Secondhand smoke ups teen vessel damage (Finland)

Exposure to secondhand smoke has been linked to an increased risk of hardened arteries in 13-year-olds, researchers in Finland said. The study, published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, associated higher levels of exposure to secondhand smoke between the ages of 8-13 to a significant increase by age 13 of blood vessel wall thickness and vessel functioning problems - both precursors to hardened arteries. The researchers also found greater exposure to tobacco smoke associated to another risk factor for heart disease - higher levels of apolipoprotein B - a component of low-density lipoprotein or LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. "Although previous research has found that passive smoke may be harmful for blood vessels among adults, we did not know until this study that these specific effects also happen among children and adolescents," lead author Dr. Katariina Kallio of the University of Turku said in a statement. The study participants - 494 children - had been recruited as infants beginning in 1990 into Finland's ongoing prospective randomized Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project, which aims to lower children's risks of heart disease by controlling their exposure to known environmental dangers

Workplace factors can increase heart risk

"If employees feel ambiguous about their work role and there is a lack of clear communication, it may increase heart attack risk, Finnish researchers said. An 18-year study in Finland examined the possible link between job-control factors and heart attacks - acute myocardial infarction - among 7,663 private-sector employees. 'The risk of myocardial infarction was about 1.8 times higher in a disorganized setting than in an organized setting,' lead study author Ari Vaananen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki said in a statement. 'Clear organization of work tasks matters.' The researchers sent questionnaires to 12,173 multinational forest industry employees who had worked for their company for at least 24 months and who were initially free of heart disease. In all, 9,292 employees, primarily blue-collar workers, responded. The study, scheduled to be published in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health, found that characteristics of a job, such as an employee's lack of control, job awareness, unexpected changes, job strain and stress, could lead to poor cardiac health as does smoking and a lack of exercise" - UPI