Depression and Heart Disease

Patients with heart disease should be screened and treated for depression because it can adversely affect their health outlook and quality of life, according to a new report by the American Heart Association.

Full article here.

Furry prevention

He may help reduce your stress levels

Cat owners appear to have a much lower risk of dying from a heart attack than their feline-spurning counterparts, a study suggests.
 BBC article.

Women treated less frequently than men

ScienceDaily (Mar. 6, 2008) — Women and men experience a similar prevalence of adverse drug reactions in the treatment of coronary artery disease; however, women are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to be treated with statins, aspirin, and beta-blockers according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

Full Science Daily article 

Wine and heart disease

Alcohol ‘quickly’ cuts heart risk

Wine was found to have the biggest effect on heart disease

Middle-aged non-drinkers can quickly reduce their risk of heart disease by introducing a daily tipple to their diet, South Carolina researchers say. New moderate drinkers were 38% less likely to develop heart disease than those who stayed tee-total, a four-year study involving 7,500 people found.

Full BBC article 

Red Shoe Initiative

The Red Shoe Initiative is a national campaign to get women to take steps toward better heart health.

Check out the Celebrity shoe auction 

Red Dress Collection 2008

The Red Dress Collection debuted today at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC.  A fabulous array of red dresses were modeled on the runway by famous women from business, TV, movies, and music.

Designed to warn women of their #1 health threat, The Heart Truth created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call to American women. The Red Dress reminds women of the need to protect their heart health and inspires them to take action.

The Red Dress Collection 2008 

The Heart Truth Campaign 

Inflammatory Foods

Interesting article on the role of inflammation and heart disease, and how to change your risk through nutrition:

It seems counterintuitive, but inflammation begins with the body’s way of defending itself against harm. We’ve all experienced it as part of the normal healing process after a scrape or cut. Waves of immune cells rush to the injury, combatting threatening pathogens and sometimes causing heat, redness and swelling. But the new thinking is that serious health problems begin when inflammation overstays its welcome, persisting in a chronic, low-grade state in which some immune cells remain activated even though they’re not needed.

MSN article 

New hope for heart failure treatment

Immune Therapy Cuts Heart Risk

Some people with heart failure might benefit from a therapy which helps dampen their overactive immune systems.

US researchers treated more than 1,000 patients, and found those with certain types of heart failure had a lower risk of death or hospitalisation.

BBC article here. 

Woman’s Day Red Dress Awards

Woman’s Day magazine will award several Red Dress awards this year to women who have made significant strides in helping to raise awareness, treat, and prevent heart disease in women. The reception will be held in NYC at the end of January.

Read about the 2008 Red Dress Award Honorees.

Photos from the 2007 Red Dress Awards.

New Rat Heart Created in Lab

Medicine’s dream of growing new human hearts and other organs to repair or replace damaged ones received a significant boost on Sunday when University of Minnesota researchers reported success in creating a beating rat heart in a laboratory.

NY Times Story

Additional BBC Story