CardioExchange Archive

December 19th, 2013

More Walking and More Fiber: Good for the Heart

Larry Husten, PHD

It probably won’t come as a surprise, but walking more and eating more fiber are probably good for your heart. That’s the conclusion of two new studies, but because the studies relied on observational data it should be emphasized that they are incapable of demonstrating cause and effect. And it’s by no means clear that most […]

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September 3rd, 2013

Speedy Tour de France Racers Slower to Die

Larry Husten, PHD

For more of our ESC.13 coverage of late-breaking clinical trials, interviews with the authors of the most important research, and blogs from our fellows on the most interesting presentations at the meeting, check out our Coverage Headquarters. In recent years, concerns have been raised about possible adverse cardiovascular effects of intense endurance exercise. Additional concerns have been […]

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June 24th, 2013

Large NIH Trial Finds No Cardiovascular Benefits for Weight Loss and Exercise in Type 2 Diabetics

Larry Husten, PHD

A large NIH-sponsored trial has found that an intensive lifestyle intervention was no better than standard care in reducing cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes. The results of the Look AHEAD trial were presented today at the American Diabetes Association meeting and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. A total of 5,145 people with type 2 […]

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June 13th, 2013

Too Much, Too Fast? Cross-Country Skiing and Heart Arrhythmias

Larry Husten, PHD

When it comes to exercise, it may be true that you can do too much or go too fast. It might seem counterintuitive, but a new study finds that among cross-country skiers, the risk for having a cardiac arrhythmia is highest in those who race the fastest or most often. Although lack of exercise is almost […]

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May 30th, 2013

True or False: Fitness Program + Statin = No Fitness Program?

Catherine R Mikus, PhD and John Thyfault, PhD

Catherine Mikus and John Thyfault discuss their study group’s small randomized trial suggesting that statin use may blunt the benefits of exercise.

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May 23rd, 2013

Small Study Suggests Statins May Blunt Benefits of Exercise

Larry Husten, PHD

A small study is raising big questions about whether statins may blunt the beneficial effects of exercise. The study has been published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and is the subject of a New York Times blog. Some 37 previously sedentary, overweight or obese adults with at least two other risk factors underwent 12 weeks of aerobic […]

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March 12th, 2013

Sildenafil Does Not Improve Exercise Capacity in HF with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Nicholas Downing, MD

Sildenafil does not improve exercise capacity or clinical status in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction, according to a JAMA study. This finding contrasts with previous research suggesting a potential benefit in such patients. Some 220 HF patients with ejection fractions of 50% or greater were randomized to receive oral sildenafil or […]

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February 4th, 2013

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: February 4th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include blood transfusion and increased mortality in MI, proteotoxicity and cardiac dysfunction in the elderly, combined fitness and statin treatment on mortality in veterans with dyslipidemia, and more.

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November 28th, 2012

Statins and Exercise: Independently Beneficial, Even Better in Combination

Larry Husten, PHD

It’s no secret that statins and exercise are good for people with dyslipidemia. Now a study published in the Lancet offers fresh evidence suggesting that the two may be independently beneficial, and that the two together may yield greater benefits than either alone. U.S. researchers analyzed data from 10,043 people with dyslipidemia treated at either of two Veterans Affairs […]

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October 1st, 2012

I Want Some of What the American Heart Association is Smoking

Yoni Freedhoff, MD

When it comes to public-private partnerships between health organizations and the food industry, there are many shades of grey — but Cheetos orange isn’t one of them.

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