Heart Attack or Heartburn? Differences Between Types of Chest Pain

Anyone worried about chest pain should not wait to get urgent medical care. They should call for an ambulance straight away, especially if the pain is unexplained, sudden, or severe.

Heart attack pain is caused when one of the arteries supplying the heart becomes blocked. Angina is a similar chest pain caused when these arteries are narrowed by heart disease.

Heartburn is a burning pain often felt in the upper belly or lower chest. It is caused by stomach acid going back up the food pipe.

Read more: Heart Attack or Heartburn? Differences Between Types of Chest Pain

A heart attack is when there is a loss of blood supply to part of the heart muscle. Though the pain is
located in the chest, heartburn is not related to the heart in any way. Angiography, passing dye into
the heart circulation, is one way doctors test for heart attack.

Source: medicalnewstoday

How to Recognize a Heart Attack

Some absolutely crucial advice: how to recognize a heart attack one month before it happens

Did you know that the main cause of early death in the US are heart attacks? The stressful way of life and the junk food we keep eating is a great contributor for this illness becoming so common and so dangerous over the last years.

Leading a healthy lifestyle and trying to decrease the levels of stress in your life can help protect you from heart failure, but another thing that can be very useful, even lifesaving, is knowing the symptoms of heart failure a month before it happens.

These are the symptoms that you might have a heart attack in a month. Make sure you always treat these as red flags.

Read more: How to Recognize a Heart Attack

Source: brightside

Blood Vessel-Forming Protein Could Offer Alternative to Heart Bypass Surgery

For patients with severe coronary artery disease, heart bypass surgery can reduce the risk of heart attack and improve overall quality of life. Now, researchers report the possibility of a new treatment that may be even more beneficial, without the surgery.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common form of heart disease in the United States, responsible for more than 370,000 deaths in the country every year.

The condition arises when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, partially or fully blocking the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. This blockage can cause heart attack, angina - severe chest pain - and, over time, heart failure.

While lifestyle changes - such as adopting a healthy diet and regular physical activity - are considered key to improving CAD, some patients may require heart bypass surgery, which can help restore blood flow to the heart.

But, as with all surgery, it has its risks. These include chest wound infection, bleeding, stroke, heart attack, and kidney or lung failure.

Read more: Blood Vessel-Forming Protein Could Offer Alternative to Heart Bypass Surgery

Researchers say the protein AGGF1 could be a promising treatment for coronary heart disease and
heart attack.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Hypertension Prevalence Higher in Lower-Income Countries for the First Time

In an analysis of global health differences in hypertension occurrence, researchers find that high blood pressure is more common in low- and middle-income countries for the first time.

High blood pressure is the leading preventable risk factor responsible for disease burden worldwide. Raised blood pressure - which can result in cardiovascular disease,heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease - was accountable for around 9-12 million deaths globally in 2013.

According to research published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, more than 30 percent of the adult population worldwide has high blood pressure, and 75 percent of those people live in low- to middle-income countries.

Previous reports have indicated that the prevalence of hypertension in low- and middle-income countries is on the rise, and is steady or decreasing in high-income countries. However, recent estimates of the differences between high blood pressure worldwide were unknown.

Read more: Hypertension Prevalence Higher in Lower-Income Countries for the First Time

For the first time in history, global hypertension is at an all time high in low- and middle-income
countries.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Eating Walnuts May Help Prevent Colon Cancer

A team of researchers from UConn Health and The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine found that eating walnuts can reduce one's risk of getting colon cancer.

In the study, mice that were fed walnuts (totaling seven percent to 10.5 percent of their total calories) developed fewer instances of colon cancer.

Seven to 10.5 percent of daily total calories coming from walnuts is equivalent to a human eating about an ounce of walnuts every day.

Walnut consumption

"Our results show for the first time that walnut consumption may reduce colon tumor development," said Daniel W. Rosenberg of UConn Health, principal investigator on the study.

Read more: Eating Walnuts May Help Prevent Colon Cancer

Could walnuts be the key to preventing colon cancer?

Source: medicalnewstoday

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Risk of Death From Heart Attack

Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of death from heart attack. This is the finding of new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Each year, around 735,000 people in the United States have a heart attack, which occurs when a section of the heart fails to receive enough oxygen-rich blood.

Adopting a healthy diet is considered a key factor in reducing the risk of heart attack, and many studies have suggested that including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as part of such a diet is particularly beneficial for heart health.

Other studies, however, have questioned the heart benefits of omega-3s, with some suggesting that fish oil supplements - a major source of the fatty acids - do not lower the risk of heart-related events.

Read more: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Risk of Death From Heart Attack

Eating foods rich in omega-3 may reduce the risk of death from heart attack, say researchers.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Heart Disease Seen as a Man's Issue by Many Male Doctors

Male family physicians, or general practitioners, may be overlooking the risk of cardiovascular disease in female patient because they more often see it as a man's issue, according to new research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States.

Since the 1980s, developed countries have seen a fall in the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Around 50 percent of this improvement is thought to be because of preventive action.

In men, the rates of mortality from CVD have dropped more than they have in women. There is also evidence that men receive better cardiovascular care after experiencing a cardiovascular problem, as well as better secondary prevention.

Read more: Heart Disease Seen as a Man's Issue by Many Male Doctors

Women, too, may be at risk of heart disease.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Donor Blood Test May be Holding Back Heart Transplantation

A blood test used to determine whether a heart is suitable for donation may be leading to unnecessary rejections, and its use should be reviewed. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood around the body to help other organs function.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, around 5.7 million Americans have heart failure.

In some cases, heart failure can be treated with lifestyle changes - such as a healthy diet, exercise, and quitting smoking - and medications. For end-stage heart failure, however, a heart transplant may be the only option.

Read more: Donor Blood Test May be Holding Back Heart Transplantation

Determining whether a heart is suitable for transplantation based on donor troponin I levels may be
causing unnecessary rejections, say researchers.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Heart Attack Risk is Lower When Immune System is More Robust

Could a robust immune system protect against heart attack? After studying a group of patients with high blood pressure, researchers found those with higher levels of certain antibodies had a lower risk of heart attack - regardless of other risk factors. They suggest a blood test to measure antibody levels could help assess a person's risk of heart attack.

The study, from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, is published in the journal EbioMedicine. It describes how the team discovered a link between blood levels of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and reduced chances of having a heart attack.

Lead investigator Dr. Ramzi Khamis, a consultant cardiologist and clinical research fellow, says:

"Linking a stronger, more robust immune system to protection from heart attacks is a really exciting finding. As well as improving the way we tell who is at the highest risk of a heart attack so that we can give them appropriate treatments, we now have a new avenue to follow in future work."

Read more: Heart Attack Risk is Lower When Immune System is More Robust

The study found higher blood levels of an antibody called IgG were linked to lower risk of heart attack
in a group of people with high blood pressure.

Source: medicalnewstoday

How Much Salt is Too Much?

Salt intake has become a major health concern in the United States. An array of studies have claimed too much salt in the diet can increase the risk of serious illness, such as heart disease and stroke, prompting recommendations to lower salt intake. But how much is "too much" when it comes to salt consumption?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day - the equivalent to around 1 teaspoon of salt - as part of a healthy diet.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released earlier this year, however, found that around 90 percent of adults and children in the U.S. consume more than the recommended sodium intake, with most adults consuming more than 3,400 milligrams daily.

Read more: How Much Salt is Too Much?

Current guidelines recommend limiting salt intake to less than 2,300 milligrams daily.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Unlocking the secret to healthy aging!

A new study may bring us closer to unlocking the secret to healthy aging, after uncovering an array of genetic variants among healthy, elderly individuals that may protect against Alzheimer's and heart disease.

The findings come from the ongoing "Wellderly" study, in which researchers have so far applied whole genome sequencing to the DNA of more than 1,400 healthy individuals from the US aged 80-105 years.

Launched in 2007, the study aims to pinpoint certain genetic variants that may contribute to lifelong health.

"This study is exciting because it is the first large one using genetic sequencing to focus on health," says Michael Snyder, PhD, chairman of the Department of Genetics at Stanford University in California, who was not involved with the research.

"Most of the world's scientists are studying disease, but what we really want to understand is what keeps us healthy. That is what the Wellderly study is all about."

Read more: Unlocking the secret to healthy aging!

Researchers have uncovered some of the secrets of healthy aging with their new gene study.

Source: medicalnewstoday