Heart Disease Treatment Costs May Triple in Next 20 Years
The costs of treating heart disease are expected to triple by the year 2030, creating an “enormous financial burden” for millions of Americans, the American Heart Association says in a new policy statement.
https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbcnsbIjiuQ=&s=20923

5-a-Day ‘Not Enough’ Fruits and Vegetables
We’re all urged to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, but new research finds eight servings may be needed to cut the risk of dying from heart disease.
https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbd1sbIjilY=&s=20923

Healthy Hearts in Mediterranean Lands? Maybe Not
A new study that looked at more than 2,000 urban Spanish adults challenges the thinking that people in Mediterranean countries all enjoy healthy diets and lifestyles.
https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbeZsbIjinI=&s=20923

Many Sports Fans Exit Stadium Drunk
Upwards of 40% of people who attend professional baseball or football games leave the stadium with a positive blood alcohol level and 8% leave legally drunk, a new study suggests.
https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbdIsbIjjoc=&s=20923

Man Flu: Is Job Stress to Blame?
Men who are tired of being the butt of women’s jokes about “man flu” can now wave a piece of research from their sick beds that suggests the condition does exist.
https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbdasbIjjrU=&s=20923

Cancer Costs Expected to Rise
The number of cancer survivors is expected to rise more than 30% to 18.1 million people by 2020, dramatically increasing costs of treatment of the disease, new research indicates.
https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbejsbIjjnw=&s=20923

* Glaucoma screening
Glaucoma is a buildup of pressure in your eyes. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, more than 3 million Americans have it. Yet only half know. So see your eye doctor. Get checked for glaucoma at least every 2 years.
* Colon cancer screening
If you’re age 50 and over, make sure you get a colorectal cancer screening. It can help find polyps. Polyps are growths that can form inside the colon lining. Some polyps can turn into cancer. So removing them early is one of the best ways to help prevent colon cancer.
* Breast cancer screening
Women age 40 and over should have a mammogram every one to two years. A mammogram can help find breast cancer when it’s too small to be felt.
* Cervical cancer screening
Women age 21 and over should have a cervical cancer screening. It’s also called a Pap test. It helps find changes in the cervix that may lead to cancer. Cervical cancer may often be prevented if changes are found and treated early.

Your doctor may tell you to get some cancer screenings sooner. Talk to your doctor about your personal and family health history. And trust your instincts. Let your doctor know if something just isn’t right.

Bridget Moynahan Speaks Her Mind
Bridget Moynahan — the former model and now busy actress — talks about her love of exercise, healthy food, and her role as a DA in the new series Blue Bloods. read more

The Deadliest Diets
Older adults whose eating patterns center around high-fat dairy foods or sweets and desserts have a 40% higher 10-year death rate than those who mainly eat healthy foods.

Kids Sweet on Caffeine, Mainly Soda
Three-quarters of children aged 5 to 12 consume caffeine, and this habit may be keeping them up at night, according to a new study.

They are both heavy burdens – weight problems and depression . And they often go hand in hand.

Some people gain weight when they’re depressed. Others lose weight , to an unhealthy degree.

Which comes first? And how can you untangle the link between depression and weight — especially if depression has sapped you of your energy to make changes? Here’s what experts say you need to know.

https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbeGtuUkl5k=&s=20923

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HDL ‘Good’ Cholesterol Associated With Reduced Risk for Cancer

By Katrina Woznicki
WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

June 15, 2010 — Maintaining a healthy cholesterol level may help protect you against cancer , according to a new study.

Researchers at the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center in Boston conducted an analysis of 24 trials that investigated the pros and cons of cholesterol treatment interventions, primarily statin therapy. The research team looked at high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol that is protective against heart disease , and the incidence of cancer.

Their analysis showed that the higher the HDL cholesterol levels, the lower the rate of cancer. There was a 36% lower rate of cancer for every 10 mg/dL higher level of HDL. This association held even after adjusting for other factors that can influence both cholesterol and cancer development, including age, body mass index , diabetes , sex, smoking status, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol that clogs arteries and contributes to heart disease.

The findings were published in the June 22 issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology and were based on 145,743 patients with a median follow-up of five years, during which 8,185 cases of cancer occurred.

Though the findings do not suggest a cause-and-effect relationship between cholesterol and cancer, it does build on an existing body of evidence that shows an association between the unhealthy type of cholesterol and an increased risk of cancer.

“There is a strong and important relationship between the level of good cholesterol that people have in their blood and their risk of getting cancer. This supports another potentially important role for HDL in the body,” says study researcher Richard Karas, MD, PhD, executive director at the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute.

HDL is responsible for transporting cholesterol to the liver and keeping cholesterol moving throughout the body. Higher HDL is associated with a twofold to threefold reduced risk for heart disease. The biological mechanisms in which HDL might also protect from cancer is unclear, the researchers say. Some theories are:

HDL may have antioxidant properties that protect against cell damage. Cell damage increases the risk of abnormal cell growth or cancer development.
HDL may affect the immune system and help the body better defend itself against cancer.
HDL may have anti-inflammatory properties that quell cancer cell growth and help maintain a biological environment in which cancer cells cannot thrive.
Further research is needed to tease out these biological behaviors, says Karas. In the meantime, patients can still benefit from getting their cholesterol levels regularly checked and learning the values of both their LDL and HDL numbers. “Patients need to be informed and understand what each cholesterol number means for their overall health and risk of disease,” he says.

Bad Cholesterol: Cancer Risk Factor?

In an accompanying editorial, Jennifer Robinson, MD, MPH, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the University of Iowa College of Public Health in Iowa City, writes that low HDL levels could help clinicians identify who is at risk.

“This study suggests that HDL might be an important marker for all lifestyle risk factors we know contribute to both heart disease and cancers — smoking, obesity and inflammation, for example,” she writes. “Since low HDL appears to be a marker for chronic disease risk, this is just another reason why we need to emphasize improved lifestyle among these patients.”

Robinson also notes it is unclear whether high HDL may be protective or if low HDL may indicate risk of disease. “Low HDL levels may simply be a reflection of chronic conditions that increase inflammation and insulin resistance, which may directly influence atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis,” she writes.

Separately, the researchers conducted a secondary analysis of the same data to look at the impact of other cancer risk factors — age and body mass index (BMI), a measurement of height and weight . Both factors have also been linked to cancer risk. Karas and his team found a significant and direct association between both age and BMI and cancer; every five-year increase in age was associated with a 33% relatively higher cancer rate, and every 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with a 21% relatively higher cancer rate. The findings affirm the notion that age and weight influence cancer risk.

SOURCES:Jafri, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, June 22, 2010; vol 55(25).News release, American College of Cardiology.Robinson, J. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, June 22, 2010; vol 55(25).Richard Karas, MD, PhD, executive director, Molecular Cardiology Research Institute.

Working Overtime May Hurt Your Heart Working a lot of overtime may be good for your wallet, but it may be bad for your heart.

Bran Reduces Heart Disease Deaths Eating bran-rich whole grains is associated with a lower risk of death and death from cardiovascular causes in women with diabetes, a new study finds.

By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD,FACC

May 27, 2010 — Brushing your teeth is not only good for your pearly whites, it also decreases your chances of suffering a heart attack , a new study indicates.

Researchers in England analyzed data from more than 11,000 people taking part in a study called the Scottish Health Survey. They examined lifestyle habits such as smoking, overall physical activity , and oral health routines.

Patients were asked whether they visited a dentist at least once every six months, every one to two years, rarely, or never. They were also asked how often they brushed their teeth — twice daily, once a day, or less than every day.

The researchers found that:

62% of participants said they went to a dentist every six months.
71% said they brushed their teeth twice a day.
After adjusting the data for cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, smoking, social class, and family heart disease history, the researchers found that people who admitted to brushing their teeth less frequently had a 70% extra risk of heart disease.

People who reported poor oral hygiene also tested positive for bloodstream inflammatory markers such as fibrinogen and C-reactive protein.

“Our results confirmed and further strengthened the suggested association between oral hygiene and the risk of cardiovascular disease,” Richard Watt, DDS, of University College London, says in a news release. “Furthermore, inflammatory markers were significantly associated with a very simple measure of poor oral health behavior.”

He says more studies are needed to confirm the findings and to determine whether oral health and cardiovascular disease are causal or simply risk markers.

The findings of the study were not necessarily shocking, the researchers say, because scientists have increasingly wondered about a possible connection between dental disease and cardiovascular health.

“Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis , and markers of low grade inflammation have been consistently associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease,” they write.

Poor oral hygiene is the major cause of periodontal disease , a chronic infection of the tissues surrounding the teeth. Thus, gum infections seem to add to the inflammatory burden on individuals, increasing cardiovascular risk, the researchers say.

Oral infections are common, so doctors should be alert to infections in the mouth as signs of increased inflammation, and tell patients to brush their teeth and maintain good oral hygiene, the researchers conclude.

The study is published in the journal BMJ.

SOURCES:News release, BMJ.Olivera, C. BMJ, published online May 27, 2010.