Insidermedicine in 60 - August 14, 2007

August 14, 2007 (Insidermedicine)

From Texas- Waist to hip ratio may be more important than body mass index or BMI in predicting who will develop a heart attack. A study of over 2500 patients shows that those with high waist to hip ratios are nearly twice as likely to have calcification of the heart's blood vessels- a very early sign of heart disease.

From Boston- In one of the longest studies to date, antioxidants dont appear to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in women. Harvard researchers followed over 8,000 women for more than a decade and failed to show the benefit of daily ingestion of vitamins C, E and beta-carotene.

From London- A drug used to treat cluster headaches can cause heart problems. A review of over 200 patients who were given the heart medication verapamil found that nearly 1 in 5 developed problems with the rhythm of the heart. The good news is the rhythm disturbances went away after the drug was stopped.

And finally from Sydney- More evidence that smoking is bad for you vision. Researchers noted that current smokers were 4 times more likely to have macular degeneration and developed the condition 5 years earlier than those who never smoked.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Yi Ning Strube.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• waist
• hip
• ratio
• obesity
• bmi
• body
• mass
• antioxidant
• vitamin
• c
• e
• cluster
• headache
• heart
• verapamil
• smoking
• cigarette
• macular