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Marks on Eyelid Can Warn of Heart Attack

 Yellow markings on the eyelids are a sign of increased risk of heart attack and other illnesses, say researchers in Denmark.

A study published on the BMJ website showed patients with xanthelasmata were 48% more likely to have a heart attack.

Xanthelasmata, which are mostly made up of cholesterol, could be a sign of other fatty build-ups in the body.

Cardiologists said the findings could be used by doctors to help diagnose at-risk patients.

The research team at the Herlev Hospital in Denmark started following 12,745 people in the 1970s.

At the start of the study, 4.4% of patients had xanthelasmata.

Yellow alert

Thirty three years later, 1,872 had had a heart attack, 3,699 had developed heart disease and 8,507 had died – and the data showed that those with the yellow markings around the eyes were at greatest risk.

Those with the markings were 48% more likely to have a heart attack, 39% more likely to have developed heart disease and 14% more likely to have died during the study.

The authors believe patients with xanthelasmata may be more likely to deposit cholesterol around the body.

A build up of fatty material in the walls of arteries – known as atherosclerosis – leads to stroke and heart attack.

For both men and women in several age groups, the data said there was a one in five chance of developing heart disease in the next decade if the patient had xanthelasmata.

The authors said such patients were “generally considered to be at high risk” and should have “lifestyle changes and treatment to reduce [bad] cholesterol.”

However they warned that: “Today, most people with xanthelasmata are seen by dermatologists, when they want their xanthelasmata removed for cosmetic reasons.

“Some of these people may not have been managed according to their increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”

A review of the study, by US cardiologists Antonio Fernandez and Paul Thompson, concluded that: “Xanthelasmata could be used by general clinicians to help identify people at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.”

Judy O’Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “There are many different techniques to predict someone’s risk of developing heart disease in the future, none of which are perfect. The most important thing is that any one of these techniques is used in the first place.”

James Gallagher
Health reporter
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Moderate Alcohol Can Promote Heart Health

According to a compilation of 30 years of research, an alcoholic drink a day can help ward off heart diseases and improve overall heart health and function.

The study which has been published in the British Medical Journal found that there was a reduction of  14% to 25%  in heart diseases in moderate drinkers compared with people who had never drink alcohol.

Another article, by the same Canadian scientist at the University of Calgary, showed alcohol also increased “good” cholesterol levels.

This review showed that the overall risk of death was lower for those consuming small quantities of alcohol, 2.5g to 14.9g, compared with non-drinkers. The researchers also say regular moderate drinking reduced all forms of cardiovascular disease by up to 25%.

It is important to note that this is a slippery slope as what we consider moderate may mean different things to different people. In fact, while consuming small quantities of alcohol had a beneficial effect on the number of strokes, the risk increased significantly with heavier drinking. Heavier drinking is also a leading cause of liver cirrhosis. A little bit does you good, but a lot does you harm

For non-drinkers, this should not be a license to start. Being physically active, adapting stress reducing techniques like prayer or yoga, and eating a balanced diet can help you achieve the same effect.[ad#Adsense-200by200sq]

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Laziness will send us to an early grave

Dr Richard Weiler & Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis, Sports and Exercise experts
Our lives are full energy-saving devices, from ready meals to remote controls, all designed to make our lives easier.
But in this week’s Scrubbing Up London-based sports-medicine experts Dr Richard Weiler from the Homerton Hospital and Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis from University College London argue they also make us lazier and create risks to our health.
A sedentary lifestyle is undeniably an environmental disease in its own right – with countless unpleasant signs and symptoms, which all lead to an early grave.
Humans are designed to move, not stay still. Millions of years hunting, farming and intense manual labour have shaped our bodies to their current form.
But suddenly (literally suddenly in evolutionary terms) we have found ourselves in an era when moving has become redundant.
Science and technology have undoubtedly made our lives easier
 
Time, energy and money-saving advances have mechanized our way of life and reduced the amount of time we spend moving
 
Opportunities to sit are virtually everywhere: at work, school, during transportation and at home. Quick fixes for health, appearance and emotional state are abundant and usually somebody else’s responsibility.
Since most people blame lack of time as their main excuse for not being active, it is ironic that on average we waste over three hours watching television per day.
We have not been educated that it doesn’t cost anything to be more active in everyday life. For example use the car less, walk more, walk up the escalators and use the stairs instead of the lift.
Inactivity risks
The values of active ancient civilisations – such as the Greeks, for whom physical and mental health were top priorities – are long forgotten.
 
In essence, our environment has made it easy for us to live inherently lazy, slothful and sedentary lives.
With advances in measuring physical activity levels, we have discovered, to our horror, that 95% of the UK population are not even doing the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity to confer even basic health benefits (30 minutes’ moderate to vigorous physical activity on at least five days a week – or the equivalent).
Whether slim or fat, a person leading a sedentary lifestyle has similar chances of dying young to a smoker.
Statistically, every week spent inactive is roughly equivalent to smoking a packet of cigarettes.
Conversely, becoming physically active at any age can reverse the health risks of sedentary living, where the least active stand to gain the most by moving more.
However, unlike smoking, sedentary lifestyles lead to more than 40 medically recognised chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, mental illness, dementia, some cancers. It also leads to reduced quality of life and, perhaps most importantly, unhappiness.
Inactivity in children leads to obesity and reduced academic performance across all socio-economic classes.
And inactivity among working adults leads to increased time off work and decreased productivity.
In the elderly, quality of life and independence are severely reduced, whilst health care costs are dramatically increased. Few areas of life escape unpleasant consequences. This burden on individual and society is enormous.
“Nanny-state!” is cried from the rooftops when attempts are made to inform people about their unhealthy behaviours, yet we allow greedy corporate advertising to influence our way of life and increase our consumption.
Market forces, mainly driven by the pharmaceutical industry, have turned each of the signs and symptoms of sedentary living into seemingly acceptable recognised “medical” diseases.
It makes no sense to throw billions of pounds at firefighting the symptoms whilst ignoring the main underlying cause.
In general, we have embraced our sedentary environment and, as such, perhaps ought not consider ourselves victims of these (mostly) self-inflicted chronic diseases. But, how much longer can we afford to remain stubbornly resistant to change and solutions?
Sedentary living is the most prevalent disease, biggest silent killer and greatest health threat facing developed countries.
Awareness, understanding and recognition of this major problem will help us all contemplate behaviour and environmental change with unusually welcome green outcomes. The solution is obvious: move!
(BBC News)
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