News and tips for the heart-conscious

Heart danger: Where the fat is at

Fat around your belly is bad for your heart, but it turns out that fat around your heart may be even more dangerous. Researchers divided 160 people ages 55 to 74 into four groups based on the amount of pericardial fat (fat deposits around the heart) they had. What they found: People with the highest pericardial fat levels were nearly five times more likely to have calcified coronary plaque, or atherosclerosis, than those with the lowest levels. Pericardial fat secretes more inflammatory cytokines, proteins that regulate inflammation, than fat under the skin. Authors of the study, published in the journal Obesity, say that constant exposure to these proteins may speed plaque development.

To sleep, perchance to avoid hypertension

Adolescents who don’t get enough sleep or who sleep poorly risk more than bad grades: Today’s poor sleep habits may be tomorrow’s hypertension, according to a National Institutes of Health–funded study of nearly 240 teens ages 13 to 16. Teens who had trouble falling asleep or who woke up too early were 3.5 times more likely to have elevated blood pressure. Sleeping fewer than six-and-a-half hours boosted risk 2.5 times. And 14 percent of study participants had prehypertension—meaning they don’t have high blood pressure now but are likely to develop it in the future—or hypertension, with blood pressure levels in the 90th percentile for their height, age and gender. Study authors say adolescents need about nine hours’ sleep a night.

Keep moving to stave off irregular heartbeat

You don’t need to run a marathon or climb mountains to keep your heart in good working order as you age. Research shows that older people who are lightly to moderately active have a significantly reduced risk of irregular heartbeat, a common condition that can lead to chronic fatigue, heart failure and stroke.

Harvard University scientists examined more than 5,400 senior citizens and found that those who engaged most frequently in leisure activities such as gardening, dancing, swimming, golfing or outdoor chores reduced their likelihood of irregular heartbeat by 36 percent. Regular walking also did the heart good: Participants who walked at least 60 blocks a week cut their incidence of irregular heartbeat by 44 percent. Even those who walked just five to 11 blocks a week slashed their risk by 22 percent.