New research shows that higher levels of uric acid are strongly associated with high blood pressure in blacks, suggesting that a simple blood test could predict risk and that treatments to lower uric acid may be a novel way to reduce hypertension-related complications in this population.
The experience of racial discrimination may be a key factor in explaining why African Americans have higher rates of obesity and suffer at higher rates from such diseases as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, according to UCLA researchers. Repeated responses to such discrimination — which include elevated blood pressure and heart rate — can cause enormous stress on a person’s mental and physical health, according to research scheduled to be published in Volume 58 of the Annual Review of Psychology.
The cornea stays clear by expressing a soluble form of a receptor that traps factors enabling growth of vision-obstructing blood vessels, researchers say. When sflt-1, a free-floating receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor A, is eliminated, vision-obstructing blood vessels start growing, teams of researchers led by the Medical College of Georgia and University of Kentucky report in Nature. The paper was published online Oct. 18 and will be in the Oct. 26 print issue.
Adults with psoriasis, especially younger patients with severe psoriasis, appear to be at increased risk for a heart attack, according to a study in the October 11 issue of JAMA.
Transfer of a gene that produces a mutant form of good cholesterol provides significantly better anti-plaque and anti-inflammation benefits than therapy using the “normal” HDL gene, according to a mouse study conducted by cardiology researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and reported in the Oct. 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Eating vegetables and fruits may reduce cholesterol, prevent build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries and can provide protection against heart disease, according to a study on mice.
To keep your arteries healthy, a regular exercise program is essential, reports the June issue of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch.
Alfalfa and Atherosclerosis (cholesterol plaques in heart arteries) – Several studies in animals report reductions in cholesterol plaques of the arteries after use of alfalfa.
Following are the best health articles in March 2006:
Women who are otherwise healthy, but have low levels of physical activity and high levels of weight, generally have less favorable heart health than their leaner, more active counterparts, Boston-based researchers report in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.