As the population ages in the more developed countries, there is also an increase in illness, many of which could be prevented to a certain extent, like type 2 diabetes and some types of heart disease. While some risk factors have been identified and are being targeted, researchers are reaching as far back as they can to perhaps stop the diseases before the risk factors even begin, rather than stopping the risks once they have started.

To do this, researchers in the United Kingdom studied 1,037 people from New Zealand who were born during a one-year period between April 1972 and March 1973.

The researchers monitored the subjects for their first 10 years of life, specifically looking at three particular issues:

• poor socioeconomics
• maltreatment
• social isolation

The subjects were then assessed again when they turned 32 years old. At this time, the researchers were looking for:

• depression
• high inflammation levels in the blood (which could indicate heart disease, for example)
• high blood pressure
• abnormal cholesterol levels
• obesity

What the researchers found was that the subjects who had had more difficult childhoods also had higher levels of depression and high inflammation levels, as well as high cholesterol,  high blood pressure and obesity.

“The effects of adverse childhood experiences on age-related disease risks in adulthood were non-redundant, cumulative and independent of the influence of established developmental and concurrent risk factors,” such as family history, low birth weight or high childhood body mass index, the authors write.

Of course, parents don’t usually want their children to grow up disadvantaged and usually do what they can to raise their children’s standard of living. But this type of finding may help doctors and other healthcare professionals take these issues to heart and be more aware of the long-term impact. Other professionals may work on interventions that could help minimize the impact of a difficult childhood on adults.

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Image: iStock.com

Post from: Blisstree

Hard Childhood May Lead to Adult Illness

Often, the effects of mental illness contribute to physical illness and behaviors such as smoking, not eating well, or physical inactivity. Unfortunately, these are also prime risk factors for developing heart disease as well. Not long ago, we learned that people with mental illness die, on average, 25 years earlier than their peers who do not have mental health issues. Now, we’ve learned that many of these early deaths are due to heart disease.

Researchers studied 147,193 patients in the VA medical system. Some had no mental illness while others were diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, other psychotic disorders, major depressive disorder or other depression diagnosis. They looked at many factors, such as socioeconomic levels, demographics, and lifestyle.

The results showed that after taking many things into account, the patients with psychiatric disorders were more likely to die of heart disease than those who didn’t have mental illnesses.

These findings do show the importance of trying to control some of the behaviors that contribute to heart disease among those with mental illnesses.

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Images: iStock.com, MorgueFile.com

Post from: Blisstree

Mental Illness & Heart Disease

Peripheral artery disease – PAD – results from narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to your legs. PAD is dangerous since it could lead to complications like heart disease, stroke or (yikes!) lower limb amputation.

None of that sounds like much fun. The good news is that screening for the disease is simple. Doctors compare the blood pressure in the feet or leg to that of the arm. If an abnormal ratio is found, additional tests like an ultrasound or MRI may be performed.

“People don’t recognize that leg cramps while walking may be due to circulation problems that put them at risk for heart disease and stroke,” said Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada researcher Dr. Ross Tsuyuki, speaking to the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009.

Researchers caution that PAD contributes to thousands of deaths each year, and the disease is under-diagnosed. People over age 40 or anyone with symptoms should be tested. Though some people with PAD may have no symptoms, there are signs to look for:

• Leg pain during exercise
• Open sores that don’t heal
• Feeling of coldness or numbness in one or both legs
• Pain in the toes at night

Risk factors for PAD include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and heart disease or stroke. According to the American Heart Association, PAD affects around 8 million Americans.

Do you experience unexplained leg pain with walking?

(Image via flickr/misserion)

Post from: Blisstree

Pain in Leg Could Be Angina

If your world is all concrete and steel, could be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, as well as other health problems. Dutch researchers studied more than 300,000 Dutch adults and children, and discovered that those living close to more green spaces had slightly lower rates of different health conditions like asthma, heart disease, migraine, diabetes, and chronic neck and back pain.

The strongest health association was between lack of green spaces and people suffering from depression and anxiety. Researchers found that people living in areas with less green space were more likely to suffer from depression, suggesting that green space is very important in urban life. The research findings have been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

If you live in a big city, how often do you seek out green spaces?

(Image via stock.xchng)

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Green Spaces May Improve Health

But do the bans affect health? Are people healthier because their access to smoking may be less than it was before. According to researchers, yes.

In a study, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, North American and European communities that had such bans had a 17% drop in heart attacks within the first year of the ban and a 36% drop after three years.

An interesting finding from this study was that it wasn’t just the smokers who were affected, it was the nonsmokers who would otherwise have been exposed to second-hand smoke. Nonsmokers who have this exposure have a 25% to 30% higher risk of developing heart disease than those nonsmokers who aren’t exposed.

Makes you wonder why it’s so hard to convince some people about the dangers of smoking.

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Image: StockXchng.com

Post from: Blisstree

Smoking Bans Mean Fewer Heart Attacks

The researchers didn’t, however, find the same results that American researchers found two years earlier, which suggested that Avandia also increased the risk of heart attacks. The Canadian researchers found no difference between patients who took Avandia and another type of medication, Actos (pioglitazone), and the rate of heart attacks among them

The researchers studied 40,000 patients over the age of 65 who took Avandia or Actos. For every 93 patients, there was one more heart “event” or death each year among those who took Avandia.

This being said, this doesn’t mean that Avandia shouldn’t be used to treat type 2 diabetes. The results show that perhaps it shouldn’t be prescribed for people who are in high risk groups or who have heart disease already.

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Photo: StockXchng.com

Post from: Blisstree

Avandia, Diabetes Drug, May Cause Problems

It gets better: Women who look on the bright side also have a lower risk of dying from any cause, not just heart disease.

It’s a good time to have a positive outlook! At least don’t be cynical. Researchers say that women with a high degree of cynical hostility are at higher risk of dying. Yet, these same cynical women who harbor hostile thoughts toward others don’t have a higher risk of heart disease.

Lead author of the study – Hilary A. Tindle, M.D., M.P.H. from the University of Pittsburgh- says that there’s much evidence to support the idea that lots of negativity is bad for health.

Researchers studied 97,253 postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79. The study participants were free of cancer and heart disease at the beginning of the study. The results of this large study were interesting.

Optimistic women compared to pessimistic women after more than eight years of follow-up had:
• 9% lower risk of developing heart disease
• 14% lower risk of dying from any cause

In addition, women with a high degree of cynical hostility were 16% more likely to experience death during the eight years of follow-up.

Are you optimistic?

(Image via flickr – D Sharon Pruitt)

Post from: Blisstree

Optimism Helps Women Live Longer

Although we know it’s important to protect our skin from the sun to reduce the risk of skin cancer, as with everything, moderation and common sense needs to take hold. Unless their skin is very fragile, five to 10 minutes in the sun without sunscreen shouldn’t do any harm to their skin, but will be very beneficial for vitamin exposure. By removing the sun from a child’s life altogether, they are at higher risk for many other illnesses.

In a study published today in the online version of the journal Pediatrics, researchers write:

Seven out of ten U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and heart disease, according to a study of over 6,000 children by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The striking findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency could place millions of children at risk for high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

Digging down further, researches found that 9% of the children were vitamin deficient, while 61% didn’t have enough vitamin D.

The highest risk children for low vitamin D levels were:

• older children
• girls
• African-American
• Mexican-American
• drank little milk (less than one per week)
• were sedentary (4 hours or more/day spend in front of a screen – TV, video, computer)

As if the low vitamin D levels weren’t bad enough, the researchers also found that other measurements were off. The parathyroid hormone, something that controls the blood calcium, were higher than they should be, blood pressure was higher, and the good cholesterol (HDL) levels were lower than they should be.

The researchers were stunned by how common the problem seems to be. They’re hoping that this research will alert doctors to look for signs of vitamin D deficiency (which can also lead to rickets – soft bones that can show by bow-leggedness, for example) and to encourage parents to give their children vitamin D-rich foods and get some sun exposure.

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Images courtesy PhotoXpress.com, iStock.com

Post from: Blisstree

Low Vit D in Kids Now = Problems Later

At first the official report was that he died of natural causes. But natural causes at 54? I’m glad they did an autopsy and found the real reason.

Harris, for those of you that don’t know, was a pioneer in writing. He had ten New York Times best sellers, and over four million books in print. Amazing. We will miss him.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: Blisstree

E. Lynn Harris Died of Heart Disease

Valued at $150, the winner of this giveaway will take home:

• A portable pedometer to keep track of her movement
• A personal yoga mat to keep her flexible
• A durable water bottle to keep her hydrated
• An MP3 player to keep her toes tapping
• A plush gym towel to keep her dry

This giveaway is one of the ways to support www.ToastToWomen.com, a site created by WomenHeart and Clos du Bois Winery to help support women’s heart disease awareness and prevention. This Mother’s Day was the kick-off day to National Women’s Health Week (May 10-16). Part of a year-long campaign, the site will raise $100,000 to benefit women with heart disease, and offers helpful eating tips, festive menu ideas from the WomenHeart’s ALL HEART Family Cookbook and the opportunity to send free, personalized e-cards to the special women in their lives. For every e-card sent, Clos du Bois will donate $1 to WomenHeart.

This giveaway is CLOSED.

Congrats to Sharold F!

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Giveaway: Toast To Women!