Air pollution linked to heart attacks and strokes due to hardening of arteries

Air pollution and hardening of arteries — Long term exposure to air pollution may be linked to heart attacks and strokes by speeding up atherosclerosis – Long term exposure to air pollution may be linked to heart attacks and strokes by speeding up atherosclerosis, or “hardening of the arteries”. The researchers found that higher concentrations of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) were linked to a faster thickening of the inner two layers of the common carotid artery, an important blood vessel that provides blood to the head, neck, and brain.

Cholesterol increases Alzheimer’s disease and Heart disease risks

Cholesterol increases risk of Alzheimer’s and heart disease – High levels of blood cholesterol increase the risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease, but it has been unclear exactly how cholesterol damages the brain to promote Alzheimer’s disease and blood vessels to promote atherosclerosis.

Blocked heart arteries can cause stroke

Clogged heart arteries can foreshadow stroke — American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report – Blockages in your heart arteries could mean you’re more likely to have a stroke, even if you’re considered low risk. A new study raises the need for intensified interdisciplinary efforts for providing adequate disease prevention and management strategies for stroke.

Most major air pollutants increases heart attack risk

Short-Term Exposure to Most Major Air Pollutants Associated With Increased Risk of Heart Attack – Short-term exposure (for up to 7 days) to all major air pollutants, with the exception of ozone, is significantly associated with an increased risk of heart attack. The potentially harmful effect of episodes of high air pollution on health has been suspected for more than 50 years.

Sugar sweetened drinks may increase heart risk in women

Sugar-sweetened beverages may increase cardiovascular risk in women – Drinking two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day may expand a woman’s waistline and increase her risk of heart disease and diabetes. In a new study, researchers compared middle-aged and older women who drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day, such as carbonated sodas or flavored waters with added sugar, to women who drank one or less daily.

Smoking causes stroke to occur 10 years before

Smoking causes stroke to occur — Smokers May Get Strokes 10 Years Before Nonsmokers — Does a stroke study change your attitudes about smoking? – Not only are smokers twice as likely to have strokes, they are almost a decade younger than non-smokers when they have them, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

Surgical removal of tonsils and appendix may lead to heart attack

Surgical removal of the tonsils and appendix associated with risk of early heart attack — But because of the young age of participants, the absolute risk differences were small – The surgical removal of the appendix and tonsils before the age of 20 was associated with an increased risk of premature heart attack in a large population study performed in Sweden. Tonsillectomy increased the risk by 44% (hazard ratio 1.44) and appendectomy by 33% (HR 1.33).

High triglyceride levels linked to greater stroke risk

Increasing triglyceride levels linked to greater stroke risk — Study finds higher cholesterol levels only increase risk of stroke in men – Increasing levels of non-fasting triglycerides are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in men and women, revealed by researchers in Denmark.

Health Newstrack