Night owls have higher risk of being overweight and at heart risk

People who keep late hours may elevate their risk of obesity and heart attack, a U.S. researcher says. Giovanni Cizza of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., says many in the United States don't get enough sleep and weigh more than they should. A study indicates people who stay up late, sleep too little and are obese also have signs that raise concern about potential heart attack risk. Cizza analyzed data on 119 people who fit the categories of staying up late, sleeping too little and weighing more than they should. The study, published in the journal Plos One, found those who stayed up late and lost sleep had higher resting heart rates and higher stress hormone levels. "If you are an evening person, you tend to eat more, you tend to eat more fat than carbohydrate, and eat more often after 8 p.m," Cizza said

200,000 heart disease deaths preventable (USA)

While cardiovascular disease causes nearly one-third of deaths in the U.S. every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in its September issue of Vital Signs that at least 200,000 of these deaths can be prevented through lifestyle changes. As the Affordable Care Act improves access to preventive health care, providers should play a key role in encouraging preventive efforts, the agency argued. Among the steps they can take are:

Use electronic health records to determine which patients smoke or have other risk factors such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure and support them.
Undertake efforts to make clinical improvements, such as implementing patient care teams, by using national quality indicators.
Encourage patients to make lifestyle changes and monitor their efforts.
Make anti-hypertensive and cholesterol-lowering medications more affordable by lowering or eliminating co-payments.
Offer patients information about available community resources that will, for example, help them quit smoking or monitor their blood pressure.
Help patients get information about where to get affordable health insurance.

80 percent of heart disease is preventable (USA)

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of U.S. men and women even though almost 80 percent of it is preventable, a Mayo Clinic cardiologists says. Cardiologist Dr. Martha Grogan, medical editor-in-chief of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life! said there are several simple tips to reduce heart disease risk. Grogan encouraged people to move 10 extra minutes each day because a sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of heart attack almost as much as smoking does, recent studies showed. Make an effort each day to get up from the desk to go talk to a colleague instead of sending an email, or walk around the house as you talk on the phone, Grogan recommended. "Moving even 10 minutes a day for someone who's been sedentary may reduce the risk for heart disease by 50 percent," Grogan said in a statement. Americans too often cheat themselves of sleep and their hearts can pay the price, said Dr. Virend Somers, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and sleep expert. "Sleep is a necessity, like food and water. It's not a luxury," Somers said. Chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression. Dr. Randal Thomas, a Mayo preventive cardiologist said a 53-year-old male smoker with high blood pressure has a 20 percent chance of having a heart attack over the next 10 years. If he stops smoking, his risk drops to 10 percent; if he takes high blood pressure medicine, it falls to 5 percent, Thomas said

TV in bedrooms may boost kids' risk of fat, disease (USA)

Kids who have TVs in their bedrooms are twice as likely to be fat and nearly three times as likely to be at risk for heart disease and diabetes as those who don't, according to a new study that renews concerns about health and screen time. Specifically, youngsters ages 5 to 18 who had TVs in their rooms were up to 2.5 times more likely than others to have bigger waists and more fat mass. Those who watched TV more than five hours a day were at twice the risk for fat around their internal organs, a dangerous precursor for disease. "It's really troubling to see these kids with fat around their heart and liver," said Amanda Staiano, a scientist with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. Staiano and her colleagues knew that previous studies had shown a link among bedroom TVs, longer TV viewing and being overweight or obese, which affects two-thirds of U.S. youth. But in a country where 70 percent of kids have TVs in their rooms, according to a 2010 study, Staiano said they wanted to understand exactly where the kids were adding fat, and whether they were at risk for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. "We wanted to see kind of a more precise relationship between TV and health," said Stainao, who studied 369 children and teens in Louisiana. Her findings are reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Sitting for long periods 'increases risk of chronic illness'

People who regularly sit around for long periods of time may be more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease, a study has found. Researchers at the University of Leicester and Loughborough University analysed the results of 18 previous studies involving almost 800,000 people. They found that sitting for protracted periods of time was associated with a twofold increase in a person's risk of diabetes, heart disease and death. These associations were still apparent in people who did the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the times when they were not sitting down

Exercising later in life can ward off heart problems (UK)

Leisurely exercise for two and a half hours a week could help those approaching their 50s avoid heart disease by controlling inflammation. Researchers found those who carry out physical activities such as brisk walking, cycling or home maintenance for a decade had healthier hearts. The results could help encourage the middle-aged to make lifestyle changes even if they rarely exercised in their younger years. Dr Mark Hamer, associate professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London (UCL), said: "It's not just vigorous exercise and sports that are important. "These leisure-time activities represent moderate intensity exercise that is important to health. It is especially important for older people to be physically active because it contributes to successful ageing." The findings were published in the journal Circulation

Urban residents more likely to develop heart disease

People living in urban areas are twice as likely as are their country counterparts to suffer from coronary artery calcification (CAC), a condition that leads to heart disease. CAC is the accumulation of calcium deposits in arteries. Researchers, led by Jess Lambrechtsen, cardiologist at Svendborg Hospital in Denmark, spoke to 1,225 men and women aged 50 to 60 years, including 251 who lived in the centers of major Danish cities. Despite the fact that none of the participants showed any symptoms of heart disease, 43 percent of the total had CAC, the Journal of Internal Medicine reports. The study also found that people who lived in city centers were 80 percent more likely to develop CAC than those living in other areas and that males, older participants, diabetics and smokers also faced higher risks, according to a Svendborg statement

No proof that gum disease causes heart disease or stroke (USA)

Despite popular belief, gum disease hasn't been proven to cause atherosclerotic heart disease or stroke, and treating gum disease hasn't been proven to prevent heart disease or stroke, according to a new scientific statement published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal. Keeping teeth and gums healthy is important for your overall health. However, an American Heart Association expert committee - made up of cardiologists, dentists and infectious diseases specialists - found no conclusive scientific evidence that gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, causes or increases the rates of cardiovascular diseases. Current data don't indicate whether regular brushing and flossing or treatment of gum disease can cut the incidence of atherosclerosis, the narrowing of the arteries that can cause heart attacks and strokes. Observational studies have noted associations between gum disease and cardiovascular disease, but the 500 journal articles and studies reviewed by the committee didn't confirm a causative link

Mayo Clinic researchers head to Mt. Everest to gain insights into aging and heart disease

A team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic is analyzing the effects of altitude on Mt. Everest climbers to gain new insights into aging and heart disease. Researchers will set up their lab at the mountain's base camp and then climbers will embark on a 10-day trek to 17,500 feet. Throughout the trip, researchers will provide updates via Twitter, Mayo's blog and National Geographic's adventure blog. The team will gather data on the mountaineers' heart rate, oxygen levels, and sleep quality, as well as taking samples of their blood and urine. Among the questions the scientists will investigate are whether muscle loss, common in heart disease patients and the elderly, is related to lack of oxygen, especially during sleep, and why fluid gathers in the lungs of both some high-altitude climbers and some heart failure patients. They'll also test out a new heart-rate monitor device embedded in the climbers' clothes - and, if it works well, perhaps in the clothes of patients someday soon

Drinking eight teas a day 'cuts blood pressure and heart disease'

Having a cup of tea has long been the preferred way for the English to relax. But now scientists have found tea really does lower the blood pressure and could prevent heart disease. Drinking eight cups of black leaf tea, such as Earl Grey or English Breakfast, a day "significantly" cuts blood pressure, researchers at the University of Western Australia found. Volunteers with normal to high blood pressure were given three drinks a day containing 429 milligrams of the plant chemicals polyphenols - the equivalent of eight and a half teas a day. A second group were given a tea-flavoured placebo. After six months, the blood pressure of the tea-drinking group had fallen by between two and three mmHg, the measurement of pressure used in medicine. A blood pressure fluctuating with the heartbeat between 112 and 63 mmHg is considered healthy, while a reading fluctuating between 140 and 90 is deemed high. If the experiment was emulated by the general population, the number of people with high blood pressure would be cut by ten per cent and the risk of heart disease would fall by between seven and ten per cent. "Our study has demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge that long-term regular consumption of black tea can result in significantly lower blood pressures in individuals with normal to high-normal range blood pressures," the team, led by Dr Jonathan Hodgson, wrote in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Previous studies suggest adding milk to tea does not affect the body's ability to absorb polyphenols. Green tea is widely considered to have numerous health benefits because it is high in antioxidants. It is said to aid weight loss, prevent glaucoma, reduce the risk of cancer and even treat acne.

Men can inherit a form of heart disease from father via Y chromosome

Men can inherit heart disease from their father say scientists who have tracked the condition to the Y chromosome that dads pass to sons. By studying the DNA of over 3,000 men they found a particular version of the sex chromosome increases the risk of coronary artery disease by 50%. As many as one in five British men carry this version of Y. And the risk it confers is in addition to other heart risk factors like cholesterol, The Lancet reports. Experts already know that men develop heart disease a decade earlier than women, on average. By the age of 40, the lifetime risk of heart disease is one in two for men and one in three for women. Lifestyle factors like smoking and blood pressure are important contributors. This latest work suggests the male Y chromosome can also play a role in coronary artery disease - a common form of heart disease that kills thousands each year in the UK

Future heart health 'shaped by diet'

Growing up starved of calories may give you a higher risk of heart disease 50 years on, research suggests. Researchers in The Netherlands tracked the heart health of Dutch women who lived through the famine at the end of World War II. Those living on rations of 400-800 calories a day had a 27% higher risk of heart disease in later life. It's the first direct evidence early nutrition shapes future health, they report in the European Heart Journal. The Dutch famine of 1944-45 gave researchers in Holland a unique opportunity to study the long-term effects of severe malnutrition in childhood and adolescence

East Londoners twice as likely to die of heart disease than in Westminster (UK)

Men and women are more likely to die of heart attack in London's deprived East End than anywhere else across the capital, shock figures reveal. Worst area for coronary disease is neighbouring Islington, closely followed by Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Barking & Dagenham where around 100 people in every 100,000 die. Hackney and The City showed 91 people dying, while Newham had 90 - way above the London average of 75 in every 100,000. It compares with just 36 in more affluent areas like Kensington & Chelsea, says the charity Heart UK. The wide variations means a man or woman is three times more likely to die of coronary disease in East London compared to the Royal Borough, or twice as likely compared to Westminster. Now a campaign has been set up by Heart UK with the US-based MSD private healthcare to highlight the geographical variation across London and the rest of the country

Poor countries have disproportionately higher burden of disease from stroke than from heart disease

Countries with lower national income have disproportionately higher rates of death and disability associated with stroke compared with ischemic heart disease, according to a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Together, ischemic heart disease and stroke are the two leading causes of death worldwide. Ischemic heart disease accounts for 12.2 percent of all deaths and stroke for 9.7 percent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burden of Disease Program. But the relative rates of death and disability from heart disease and stroke vary considerably from country to country

Lean gene 'linked to heart risk'

Genes that result in a slender figure have been linked to heart disease and type-two diabetes, conditions normally associated with being overweight. A study suggests variants of the IRS1 gene reduce fat under the skin, but not the more dangerous visceral fat around organs such as the heart and liver. The Medical Research Council study, published in Nature Genetics, examined the genes of more than 76,000 people. The link between the genetic variants and the conditions was stronger in men

Egyptian mummy 'first to have diseased heart'

An Egyptian princess who lived 3,500 years ago is thought to be the first known person to have developed heart disease, say researchers. Doctors believe the princess would have needed a heart bypass if she were living now. Scans showed she had extensive blockages in arteries leading to her heart, brain, stomach and legs. The researchers say her case shows heart disease pre-dates a modern lifestyle. Cardiac researchers from the US teamed up with colleagues at Al Azhar University in Cairo to analyse the remains of 52 mummies, including those of the princess. They performed full-body scans on mummies at the National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo. They had found evidence of hardening of the arteries in almost half the mummies scanned, researchers told a medical conference in Amsterdam

Heart and cardiovascular disease deaths drop dramatically In Norway

"Life was hard in occupied Norway during WWII, but the occupation had one surprising result: deaths from heart attacks dropped precipitously, because Norwegians ate less fat, smoked less and were more physically active. Now, in the last half of the 20th century, Norway has seen a similar precipitous drop in heart attack deaths, but this time due to focused prevention programmes and improved treatment, reports a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Writing in the latest issue of the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, NTNU Professor Kaare Harald Bønaa notes that the percentage of deaths due to heart disease and cardiovascular disease dropped from 50 per cent in 1975 to 33 per cent in 2009 in Norway, and that deaths from heart attacks alone dropped to levels that were last seen during WWII. Bønaa is a professor of heart and cardiovascular disease epidemiology at NTNU, and is chief physician in charge in intervention cardiology at St Olavs Hospital in Trondheim"

Warwick scientists say lack of sleep 'bad for health' (UK)

"The risk of developing heart disease can increase by as much as 48% if a person does not get enough sleep, University of Warwick scientists say. A long period of sleep shortage increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to scientists. They found most people need between six and eight hours of sleep a night to protect their health. Professor Cappuccio and co-author Dr Michelle Miller, from the University of Warwick, conducted the research. They said they followed up evidence from periods of seven to 25 years from more than 470,000 participants from eight countries including Japan, the USA, Sweden and the UK"

Job strain and heart disease risk in women

"Harvard researchers have uncovered strong links between women's job stress and cardiovascular disease. Findings from the Women's Health Study (WHS) - a landmark inquiry into disease prevention involving more than 17,000 female health professionals - show that women whose work is highly stressful have a 40% increased risk of heart disease (including heart attacks and the need for coronary artery surgery), compared with their less stressed colleagues. The results, which were presented at an American Heart Association meeting in 2010, also showed that women who worry about losing their jobs are more likely to have high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels and to be obese. These findings are especially distressing in the current economic climate. The researchers used a definition of "job strain" that combines psychological demand and degree of control. Demand refers to the amount, pace, and difficulty of the work. Control means the ability to make work-related decisions or be creative at work"

Costs to treat heart disease will triple to $818B by 2030 (USA)

"By 2030, the cost to treat heart disease will triple, and rise from $273 billion to $818 billion in the U.S. A bigger push to find effective prevention strategies is necessary to limit the burden of cardiovascular disease, according to a policy statement published January 25 in Circulation. The American Heart Association expert panel, which put forth the statement, estimated the future medical costs of heart disease based on the current rates of disease and Census data to adjust for population shifts. Today, one in three Americans has been diagnosed with some form of heart disease—high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke, among others—and by 2030, 116 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with some form of cardiovascular disease. The panel speculated that the largest increases will be the rate of stroke and heart failure, which will rise upwards to 24.9 percent and 25 percent, respectively"