CardioCurrents
News and tips for the heart-conscious

Walk to the beat of a faster drummer
You’ll need to pick up the pace to get more out of your daily walk, say the authors of a study that found leisurely walking too tame to yield the fitness impact of swifter strides. Canadian researchers compared the effects of two fitness programs in 128 sedentary men and women. One was the popular walking program in which people aim for 10,000 steps a day at a self-selected pace. The other was a traditional aerobic fitness program involving moderate intensity exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike. The 10,000-steppers improved their peak oxygen uptake (an indicator of aerobic fitness) and systolic blood pressure by 4 percent, compared to 10 percent for those following the traditional program. The authors point out that the 10,000-step program is a great starting point, but once you’re used to the activity, step up your speed.

Take as directed
Too many heart attack patients don’t take the prescription medicine that’s meant to reduce their risk for another heart attack. In a study of more than 17,000 people who suffered heart attacks, only 45 percent of those who were prescribed beta-blockers took them regularly during the first year after they left the hospital. To get the benefit of beta-blockers, which help the heart beat more slowly and with less force, patients must continue to take these drugs for the rest of their lives.

Did you know?
Eating eggs doesn’t increase the risk for heart disease in healthy people. Unlike other cholesterol sources, eggs are low in saturated fat, which, along with trans fat, raises blood cholesterol more than the cholesterol you eat. 

Up to 85 percent of women who quit smoking during pregnancy light up again after their babies are born.

Daily aspirin therapy is more effective at preventing a first stroke in women than in men but better at preventing a first heart attack in men than in women.

Tofu for you?
Soy protein may become a key ingredient in the recipe for better cholesterol control, according to a recent report in the American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers from Tulane University analyzed data from 41 studies on the effects of soy protein on blood cholesterol. They found that soy protein helps to lower total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides and slightly raises HDL (good) cholesterol. The authors say replacing foods high in saturated fat and trans fat with soy foods like tofu and soy milk benefits cardiovascular health.