinois was looking at how health care providers counseled their patients. More specifically – did they provide primary prevention of overweight and obesity?
The researchers [...]
Although not in the same words, I’ve written about this concept several times. I called it a ‘daily tally of the foods and calories you eat’. Yahoo this morning had an article about food diaries. Those who kept a diary lost about twice as much weight as those who didn’t.
The diary can be as simple [...]
I was disturbed this morning by an article I read. In Chicago an influential doctors group is recommending that some children as young as 8 be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off future heart problems.
Can you imagine children being given medication for cholesterol? My first thought was the pharmaceuticals are gaining new ground. But then [...]
In a UK study, the authors examined the relationship between fasting levels of blood fats and short term verbal memory in 3,673 male and female middle aged adults who were taking part in the study.
Blood samples were taken at two measuring points: at mean age 55 and mean age 61, and tested for lipid or [...]
Yesterday I wrote about the glycemic index (GI) and its possibilities for use as a tool in helping dieters. Instead of counting calories one could use the GI of the food. Well, upon reading further there appears to be a few problems with the GI. I ended yesterday by writing that the GI had [...]