“The new findings suggest that maintaining lifelong cardiovascular health, particularly in the areas of smoking, exercise, and body mass index, can reduce dementia risk later in life,”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

Healthy Habits News Report – December 16, 2020 A study of nearly 1,500 people in Finland found that those with better heart health in midlife had a lower risk of dementia later in life.. The research was based on scores of cardiovascular health especially for behavioral factors such as smoking.

“The new findings suggest that maintaining lifelong cardiovascular health, particularly in the areas of smoking, exercise, and body mass index, can reduce dementia risk later in life,” shares Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness insurance and editor of the Healthy Habits News Report.

The research was conducted by the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. In releasing the findings, it was noted that previous research suggested that efforts to address risk factors that impact heart health could reduce the number of people with dementia by up to one third. However, there has been a lack of evidence regarding potential links between risk of late-life dementia and scores on standard heart health metrics in midlife and late life.

The researchers analyzed data on 1,449 participants in the Finnish Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia stud. Study participants were enrolled between 1972 and 1987. They were assessed in 1998, and 744 dementia-free survivors were followed further into late life between 2005 and 2008.

Study participants’ heart health was evaluated from midlife to late life. Six factors classified as three behavioral (smoking status, physical activity, and body mass index) and three biological factors (fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, and blood pressure) were evaluated. Dementia was diagnosed in 61 persons in the first follow up, and additional 47 persons in the second.

The researchers found that participants with intermediate or ideal cardiovascular health scores from midlife onwards, especially for behavioral factors, had a lower risk of dementia later in life than participants with poor scores.

Heart brain connection

Learn more about critical illness insurance

”Heart attacks are a real risk for men and women,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. “This year about 805,000 Americans will have a heart attack, with three-in-four of those first heart attacks. Thanks to better emergency treatment and medical advances such as this new research more and more heart attack victims survive. The same can’t be said for their finances following a heart attack. That’s why planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack or stroke is so important for all men and women starting in your 40s and 50s.”

• Source: Article information source: Science Daily December 15, 2020
  Photo credit: Image by ElisaRiva from Pixabay

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“planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack or stroke is so important for all men and women starting in your 40s and 50s.”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

Healthy Habits News Report – November 27, 2020 Researchers studying data on over 400,000 United Kingdom individuals report a significant finding. Adults with the healthiest sleep patterns had a 42 percent lower risk of heart failure regardless of other risk factors. Healthy sleep patterns include rising in the morning, sleeping 7-8 hours a day and having no frequent insomnia, snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness.

Their findings compared to adults with unhealthy sleep patterns. The research was just published in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

The observational study examined the relationship between healthy sleep patterns and heart failure. Data on over 408,000 United Kingdom participants was included. Participants were between ages 37 to 73 at the time of recruitment (2006-2010). Incidence of heart failure was collected until April 1, 2019. Sleep duration was defined into three groups: short, or less than 7 hours a day; recommended, or 7 to 8 hours a day; and prolonged, or 9 hours or more a day.

Insomnia heart disease, better sleep reduces risk

The researchers recorded 5,221 cases of heart failure during a median follow-up of 10 years.

After adjusting for diabetes, hypertension, medication use, genetic variations and other covariates, participants with the healthiest sleep pattern had a 42% reduction in the risk of heart failure compared to people with an unhealthy sleep pattern.

They also found the risk of heart failure was independently associated and 8% lower in early risers. It was 12% lower in those who slept 7 to 8 hours daily and 17% lower in those who did not have frequent insomnia. Heart failure risk was 34% lower in those reporting no daytime sleepiness.

“Our findings indicate that endothelial-derived EVs (EEVs) could protect cardiac tissue from reoxygenation injury in part by supplementing the injured cells with proteins and signaling molecules that support different metabolic processes, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches,” said André G. Kléber, a Visiting Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study.

Insomnia heart disease – learn more about critical illness insurance

”Heart attacks are a real risk for men and women,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance and editor of the Health yHabits News Report. “This year about 805,000 Americans will have a heart attack, with three-in-four of those first heart attacks. Thanks to better emergency treatment and medical advances such as this new research more and more heart attack victims survive. The same can’t be said for their finances following a heart attack. That’s why planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack or stroke is so important for all men and women starting in your 40s and 50s.”

• Source: CDC
  Article information source: Science Daily, November 16, 2020
  Photo credit: Image by Erik Erik from Pixabay

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“According to the American Heart Association, 805,000 Americans will have a heart attack in 2020, with three-in-four of those first heart attacks. Most heart attack victims survive.”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

High flavanol diet: Healthy Habits News Report – October 27, 2020 Individuals who eat flavanol-rich foods and drinks, including tea, apples and berries, could benefit from lower blood pressure. The findings come from the first study of thousands of British individuals. Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutritionist at the University of Reading headed up the effort.

Researchers studied the diet of more than 25,000 people, measuring what they ate along with their blood pressure. Unlike to most other studies that look at the link between nutrition and health, the U.K. researchers did not rely on study participants reporting their diet. Rather this study measured flavanol consumption objectively using nutritional biomarkers.

Flavonoids are various compounds found naturally in many fruits and vegetables. Foods rich in flavanoids include onions, kale, grapes and red wine, tea, peaches, berries, tomatoes, lettuce, scallions and broccoli. They’re also in plant products like wine, tea, and chocolate. There are six different types of flavonoids found in food, and each kind is broken down by your body in a different way.

High flavanol diet offers blood pressure benefits

According to the study, the difference in blood pressure between those with the lowest 10% of flavanol intake and those with the highest 10% of intake was between 2 and 4 mmHg. The report summarizing the findings note that this is comparable to meaningful changes in blood pressure observed in those following a Mediterranean diet or the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. The effect of consumption was more pronounced in participants with hypertension.

One heart attack every 40 seconds

”Lowering blood pressure is vital because reducing heart attack risk is vital for men and women,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance and editor of the Health Habits News Report. “According to the American Heart Association, 805,000 Americans will have a heart attack in 2020, with three-in-four of those first heart attacks. Most heart attack victims survive. The same can’t be said for their finances and that’s why planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack is so important.”

• Source: Scientific Reports, Nature.com
  Photo credit: Image by dungthuyvunguyen from Pixabay

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Heart health news 19: Healthy Habits News is the Facebook posts maintained by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. Latest reports from major health-related research entities. To read more go to https://www.facebook.com/ciexperts and Follow (or Like) to page.

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“planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack or stroke is so important for all men and women starting in your 40s and 50s.”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

Heart health news 19; Healthy Habits News Report – October 19, 2020 Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences report a significant finding.

They share findings that can revive cells following a heart attack. In addition, it can keep cells functioning while deprived of oxygen during a heart attack.

Heart attacks, or myocardial infarctions, occur when blood flow to the heart is blocked. Medical professionals explain that the best way to treat a heart attack is to restore blood flow. However, they note that the process of restoring blood flow actually may cause more damage to the cells in the heart. So-called ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) or reoxygenation injury, happens when blood supply returns to tissue after a period of lack of oxygen.

“Our findings indicate that endothelial-derived EVs (EEVs) could protect cardiac tissue from reoxygenation injury in part by supplementing the injured cells with proteins and signaling molecules that support different metabolic processes, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches,” said André G. Kléber, a Visiting Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study.

One heart attack every 40 seconds

”Heart attacks are a real risk for men and women,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance and editor of the Health Habits News Report. “This year about 805,000 Americans will have a heart attack, with three-in-four of those first heart attacks. Thanks to better emergency treatment and medical advances such as this new research more and more heart attack victims survive. The same can’t be said for their finances following a heart attack. That’s why planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack or stroke is so important for all men and women starting in your 40s and 50s.”

• Source: CDC
  Article information source: Science Transitional Medicine, October 14, 2020
  Photo credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Find critical illness insurance rates on the Association’s website

Heart health news 19: Healthy Habits News is the Facebook posts maintained by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. Latest reports from major health-related research entities. To read more go to https://www.facebook.com/ciexperts and Follow (or Like) to page.

The post Reviving heart cells after a heart attack appeared first on American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

“planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack or stroke is so important for all men and women starting in your 40s and 50s.”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

HEART DISEASE COSTS 2035; Critical Illness Awareness Month News – October 6, 2020 Projected costs of cardiovascular disease will more than double through 2035. A report by the American Heart Association expects costs from congestive heart failure to increase from the current $18 billion to $45 billion by 2035.

Costs of strokes will increase from the present $37 billion to $94 billion by 2035. “Costs associated with heart attacks and strokes continue to increase and even people with health insurance are impacted,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

“People mistakenly think that heart attacks happen at older ages but that’s not always true,” Slome cites. “They happen before age 65 and Medicare and that’s when many people are especially vulnerable to the financial consequences.”

A report in Reuter’s* reports that some 45 percent of Americans under 65 who have cardiovascular disease experience financial hardships from medical bills. The findings note that almost one in five of them can’t afford to pay their medical bills at all.

Patients with heart disease typically have out-of-pocket health costs of more than $2,000 a year, with more than half of that tab paying for medications, the study authors note. The researchers looked at data from the 2013 to 2017 National Health Interview Surveys. They examined 6,160 adults under 65 with heart disease.

About one in three heart disease patients with financial hardship from their medical bills had to cut back on necessities like food or forgo needed medications as a result, the study found. One in five patients unable to pay their bills had to both cut back on both food and drugs.

One heart attack every 40 seconds, one stroke every 40 seconds

”Heart attacks are a real risk for men and women,” Slome adds. “Thanks to better emergency treatment and medical care many heart attack victims survive. The same can’t be said for their finances following a heart attack. That’s why planning for the financial consequences of a heart attack or stroke is so important for all men and women starting in your 40s and 50s.”

• Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, online February 11, 2019.
  

Heart disease costs 2035

Another study released by the American Heart Association, projects that by 2035, the number of Americans with cardiovascular disease (CVD) will rise to 131.2 million – 45 percent of the total U.S. population – with costs expected to reach $1.1 trillion. The study notes that by age 45, your CVD risk is 50 percent, at 65 it jumps to 80 percent.

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Healthy Habits News is the Facebook posts maintained by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. Latest reports from major health-related research entities. To read more go to https://www.facebook.com/ciexperts and Follow (or Like) to page.

The post Heart disease costs 2035 pose major risk for Americans appeared first on American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

About 300,000 women die of heart disease each year according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  “Heart disease causes 1 in 3 deaths each year,” cites Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. “That’s approximately one woman every minute and we are not just talking about older women.”

The latest national survey conducted by the American Heart Association found that only 44% of women knew heart disease is their top killer.  The percentage is down substantially from 65% in 2009.

The awareness decline was concentrated among women younger than age 65, and was greater among Hispanic and Black women than it was for white women.

Findings of the study was published online Sept. 21 in Circulation.  It compared results from online surveys the heart association conducted in 2009 and 2019.  The research included more than 2,500 women in all, aged 25 and older.

Among women younger than 65, heart disease awareness dropped over the decade. When it came to awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death, the steepest declines were among women aged 25 to 34 (an 81% decline), Hispanic women (86% decline) and Black women (67% decline).

Younger Women Heart Disease Additional Information

The American Heart Association has valuable information specific to women.  Learn about symptoms of a heart attack and stroke for women.

To learn more about heart disease risk read heart disease facts.

To get critical illness insurance rates, use the Association’s Cost Calculator as a good place to start.

The post Younger Women Heart Disease Risk; Less Awareness appeared first on American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

“It’s hard to lose weight but less hard to eat a heart healthy diet and this study should come as good news for adults who want to minimize their risk of heart disease,”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

Heart healthy diet; September 22, 2020 A new study from Uppsala University in Sweden finds that people classified as obese can reduce their mortality risk to the same level as people with a lower body mass index by switching to a healthier, Mediterranean-style diet.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, tracked nearly 80,000 Swedish adults with a mean baseline age of 61 for 21 years. During the study period, 30,389 people died.

The research team, led by Dr. Karl Michaëlsson, found that overweight individuals who best complied with a Mediterranean diet were the least likely to die. In fact, obese individuals with the healthiest diets were no more likely to die than those people with moderate weight and healthy diets.

Research has shown that individuals with high body mass index (BMI) are at significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality than those who have lower BMI. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 42 percent of people in the United States are clinically obese.

“It’s hard to lose weight but less hard to eat a heart healthy diet and this study should come as good news for adults who want to minimize their risk of heart disease,” stated Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

Those individuals with a “normal” body mass index but unhealthy diets also had a higher mortality rate than those with moderate weight who had healthier, Mediterranean-style diets. The researchers found that diet was a strong predictor of mortality risk. Older people in the study who had moderate weight but an unhealthy diet were the most likely to die during the study period.

Heart healthy diet

Experts share that a healthy diet consists of a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts, adequate water, legumes, lentils, omega-3 fatty acids, lean protein, and low in saturated fats, trans fats, and processed foods.

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• Source: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003331
  Photo credit: Image by RitaE from Pixabay

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Learn more about critical illness insurance

Healthy Habits News is a service provided by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. To learn more about critical illness insurance and to obtain rates for policies, use our Cost Calculator.

Here are important resources on the Association website:

What is critical illness insurance?

Directory of key critical illness insurance information pages

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“Strokes are a real risk for those of all races but the study points out the importance of planning when there is clearly a greater risk,”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

Stroke and African Americans; August 4, 2020 Scientists from around the world have completed the largest analysis of stroke-risk genes ever undertaken in individuals of African descent. Their reasoning; African-Americans have a nearly 2-fold greater risk of stroke and are 2 to 3 time more likely to die from stroke than European Americans.

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the United States according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. “Strokes strike African-Americans more often and at younger ages than people of European descent,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the organization. “In addition, African-Americans who survive strokes often face greater disability.”

The international study examined the genomes of people of African ancestry. The effort identified important genetic contributors to stroke risk. The analysis comes from the Consortium of Minority Population genome-wide Association Studies of Stroke (COMPASS). In total, the research examined the genomes of 3,734 people who had suffered strokes and more than 18,000 who had not.

Scientists note that family history is a major risk factor for stroke. They suggest genes play a significant role in predicting stroke risk. The study researchers discovered that a common variation near the HNF1A gene was strongly associated with increased stroke risk in those of African ancestry. The gene previously has been associated to both stroke and cardiovascular disease.

One stroke every 40 seconds

Stroke and African Americans planning is beneficial: ”Strokes are a real risk for those of all races but the study points out the importance of planning when there is clearly a greater risk,” explains AACII’s Slome. “The good news is that strokes are survivable but the same can’t be said for people’s finances following a stroke. That’s why planning for the financial consequences of a critical illness is so important for all men and women starting at age 40.”

• Source: Science Daily, August 3, 2020 and AHA Journal.
  Photo credit: Image by katrena from Pixabay

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“Far too few Americans are aware of the importance of having a modest amount of critical illness insurance that could be the difference between covering health care costs, replacing lost income and avoiding health care bankruptcy.”

Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance

Covid and heart disease linked; July 29, 2020 Two German studies show abnormal heart imaging findings in recently recovered COVID-19 patients. Researchers also report cardiac infections in those who have died from their infections. The findings were published in JAMA Cardiology.

The first study involved 100 corona virus patients. Individuals were identified from the University Hospital Frankfurt COVID-19 Registry.  Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging revealed heart involvement in 78 patients and active cardiac inflammation in 60.

Most corona virus research has focused on short-term respiratory complications according to the researchers. They noted that in critically ill patients, mounting evidence suggests that COVID-19 has a significant impact on the cardiovascular system. Scientists reports the risk is worsening heart failure in patients with preexisting cardiac diseases.  Seventy-eight corona virus patients showed various degrees of signs of heart damage. Biopsy of the heart muscle in patients with serious findings showed ongoing immune-mediated inflammation.

Second study finds cardiac infections

The second study conducted from April 8 to 18, involved the autopsies of 39 COVID-19 patients. Pathologists at the University Medical Center Hamburg identified evidence of the COVID-19–causing SARS-CoV-2 virus.

They reported that for 24 cadavers with heart infections, a cytokine response panel showed that expression of six pro-inflammatory genes was higher in the 16.

Both studies were relatively small. The researchers called for future research on the long-term complications of COVID-19 cardiac involvement.

Importance of critical illness planning – after age 45

“Every male and female should be concerned about the risk and financial consequences of heart disease,” says Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. “The current pandemic adds to the risk and as a result people need to plan accordingly. Far too few Americans are aware of the importance of having a modest amount of critical illness insurance that could be the difference between covering health care costs, replacing lost income and avoiding health care bankruptcy. Covid and heart disease links are one more important reason to act in your 40s and 50s.”

Follow our Healthy Habits News

The American Association for Critical Illness Insurance regularly posts Healthy Habits News stories on our website. You can also Subscribe and Follow our Facebook page where important news stories are added regularly.

• Source: JAMA and JAMAnetwork
  Photo credit: Image by Pixabay

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