With approximately 1.3 billion people, China has the world’s largest population. This country is also dealing with a massive increase in the number of people living with diabetes. The New England Journal of Medicine has released the results of a study indicating that an estimated 92 million people have the disorder, which represents nearly 10 percent of the population. The study, which was conducted by Chinese researchers, included the following released statement: “”Given its large population, China may bear a higher diabetes-related burden than any other country.” Along with the number of people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in China, another 148 million people are considered to be pre-diabetic. These people are showing early signs of developing the diseas...

High blood pressure has been identified as one of the risk factors for heart disease, and you may be thinking that getting the reading down as low as possible is a good strategy for staying healthy. The results of a new study had some surprising results: People who have coronary artery disease and diabetes may benefit from having a blood pressure reading that is slightly higher than what is considered healthy for the general population who does not live with either one of these health issues. Researchers followed 6,400 participants in the study for six years. The patients had coronary artery disease and diabetes and achieved a systolic blood pressure reading (the top number) of 115 or less were actually at an increased level of risk for heart attack and stroke. A healthier systolic reading...

Could something as simple as taking a vitamin lower or even eliminate your risk of heart disease? The results of two research studies indicate that the answer is “Yes.” In the first study, researchers followed 9,400 patients for a year. The participants had low Vitamin D levels at the beginning of the 12-month period. By the end of the study, 47 percent of the group who had increased their Vitamin D levels had also lowered their risk of heart disease. The second study was much larger in scale, with 31,000 patients participating. They were divided into three groups for tracking purposes. In each of the groups, the patients who increased their levels of Vitamin D to 43 nanograms/mL of blood had lower rates for the following health conditions: Cardiovascular disease Diabetes Hear...

Being young and in good physical shape isn’t a guarantee that an athlete won’t have heart issues. About 90 young people collapse and die suddenly each year from cardiac problems. There is a cost-effective solution for this issue, though: Use electrocardiograms for screening purposes. This strategy has been used effectively in Italy, where the Ministry of Health has screened all participants in competitive sports for almost 30 years. Careful tracking of the results has shown that the number of cardiac deaths among athletes between the ages of 14-35 decreased by 89 percent. The death rate was similar to that of the general population. Requiring an EKG exam for competitive athletes in the United States would cost less than $90 per person. This strategy would save over two life yea...

If you are one of the 21 million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, your doctor’s advice about how to reduce the risk of heart disease may be ineffective. It may even make it more likely that you will have cardiac issues, according to the results of a study conducted by researchers at Columbia University’s Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Complications of Diabetes Patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes have unusually high levels of sugar in their bodies, which can lead to a number of health problems. Diabetes can cause a number health complications, including: Depression Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) Diabetic retinopathy, which causes blindness Eating disorders Erectile dysfunction Eye problems (glaucom...

People who follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet reap the benefits of improved cardiovascular health, and the results of a new study conducted by researchers at Duke University indicate that it may help to improve brain functioning, too. The study, the results of which were published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, followed a total of 124 people. The men and women who participated all had been diagnosed with high blood pressure. The average age was 52 years old, and most of the group were at least 15 pounds overweight. Participants were divided into three groups. One of the groups were instructed to follow the DASH diet. This eating plan includes fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products. Carbohydrates make up a large portion of t...

Antioxidants are compounds that are naturally present in foods. They are commonly thought to help prevent disease by helping to fight free radicals, which are formed during normal respiration as well as when the body is exposed to contaminants in the environment like cigarette smoke. If a person doesn’t eat enough antioxidant-rich foods, the free radicals will travel throughout the body, destroying the cells as they go. The free radicals are responsible for one of the risk factors for heart disease, which is the oxidation of cholesterol. When oxygen is combined with low-density lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol), this process leads to plaque buildup on the walls of the arteries. If the plaque buildup becomes significant enough, it can lead to a heart attack. A number of studies have been...

If you are looking for ways to lower your cholesterol levels, a compound found in fruits, vegetables, and nuts can help. Plant sterols help to lower the level of cholesterol that is absorbed by the lower digestive tract from the food we eat. The recommended daily amount for plant sterol consumption is two grams per day. You can get them by eating more fruits and vegetables, but you would have to eat a large amount of them to do so. A better choice is to choose foods that have plant sterols added to them. Look for this ingredient added to foods like milk products, orange juice, crackers and margarine. Since they don’t change the flavor or texture of the foods they are added to, you can reap the health benefits without being concerned about giving up taste. People who consume the recom...

People who have been laid off from their job have a lot of things to worry about, and the results of a 2006 study conducted by a group of epidemiologists at Yale University found that when older workers join the ranks of the unemployed, their risk of heart attack and serious stroke doubled. Chronic stress is to blame for the health issues, as well as unhealthy lifestyle choices that can result when someone is faced with a layoff. Stress resulting from a negative life event, such as a job loss, can trigger a heart attack in some people. Chemicals released into the body when it is under acute stress are to blame in that situation. Worry about financial issues in the short term and whether the individual will be able to find work again can cause the person to experience chest pain and other s...

Most people think of childhood heart failure as something that affects older people, but the young – adolescents – can be diagnosed this condition as well. In this case, “heart failure” refers to a heart that is working but not functioning as efficiently as it should. When this condition is diagnosed in adults, it is usually caused by the following: Coronary artery disease Diabetes Heart valve problem High blood pressure Smoking Heart failure has been diagnosed in newborn babies, children and teens. When younger people are affected by this condition, it is caused by two factors: pump failure or overcirculation failure. Pump Failure Pump failure occurs when the heart muscle becomes damaged and no longer works properly. A virus may be responsible for the damage or ...