Dirty air, heat, cold may all trigger heart attacks

"Extreme temperatures and heavy air pollution boost heart attack risk, according to a major new study. And on days when the air is extra dirty and the temperature is unusually hot or cold, the effects are likely to be particularly bad, given that temperature and pollution seem to harm the body in different ways, Dr. Krishnan Bhaskaran of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK, the lead author of the research, told Reuters Health. Several studies have linked changes in temperature to increases in deaths due to any cause, as well as heart disease mortality, Bhaskaran and his team note in their reports. But looking at heart attacks - not just deaths from heart disease - could offer a more accurate picture of the overall health risks of temperature changes and air pollution, they say, and might also offer clues to why they may trigger heart attack in high-risk people. In two separate reports, the researchers reviewed 19 studies on temperature and heart attack and 26 examining air pollution and heart attack" - Reuters

High levels of lead in bone increase men’s risk of cardiovascular death

"Exposure to lead in the environment is associated with a sharply increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. In a new study, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was almost six times higher in men with the highest concentrations of bone lead compared to men with the lowest concentrations. The risk of death from all causes was 2.5 times higher in men with the highest levels of lead compared to those with the lowest levels"

OSU to harness the power of its students – literally

"Every day, thousands of college students determinedly hit the cardio machines, lowering their stress after a tough exam, getting in shape for spring, or working off those chocolate chip cookies that showed up in a care package from home. But now Oregon State University and a private firm are teaming up to harness the fruits of this student labor by capturing the energy from their workouts - literally. OSU will become one of the first universities in the country to tap the kinetic energy generated by people involved in daily workout routines and turn it into a form of renewable energy. Using a new technology developed by a company in St. Petersburg, Fla., called ReRev.com, LLC, OSU has retrofitted 22 elliptical exercise machines in its student fee-funded Dixon Recreation Center and already is collecting the power produced by students and feeding it back into the power grid"

Pedal power generates electricity

Each stationary bike at Ridgefield Fitness Club, Connecticut, features a black box on the front wheel, generating hundreds of watts of electricity as cyclists work out. The attachment is the innovative and some say long overdue creation of Ridgefield resident Jay Whelan's company, The Green Revolution Inc. Mr. Whelan is making sure that the energy we expend to shed some pounds or keep our heart's healthy doesn't go to waste. The Green Revolution Inc., has brought the patent-pending technology to Ridgefield first, to see how gym members feel about helping the environment during their cardio