Pot Linked to Heart Attack Risk

Supplements don't prevent fractures, either

(NEWSER) - Calcium supplements may make heart attacks more likely in older patients, a new study suggests. Researchers looking to confirm calcium supplements' ability to prevent bone fractures instead found the patients taking the supplements were 30% more likely to suffer a heart attack, the BBC reports. And it turns out the pills are not very good at preventing fractures, either. More»

Small amount of dark chocolate daily lowers heart attack, stroke risk

(NEWSER) - Eating small amounts of chocolate may lower your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to new research out today. In a study of 19,000 middle-aged subjects, German scientists noted lower blood pressure in those who ate the most chocolate, accompanied by a 39% lower risk of heart attack and stroke compared to those who ate the least. More»

Side effects may outweigh benefits for some

(NEWSER) - The blanket advice that middle-aged people should take low-dose aspirin every day to ward off a heart attack or stroke is too broad, warn medical experts. For those who have a history of heart disease or have already suffered an ischemic stroke, the advice is sound. But for others in good health, the latest guidelines say doctors and patients must give more weight to the risk of side effects, such as bleeding ulcers. More»

(NEWSER) - Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate after recovering are much less likely to suffer a recurrence than people who abstain, AFP reports. People who eat at least two servings a week are three times less likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t consume chocolate. And the more chocolate, the greater the benefit. “It seems that antioxidants in cocoa are a likely candidate,” the co-author of a recent study says. More»

Fruits and veggies boosted heart health, study finds

(NEWSER) - Women following a government-recommended diet to lower blood pressure significantly reduced their risk of heart attacks and strokes, AP reports. Those following a diet high in fruit, vegetables and grains were 24% less likely to have a heart attack and 18% less likely to have a stroke than women eating typical American diets, according to the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. More»