Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Rimonabant may prevent and treat obesity-related liver disease

A new study on the effect of the anti-obesity drug rimonabant on liver function in obese rats found that it reduced markers of liver damage, decreased levels of pro-inflammatory proteins, and improved lipid profiles.

4 Jul 2007

Myeloperoxidase protein provides clues to heart attacks in healthy people

We've all wondered how a seemingly healthy person can actually be at high risk for heart disease or a heart attack.

4 Jul 2007

Lowering cardiac risk later in life

In a study published in the July 2007 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston found that people 45 to 64 years of age who added healthy lifestyle behaviors could substantially reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and reduce their death rate.

29 Jun 2007

How diet, exercise and weight loss affect inflammation

A $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help researchers at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center identify how weight loss and lifestyle changes affect the risk for heart disease in obese and diabetic patients, a rapidly-growing group in America.

29 Jun 2007

Study of a Paleolithic diet in early humans

Foods of the kind that were consumed during human evolution may be the best choice to control diabetes type 2. A study from Lund University, Sweden, found markedly improved capacity to handle carbohydrate after eating such foods for three months.

28 Jun 2007

Link between lung capacity, inflammation and chronic lung disease

People who have a reduced lung capacity may have a greater risk of heart attack and stroke because they show evidence of inflammation, reveals a study published online ahead of print in Thorax .

28 Jun 2007

Print and phone programs help increase physical activity

As Americans struggle to become more physically active, simple programs that provide feedback and motivation can play a crucial role in getting people off to a good start, according to a study of the July issue of Health Psychology.

27 Jun 2007

Transplant of angina patients' purified stem cells provides symptom relief

The first U.S. study to transplant a potent form of purified adult stem cells into the heart muscle of patients with severe angina provided evidence that the procedure is safe and produced a reduction in angina pain as well as improved functioning in patients' daily lives, reports the lead researcher at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

27 Jun 2007

Pediatric chronic disease poses future health and welfare challenges

The increased incidence of chronic conditions among American children predicts serious strains on health care and social welfare systems in the future, caution investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

27 Jun 2007

Women's mortality rates for cardiovascular disease differ widely among hospitals

Women treated for cardiovascular disease at the nation's best- performing hospitals have a 39 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality rate when compared with women at the nation's poorest-performing hospitals, according to the fourth annual HealthGrades Women's Health Outcomes in U.S. Hospitals study.

26 Jun 2007

More fat may have some advantages for type 1 diabetes and heart disease

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences studying links between an early sign of heart disease called coronary artery calcification and body fat have found that, paradoxically, more fat may have some advantages, at least for people particularly women who have type 1 diabetes.

26 Jun 2007

Chronic methamphetamine abuse linked to cardiovascular disease

The study is being published the week of June 25 in an advanced online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

26 Jun 2007

Women need to start thinking about heart disease prevention before menopause

Studies in female monkeys helped raise important questions about hormone therapy that were addressed in a Women's Health Initiative study reported last week in the New England Journal of Medicine .

26 Jun 2007

$50 million gift for University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center

On June 11, the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center's new building opened its doors to patients.

26 Jun 2007

New risk marker for overweight children

A study of 40 overweight children in Edmonton has revealed they all share something in common aside from being heavy: each one of them has high levels of apoB48, a structural protein found in intestinal cholesterol.

23 Jun 2007

Estrogen HRT can limit plaque accumulation in arteries

Estrogen can limit significantly the accumulation of plaque in the arteries of women in their 50s, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Newson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/20).

22 Jun 2007

Obese heart attack patients more likely to survive after treatment than normal weight patients

Obese and very obese patients have a lower risk of dying after they have been treated for heart attacks than do normal weight patients, according to research published in the European Heart Journal today (Wednesday 20 June).

20 Jun 2007

Death rate for women with diabetes higher than that of men

A new analysis of data from three large national databases finds that in the 29 years between 1971 and 2000, the death rate of men with diabetes has dropped significantly, in line with the overall decline of the death rate for all Americans.

19 Jun 2007

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have greater arterial stiffness

The researchers also found that those COPD patients with osteoporosis, a common complication of the respiratory disease, had even greater arterial stiffness. These premature signs of aging may explain why COPD patients are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.

19 Jun 2007