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Valentine’s Day Special: Is Chocolate Good for Your Heart?

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:48:21 +0000

Chocolate is commonly known today as a rich and tasty treat and is often given as a gift on Valentine’s Day. The main ingredient cocoa, also known as the cacao bean, comes from the cacao tree is native to the Americas. It was originally found in the foothills of the Andes Mountains and the Amazon basin of South America.

Cultures throughout history have valued the cacao been for many reasons including: using it as a form of currency and recognizing the consumption of chocolate to be good for strength, health, faith, and passion. The St. Valentine’s Day tradition of sending chocolate was started because certain properties of chocolate were said to seduce your lover’s heart, but now science is reporting that chocolate may actually protect their heart!

Researchers today have discovered that chocolate contains oleic acid and mono-unsaturated fat, which is also found naturally in olive oil and is believed to raise good cholesterol levels. Chocolate also contains protein, riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2 which helps prevent skin lesions and increases red blood cell production), calcium, and iron.

In addition, chocolate has been found to contain flavanoids which are also found in fruits, vegetables, red wine, and tea; which all help boost the human immune system and prevent illness. Chocolate also contains anti-oxidants which help prevent or postpone damage to the body.

So this Valentine’s Day help your heart and don’t hesitant for grabbing another piece of chocolate!

Click here for more information on how chocolate may be good for the heart.

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Heart Attacks Increase Among Women

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:51:19 +0000

According to recent articles published by Health News of NorthShore University HealthSystem and WebMD Health News, there has been an increase of heart attacks in middle-aged women. Researchers studied a group of 8,000 men and women aged 35-54 from1988 to 1994, and 1999 to 2004. Results show that risk factors for heart attack such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure and smoking status improved among men and worsened among women. Diabetes, a strong risk factor for heart disease, increased for both men and women, probably because of increased obesity among both sexes. Although men had more heart attacks than women during both periods, the gap narrowed from 2.5% of men and 0.7% of women reporting a heart attack to 2.2% and 1% of women.

On the bright side, in a study taken between 1994 and 2006, it was found that the number of people who died in hospitals after a heart attack has dramatically decreased. And the majority of these patients were women. In fact, the decrease in death rate was three times larger in women under the age of 55 than in men of the same age group. Studies are showing that the death rate decrease after heart attack is also becoming apparent in older men and women.

For more information, visit the Cardiovascular Care Center of NorthShore University HealthSystem

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Heart Disease Symptoms Vary Between Men and Women

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:07:16 +0000

It’s no secret that men and women’s bodies function differently. Even when it comes to the same illnesses, the difference in sex can affect one’s body in many ways. Heart disease is the leading killer in women, but it is still perceived as something men struggle with more.

According to WebMD, women with heart disease may have worse outcomes than men do because treatment typically focuses on obstructive coronary artery disease, which up to half of women may not have. The problem for women with heart disease tends to be reduction in blood flow, called ischemia, in very small arteries of the heart. WebMD also states that about 25% to 50% of women with heart disease don’t fit the typical male CHD pattern and instead have ischemic heart disease.

What are the differences?

With a look at heart attack symptoms, men are more likely to have the chest pressure and chest pain, the typically exertional heart attack. Women’s are less likely to describe heart attacks as pain. They are more likely to have indigestion and shortness of breath. Unfortunately, this results in treatment strategies that aren’t optimized for women.

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Smoking Bans See Decrease in Heart Attack Rates

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:05:53 +0000

According to an article published by CNN, “Overall, American, Canadian, and European cities that have implemented smoking bans had an average of 17 percent fewer heart attacks in the first year, compared with communities who had not taken such measures. The findings come from articles published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association and Journal of the American College of Cardiology”.

Heart attacks happen when blood flow to the heart is blocked. This usually occurs because fatty deposits called plaque have built up inside the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. If a plaque breaks open, the body tries to fix it by forming a clot around it. The clot can block the artery, preventing the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart.

CNN goes on to report that, “The new research suggests that a nationwide ban on smoking in public and workplaces could prevent 100,000 to 225,000 heart attacks each year in the U.S.”

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