In the last few years, new research challenges the accepted wisdom that the human heart does not generate new cells but grows by enlargement of existing cells.

The finding that heart muscle can be regenerated offers real hope that new treatments for treating heart failure and repairing heart muscle damage may be possible.

Groundbreaking Research

Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital led by Dr. Bernhard Kuhn, MD began studying healthy human hearts in 2009. At that time, they documented that cells in these hearts were still dividing (multiplying) after birth, with the highest rate of regeneration occurring in infancy. Regeneration tapered off after infancy but experienced another surge during adolescent growth spurt before stopping around age 20.

For about 100 years prior to these findings, scientists debated whether human health muscle cells were generated after birth or whether they simple expanded in size.

Meanwhile, other researchers approached the challenge of repairing heart muscle from another angle. Using a zebrafish model, scientists identified a family of molecules that can stimulate stem cells to develop into heart muscle cells.

The hope is that one day, scientists will be able to use one of these methods to generate heart muscle to repair heart defects or heal heart damage caused by a heart attack.

There are simple and natural ways to support your heart health, with: 8 Top Foods and Nutrients to Support Heart Health.

Sources:

Science Daily

EurekAlert

Tomorrow, February 1, is National Wear Red Day® --time to don a red dress, shirt or tie and help raise awareness that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women.

Why Wear Red?

When the campaign began in 2003 as a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association, heart disease was claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year. However surveys indicated that women were more concerned about other diseases and viewed heart disease as a problem for “older men.”

In reality, heart disease strikes more women than men, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. While one in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, heart disease claims the lives of one in three. That’s roughly one death each minute.

The Wear Red campaign also works to dispel other dangerous myths about women and heart disease:

Myth: Heart disease is for old people.

Fact: Heart disease affects women of all ages. For younger women, the combination of birth control pills and smoking boosts heart disease risks by 20 percent. And while the risks do increase with age, other factors like overeating and a sedentary lifestyle can cause plaque to accumulate which can cause clogged arteries later in life. But even if you lead a healthy lifestyle, being born with an underlying heart condition can be a risk factor.

Myth: Heart disease doesn’t affect women who are fit.

Fact: Even if you’re a workout fanatic or marathon runner, your risk for heart disease isn’t completely eliminated. Other risk factors such as cholesterol, poor eating habits and smoking can “undo” your healthy habits. You can be thin and still have high cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends you start getting your cholesterol checked at age 20, or earlier, if your family has a history of heart disease. And be sure to keep an eye on your blood pressure and blood sugar levels as well.

Myth: I don’t have symptoms.

Fact: Sixty-four percent of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms. But since women’s symptoms are different than men’s, they’re often misunderstood. While men are more likely to have chest pain, women may experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain. Other symptoms women should look out for are dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen and extreme fatigue.

Myth: Heart disease runs in my family so there’s nothing I can do about it.

Fact: Although women with a family history of heart disease are at higher risk, that doesn’t mean that heart disease is unavoidable. Tell your doctor about your family medical history and work together to create an action plan to eat right, exercise and get regular checkups.

Making Progress

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of National Wear Red Day®. And looking back, we can see the impact that the movement has made:

• 21 percent fewer women dying from heart disease
• 23 percent more women aware that it’s their No. 1 health threat
• Publishing gender-specific research that established differences in symptoms and responses to medications, and women-specific guidelines for prevention and treatment
• Legislation to help end gender disparities

But there’s so much more to be done. Many women are still unaware of their risk for heart disease.

So, tomorrow, it’s more important than ever to go to your closet and pull out your favorite little red dress or snazzy red tie and show your support for National Wear Red Day®.

And since February is also Heart Month, we’ll be focusing on ways to help keep your ticker in good shape. Stay tuned or subscribe to our RSS feed and have our blog posts sent to your email box or favorite news reader.

Sources:

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

American Heart Association – Go Red for Women

In the minds of many, low dose aspirin is an inexpensive way to prevent a heart attack or stroke. But it is important to realize that taking aspirin is not without risks. And for some people, the risks outweigh the benefits of aspirin therapy. So is it right for you?

Inner Workings

Aspirin therapy works by reducing the formation of blood clots that can cause a heart attack and the most common form of stroke.

As for the other side of the equation, aspirin comes with a risk of bleeding in the stomach and brain.

Weighing the Odds

The good news is that we have good data on who is most likely to benefit and when the risks may be too high.

In general, aspirin therapy makes the most sense for people who have already had a heart attack. Their benefit to risk ratio is favorable: for every six people it helps (prevents a heart attack) only one person experiences a bleeding problem.

"If somebody already has evidence of cardiovascular disease, there's no question he or she should be on an aspirin regimen unless there are some major bleeding issues or an allergy that prevents taking aspirin," said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of cardiology at the VA Boston Healthcare System.

For healthy people who do not have a history of cardiovascular problems the benefit of aspirin therapy is less pronounced. On average, aspirin only helps two people for ever one person it harms. For this reason, European cardiologists don’t recommend aspirin to prevent heart disease in healthy people.

The decision to take aspirin daily becomes less clear for people who have risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, high blood pressure or high cholesterol or other health conditions. Taking aspirin then becomes a highly individual decision that is best considered with a doctor’s advice.

Sources:

WebMd

Harvard Medical School

If you have a heart condition, a recent study suggests that exposure to traffic congestion and breathing exhaust fumes can trigger a heart attack for as long as six hours afterwards. The study conducted by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and tropical Medicine and co-funded by the British Heart Foundation isn’t the first study to find a link between cardiovascular disease and traffic pollution.

The British researchers analyzed over 79,000 cases of heart attacks that occurred between 2003 and 2006. All patients lived in England and Wales, in one of 15 different large and small urban settings. The researchers noted the time of day when the patients experienced their heart attacks as well as the relevant time-sensitive regional air pollution data.

Specific pollutants examined were PM10 (particulate matter), nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide. The first two, PM10 and nitrogen dioxide, are primarily the result of heavy use of automobiles in urban areas. The researchers discovered that higher levels of the two chemicals seem to be linked to a short time rise in heart attack risk. Six hours after exposure to traffic pollution, the risk went back down.

An earlier 2009 study in Germany found that exposure to traffic-related pollution tripled the risk of a heart attack in those with pre-existing heart problems. In this study researchers interviewed 1,454 people who survived heart attacks. In the hour before their heart attack, many of the survivors had been in heavy traffic. Traffic appeared to be five times more dangerous to women than to men in the study.

Pollution and Heart Health

While the researchers in these studies were quick to point out that the people who suffered heart attacks already had a heart condition and traffic exhaust merely hastened a likely event, this doesn’t mean that traffic pollution doesn’t contribute to cardiovascular disease.

Researchers  have convincing evidence that pollution can have a major effect on your cardiovascular health. Studies have found that those living near freeways experience a hardening of the arteries that leads to heart disease and strokes at twice the rate of those who live farther away.

Furthermore, it’s not just urban traffic congestion that’s raising our risk of a heart attack, it’s the noise too. Studies have found that people who live in neighborhoods with high levels of noise from road traffic have a 40% higher risk of heart attacks than people in quieter neighborhoods.

When you consider that heart disease is only one in a long list of health problems associated with pollution (like cancer and respiratory problems such as asthma) the need to reduce air pollution is painfully clear.

Oh, and don’t forget light pollution, it can rob you of a good night sleep and your overall health too!

Sources:

Medicine Net

WebMD

BBC News

Live Science

Los Angeles Times

Do you snore? Even if your answer is “no” or “I don’t know” you may be a silent victim of sleep apnea--a common sleep disorder that can increase your risk of serious health conditions including heart attack and stroke.

With sleep apnea your breathing pauses or becomes very shallow while you sleep. You may stop breathing for over a minute, sometimes hundreds of times an hour during the night. This depletes your brain and other vital organs of oxygen.

Sleep apnea is usually a chronic condition but one that often goes undiagnosed as symptoms can be mild or attributed to other causes. These symptoms include a headache or dry/sore throat upon waking, feeling tired or irritable during the day, having trouble paying attention or remembering and being overweight.

If left untreated, sleep apnea can:

• Increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes
• Increase the risk of, or worsen, heart failure
• Make arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, more likely
• Increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents

In addition, sleep apnea can negatively affect performance in everyday activities, such as at work and school, while driving or operating machinery, as well as academic achievement in children and adolescents.

Types of Sleep Apnea

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. In this case, the airway has collapsed or is blocked during sleep. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring.

Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight, but it can affect anyone—even small children.

Central sleep apnea is a less common type of sleep apnea. This disorder happens if the brain doesn't send the correct signals to your breathing muscles. Central sleep apnea often occurs with obstructive sleep apnea, but it can occur alone. Snoring doesn't typically happen with central sleep apnea.

Central sleep apnea can occur in anyone. However, it's more common in people who have certain medical conditions or use certain medicines.

Who is at Risk?

Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age but there are some risk factors, including:

• Male gender
• Being overweight
• Being over the age of 40. As many as 1 in 10 people over 65 have sleep apnea.
• Having a large neck size (17 inches or greater for men and 16 inches or greater for women)
• Having large tonsils, a large tongue, or a small jaw bone
• Having a family history of sleep apnea
• Gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD
• Nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum, allergies or sinus problems

Diagnosis and Treatment

If you have symptoms of sleep apnea, discuss it with your doctor who may refer you to a specialized sleep clinic for testing. The most common sleep test, called a polysomnogram—or sleep study—records specific physical activities while you sleep. If sleep apnea is diagnosed, you may be asked to return to the lab for further evaluation to determine the best treatment option.

Treatment options vary depending on the severity of the problem but may include: losing weight, avoiding alcohol or sleeping pills, changing sleeping position, stopping smoking, using a breathing or dental device, or having surgery to correct a physical obstruction or abnormality.

Prognosis

Mild forms of sleep apnea (five or fewer episodes during an hour) can often be treated at home with minor lifestyle changes. The most common treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, can help you breathe normally but must be used every night or symptoms will return. Current surgical procedures are only used in the most severe cases and may not provide a complete cure. Some patients may still need to use a CPAP machine following surgery.

The important message here is to recognize the symptoms of sleep apnea and speak with your doctor about your concerns. An early diagnosis can improve quality of life now and help prevent serious health problems later.

Sources:

WebMD

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sleepapnea/

University of Maryland Medical Center

WebMD

Consider today's post a double-barreled and dire sequel to one we wrote some time ago that provided a sad snapshot of heart health in America based on stats culled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). In fact, this latest pair of studies make those previous NHANES numbers appear downright optimistic by comparison.

The first, tracking the eating habits of some 2,500 patients, challenged a very logical assumption: Most patients who have recently experienced a heart attack are more likely to severely curtail the fast food eating habits that put them in the hospital in the first place. Thirty-six percent of heart attack survivors reported eating fast food frequently (one or more times every week). Surprisingly, the number of patients who maintained their weekly fast food habit six months after their heart attack fell by less than half to 20 percent.

The latter study cuts to the chase with a single, striking number: One patient out 1,933 Allegheny County, Pa., residents (ages 45-75) met all seven factors/behaviors for ideal cardiovascular health as defined by the American Heart Association, which included a BMI score lower than 25, untreated cholesterol levels below 200, fasting blood sugar levels below 100 and blood pressure numbers below the normal 120/80. Less than 10 percent managed to meet at least five of those criteria.

The absolutely only silver lining to be found: The collective state of health in America can't get much worse, and, with the right lifestyle adjustments, it can be a whole lot better…

Theheart.org February 18, 2011

MSNBC February 18, 2011

ScienceDaily February 20, 2011

Circulation February 14, 2011

American Journal of Cardiology February 7, 2011

Last month, we warned you about young folks receiving far too much radiation from various scans and X-rays to diagnose concussions, sprains and broken bones which could increase their risk of fighting cancer as adults. These imaging procedures may also be responsible for elevating the cancer risks of heart attack patients whose health is already compromised.

Scientists reviewed data collected over a decade on some 83,000 heart attack patients living in the Canadian province of Quebec with no history of cancer. Surprisingly, 77 percent of those patients were exposed to at least one low-dose radiation scan (nuclear scan or CT angiography) within 12 months of their heart attacks.

During the follow-up phase, 14.5 percent (more than 12,000 patients) had been diagnosed with cancer, with two-thirds of those cases affecting the chest, abdomen or pelvic areas. Another sobering factoid: Patients treated by a cardiologist were far more likely to receive greater levels of radiation exposure than those who saw a general practitioner.

These results prompted researchers to suggest better documentation of imaging tests and doctors paying far more attention to estimating a patient's cumulative exposure to low-dose radiation scans. It may not be a bad idea for you to keep better track of your health too, and ask questions whenever you feel the need to do so, especially if you have a tough time communicating with your doctor.

Canadian Medical Association Journal February 7, 2011 Free Full Text PDF

Yahoo News February 7, 2011

MSNBC February 7, 2011

EurekAlert February 7, 2011

No question, chronic stress can be very harmful to your health, particularly when you don't take the right steps to treat it. But, how much of the chronic stuff does it really take to put your health at risk?

A consortium of scientists from Israel and Canada may have found a biological marker by measuring the amount of the hormone cortisol, secreted during times of stress, in a 1.2-inch (3 cm) strand of human hair. They compared hair samples taken from 56 male heart attack patients to a control group of equal number who were admitted for unrelated medical reasons (infection, chest pains).

Compared to the control group, higher levels of cortisol were found in the hair samples of heart attack patients, even after taking other risk factors (like BMI) into account.

As always, however, there are caveats. Even though previous research determined cortisol levels in hair match those found in blood, scientists are unsure if those elevated levels match up with a patient's actual feelings of stress, and whether these test results would even be valid for women. If cortisol testing is viable for women, one mental health expert believes it could be a boon for doctors monitoring chronic stress felt by pregnant moms and their unborn children.

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Stress September 2, 2010 Free Full Text Study

ScienceDaily September 4, 2010

LiveScience September 3, 2010