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Blood Pressure Differences Between Arms Could Signal Heart Risk “People whose systolic blood pressure -- the upper number in their reading -- is different in their left and right arms may be suffering from a vascular disease that could increase their risk of death, British researchers report. The arteries under the collarbone supply blood to the arms, legs and brain. Blockage can lead to stroke and other problems, the researchers noted, and measuring blood pressure in both arms should be routine.”

Consumption of fried foods and risk of coronary heart disease: Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (BMJ 2012) “In Spain, a Mediterranean country where olive or sunflower oil is used for frying, the consumption of fried foods was not associated with coronary heart disease or with all cause mortality.”

Contaminant in Drinking Water Linked to Mental Illness

Decaffeinated Coffee May Help Improve Memory Function and Reduce Risk of Diabetes

Diet Soft Drink Consumption is Associated with an Increased Risk of Vascular Events in the Northern Manhattan Study. (J Gen Intern Med. 2012)

Do the benefits of screening mammography outweigh the harms of overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment? No

Do the benefits of screening mammography outweigh the harms of overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment? Yes

Drinking Late in First Trimester May Be Most Hazardous

Effects of moderate aerobic exercise training on chronic primary insomnia (Sleep Medicine 2011) “Long-term moderate aerobic exercise elicited significant improvements in sleep, quality of life and mood in individuals with chronic primary insomnia.”

Even Mild Dehydration May Cause Emotional, Physical Problems “Even mild dehydration may affect our moods and ability to concentrate. In a new study of 25 healthy women, mild dehydration dampened moods, increased fatigue, and led to headaches. The women in the study were aged 23, on average. They were neither athletes nor couch potatoes. Women participated in three experiments separated by 28 days. In two of these, dehydration was induced via walking on a treadmill with or without a diuretic pill. These pills encourage urination, and can lead to dehydration.”

Exercise training restores hypertension-induced changes in the elastic tissue of the thoracic aorta. (J Vasc Res. 2011)

Fructose and cardiometabolic disorders: the controversy will, and must, continue. (Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2010)

Heading Soccer Ball Linked to Brain Injury

High Blood Pressure and the DASH Diet “One step to lower high blood pressure: Incorporate the DASH diet into your lifestyle. Doctors recommend: Eating more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods Cutting back on foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat Eating more whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts Eating less red meat and sweets Eating foods that are rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is an example of such an eating plan. In studies, patients who were on the DASH diet reduced their blood pressure within two weeks. Another diet -- DASH-Sodium -- calls for reducing sodium (salt) to 1,500 mg a day (about 2/3 teaspoon). Studies of patients on the DASH-Sodium plan significantly lowered their blood pressure. … Here are some tips to get you started on the DASH diet: Add a serving of vegetables at lunch and at dinner. Add a serving of fruit to your meals or as a snack. Canned and dried fruits are easy to use. Use only half the butter, margarine, or salad dressing, and use low-fat or fat-free condiments. Drink low-fat or skim dairy products three times a day. Limit meat to six ounces a day. Try eating some vegetarian meals. Add more vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans to your diet. Instead of typical snacks (chips, etc.), eat unsalted pretzels or nuts, raisins, graham crackers, low-fat and fat-free yogurt and frozen yogurt; unsalted plain popcorn with no butter, and raw vegetables. Read food labels carefully to choose products that are lower in sodium.”

High Levels of MRSA Bacteria in U.S. Retail Meat Products, Study Suggests

High-Normal Blood Pressure Raises Heart Risks in Men ““Having high blood pressure in middle age is a major risk factor for developing atrial fibrillation later in life, and now new research links high-normal-range blood pressure with an increase in risk. More than 2 million mostly older Americans have the heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation, which greatly increases their risk for stroke, heart failure, and death. Researchers followed about 2,000 Norwegian men for an average of 30 years, during which time 270 developed atrial fibrillation. Men whose systolic blood pressure (the upper number) was in the high-normal range at the start of the study were 50% more likely than men with normal blood pressure to develop the heart rhythm condition. An earlier study in women who were followed for an average of 14 years also showed high-normal blood pressure to be associated with a higher risk for atrial fibrillation. … Prehypertension is common in people with metabolic syndrome, which is a group of risk factors associated with an elevated risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. “This study is another example of a metabolic syndrome trait being associated with higher [heart disease and stroke] risk,” says AHA spokesman Roger Blumenthal, MD, who directs the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center. Blumenthal says the findings should serve as a wake-up call for those with blood pressure readings in the high-normal range, adding that people with systolic blood pressure readings in the 130s and diastolic readings in the 80s should be counseled to make lifestyle changes that can improve the numbers. “That means revving up your diet and exercise schedule and losing weight if you are overweight,” he says.

Is the metabolic syndrome caused by a high fructose, and relatively low fat, low cholesterol diet? (Arch Med Sci. 2011) “The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is manifested by a lipid triad which includes elevated serum triglycerides, small LDL particles, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, by central obesity (central adiposity), insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and elevated blood pressure, and it is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. We have developed a new hypothesis regarding MetS as a consequence of a high intake in carbohydrates and food with a high glycemic index, particularly fructose, and relatively low intake of cholesterol and saturated fat. … Fructose also leads to increased levels of advanced glycation end products. The macrophages exposed to advanced glycation end products become dysfunctional and, on entry into the artery wall, contribute to plaque formation and thrombosis.”

Lifetime risks of cardiovascular disease. (N Engl J Med. 2012)

Low Levels of Vitamin D May Be Linked to Depression

New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggests

No Safe Level of Alcohol Use in Pregnancy

Nocturia is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and death (BJU International 2012)

Obesity and Pain Linked, Study of One Million Americans Shows

Prostate Cancer Screening in the Randomized Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial: Mortality Results after 13 Years of Follow-up (J Natl Cancer Inst (2012)

Salt consumption and cardiovascular, renal, and hypertensive diseases: clinical and mechanistic aspects (Current Opinion in Lipidology 2011) “It is now generally accepted that there is a direct positive correlation between dietary salt and arterial pressure. Thus, the beneficial effects of dietary salt reduction are, at least in part, due to a decrease in arterial pressure. Furthermore, the beneficial, pressure-independent effects of sodium restriction on the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys are being increasingly recognized, but not generally appreciated.”

Science Shows How Exercise Might Help in Prostate Cancer

Statins Associated With Significant Increase in Diabetes Risk “Statin use in postmenopausal women is associated with a significantly increased risk of diabetes mellitus, research shows [1]. New data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) hints that the risk of diabetes is higher than suggested by previous studies, with investigators reporting a 48% increased risk of diabetes among the women taking the lipid-lowering medications. "With this study, what we're seeing is that the risk of diabetes is particularly high in elderly women, and this risk is much larger than was observed in another previous meta-analysis," senior investigator Dr Yunsheng Ma (University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston) told heartwire . "For doctors treating patients, we would like them to really look at the risk-benefit analysis, especially in different age groups, such as older women." “

Sugar-sweetened beverage, sugar intake of individuals, and their blood pressure: international study of macro/micronutrients and blood pressure. (Hypertension. 2011) “These findings, plus adverse nutrient intakes among SSB consumers, and greater sugar-BP differences for persons with higher sodium excretion lend support to recommendations that intake of SSBs, sugars, and salt be substantially reduced.”

Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Pharmacologic Interventions to Improve Quality of Life and Well-being in People With Dementia. (Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012) “We found no consistent evidence that any drug improves quality of life in people with dementia. We recommend that all dementia trials should include quality of life as an outcome, as this is important to patients, and cannot be presumed from improvements in cognition or other symptomatic outcomes, especially if the latter are small.”

Too Much Fructose Sweetener Tied to Heart Risks in Teens

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Healthy Living

12 Tips To a Healthier Home

Allergy Tests Should Only Confirm Diagnosis

Exercise May Help Those at Higher Risk for Alzheimer's: Study

Fish oil plus exercise may do older muscles good

Fruit and Vegetable Intake and the Risk of Hypertension in Middle-Aged and Older Women (American Journal of Hypertension (2012)) “Many known nutrients rich in fruits and vegetables, such as fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamin C, are postulated to lower BP. Trials that tested the BP-lowering effects of these nutrients in the form of dietary supplements have shown inconsistent results,30,31 suggesting that other components in fruits and vegetables or potential interactions among multiple nutrients may be responsible for the benefits. When we examined individual and subgroups of fruit and vegetable, a stronger inverse association was observed for green-leafy vegetables, dark-yellow vegetables, apples, oranges, and raisins. Dark-green and orange vegetables have been emphasized in the dietary recommendations by the US Department of Agriculture27 and Harvard healthy eating guidelines.32 It is possible that the nutrient components in these food subgroups have particularly strong effects on BP, but this hypothesis needs to be further investigated. Elimination of the associations after adjustment for BMI supports a concept that maintaining normal body weight could be one important pathway through which fruit and vegetable consumption may contribute to BP regulation.”

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Healthy Middle Age Makes a Big Difference

Kids' Snacks Can Be Healthy and Inexpensive

Lifestyle and the Risk of Dementia in Japanese-American Men. (J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011)

Steady Diet of Mental Stimulation Might Reduce Alzheimer's Risk “People who engage in activities such as reading and playing games throughout their lives may be lowering levels of a protein in their brains that is linked to Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests. Although whether the buildup of the protein, beta amyloid, causes Alzheimer's disease is debatable, it is a hallmark of the condition, the researchers noted. "Staying cognitively active over the lifetime may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by preventing the accumulation of Alzheimer's-related pathology," said study author Susan Landau, a research scientist at the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.”

Swimming lowers older adults' blood pressure “On average, the swimmers started the study with a systolic blood pressure of 131 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Three months later, it was 122 mm Hg. Normal blood pressure is defined as an average reading no higher than 120/80 mm Hg. Readings of 140/90 or higher are considered high blood pressure, and anything in between is considered "pre-hypertension." Swimming is often promoted as a good way for older people to exercise, since it's easy on the joints and it's not likely to cause overheating. And many follow that advice: after walking, swimming is the second-most popular form of exercise among the older set.”

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Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

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Patient Safety

3-Fold Risk of Infection for Elderly After ER Visits

Loud hospital rooms linked to poor patient sleep

Treatment options

U.S. to Force Drug Firms to Report Money Paid to Doctors

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