Fitness alone curbs all-cause and CVD deaths.

Middle-aged men who maintained or increased their fitness over 11 years experienced 30% and 40% reductions, respectively, in cardiovascular disease deaths and all-cause mortality--even without losing weight. When fitness declined during the study period, risk of dying increased.

PositiveTip: What are you doing to stay fit? Make at least 30 minutes of physical activity a part of your life every day.

Misalignment between circadian rhythm and behavioral rhythm may increase disease risk.

Shift workers younger than 40 years of age were found to have significantly higher levels of cortisol ("stress" hormone) compared to their day worker counterparts. This small Dutch study also found that shift workers weighed significantly more. These observations could place them at higher risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

PositiveTip: The lack of regularity in life, along with working outside of standard hours, may raise risks of disease. If possible, avoid these shifts.

Watching more than 4 hours of TV a day dramatically increases premature death.

A study of nearly 9000 Australians compared those who watched 2 hours or less of TV per day to those who watched more than 4 hours. Those watching the most had a 46% increased risk in death from all causes, and an 80% increased risk for death by cardiovascular disease. This connection stayed consistent even after adjusting for other independent risk factors.

PositiveTip: Too much sitting is bad for your health. Remember to get up and move more, and do it more often.

Couch potatoes beware - every hour of TV time may increase your risk of dying early.

Researchers in Australia followed the lifestyle habits of almost 9000 adults for more than six years. They found that each hour of daily TV viewing was connected with an 11% increased risk for death from all causes, an 18% higher risk for cardiovascular deaths, and even a 9% increase in death from cancer.

PositiveTip: The human body was designed for activity and movement. Avoid sitting for extended periods of time for optimal health.

While widely used, statins may yield little benefit in primary prevention of heart disease.

Evidence is strong that statins benefit those with known cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, they are frequently prescribed for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in those without CVD but with a high risk for it. European investigators combined results for 65,000 high-risk only patients and found no significant improvement in risk.

PositiveTip: True primary prevention of heart disease should focus on the benefits of lifestyle modification, not a drug-based approach.

People who brush their teeth less than once a day have significantly higher risk of heart disease.

In Scotland, researchers followed almost 12,000 adults for 8 years in a study linking good oral health with a lower risk of heart disease. After adjusting for confounding factors, people who brushed their teeth less than once a day were 70% more likely to suffer heart disease compared to those who brushed twice a day.

The researchers suggest that poor oral hygiene may contribute to "systemic inflammation."

PositiveTip: Strange as it may seem, brushing your teeth regularly does more than just keep your teeth and gums healthy!

Overweight, in your 40s, and not worried about heart disease? Think again!

A ten-year study of more than 20,000 Dutch men and women has shown that larger waist sizes and higher body mass index (BMI) were strongly associated with 3-4 times the cardiovascular deaths and almost twice the rate of cardiovascular disease than normal weight controls.  Average age was 43 years--an age group not usually very concerned with heart health. Men with a waist circumference greater than 40.1 inches (102 cm) compared to those less than 37 inches (94 cm), and women with waist circumferences greater than 34.5inches (88 cm) compared to those less than 31.5 inches (80 cm) had significantly greater incidence of fatal and non-fatal CVD.

Lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by raising your HDL levels.

Air Pollution and Smoking: Kissing Cousins!

There is significant controversy about the level of fine particulate matter (FPM) that elevates risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Epidemiologists studied prospective data during a follow-up study of more than a million adults and found that CVD mortality risk increased by 64% in those who smoked three or fewer cigarettes per day and doubled in those who smoked a pack or more per day. Even those who were exposed to relatively low levels of FPM from second hand smoke or air pollution had substantially higher CVD mortality risk. Recent estimates in urban areas of China and India show FPM levels in excess of 100 mmg/m3 which is comparable to an active smoker's exposure of FPM (compare this to US urban levels of 10-24 mmg/m3).