Lack of close ties may increase heart disease risk

Women who live in neighborhoods lacking in close ties are more likely to have coronary artery calcification, a key marker for underlying heart disease, than those who live in more socially cohesive neighborhoods, according to a study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researcher Daniel Kim. Women who lived in the most economically deprived neighborhoods had more than double the odds of underlying heart disease. The study was published online last month in the American Journal of Epidemiology

Phosphorus level in human body linked with heart disease

"Higher blood level of phosphorus in the human body may predict a heart disease, according to a new study released Thursday in the United States. By analyzing nearly 900 healthy adults, researchers at the Providence Medical Research Center in Spokane found the link between phosphorus level and coronary artery calcification (CAC), an early sign of hardening of the arteries. "Even small increases in the blood level of phosphorus predicted an increased risk of progressive CAC in these apparently healthy adults," said Dr. Katherine R. Tuttle, a lead researcher in the study, which was released online Thursday and to be published in the December issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The study found that all the participants who developed CAC had higher blood level of phosphorus. The association between phosphorus level and CAC is strong even after the researchers have adjusted for other factors, the study noted. Researchers also found that people with lower kidney function - even if not below the normal range - were more likely to have progressive CAC"