Some easy ways to keep moving

There are a few simple things you can do to keep active and promote a healthier heart:

• Do housework yourself, instead of hiring someone to do it.
• Work in the garden or mow the grass. Using a riding mower doesn’t count.
• Go for a short walk before breakfast, after dinner or both. Start with a 10-minute walk and work up to 30 minutes.
• Walk or bike to the corner store.
• When watching television, pedal a stationary bicycle.
• Park on the outskirts of a shopping mall and walk to the stores.

Association Between Weight Amount and Cause of Death

Based on total follow-up, underweight was associated with a significantly increased mortality from noncancer, non-CVD(cardiovascular disease) causes (23,455 excess deaths) but not associated with cancer or CVD(cardiovascular disease) mortality. Overweight was associated with a significantly decreased mortality from noncancer, non-CVD causes but was not associated with cancer or CVD mortality.

Obesity was associated with a significantly increased mortality from CVD (112,159 excess deaths) but not associated with cancer mortality or with noncancer, non-CVD mortality. In further analyses, overweight and obesity combined were associated with increased mortality from diabetes and kidney disease (61,248 excess deaths) and decreased mortality from other noncancer, non-CVD causes. Obesity was associated with an increased mortality from cancers considered obesity-related (13,839 excess deaths) but not associated with mortality from other cancers. Comparisons across surveys suggested a possible decrease in the association of obesity with CVD mortality over time.

Overweight is not strongly associated with increased cancer or CVD(cardiovascular disease) risk, but may be associated with improved survival during recovery from adverse conditions, such as infections or medical procedures, and with improved prognosis for some diseases. Such findings may be due to greater nutritional reserves or higher lean body mass associated with overweight.

Tezosentan did not improve breathlessness or cardiovascular events

Tezosentan is an intravenous short-acting endothelin receptor antagonist (a drug that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of another drug) and a vasodilator (a drug that causes dilation of blood vessels).
The researchers found that tezosentan did not improve dyspnea (difficulty breathing) more than placebo in either trial. The incidence of death or worsening heart failure at seven days in the combined trials was 26 percent in each treatment group, and up to 30 days was 32 percent in the tezosentan group and 33 percent in the placebo group. The number of deaths at six months was 104 (14.3 percent) in the tezosentan group and 101 (14.3 percent) in the placebo group.

Heart Palpitations

Palpitations— sensation that the heart has started to race or pound, or feels like it has skipped a beat—are usually caused by a harmless hiccup in the heart’s rhythm. Sometimes, though, palpitations reflect a problem in the heart or elsewhere in the body.
Palpitations are extremely common. Different people experience them in different ways. You might feel as though your heart is fluttering, throbbing, flip-flopping, or pounding, or that it has missed a beat. Palpitations can appear out of the blue and disappear just as suddenly. Or they might be linked with certain activities, events, or feelings. Some of the most important pieces of information that can help your doctor in pinning them down is how palpitations feel, how often they strike, and when they occur.

Some palpitations result from premature contractions of the heart’s chambers or malfunctions of a heart valve. But a physical exam and electrocardiogram often don’t turn up any problems, which can be frustrating to the patient. If your palpitations aren’t accompanied by dizziness or other symptoms and if you don’t have a valve disorder or other structural problem with your heart, that usually means palpitations are benign.

If you have unexplained palpitations, start with simple steps to help alleviate them.
Cut back on caffeine, smoking, and alcohol; avoid over-the-counter decongestants, eat and drink regularly, get enough sleep, and find a way to relax if you are stressed. In some cases, your doctor may recommend medications or a procedure to correct errant electrical signals in the heart.
Also in this issue:
• Cutting back on salt leads to longer life
• Inherited high cholesterol poses serious risks
• Ask the doctor: Red yeast rice and cholesterol; blood pressure differences in arms