What’s Your ASCVD Risk?
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), commonly referred to as simply cardiovascular disease or heart disease, is a major cause of illness and death in the...
Newsbites: April 2022
Less Sodium, More Potassium Associated with a Lower Heart Attack and Stroke Risk
A study released at the end of 2021 found that higher intake...
It’s Never too Late for Women to Lower Stroke Risk
An analysis of data published recently in the journal Stroke found that certain lifestyle changes, even later in life, were associated with lower risk...
Diet and Stroke Prevention
On average, someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. While there are numerous factors that increase risk (including high blood...
Sweet Drinks: Bad for Your Brain?
Could a sugary-drink habit - or the diet beverages you may consume instead - harm your brain? One recent study showed that regularly drinking sugary beverages, like soda and fruit drinks, was associated with signs of brain aging and declining memory.
Diet Causing 300,000+ Annual Cardiovascular & Diabetes Deaths
We're often told to eat better to ward off risk of disease and dying early. In that effort, knowing which eating habits to focus on could be helpful. Findings from a new study in JAMA show the large potential impact of 10 dietary factors on Americans' risk of dying from heart disease, stroke or type 2 diabetes. These three conditions encompass the term cardiometabolic disease.
Do Salty Diets Trigger Hunger?
You may find salt makes you thirsty, but over the long run excess salt could cause your body to conserve water, so you actually drink less, according to two new studies in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The underlying processes may make you hungry and raise disease risk.
Benefit of Multivitamins for Heart Health Needs Further Study
Could the daily multivitamin (MVI) many people take "just in case" their eating plan falls short help heart health? New evidence suggests it may require sticking with a MVI for a long time to realize a heart benefit, if there is one.
Minerals Linked to Fewer Strokes
Are you getting the minerals in your diet that you need to help reduce stroke risk? In a new look at data on more than 180,000 women in the Nurses Health Study, combined intake of magnesium, potassium and calcium was associated with lower stroke risk. Separately, participants with the highest intake of magnesium and potassium, but not calcium, were also at lower risk.
Genes Affect Sweet Taste Perception
Your genes may help explain why you put more sugar in your coffee and on your cereal than other people do. A new study of 1,900 twins and their siblings reports that about 30% of variations in sweet taste perception can be attributed to genetics. People who perceive sweet taste less strongly may add more to satisfy their sweet tooth. Researchers tested four sweeteners, including two non-nutritive options, but found no difference between them, suggesting a single mechanism for sweetness perception regardless of calorie content. The findings were published in Twin Research and Human Genetics.