No Safe Level for Smoking
Lighting up just one time per day poses a significantly increased risk for heart disease and stroke. This large meta-analysis of 141 studies in 21 countries found smoking one cigarette a day was associated with a 48-74% increased risk in men, and a 57-118% risk for women. PositiveTip: Remember, light smoking, smoking fewer cigarettes, and…
Read MoreHealthy Habits Can Offset Genetic Risk
Worried you will have cardiovascular disease because it is in your genes? Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found while a high genetic tendency indeed increases risk of heart disease, so does an unhealthy lifestyle. The good news is, with a healthy lifestyle, the risk of heart disease can be lowered--especially for those with a high genetic…
Read MoreAre Eggs Healthy?
Although one of the richest sources of dietary cholesterol (200 mg per egg yolk), eggs also contain nutrients that may help lower the risk of heart disease such as monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats, biotin, choline, vitamin A, protein, and lutein (an antioxidant). This does not give permission to eating a daily 3-egg omelet! Watch out for the…
Read MoreHealth-related Anxiety Increases Risk of Heart Disease
Researchers in Norway studied 7000 adults and found about 10% had health-related anxieties. Those anxious individuals were 70% more likely to develop heart disease in the next 12 years, even after adjusting for cardiovascular and other confounders, compared to those without health anxiety. Ellen G. White, an early health reformer wrote, "Many die from disease the cause of which is wholly imaginary." (Ministry of Healing).
Read MoreImportant Touchy-Feely Stuff
Rabbits were placed on a high-cholesterol diet thinking they would all get heart disease. They were stacked in cages to the ceiling. Those in the higher cages got significantly more heart disease compared to the lower ones. It was found the technician caring for them was short and only played with the lower ones. The study was repeated.…
Read MoreRotating Night Shifts Seems to be Hard for the Heart
A long-term study covering 24 years of follow-up using data from the Nurses' Health Studies with almost 190,000 participants reveals those who had a history of working 3 or more night shifts per month for at least 5 years had significantly higher rates of coronary heart disease (CHD) than those who never worked night shift. Nurses…
Read MoreIs Butter Back?
In an almost 30 year study, researchers found when people replace saturated fat (mainly found in meats and dairy products) with refined carbohydrates they do not lower their risk of heart disease. Those who replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats or whole grains (unrefined carbohydrate) did lower their risk of heart disease. PositiveTip: Limiting saturated fat in…
Read MoreHealthy Diet Helps Low-income Population
Low-income U.S. adults who eat a healthy diet experienced about 20% lower risk of heart disease and cancer. Almost 78,000 adults, half who had an annual income less than $15,000, were followed from 2002 to 2009. The quality of their diets was evaluated using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Healthy Eating Index. After adjusting for…
Read MoreHeart Hope for Obese Children
Researchers compared a plant-based diet and the American Heart Association (AHA) diet for heart-health effects on 28 obese children. After only four weeks, both diets showed significant improvements but those on a plant-based diet had additional improvements in BMI, blood pressure, insulin, total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. A plant-based diet included plant foods, whole grains, limited avocado and nuts, no-added-fat. The AHA…
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