Category: Heart and Circulatory System
Many Americans wrongly assume they understand what normal blood pressure is – and that false confidence can be deadly
Nearly half of Americans ages 20 years and up – or more than 122 million people – have high blood pressure. And even if your numbers are normal right now, they are likely to increase as you age; more than three-quarters of Americans age 65 and older have high blood pressure.
Sitting all day is terrible for your health – now, a new study finds a relatively easy way to counteract it
To reduce the harmful health effects of sitting, take a five-minute light walk every half-hour. We found that a five-minute light walk every half-hour was the only strategy that reduced blood sugar levels substantially compared with sitting all day. In particular, five-minute walks every half-hour reduced the blood sugar spike after eating by almost 60%. That strategy reduced blood pressure by four to five points compared with sitting all day. But shorter and less frequent walks improved blood pressure too. Even just a one-minute light walk every hour reduced blood pressure by five points.
Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest shows need for CPR training and emergency defibrillators in public spaces
Adam Pyle, University of Toronto Football — a sport that involves violent collisions — came under shocking scrutiny on Jan. 2 when Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed from a cardiac event immediately following an on-field collision. Most fans already…
What caused Damar Hamlin’s heart to stop?
Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest during ‘Monday Night Football’ could be commotio cordis or a more common condition – a heart doctor answers 4 questions
Alcohol use is widely accepted, but even moderate consumption is associated with many harmful effects
Research increasingly shows that the dangers of alcohol have been downplayed and its benefits exaggerated. In fact, having even one drink a day can have a negative effect on your health.
Sports journalist Grant Wahl died of an aortic aneurysm — here’s what it is
Although the exact aneurysm Grant suffered is relatively uncommon, it is very dangerous if not caught in an early stage when it can be managed.
Study challenges “good” cholesterol’s role in universally predicting heart disease risk
Lower levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with increased risks for heart attacks in white but not Black adults, and higher levels were not protective for either group. the study was the first to find that lower HDL cholesterol levels only predicted increased cardiovascular disease risk for white adults.
Proliferating Wildfires Threaten Health Across the Country
By Matt VasilogambrosStateline As wildfires continue to burn in parts of the United States, state public health officials and experts are increasingly concerned about residents’ chronic exposure to toxin-filled smoke. This year has seen the most wildfires of the past…
Pace as important as 10,000 steps for health, studies find
“The take-home message here is that for protective health benefits people could not only ideally aim for 10,000 steps a day but also aim to walk faster.”
An expert panel has recommended against taking vitamin E or beta carotene supplements for the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease – here’s why
The panel of experts concluded that with regard to the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer, the harms of beta carotene supplementation outweigh the benefits and that there is no net benefit of supplementation with vitamin E for those purposes.
Heartbeat-Tracking Technology Raises Patients’ and Doctors’ Worries
Gadget firms — starting with Apple and now Fitbit, which is owned by Google — are selling wearable devices that check heartbeat rhythms and alert users when something is out of sync. But some cardiologists say the information the devices produce isn’t always useful.
Myocarditis: COVID-19 is a much bigger risk to the heart than vaccination
What do the numbers tell us about COVID-19, vaccines and myocarditis?
“Get This Thing Out of My Chest”
A life-sustaining heart pump was taken off the market after years of problems and FDA inaction. Thousands of people are now stuck with it embedded in their hearts.
40% of cardiac arrest cases at SeaTac Airport resuscitated, UW study finds.
Chance of resuscitation may be better a airports and on airplanes because there are witnesses and automatic external defibrillators are nearby.
Thousands of Patients Were Implanted With Heart Pumps That the FDA Knew Could Be Dangerous
Inspectors repeatedly found manufacturing and device quality problems with the HeartWare pump. But the FDA didn’t penalize the company, and patients had the device implanted without knowing the facts.