Grapefruit

(Best Syndication News) A report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that heart patients should avoid some herbal remedies including St. John's wort, gingko biloba, and garlic. Patients should also avoid grapefruit juice. These substances may interfere with medications.

Here are some examples:

St. John's wort is known for helping patients with depression but it can also reduces the effectiveness of medications contributing to recurrences of arrhythmia and high blood pressure. It can also increase in blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk for future heart problems.

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[Best Syndication News] The heart pumps with less strength if a person has COPD which stands of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A person with mild or no symptoms with COPD still had a reduction in the functionality of their heart. A study published in the January 21st issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found a strong relationship between heart function and mild COPD. This study was financed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

The researchers point out that even in the mildest form or COPD there is a decreased ability for the heart to pump blood. They report that 1 in 5 Americans over the age of 45 has COPD, with only half knowing that they have it.

COPD is mostly associated with the long term side effects of smoking. COPD destroys the lung tissue and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

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[Best Syndication News] Telomere length is a chromosome marker that measure aging, and those that had more Omega-3 fatty acid in there blood levels had longer lengths which would be considered less damage done, and more potential longevity for an individual. A study that appears in the January 20th issue of JAMA looks at the relationship of omega-3 fatty acid levels and telomere lengths in individuals diagnosed with coronary artery disease.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, studied the telomere length of 608 outpatients that was diagnosed with stable coronary artery disease. They measured omega-3 fatty acid levels in the blood and measured the teleomere lengths over a nine year period of time.

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[Best Syndication News] The cravings for nicotine which happen when you quit smoking cigarettes can be excruciating. One way to tame the cravings is to get exercising. This is what researchers from the university of Western Ontario Canada believe that exercise is an important tool in helping a person to quit smoking for good.

Dr. Harry Prapavessis, Director of Western's new Exercise and Health Psychology Laboratory, and his team (Dr. Anita Cramp, Dr. Mary Jung and Therese Harper) have found that a combination of nicotine replacement therapy and physical fitness are both key elements to break the bad habit.

The benefit of exercise with quitting smoking is that there was less weight gain seen with women smokers. While 70 percent of the women in their study of 12 week program to quit smoking succeeded, only 27 percent kicked the smoking habit in the long run. The reason they believe the women had relapse was because they did not continue exercising after the program ended.

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[Best Syndication News] The FDA have been researching the effects of Bisphenol A also called BPA a chemical that is found in plastic food containers which they have been recommending consumers to limit their exposure to plastic containers. The FDA has released an updated report on BPA which has been in hard plastic bottles and metal-based food and beverage cans since the 1960s.

The FDA has expressed concerns about the safety of BPA and have written on their website, “FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.”

While the FDA believes it is safe they are recommending limiting BPA to children. Because of the FDA's concern of BPA they have been working with the National Toxicology Program with their National Center for Toxicological Research to further research the potential hazards of BPA. The FDA has a website dedicated to BPA and what they are currently doing to remedy the problem.