Tag Archives: blood pressure

+Food & Drink | November 9, 2011

To Salt or Not to Salt? Study Questions the Benefits of Reducing Dietary Sodium

For decades, experts have been recommending that Americans cut down on their salt consumption to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. According to a new study, however, while reducing dietary salt does lower blood pressure, it may also lead to a slight boost in cholesterol, a separate risk factor for heart disease.

+Genetics | September 12, 2011

High Blood Pressure Genes Identified

By Meredith Melnick

Like many medical conditions, high blood pressure is the result of some combination of environmental risk factors — like lack of exercise, smoking and obesity — and genes. Now an international research consortium publishing in Nature has helped shed light on the genetic piece of the puzzle, identifying 29 genetic variations across 28 regions of [...]

+Diet | September 1, 2011

Is the Poor Potato Being Unfairly Vilified?

By Meredith Melnick

Potatoes may be getting a bum rap, according to a small new study that finds that people who ate potatoes daily saw a drop in blood pressure after a month.

+Heart Disease | July 26, 2011

Who Dies from Heart Disease? New Research Defines Those at Highest Risk

By Meredith Melnick

Image by Catherine MacBride / Flickr / Getty Images

Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans, but many are still able to survive heart attacks. What determines who is able to overcome an attack and who succumbs? A team of researchers from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center report in the British Medical Journal’s Health that they may have an answer. They identified a [...]

+Nutrition | May 4, 2011

Low-Salt Diets Reduce Heart Disease Risk, Right? A Study Disagrees

By Alice Park

The government’s recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans had some familiar recommendations for health: eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more and lower the amount of salt you eat.

+Parenting | April 18, 2011

Genetic Testing for Kids: Is It a Good Idea?

By Bonnie Rochman

With the advent of new genetic tests, it’s increasingly easy to gauge whether you’re predisposed to developing certain conditions — diabetes, say, or breast cancer. For adults, that knowledge can be simultaneously overwhelming and empowering. For children, the ramifications of such predictions are especially controversial, which is why professional groups — the American Academy of Pediatrics [...]

+Tobacco | March 17, 2011

Smoking Ban at NYC Apartments? Health Experts Would Likely Approve

By Hans Villarica

When the WSJ‘s Craig Karmin reported yesterday that at least half a dozen Manhattan co-ops may begin prohibiting residents from lighting up at home come spring, more than a handful of New Yorkers were no doubt peeved. Still, at least one group probably rejoiced: health experts.

+Heart Disease | March 11, 2011

Apple Shapes May Not Be At Higher Risk of Heart Disease After All

By Alice Park

If you’re one of those people who tends to put on weight around your middle, what doctors call an “apple shape” — what the rest of us call a beer belly — you’ve probably been told that you’re at higher risk of heart disease. But large new review study suggests you shouldn’t be too discouraged [...]

+Cancer | February 1, 2011