Sugary drinks create heart risks for women even if they are normal weight. This is the finding of a study presented at the American Heart Association meetings in Florida by Dr. Christina Shay.

In this study, 4000 women from 45-84 years of age were followed for 5 years. Women who drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day were compared to women who drank one or less daily. 

Women drinking two or more sugary drinks per day were four times as likely to develop high triglycerides. This was true for skinny women as well as those who were overweight. Elevated triglycerides are a risk factor for heart disease. So, sodas in the daily diet can clog your arteries, leading to heart attacks and death. 

Heart disease kills more people than any other disease. Major causes of heart attacks include cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. You can also inherit defective genes from your father or mother that will increase your risk of having a heart attack. 

You can control what you eat but your genetic make up is beyond your control. This turns out NOT to be true. 

A large study screened a population of 8000 Europeans, Chinese, South Asians, Arabs, and Latin Americans for genetic defects on chromosome 9 in the p21 region. They looked for four specific defects in a single DNA building block (single nucleotide polymorphisms).

The British Medical Journal just published results from a study on how B-Vitamins and fish oil affect several cardiovascular diseases. The outcomes were disappointing.

Researchers studied 2501 individuals who were sick to begin with. All had experienced a stroke, heart attack or unstable chest pains. The study involved over 400 research physicians throughout France. 

People were randomly assigned to one of four groups, with various daily treatments:

Millions of women take calcium supplements. The U.S Government recommends 1200 mg intake of calcium per day for men and women over the age of 50.

Recent research, just published in the British Medical Journal, show that calcium supplements actually have no beneficial effect on bone density and are actually harmful because they increase the risk of heart attacks.

Scientists at the University of Auckland in New Zealand analyzed 11 calcium supplement studies (without Vitamin D), with more than 12,000 participants. The risk of heart attacks among those taking supplements was 31% higher than those not taking them.

One risk factor for first-time heart attacks is an elevated blood level of homocysteine. High homocysteine levels can be lowered by administering vitamin B12 and folic acid. The question has been whether or not this treatment would result in reduced disease and death from heart attacks.

Brushing your teeth prevents more than just cavities. It can also prevent heart attacks. This news was confirmed by a recently published article in the British Medical Journal.