CardioCurrents
News and tips for the heart-conscious

Fatigue may signal heart trouble
Women suffering a heart attack often have different symptoms than men do, leading to misdiagnosis and treatment delay. Instead of classic chest pain, women often report indigestion, achiness and back discomfort. Women may want to consider unexplained fatigue or sleep trouble a warning sign as well, says a study reported in Circulation, which found 515 women reported these common complaints in the months prior to having a heart attack.

The study asked women about any new or different symptoms experienced in the months before their heart attack. Seventy percent reported unusual fatigue; 48 percent suffered sleep disturbances. Other symptoms included shortness of breath, indigestion and anxiety. Researchers hope women will heed these signals and seek immediate help.

Walk your way
No doubt you've heard of the "no-pain, no-gain" workout, but when it comes to achieving heart benefits, it's not necessary, says a study that found a brisk, comfortable walking pace is enough to improve cardiovascular fitness. The American Heart Association advises people to take part in moderate-to-vigorous exercise. Researchers studied 84 middle-aged obese adults with below-average aerobic endurance as they walked on a gradually inclining treadmill. They were told to select a "brisk, but comfortable pace." During the self-paced walk, all achieved the recommended level of intensity, with most reaching even higher levels. So you can enjoy your walks-at your own pace-and still benefit from them.

Choose a diet, any diet
It doesn't matter which diet you follow: If you eat less and lose weight, you'll reduce your risk of heart disease, say researchers at Tufts University who compared four popular diets: Weight Watchers, Atkins, the vegetarian Ornish diet and the Zone diet.

Researchers assigned 160 overweight people to one of the four diets. After two months, 22 percent gave up. After a year, 35 percent dropped out of Weight Watchers and Zone diets and 50 percent quit the Atkins and Ornish regimens. The closer the dieters followed the plans, the more they lost, but all who lost weight reduced their heart disease risk factors, such as cholesterol levels. While the Ornish diet was best for lowering bad cholesterol, the others were better at raising good cholesterol. Bottom line: No one diet fits all. If you can't lose weight with one, try another, but try, try again.