Aspirin not recommended for atrial fibrillation
Doctors are being told not to routinely prescribe aspirin for a common heart condition that increases stroke risk. Guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are set to...
View ArticleLycopene and heart health
Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in fruit and vegetables, widened the blood vessels of cardiovascular disease patients by more than half in a landmark study. Constriction of the blood vessels is...
View ArticleContinue taking your statins
People should continue to take statins because the benefits do outweigh the risks, according to fresh advice from the UK’s drug safety body. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency...
View ArticleTomatoes, lycopene and your heart
If you don’t like fruit and veg but want to look after your heart, scientists may have come up with the answer. They have created a ‘tomato pill’ that is bursting with lycopene, the compound credited...
View ArticleDoctors against extended statin use
Proposals to extend the use of statin drugs should be scrapped, a group of leading doctors and academics says. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published draft guidance in February...
View ArticlePeople with heart rhythm disorders told to stop taking aspirin
More than than a million people with a common heart condition have been told not to take aspirin to guard against stroke, in a reversal of previous NHS advice. New medical recommendations warn that the...
View ArticleBoosting vitamin D can lower your blood pressure
Boosting vitamin D may offer an alternative to drugs by cutting the risk of heart attacks and stroke, say scientists. Eight million Britons take pills to combat high blood pressure, which affects one...
View ArticleAspirin could help boost survival chances of women with breast cancer
Aspirin could more than double the survival chances of women with breast cancer, research suggests. Those who took the painkiller after diagnosis were half as likely to die from any cause in the...
View ArticleBenefits of statins vastly outweigh the risk of side effects
Overwhelming evidence now shows that the benefits of statins vastly outweigh the risk of side effects, a group of health experts has claimed. Six professors from British universities yesterday entered...
View ArticleNew treatments for hypertension
If advances in treatment continue, 80 per cent of sufferers will have their condition under control within eight years. These remarkable strides in preventing and treating the “silent killer” have...
View ArticleStatin use rising
The number of statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs given to patients has trebled in the last decade, new figures show. Official statistics show that last year a record 67 million prescriptions...
View ArticleStatins for millions in the UK
Doctors have been told to offer cholesterol-lowering statins to millions more people in a massive and controversial expansion in prescribing. Four in 10 adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
View ArticleMore statin controversy
Giving statins to five million more patients is ‘foolhardy’ and ‘unsafe’, according to an Oxford academic. Professor Klim McPherson warned that too little is known about the side effects of the drugs...
View ArticleStress can increase the risk of stroke
People who are highly stressed or have symptoms of depression are at a significantly higher risk of suffering a stroke, a new study has found. These people are also at a higher risk of suffering a...
View ArticleRestaurants warned about salt levels in food
Restaurants and fast food chains are “dragging their heels” when it comes to adhering to regulations on the amount of salt present in their meals, say local councils. The Local Government Association...
View ArticleMigraines linked to heart problems in women
Women who suffer visual disturbances along with their migraines may be at an increased risk of suffering heart problems, a new study has found. Migraine generally features a one-sided throbbing...
View ArticleShort bursts of exercise can fight ageing
British experts say a quick blast of activity staves off the ravages of time and makes for a fit and healthy old age. People aged over 60 in a trial group transformed their lives by cutting blood...
View ArticleControversial statin articles deemed incorrect
An investigation has backed the British Medical Journal’s handling of two controversial and inaccurate articles it published on the harms of cholesterol-reducing statins. Both claimed that 20% of users...
View ArticleHigh cholesterol may be a bigger health danger for men
Having high cholesterol may be a bigger health danger for men than women, new research suggests. Norwegian scientists have discovered that men with high cholesterol are more likely to have heart...
View ArticlePollution ups heart risk
People may be more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke if they are exposed to air pollution over a long period, a new study suggests. According to US scientists, long-term exposure to air...
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