Keep your heart health a priority!
Filed under: Blogs
So The Cardio Blog is going into retirement, and since is this is my last post I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for reading! It's been a blast writing and reading and learning about the importance of taking care of ourselves and our heart health specifically, and of course I encourage you all to continue doing so. There are countless great resources online (even though we were voted #1!) and I thought I'd share a few that I personally like and plan to stay in touch with:A Hearty Life
The Heart Scan Blog
Mark's Daily Apple
That's Fit
The "Fat Scan"
Excess fat around the abdomen is a known risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. In most cases, this issue is easily identifiable in people. If someone has a big belly, let's fact it -- they may be at risk. But, it turns out that it may not be that simple in all cases.
Scientists from London's Medical Research Council suggest that some people undergo what they are calling a "Fat Scan" -- an MRI to detect if slimmer looking people have excess fat around and inside their organs. Though most newer MRI machines are capable of measuring fat, only three centers (one in Dallas, one in New York, and one in San Diego) are currently using them for this purpose, and are doing so only for research purposes.
Until this MRI "Fat Scan" technology is perfected and regularly utilized, it's best to follow a healthy diet and regular exercise program, regardless of how fit they may appear on the outside.
Taking care of women's hearts
Filed under: Heart Centers Online, Research, Women Heart Health
As you may know, The Cardio Blog is being retired today. It's been an honor to write for this blog, and I hope that the information we brought to you was useful and informative. Since this will be my last post for The Cardio Blog, I thought I'd write about a topic that is near and dear to my heart (pun, lamely, intended): women's heart health. We've seen it in the headlines again and again -- women, and often their doctors, don't always prioritize their health, and this seems to be especially an issue when it comes to heart health. But the fact is that heart disease is public enemy number one for women, and we all need to better understand and deal with our risk factors.
So I'll leave you with this post from Her Daily News. In it, they talk about Heart Truth, the National Institute of Health's campaign to bring heart education to women. They also include a checklist of questions to take to your doctor, as well as a list to help you understand your own risk. Do yourself -- and your heart -- a favor today and read through the questions to determine if you need to do more to protect your health.
Thanks for reading The Cardio Blog, and don't forget to come visit us at That's Fit for all of the latest news in health and fitness!
Quitting smoking only reduces heart attacks in small towns?
Filed under: Smoking, Stress, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health
Smoking bans are a great idea -- they make the air cleaner for non-smokers and reduce the amount of time that smokers spend puffing on the old cancer sticks. Smoking bans have even been shown to lead to a big drop in coronary heart disease ... in smaller towns, that is. According to this, it's a phenomenon that is just emerged as cities and towns implement smoking bans -- a decrease in heart conditions are only seen in smaller urban areas when a smoking ban comes into effect. Why is this? The original post cites statistics and the incorrect assumption that because two things are linked, one causes the other. Which is true, but it makes me curious, especially since I live in a large city. Is pollution a substantial reason behind heart attacks? The stress of living in a busy urban centre? Road rage? I think it's a good reminder that we need to look after ourselves and our hearts and not assume that our environments will help keep us healthy.
What do you think?
10 things you need to know about your heart problems
Filed under: Drugs, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health, Surgery
You've been diagnosed with a heart problem. You have a lot of questions but you can't seem to get your head around this, this thing that's just been dropped on you like bomb. You probably feel very alone but believe it or not, situations like this are pretty common so WebMD has come up with this handy list of things you should ask your doctor about your heart condition. You need to know the facts, what can be done and where you'll end up on this roller coaster of life--and you might not know which questions to ask. Either that or you're too overwhelmed to think it through. You can even print the list out and take it to your doctor.
If you've gone through this before, what information did you find the most useful?
What you need to know about coronary heart disease
Filed under: Prevention, Research, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health
How much do you know about coronary heart disease? I'll admit that I don't know much -- afterall, I'm young and healthy and far from heart problems ... at least I hope I am. But everyone should be informed about their health. We don't need medical degrees but we should know what risks we face and what arising symptoms could mean.Dr. Naidu of Heart Matters recently posted this info on coronary heart disease, including the risk factors and prevention methods. By living a healthy lifestyle, not smoking, being active and managing my stress, I'm doing pretty well at preventing coronary heart disease, and it's good to know what I'm doing right. Don't you think?
Heart disease data may not be gender-specific
Filed under: Research, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health
We've all heard the expression: There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. I always do my best to remember these very words as I research articles for this blog. As I've pointed out several times, there seems to be a great deal of contradictory information circulating the research field, lending credibility to the aforesaid statement regarding statistics. Understandably, research methods, treatment models, and everything else in between can be the cause of the paucity of irrefutable evidence these days. But, there's simply no excuse for overlooking something as simple as dividing test results by gender. Now being quite honest, I'm not really all up in arms about the whole thing. The Mayo Clinic, however, seems a bit ticked.
According to their own study, the Mayo Clinic determined that it is very rare that researchers will produce a sex-based analysis of their findings. In a review of 64 cardiovascular clinic trials published from July 1 through December 31, 2004, only 153 of the publications provided sex-specific reporting. This is especially dangerous when dealing with diseases that tend to affect one sex more than the other, which is the case with heart disease. Being the number one threat to a woman's health, it is imperative that they know whether published data is skewed in any way by gender involvement.
The researchers from the Mayo Clinic suggest that when female patients are recommended a certain treatment or test, they should ask whether women were included in the research. And, if so (and if known), what percentage of the sample group did they represent.
Lifestyle strategies for your healthiest heart
Filed under: Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
We often post tips and facts about having a healthy heart, but over at That's Fit, I think this post sums up what you need to do to have a healthy heart. Here's what they recommend:- Get a good night's sleep
- Get active -- this especially includes resistance training
- Drink wine in moderation
- Eat fish, or some other source of Omega 3's
- Floss regularly
- Quit smoking
- Take a daily walk
- An aspirin a day can take the heart problems away -- but talk to your doctor first.
The truth about women and heart disease
Filed under: Women Heart Health
Although breast cancer seems to be getting a lot more press lately, the biggest threat to women's health today is actually heart disease. And although men are more often thought of when picturing a heart attack victim, the truth is women are actually more likely to both have heart disease and they're more likely to die from a heart attack in the weeks immediately following than men are. The Mayo Clinic has a handy quiz for women regarding the truth on a variety of health topics, heart disease and breast cancer included, and it's interesting to read the explanations after you take it because some of the answers are surprising!
Genes found that predict heart disease
Filed under: Family history, Research
Scientists in Europe have just found 6 specific genes that may be a key to heart disease. Data shows that people with variations in one or more of these genes have a much greater risk of suffering a heart attack or heart disease before the age of 66. These genes only seem to predict risk, however, not the definite future. Not everyone identified with a "genetic predisposition" ultimately gets sick, so it's still very much worthwhile to eat a heart healthy diet and get plenty of exercise.