We have all beleived that aspirin use will lower the risk of heart attack, mostly becuase it thins the blood. The problem I have always foudn though is that too much aspirin will stop the blood from clotting quickly and this in itslef almost led to a quick trip to the hospital for my wife last year.

This new study below though seems to show that it is not so obvious as to wether Aspirin really helps to prevent heart attacks but in itslef it is a good read with lots of findings

Long-term, low-dose aspirin provides no clear net value for primary prevention of cardiovascular events in apparently healthy adults, according to a meta-analysis of patient-level data.

In people not known to have cardiovascular disease, aspirin reduced composite MI, stroke, and vascular death rates to 0.51% per year compared with 0.57% among controls for a relative 12% reduction, according to Colin Baigent, B.M.B.Ch., of the University of Oxford, England, and colleagues in the Antithrombotic Trialists’ Collaboration. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease, Colin Baigent, coronary heart disease, diabetes, heart attack, heart attacks, heart disease, high blood pressure, Michigan, stroke, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, United Kingdom, University of Oxford

I try to get my kids out as much as possible to exercise, especially during our long northern winters. The following study gives me an excuse to talk about how we can keep our kids active and more healthy and this is a good way to combat the problem of childhood obesity

According to a recent study submitted today at the American Heart Association’s conference in Florida, children at risk of being overweight who live in close proximity to parks, green spaces or recreational areas are more physically active. The new ongoing Canadian study is exploring the link between park proximity and walking.

The children included in the study are all exposed to a potential risk for future weight problems because one of their parents is obese. To evaluate the effects of environment on obesity, the families will be monitored over the next ten years, or until subjects turn eighteen. To date, the researchers have established that girls live close to parks are motivated to walk to school, while boys seem to be like walking in their free time. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Heart Association, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Florida, obesity, researcher, Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, school Lead author professor, sports fields, Tracie A. Barnett

I got my flu shot last week and I know that many people are nervous about getting a flu shot, let’s face it no one wants to get a shot just because it “might” help them stay healthy, but it really is important.

Studies show that even though a lot of press is made about the flu shot occasionally not being formulated to hit the right flu virus, more often than not the researchers are right on and a lot of sickness is avoided by getting a simple flu shot.

The flu shot may not just protect against influenza. A new study suggests it may also reduce the risk of developing a blood clot by as much as 26 per cent.

Researchers from the University Paris Descartes found that the flu shot was equally effective against two types of blood clots: deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in the leg, and pulmonary embolism, which is a clot in the lung.

A blood clot can be fatal if it breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream and reaches the lungs.

The research, which included more than 1,400 patients, also found that the flu shot: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Heart Association, deep vein thrombosis, embolism, inflammation, influenza, Joseph Emmerich, lead study author, Louisiana, New Orleans, Oral contraceptives, pulmonary embolism, vaccination

A new diet study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine has had some interesting results. I am always a little shocked by the poor results of these studies but lets dig into it.

The study was done in Israel with a group of 332 moderately obese people, that is people that knew that they had to lose some weight. The group dieted for two years and most of them, 84% were still on the diet at the end.

There were three diets, a low fat diet, (standard diet) a Mediterranean Diet (like the book), and a low carb diet (Atkins). The people stayed on the diet that was chosen for them for the entire two years.

The shocking part? That the did not lose very much weight at all over the two years. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Heart Association, atkins diet, diet study, energy intake, england journal of medicine, Israel, low carb diet, low fat diet, Mediterranean, mediterranean diet, New England Journal, olive oil, The New England Journal of Medicine

It is not surprising that many people wonder why fad diets are bad when they seem to get results. You will find many sites on the internet claiming significant weight loss in just a few days. That type of weight loss is always temporary. It is usually 90% water which will be put straight back on as soon as your body rehydrates, which it must do if you are not going to suffer severe health problems or die.

Other fad diets are not so obviously crash diets with outrageous claims but they are over hyped diet plans that tend to be fashionable for a while and usually make a lot of money for the inventor in associated product sales. In the best cases these are good nutrition plans which will help you lose weight, but which you could probably have gotten for free from your doctor. In the worst cases they will prove so difficult to follow that you will give up after a week.

The bad of fad diets

1. Diets that promise quick and easy weight loss are usually based on eating more of one food type and none of another. These do not give the benefits that you would get from a balanced diet. They may suggest you take supplements but many supplements are not absorbed by the body unless they are taken along with the foods that the diet has banned. After a few weeks, if you stick to it that long, you may begin to develop nutritional deficiencies.

2. Fad diets are often boring and over restrictive. After the novelty of the first day or two, you will not enjoy your meals. You will then start to crave food constantly and will break the diet. You may even feel guilty, thinking it is your fault that you did not lose weight.

3. Most fad diets do not follow recommendations of the American Heart Association and similar bodies for fat levels in the diet. Often the diet will recommend high fat foods and low carbs which if taken long term, could result in heart disease. The promoters may tell you that the diet is only intended to be followed for a short time. But you probably will not reach your goal weight in that time, and then what? You either continue with a plan that is not good for your health, or stop and probably gain back what you lost.

4. Many fad diets do not help you to incorporate enough servings of fruits and vegetables in your weight loss program, or give you the variety of foods that your body needs.

5. Quick weight loss diets are just a temporary solution and do not help you to make permanent changes to your eating habits. Permanent changes are the only way to remain at your target weight once you reach it. Fad diets encourage yo-yo diet-binge cycles of fast weight loss and equally fast weight gain. This is worse for your health and your self esteem than if you had stayed overweight all the time.

Whatever the publicity materials may say, these diets will not help you in the long term. The best way to sustain weight loss is to eat a varied and healthy diet, do not overeat, exercise regularly and avoid fad diets.

Tags: American Heart Association, food, food type, heart disease, internet claiming significant weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, temporary solution

Obesity in children is an issue throughout North America and the habits that you learn when you are young are the ones that will carry through to adulthood. Bill Clinton has brokered a deal through his organization to have all schools offering healthier snacks by going through the manufacturers of the snack food themselves. This is a great good news story.

Just five months after a similar agreement targeting the sale of sodas in schools, Bill Clinton and the American Heart Association announced a deal Friday with several major food companies to make school snacks healthier — the latest assault on the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic.

“By working with schools and industry to implement these guidelines, we are helping to give parents peace of mind that their kids will be able to make healthier choices at school,” said Dr. Raymond Gibbons, president of the heart association.

The agreement with Kraft Foods Inc., Mars Inc., Campbell Soup Co., Groupe Danone SA and PepsiCo Inc. sets guidelines for fat, sugar, sodium and calories for snack foods sold in school vending machines, stores and snack bars. Those companies make everything from M&M’s, yogurt and granola bars to Frito-Lay potato chips, Snickers bars and canned soups.

Under the guidelines, most foods won’t be permitted to derive more than 35 percent of their calories from fat and more than 10 percent from saturated fat. There will be a limit of 35 percent for sugar content by weight.
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Tags: Alliance for a Healthier Generation, American Heart Association, baked potato chips, beverage industry, beverage industry leaders, Bill Clinton, Bob Harrison, Campbell Soup Co., Charles Nicolas, diabetes, executive director, food, Frito-Lay, Groupe Danone SA, junk food, Kraft Foods Inc., Mars Inc., north America, obesity, PepsiCo Inc., potato chips, president, Raymond Gibbons, snack food, snack-food industry, spokesman, sports drinks, William J. Clinton Foundation

I really enjoy making scrambled eggs and toast for me and the kids on a Saturday morning but I have always been careful not to eat to many eggs because you know, we have always heard that they are bad for the heart…or are they?

The American Heart Association says “A single egg contains about 213 milligrams of dietary cholesterol. So an egg a day could fit within an individual’s dietary budget only if dietary cholesterol from other sources, such as meats, poultry and dairy products were limited.”

Eggs could actually protect against heart disease, breast cancer and eye problems and even help you to lose weight.

For years people assumed eggs were bad for cholesterol levels. But a review just published in the British Nutrition Foundation’s Nutrition Bulletin found they ‘have no clinically significant impact’ on heart disease or cholesterol levels.
Dr Bruce Griffin of the University of Surrey’s school of biomedical and molecular science analysed 30 egg studies, among them one from Harvard University which showed people who consumed one or more eggs a day were at no more risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease than non-egg eaters.
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Tags: American Heart Association, blindness, breast cancer, British Egg Information Service, British Nutrition Foundation, Bruce Griffin, cancers, cardiovascular disease, dairy products, Detroit, diabetes, end product, food, Harvard University, heart attacks, heart disease, Joanne Lunn, macular degeneration, nutrition scientist, obesity, the American College, University of Surrey, vitamin a, Vitamin D, Wayne State University in Detroit

People are getting ready for summer, losing weight and getting toned up. Losing weight is a huge challenge, and in most cases, it helps to follow some diet plan while trying to lose weight.

Today, the South Beach diet plan is widely followed by many dieters. However, quite unlike other popular diets, the South Beach diet is neither a low-carb diet nor a low-fat diet. Basically, the South Beach diet plan teaches dieters to eat the right carbohydrates and the right fats. By avoiding “bad” foods, then one can be healthy and fit.

What is the South Beach Diet?

It is however noteworthy that despite its popularity, the South Beach diet plan is not normally fully understood.
So, what is the South Beach diet plan? What is all about it � what are its principles?

The South Beach diet plan was in fact developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston after the truth that some of his patients were having little success by using the said to be conventional low carb, high fat diet plans like the Atkins diet.

Dr. Arthur Agatston, being then a cardiologist, decided to formulate a diet that will lead to a healthy heart � and the South Beach diet plan was created.

Based on the testimony of Dr. Agatston, since the introduction of the South Beach diet plan, many people who followed the South Beach diet plan actually lost an average of 13.6 pounds almost double the 7.5 pounds lost by those who use the strict “Step II” of the American Heart Association (AHA) diet.

In addition, it was also found that with the use of the South Beach diet plan many people showed to have greater decreases in their waist-to-hip ration and triglycerides, and their good to bad cholesterol ratio even improved more.

The South Beach diet plan is not considered as a low carbohydrate diet. This is because the idea behind the South Beach diet plan is to lose weight in a way that is healthy and sustainable for those who follow it.

A lot of people are now realizing the importance of being healthy and fit; thus dieting has become very popular as people seek to maintain healthy bodies. While the dieters are increasingly looking for the way to lose weight, there has also been many diet plans that have been developed. Some of these diets have been more effective and popular than others.

The South Beach Diet is the latest in the series of the diet fads. As a lot of people who hear about the excitement about this diet, they ask: What is the South Beach Diet? What is involved in the South Beach Plan?

As the search for the best diet program continues, the number of diets to select from in today�s society also increases. Now there the low-fat diets, low-carbohydrate diets, reduced-calorie diets, and low protein diets, and the list goes on. A South Beach Diet plan is the most recent contender. The South Beach Diet plan has amazingly taken the whole continent of America by storm and is set to have an impact world wide.

Why should you do South Beach diet?

With all the various diets to choose from, how is a dieter going know which one is the best diet? Knowing the basic facts of the diet is the starting point. So, what actually is the South Beach Diet plan?

The South Beach diet is very different from any other forms of diet plans. Why? It is mainly for the fact that the South Beach diet system does not rely on the low carbohydrates or low fat like other main diets.

Instead, the main purpose of the South Beach diet system is to discipline people, especially the dieters to rely on the right carbohydrates and fat. The South Beach Diet plan is also designed to teach the people on how to avoid the food items that are �worst� for their bodies.

The South Beach Diet plan is in fact a diet program that is generally set for a healthy body. The most significant principle of the plan is that teaches you to rely on the right kinds of carbohydrates and the right types of fats to maintain health and facilitate weight loss. These particular groups are considered as the �good� carbs and fats. By eating the �good� food items and avoiding the �bad� ones, then you can lose weight and keep healthy.

The South Beach Diet plan is further contrasted from one of the hottest diet plan that also swept the continent of America and worldwide � the Atkins Diet. Unlike the Atkins Diet plan, the South Beach system does not entail removing a particular food group. Whereas the Atkins Diet relies primarily on the no carbs and limitless proteins and fats, this diet plan seems to be rooted around a balanced and healthy eating regime. You get to eat what is �good� for you and avoid what is �bad�.

Carbohydrates in the South Beach Diet

Within the principles of the South Beach Diet, the good carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables, are highly recommended, as are unsaturated fats. In the South Beach Diet plan, proper form of exercise and healthy eating plans are not a critical necessity. For this reason, some people have expressed concern with the South Beach Diet Plan, since it is a proven fact that exercise helps speed up the process of losing weight.

Numerous studies have shown that the South Beach Diet plan can aid to reduce cholesterol as well as to minimize the risk of cardiovascular problems. Satisfying the hunger is a big part for the South Beach Diet plan, as it requires both determination and willpower.

Basically, the South Beach Diet teaches you how to eat healthily, to include good carbs and fats in your meals. This ensures that your heart is cared for and generally makes you fitter for life, thus increasing your vitality and quality of your life.

In the South Beach diet plan, unlike the low carbohydrate, diets have to choose between the good and bad carb foods; rather that avoid all the carb foods. As such, the dieter is required to eat more fruits and even entire grain bread when it is contrasted to other low carb diets. The South Beach diet is therefore more manageable and dieters are able to stick with it, and incorporate it as their new way of eating and living.

The South Beach diet involves stopping your cravings, eating foods that are good for you and maintaining the diet and way of eating for life. Those who have followed the South Beach diet plan plan comment that the diet more like a way of life rather than a diet. Successful dieters go to live the rest of their lives following the South Beach diet plan principles.

There are a lot of success stories from dieters who have followed this diet. These are a great source of inspiration for others who are planning on losing weight and have a healthy life. With summer coming up, get onto a diet today and look and feel great!

Tags: America, American Heart Association, arthur agatston, atkins diet, carbohydrates, Cardiologist, diet plans, diets, fats, food items, losing weight, low carb diet, low carb diets, low fat diet, low fat diets, Low-carbohydrate diet, particular food group, south beach, South Beach Diet, south beach diet plan, Weight Loss

At the American Heart Association conference yesterday a new study was released that showed that Pfizer’s cholesterol drug Lipitor, showed no significant reduction in “major coronary events” versus rival treatment Merck’s Zocor.

The five-year study found no statistically significant difference between Lipitor and US drugmaker Merck’s Zocor in reducing heart disease-related death, heart attack and cardiac arrest. Results of the study were presented on Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference.

The study did show a difference in some secondary targets. Lipitor was 13 per cent better than Zocor in reducing major heart events when strokes were included.

The comparison between Lipitor and Zocor is important for Pfizer. The world’s largest drugmaker continuously seeks to develop an extensive body of data that will persuade doctors that Lipitor, the biggest-selling drug in the world with $12 billion, yes that is Billion dollars in sales this year, is better than older, cheaper drugs from the same statin class of cholesterol reducers. Pfizer wants to preserve sales in the face of generic versions of Zocor, whose US patent expires next year.
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Tags: American Heart Association, cardiac arrest, heart attack, heart attacks, heart disease, lipitor, Merck, pfizer, United States, USD, Zocor

I found this article at Sign on San Diego. It is a geat article on the value of these “other” egg products that we see in stores. I only eat eggs on the weekend when I am hungry for a bigger breakfast with the kids and have always wanted to know more about these eggs. I bought them once and they tasted like eggs but just never bought them again…

Remember the days when shopping for eggs was just a question of large or jumbo?

Today’s supermarkets present dizzying choices: “free-roaming,” “omega-3,” “100 percent organic,” “cage-free,” “compatible with cholesterol-reducing diet,” “natural sunlight,” “hand-gathered,” “vegetarian diet,” “high vitamin E,” “humane harvest,” “vegetarian hens with roosters.”

It’s a trend born of the egg’s new and improved nutritional rap and fueled by the zeal of low-carb dieters. And these designer eggs bear designer prices.

So what makes them different? It boils down to two things: what the hens eat and how they are housed.

Technorati Tags: egg, supplement, nutrition, fitness
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Tags: Alabama, Alberta, allergic reactions, American Heart Association, Anne Van Beber, associate professor and chairman, associate professor and chairman of the department, Canada, canola oil, Consumer Reports, designer, egg products, Environmental Protection Agency, fish oil pills, food, food staff, high-oil fish, reducing diet, San Diego, San Francisco Chronicle, Texas Christian University, the Edmonton Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, University of Alberta, vegetarian diet