Many Women Struggle With Uncontrolled Blood Pressure
- NEW -
July 30, 2008 - Nearly one in three Americans suffers from high blood pressure - more than 73 million adults. But half of them - women - face unique challenges in controlling their blood pressure.

Beta Blockers Help Hospitalized Heart Failure Patients
July 25, 2008 - People who are hospitalized for severe heart failure and have been taking beta blockers should be kept on those medications while in the hospital, a new study finds.

Green tea's heart benefits gain support
July 25, 2008 - Regular consumption of green tea may improve the function of endothelial cells - the cells lining the walls of blood vessels - and boost cardiovascular health, according to new research from Greece.

Low HDL Linked to Memory Loss
July 10, 2008 - Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol, in middle age could increase the risk of developing dementia later in life, new research suggests.

Meta-analysis boosts vitamin C's heart benefits
June 2, 2008 - Daily supplements of vitamin C may lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol by five per cent, and subsequently reduce risk factors linked to cardiovascular disease, says a new meta-analysis.

Hypertension Takes Huge Toll in Developing Countries
May 1, 2008 - Roughly 80 percent of high blood pressure-related deaths in the world occur in developing nations, a new study by New Zealand researchers shows. Once regarded as a problem only in high-income countries, high blood pressure is now a global problem that affects both rich and poor nations, the researchers said.

Onions 'cut heart disease risk'
November 4, 2007 - Eating a meal rich in compounds called flavonoids reduces some early signs of heart disease, research shows. An Institute of Food Research team focused on one of the compounds, quercetin, which is found in tea, onions, apples and red wine.

Heart drug may boost risk of death, FDA says
October 25, 2007 - The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that accumulating evidence suggests a Bayer AG drug used to prevent excessive bleeding during heart bypass surgery increases the risk of death when compared with other drugs. The announcement came as a Canadian study comparing the safety and efficacy of the drug, Trasylol, with two others was halted. Preliminary results from that trial also suggested Trasylol increased the risk of death when compared with the other drugs.

Selenium may protect against artery furring
August 25, 2007 - Selenium supplements may reduce the risk of heart disease by inhibiting the oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, suggests a small study from Italy. Such results could favorably reduce the risk of heart disease as oxidative modification of LDL has been reported to be a major part of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and subsequently cardiovascular disease.

Statins Safe and Effective for Children With Familial
Hypercholesterolemia
August 7, 2007 - tatin therapy is safe and effective for children with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), according to findings published in the August issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Low vitamin D levels linked to higher blood pressure
July 25, 2007 - People with low blood levels of vitamin D may be at an increased risk of higher blood pressure - a problem that could be easily remedied with supplements, says a new study. This finding may have public health significance, as vitamin D levels can easily, and cheaply, be increased by a modest increase in sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation," wrote lead author Robert Scragg in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Coenzyme Q10 May Relieve Myopathic Symptoms in Patients Treated With Statins
June 15, 2007 - Treatment with coenzyme Q10 relieves symptoms of myopathy in patients treated with statins, according to results of a small pilot study reported in the May 15th American Journal of Cardiology.

Green tea extract may boost blood vessel health
May 31, 2007 - The heart healthy reputation of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the main extract from green tea, may be due in part to improvement in blood flow through the vessels, suggests a clinical trial from the US.

New Angina Drug Fails to Cut Heart Attacks
April 24, 2007 – A major trial has dashed hopes that a new drug would reduce the incidence of death, heart attack and other major cardiac events in people with the persistent chest pain called angina.

Most angioplasties unneeded, study finds
Mar 26, 2007 – More than half a million people a year with chest pain are getting an unnecessary or premature procedure to unclog their arteries because drugs are just as effective, suggests a landmark study that challenges one of the most common practices in heart care.

Selenium may protect against artery furring
February 20, 2007- Selenium supplements may reduce the risk of heart disease by inhibiting the oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, suggests a small study from Italy.

Take folic acid to protect against heart disease, say scientists
27/11/2006 - Despite some controversy in reports of the benefits of folate consumption on cardiovascular disease risk, the evidence is now enough to recommend the vitamin for heart health, British scientists have reported.

Merck Vioxx Successor Has Heart Risks Similar to Older Drug
November 13, 2006 - Merck & Co.'s Arcoxia, a successor to the company's withdrawn Vioxx pain pill, posed the same heart risks in a study as an older arthritis medication. The finding may hinder U.S. approval, a top heart doctor says. The trial of 34,701 patients, presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago, found that those given Arcoxia had the same rate of cardiovascular complications as diclofenac, a decades-old therapy that reduces inflammation. The study also found more patients stopped taking the Merck pill because of high blood pressure.

High Levels of Lipoprotein Spell Cardiac Trouble in Women
September 19, 2006 - Women who have high levels of lipoprotein(a) accompanied by high levels of "bad" cholesterol face a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes, a new study suggests. The study author, Dr. Jacqueline Suk Danik, whose report is published in the Sept. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association said that lipoprotein(a) is not routinely measured, and so many people have never heard of it.

HIV Therapy's Impact on Heart Disease Small but Bears Watching
August 14, 2006 - The risk of cardiovascular disease is elevated in patients who are being treated with potent antiretrovirals to control HIV infection.

The Truth About Statins
June 14, 2006 - The hypothesis that high cholesterol promotes the development of atherosclerotic plaques in human arteries was first proposed at the beginning of the 20th century. It has been tested numerous times, but never convincingly proven. All physicians know that about one-half of heart attack victims do not have high cholesterol levels.

Nutrient Synergy Reduces Irregular Heartbeat (Arrhythmia) in Patients
December 20, 2005 - A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study authored by Matthias Rath, M.D. and his colleagues proves that regular supplementation with micronutrients can safely and effectively reduce the frequency and severity of arrhythmic episodes. Results of the study were published in the November 2005 issue of JANA, Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association.

Arrhythmic episodes affect 30-60 percent of people between the ages of 50-70. These episodes involve irregular heartbeat, a frightening experience causing dizziness and shortness of breath and carrying a risk of a sudden cardiac event. In most cases, conventional medicine cannot explain why arrhythmia develops and drugs used to address this problem carry severe side effects.

Statins do not Prevent Cancer, Study Says
January 3, 2006 - Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are commonly prescribed for prevention and treatment of heart attacks. Recently they have also been prescribed as anti-cancer drugs. Some preliminary studies have shown lower rates of breast, prostate and colon cancers among statin users, but the analysis of 26 carefully constructed studies involving 87,000 patients concluded the drugs had no impact on cancer rates, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"When we put all the trials together we were hopeful of validating a cancer-protective effect, but we ended up not finding any," study author Michael White of the University of Connecticut and Hartford Hospital said in a telephone interview.

Micronutrients Boost Life Quality for Elderly with Heart Failure
December 12, 2005 - Supplements containing vitamins and other micronutrients can improve heart function and quality of life in elderly patients with chronic heart failure, claims a joint British-German study.

The researchers enrolled 30 elderly patients with stable heart failure who were randomized to receive micronutrient capsules or a placebo. The capsules contained a high-dose combination of multivitamins along with zinc, copper, selenium, calcium, magnesium and coenzyme-Q10.

“Our study is unique because it is the first to look at patients with heart failure with a combination of micronutrients. Previous studies have enrolled elderly individuals who were otherwise fairly well, or have used one, or rarely, two micronutrients (usually vitamins) combined,” said lead researcher Dr. Klaus Witte of the Castle Hill Hospital in Hull, UK.

Lipoprotein(a) Levels Tied to Heart Disease
Sept. 09 - Dr. Iris Shai told Reuters Health "our results suggest that Lp(a) levels higher than 30 mg/dL are associated with twice the risk of CHD events among middle-age women, independent from lipid and non-lipid CHD risk factors. Elevated levels of lipoprotein (a) increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events such as myocardial infarction, according to a study involving more than 32,000 women. This study confirms Dr. Rath discovery from 1989 and 1991 that lp (a), not LDL, is the most important particle for the deposit of cholesterol and other fats in the artery wall and is tenfold greater risk factor for heart diseases than cholesterol or LDL cholesterol.