As the new hockey season kicks off, mind your heart: A new study suggests that watching hockey can cause significant cardiovascular stress, similar to that of moderate to vigorous physical exercise. Researchers observed two groups of sports fans using Holter monitors, with one group watching hockey games on TV and the other attending the games […]
Tag: cardiovascular health
Researchers pinpoint the heart’s pump-up protein 
Scientists have discovered a protein that promotes healthy heart growth by helping this key muscle pump blood efficiently throughout the body. The protein, cardiotrophin 1 (CT-1), stimulates both the growth of heart muscles and the growth of blood vessels in the heart. The effect of CT-1 is similar to what is naturally achieved through exercise or […]
Which sports have the most life-saving benefits?
An international research collaboration has found that sports like cycling, swimming, aerobics and racquet offer life-saving benefits. The study examined surveys from over 80,000 adults older than 30 years of age from 1994 to 2008. Results showed that risk of death from cardiovascular disease was reduced in those who participated in cycling, swimming, aerobics and racquet […]
3D heart models healing real-world patients
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University discovered that 3D models of patients’ hearts could help doctors assess a person’s risk of developing life-threatening arrhythmias. Sudden cardiac death from arrhythmias is a leading cause of mortality, and for high-risk patients, insertion of implantable defibrillators can help reduce mortality. Researchers created personalized computer models […]
A sauna in every house
Men who routinely take saunas are at less risk of dying from sudden cardiac death and other fatal cardiovascular diseases a new study shows. Researchers followed a group of 2,315 middle-aged men (42 to 60 years old) in Finland and found that men who used the sauna two to three times per week had a 24 per […]
Lab-grown cells could help combat heart diseases
For the first time, researchers have grown a type of heart cell called an epicardial cell from stem cells in the lab, an accomplishment that could help in developing new treatments for heart disease. Epciardial cells form a protective membrane around the adult heart, and during fetal life provide a source of specialized structural cells […]
A healthy mind with a healthy heart
A new study confirms that exercise and healthy lifestyle maintains the elasticity of the arteries and is linked to preserved cognitive abilities later in life. Researchers performed MRI scans and physical tests on 31 young people (aged 18-30) and 54 older participants (aged 55-75) and while they found that age-related decline of cognitive functions and […]
Seniors still at risk of stroke 2 years after heart surgery
Older people who have undergone surgery are at increased risk of suffering a stroke for up to 2 years afterward, a new study shows. While it was known that the risk increases immediately after surgery, the new study shows that the risk period extends longer than expected. Researchers followed 108,711 patients who had cardiac surgery […]
