Harvard Heart Letter articles from September 2006

Harvard Heart Letter archives from September 2006

Refining the prescription for fish oil.
September 1, 2006... Fish oil may not help those with implanted defibrillators. Omega-3 fatty acids are a big reason why fish is extolled as a heart-healthy food. Yet research showing that fish oil doesn't seem to help people with an implantable...

Central treatment for peripheral artery disease.
September 1, 2006... Heart care is important for people with narrowed leg arteries. If you have peripheral artery disease, keep this in mind: The leg bone's connected to the heart bone. Okay, so there's no such thing as the heart bone. But the message of...

High blood pressure: Common, commonly uncontrolled, and dangerous.
September 1, 2006... 10 steps for fighting the good fight against high blood pressure It's been more than a century since a Russian surgeon first described the simple and precise way to measure blood pressure that is still in use. We've learned a lot since then...

Heart Beat; Policosanol: A sweet nothing for high cholesterol.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A dietary supplement made from sugar cane doesn't lower cholesterol as advertised. Posts on the Internet and magazine ads claim that taking policosanol, which is extracted from the waxy coating of sugar cane, lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol by...

Heart Beat; Fast-food trans fats aren't good at home, abroad.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Now that food labels must list trans fat content, it's easier to spot these unhealthy fats, at least at the grocery store. The new labels are also spurring food companies to find healthier replacements for these mostly man-made fats. A similar...

Heart Beat; Diabetes and depression, a circular connection.(Disease/Disorder overview)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Depression and diabetes run together often enough that researchers have long wondered if one might cause the other. There's little doubt that living with a hazardous chronic condition like diabetes can put you on the road to depression....

Ask the doctor; How long will my bypass grafts last?(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Q. Three years ago I had coronary bypass surgery. How long will my grafts last? A. It depends on where your grafts came from. The most common sources are leg veins (the saphenous vein), arteries that supply the chest (the internal mammary...

Ask the doctor; Is coconut good or bad for the heart?(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Q. I have heard that coconut is bad for the heart and that it is good for the heart. Which is right? A. Viewed in isolation, coconut and coconut oil can't be considered heart-healthy foods. A 2-ounce piece of fresh coconut contains more...