AMERICAN HEART—YOGA, WEDDING BLISS, AND BP CONTROL

The American Heart Association Conference has kicked off in New Orleans.
Researchers at Yale University looked at the effects of yoga and meditation on the risk of cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack or stroke. 33 people were followed in an early study. Various factors were measured, including blood pressure, fatness, heart rates, and cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Participants were split into two groups: one with, and one without prior cardiovascular disease.

Researchers at Yale University looked at the effects of yoga and meditation on the risk of cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack or stroke. 33 people were followed in an early study. Various factors were measured, including blood pressure, fatness, heart rates, and cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Participants were split into two groups: one with, and one without prior cardiovascular disease.

All had three 1.5-hour yoga and meditation sessions a week for six weeks. The researchers found the ability of the arteries to open up improved nearly 70 percent with yoga training in the group with vascular disease. Interestingly, it didn’t help those with no history of vascular disease. Researchers say while the findings suggest a significant benefit for those with a history of vascular disease, a larger study needs to be performed to confirm the findings.
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If you don’t want to do yoga, maybe a walk down the aisle would suite you if you’re looking at reducing your cardiovascular risk. University of Minnesota researchers found married men were 5 percent less likely to have high blood pressure, and they were more likely to have lower cholesterol levels and overall body fat. Married women also had significantly lower cholesterol and body fat.

The researchers used a social network index to gauge the impact of marital status and the support of friends, relatives, church and social groups on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Overall, after adjusting for variables, strong social support regardless of marital status also was associated with lower blood pressure in both sexes. Reduced social support was linked to a 12 percent increase in smoking in women and 8 percent in men.
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It’s already known that high blood pressure poses a major risk for developing the common abnormal heart rhythm problem called atrial fibrillation. It involves the rapid beating of the heart’s upper chambers. But until now, it’s been unclear if maintaining optimal blood pressure can prevent atrial fibrillation. Scientists found that maintaining blood pressure at the optimal level – below 120/80--seemed to provide the most benefit in preventing atrial fibrillation. By keeping it below these numbers, one can reduce the risk of developing atrial fibrillation by about 2/3rds, or 66 percent.

This is one reason why even slight elevation in blood pressure values needs to be dealt with aggressively. Both the lower and upper numbers pose a health threat to individuals, but as we get older, it’s the upper number which becomes a significant concern. Doctors say an annual checkup can help confirm the presence of high blood pressure.