Marriage reduces the risk of heart attack in both men and women and at all ages

A large population-based study from Finland has shown that being unmarried increases the risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attack in both men and women whatever their age. Conversely, say the study investigators, especially among middle-aged couples, being married and cohabiting are associated with "considerably better prognosis of acute cardiac events both before hospitalization and after reaching the hospital alive". The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, was based on the FINAMI myocardial infarction register data from the years 1993 to 2002. The study included information on people over the age of 35 living in four geographical regions of Finland. All fatal and non-fatal cardiac events - known as "acute cardiac syndromes", ACS - were included and cross-referred to the population database. "Our aim," said the authors, "was to study the differences in the morbidity and prognosis of incident acute coronary syndromes according to socio-demographic characteristics (marital status and household size)." The register recorded 15,330 ACS events over the study period of ten years, with just over half (7703) resulting in death within 28 days. Events occurred almost equally among men and women. However, the analysis also showed that the age-standardised incidences of these ACS events were approximately 58-66% higher among unmarried men and 60-65% higher in unmarried women, than among married men and women in all age groups

Snoring: a new tip-off to stroke and heart disease

Do you or your bed partner snore? It turns out that what seems like an annoyance is actually an alarm bell. New research conducted by otolaryngologists at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit finds that snoring is a bigger risk factor for stroke and heart attack than smoking, being overweight, or high cholesterol. According to research by Robert Deeb, MD and Karen Yaremchuk, MD, snoring can reveal damage to the carotid arteries - the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain. The study which has been submitted to the journal The Laryngoscope, was presented at the 2013 Combined Sections Meeting of the Triological Society. The researchers looked at the carotid arteries in snorers and found increased thickening of the artery walls, indicating damage already setting in. The researchers suggested that the damage could be due to the trauma and inflammation caused by the vibrations of snoring. However, previous research on the connection between sleep apnea and artery disease has found a reverse connection - the arterial damage comes first, lowering the amount of oxygen in the blood, leading to breathing interruptions. It could be that thickening of the arteries is contributing to the snoring as well, not just the other way around. One more thing to pay attention to: the patients in the Henry Ford study were all between the ages of 18 and 50

CARG Newsletter - February 2013

The CARG Newsletter - February 2013 is now available online

Cardiac Nurse Track Visits

- Have questions about your medications, or how your heart is feeling?
- How are you feeling emotionally?
- Bring your questions or concerns to the track at the dates below

Saskatoon Field House With Ashley Cheveldayoff, RN

Friday, February 1, 2013: 9:00 - 11:00am
Friday, March 1, 2013: 9:00 - 11:00am
Friday, March 22, 2013: 9:00 - 11:00am
Wednesday, April 3, 2013: 9:00 - 11:00am
Friday, April 26, 2013: 9:00 - 11:00am

Saskatoon Shaw Centre with Ashley Cheveldayoff, RN

Friday, February 22, 2013: 8:30 - 10:30am
Friday, March 15, 2013: 8:30 - 10:30am
Wednesday, March 27, 2013: 8:30 - 10:30am
Friday, April 19, 2013: 8:30 - 10:30am

LiveWell Cooking Classes For Men: 5 Ingredient Meals

Learn how to make simple meals with 5 ingredients or less!

During these sessions, you will:
- Prepare and eat healthy menu items
- Be provided with a book of recipes and other helpful information

Learn how to:
- Stock your kitchen with essential ingredients
- Prepare meals on a budget
- Plan an efficient grocery shopping trip
- Understand "Nutrition Facts" labels
- Create easy and healthy meals at home

Session One: Thursday, February 28, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Session Two: Thursday, March 7, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location: West Winds Primary Health Centre, 3311 Fairlight Drive, Saskatoon

Please call Rochelle at 655-2140 for more information or to register for the classes. Space is limited, so please register early. Cost: $20.00 for both sessions (including food and recipe book)

Craving Change(TM) - changing your relationship with food

Craving Change(TM) - changing your relationship with food - presented free of charge by LiveWell Dietitians

Understand why you eat the way you do: Comfort yourself without food - Change your thinking - Change your eating - Most beneficial to attend all 5 sessions. Please call 655-LIVE or 655-5483 to register

Dates for the Field House:
Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, March 26, 2013, 5:00 - 6:30 pm

Xtreme Eating 2013: extremism running amok at America's restaurant chains

A milkshake with a slice of apple pie blended right in. A 3,000-calorie plate of pasta. A breakfast that includes deep-fried steak and pancakes (and hash browns and eggs and gravy and syrup). Obesity rates may show signs of leveling off, but it looks like America's major restaurant chains are doing everything possible to reverse the trend, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group unveils the latest "winners" of its Xtreme Eating Awards in the current issue of its Nutrition Action Healthletter. "It's as if IHOP, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's Little Italy, and other major restaurant chains are scientifically engineering these extreme meals with the express purpose of promoting obesity, diabetes, and heart disease," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "You'd think that the size of their profits depended on their increasing the size of your pants."

Polypill proves cost-effective, even in poorer nations

A polypill designed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease would be cost-effective in Latin America, even in countries with low gross national incomes, according to an analysis published in the January issue of Health Affairs. The polypill, a tablet that combines antihypertensive medicines to lower blood pressure and a statin to lower cholesterol, has been tested in both developed and developing nations. One study in the U.K., for instance, found that polypill usage reduced mean systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and low density lipoprotein cholesterol by 12 percent, 11 percent and 39 percent, respectively

Student health survey shows mixed results (Saskatoon)

Saskatoon Health Region: The latest results from a student health survey targeting grades 5 to 8 conducted across four school divisions identifies a number of health issues that need to be addressed. This is the third time the survey has been conducted with the Saskatoon Public School and Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Divisions, and the first time in schools within the Horizon and Prairie Spirit School Divisions. Some of the key findings include:

* 16.4 per cent reported being optimally active (this figure was 6.3 per cent for low-income neighbourhood schools and 20.3 per cent for high-income neighbourhood schools)

* 3.3 per cent reported trying smoking (from a puff to smoking everyday) (this figure was 13.0 per cent for low-income neighbourhood schools and 1.7 percent for high-income neighbourhood schools)

* 64.4 per cent reported very good/excellent mental health status (this figure was 46.9 percent in low-income neighbourhood schools and 74.1 per cent in high-income neighbourhood schools)

* 60.3 per cent reported not consuming the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables (this figure was similar across all schools)

Stand up at office 'to lose fat'

Office workers trapped behind their desks all day should push away their chairs and work standing up, recommends an exercise scientist. Standing up for three hours extra a day would burn off 8lb (3.6kg) of fat each year, says John Buckley, from the University of Chester. Leading by example, Dr Buckley is using a standing desk which is believed to date from the 1940s. "There is no need to sit down so much," says Dr Buckley. Anyone feeling Christmas-pudding shaped after the holidays should consider standing rather than sitting at work, says Dr Buckley. There are custom-made computer desks for anyone wanting to stand as they answer their emails - or else old desks can be set at a height for standing.