heart disease

Brush Teeth Twice a Day to Help Prevent Heart Disease

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A new study lead by Professor Richard Watt from University College London has analyzed the Scottish Healthy Survey results of 11,000 adults. The study set out to  investigate whether the number of times individuals brush their teeth has any consequences on the risk of developing heart disease. In the survey individuals were asked how often they visited the dentist (at least once every six months, every one to two years, or rarely/never) and how often they brushed their teeth (twice a day, once a day or less than once a day). On a separate the respondents had  nurses collected information on medical history and family history of heart disease, blood pressure. In addition blood samples from those who consented were collected. The samples enabled the researchers to determine levels of inflammation that were present in the body. The results demonstrate … Read more

Gene Linked to Increased Heart Disease in Migraine Women

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Heart disease is the leading cause of death and stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Women who experience migraine with aura appear to be at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke if they have a certain gene. For the study, researchers followed 25,001 Caucasian women for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and ischemic stroke. About 18 percent of the women in the study had a history of migraine while 40 percent of those with active migraine reported migraine with aura. Migraine with aura can be described as neurological symptoms that usually last for about 30 minutes and most often lead to visual disturbances. The women were also tested for a certain gene variant in the methyleneterahydrofolate reductase gene. During a 12-year follow-up period, 625 cardiovascular disease events occurred. The … Read more