The American Heart Association just concluded its annual "Scientific
Sessions" conference, where heart experts gather to discuss and share
findings about the latest treatments, procedures and studies about heart
health and heart disease prevention.
While many of the
presentations targeted doctors to improve their knowledge and
understanding about keeping hearts healthy and treating heart disease,
some the presentations included information to help consumers understand
how to keep their hearts healthy.
Professor Donna Arnett is the
current President of the American Heart Association and she's the first
epidemiologist to lead the AHA. She discussed four things that heart
experts want you to know, based upon information presented during the
conference:
1. Don't rely on multivitamins to protect heart
health. A large study of doctors found that taking a daily multivitamin
didn't reduce major heart events such as heart attacks, stroke or death
from heart disease. Many people take multivitamins under the false
assumption that they will prevent heart disease or other medical
conditions.
This study, which was also published in the Journal of
the American Medical Association, found there was no difference in
heart attacks, strokes and other heart events between doctors who took
multivitamins, compared to doctors who received a placebo.
Arnett
says the findings of this large study confirm previous smaller studies
that found no heart benefit from taking multivitamins. "The American
Heart Association has no recommendations for supplements except for fish
oil," and that's only for people with very high blood levels of
triglycerides, she says. Fish oil has been shown to reduce levels of
triglycerides, a type of fat found in your blood, among people with high
levels.
2. You're never too young to be at risk of heart disease.
It's important for people to understand that heart disease isn't ageist
when it comes to developing risk factors, as illustrated by the study
showing that many younger people often do not get properly diagnosed for
high blood pressure, Arnett says.
The study examined young adults
age 18-24 who had high blood pressure and regularly went to the doctor.
The young adults were 28% less likely to get a diagnosis and treatment
for high blood pressure, compared to adults aged 60 and older. High
blood pressure left untreated can damage blood vessels, resulting in
heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and heart failure. Ask your health
provider whether your blood pressure reading is normal and - if the
answer is no - whether you need treatment.
3. Your reflection may
show a future heart problem. What you see in the mirror and what your
doctor sees when he examines you may offer keys to future heart
problems.
Danish researchers found that people who had three to
four specific signs of aging - receding hairline, balding at the crown
of the head, earlobe crease or yellow fatty deposits (called
xanthelasmata) around the eyelid, were at increased risk for heart
disease and heart attack. Cardiologists have long known that people with
earlobe crease and xanthelomas are at an increased risk, Arnett says.
But this study tells people, "if you're getting three or four of those
markers, it's a sign that you need to aggressively look at your risk
factor levels and make sure that you check in with your physician about
your measures."
If you have some of these signs, she says there
are actions you can take, including talking to your doctor, having your
cholesterol levels checked, and working on controlling heart disease
risk factors by eating a healthy diet, maintaining proper weight,
exercising and not smoking.
4. Heart attacks hurt your wallet as
well as your heart. Here's another reason why fighting heart disease and
heart attacks is important: it has a wide-ranging impact on more than
your anatomy.
A notable study presented at the conference looked
at the economic costs associated with having a heart attack or acute
coronary syndrome, both on workers and employers, Arnett says.
Researchers analyzed cost data including medical, pharmacy, short-term
and long-term disability claims.
"Everybody's health insurance
costs are rising, and it's a concern for both workers and employers,"
Arnett explains. The average worker lost 60 days of work in the
short-term after an event; short- and long-term disability costs for
employers were estimated at $52,473 for long-term and $7,943 for
short-term.
The takeaway from this study, Arnett says, is "the
importance of work site wellness and having programs that are available
to employees to really understand how to embrace prevention."
Donna Mitchell takes part in a Generic Heart Test at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Powder Springs Georgia on February 10, 2009, as part of the test she runs on a treadmill supervised by Cathy Skrfuars. She receives DNA counseling from her doctor Dr. Robert
