Engineering Good Health

Heart-healthy lifestyle linked to lower risk of future cancers

local94news shared this story from Health & Medicine – Harvard Gazette.

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In addition to lowering risk of heart disease, maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle may pay off in lower risk for developing cancer, researchers from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and other centers in the United States and the Netherlands have found.

Looking at the potential link between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer among  participants in two large population-based health studies, Emily S. Lau and Jennifer E. Ho from the division of Cardiology at MGH and their co-authors found that traditional risk factors for CVD, including older age, male sex, and current or former smoking were all independently associated with increased risk of the development of cancer.

In addition, they found increased levels of natriuretic peptides — markers of stress on the heart — also predicted higher cancer risk among study participants.

Although participants who already had a history of heart disease before the study or experienced a cardiovascular event such as heart attack or heart failure after joining the study were not found to be at increased risk of developing cancers, those who had ideal cardiovascular health at study entry had lower risk of future cancers, the investigators reported in JACC: CardioOncology. 

“We found an association between a heart-healthy lifestyle and a lower risk of cancer, and the opposite is true: that a less heart-healthy lifestyle is also associated with higher risk of cancer, but we can’t prove that there is causation in this epidemiologic study,” says Lau.

Lau and colleagues evaluated data from 20,305 participants in two large community-based, long-term health studies: the Framingham Heart Study and the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease (PREVEND) study. The participants were free of cancer at study entry.

The data included information on laboratory-proven cancers that occurred during the course of the study, CVD risk factors at study entry (including obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and  high blood pressure), cardiovascular risk as measured by the 10-year atherosclerotic (ASCVD) risk score, established diagnostic markers for CVD such as the naturally occurring substances natriuretic peptides and cardiac troponins, CVD at study entry, and the American Heart Association (AHA) Life’s Simple 7 cardiovascular health score, a patient-reported measure of heart-healthy lifestyles.

The researchers found that traditional CVD risk factors such as age, sex, and smoking status were each associated with cancer. In addition, each 5 percent increase in the estimated 10-year ASCVD risk score was associated with a 16 percent increase in risk for cancer, and participants who were in the highest third of natriuretic peptide levels had a 40 percent greater risk of developing cancer than those in the lowest third.

Although participants with CVD at baseline and those who had a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke during the study were not at higher risk of subsequent cancer, those who most closely adhered to the AHA recommendations at study entry (manage blood pressure, control cholesterol, reduce blood sugar, get active, eat better, lose weight, stop smoking) had lower risk of future cancers.

Co-authors of the study are Samantha M. Paniagua, Elizabeth Liu, Shawn X. Li, Katherine Takvorian, and James L. Januzzi Jr., all MGH; Manol Jovani, Johns Hopkins University; Navin Suthahar and Rudolf A. de Boer, University of Groningen, the Netherlands; Susan Cheng, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles; Greta L. Splansky, Ramachandran S. Vasan, Martin G. Larson, and Daniel Levy, Framingham Heart Study; Thomas J. Wang, U. Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Bernard Kreger, Boston University School of Public Health.

Joint Pain, Aging, and Arthritis - Understand Your Pain

local94news shared this story from WebMD Health.

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Creaking knees, hips, and ankles aren't necessarily normal aches and pains that come with age. Your pain might be arthritis. Luckily, medicine has a lot to offer --- from exercise and alternative supplements to medications and joint replacement.

Exercise, healthy diet in midlife may prevent serious health conditions in senior years

local94news shared this story from American Heart Association.

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Journal of the American Heart Association Report











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Tips for New Moms During the First Few Weeks

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Caring for a newborn is often tiring and overwhelming. Parents share their best advice on how to make it through those first weeks at home.

Get Your '5 a Day' Fruits & Veggies to Live Longer

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Five servings. That is all the fruits and vegetables you need to eat every day to live longer, new research suggests.

Masks and social distancing remain critically important during vaccination rollout

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The American Heart Association reiterates that the pandemic basics still apply

Best Exercises for Heart Failure

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Activity may be just what the doctor ordered for your heart failure. Here are some of the best exercises to keep your ticker working like clockwork.

6 Ways to Improve Your Back Pain

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Everyone gets back pain at some time. Here are six ways to help you improve your back pain.

Get Out: Nature Is the Fix for COVID-19 Stress

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Millions of other Americans trying to cope with the pandemic and its restrictions have discovered -- or rediscovered -- the power of the outdoors and nature to ease stress.

The Greatest Gift to Loved Ones This Covid Winter? Don’t Infect Others

local94news shared this story from NYT > Personal Health.

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“Our biggest worry is Covid-19 fatigue,” a coronavirus expert says. “People are losing respect for the virus and letting their guard down, which is a bad idea.”

Ways to Get Your Kids Moving

local94news shared this story from NYT > Health.

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Teens and tweens need exercise, period. Many parents are finding informal, creative and encouraging ways to get their isolated offspring outside safely.

New voices chosen to elevate the link between type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke

local94news shared this story from American Heart Association.

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The American Heart Association® and American Diabetes Association’s® Know Diabetes by Heart™ initiative reveals new ambassador class during American Diabetes Month®

Brain Health - Memory and Stress

local94news shared this story from AARP - Health.

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Tips on how to improve your well-being ... Lewy body dementia, as shown in new documentary, is a common and often misdiagnosed condition ... People with movement disorders harness the power of musi...

Flu Shot May Shield You From Severe COVID

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The flu vaccine also appears to significantly reduce a COVID-19 patient's risk for ending up in an intensive care unit (ICU), researchers say.

Depression Has Strong Ties to Stroke, Study Finds

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Compared to participants with no depressive symptoms, those with scores of one to three had a 39% increased stroke risk. Those with scores of more than four had a 54% higher risk, after the researchers accounted for demographic factors.