There has been yet more suggestion that even commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Nurofen) and diclofenac (Difene) are dangerous for heart failure patients.

A study has shown that patients suffering from heart-failure are four times more likely to develop cognitive impairment than those who are not heart failure patients.

Dr Mary Sauvé, from the University of California Davis Medical Centre, led the research which compared 50 heart failure patients to 50 community controls. Age, gender and intelligence were taken into consideration when comparing patients.

Image 1: A Northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica).

For anybody taking fish oil supplements, this is a must read article, as the latest research is suggesting that krill oil has a number of benefits over fish oil.

Krill oil is made from shrimp-like small crustaceans, which are an important part of zooplankton, inhabiting cold Antarctic and North Pacific oceans.

It becomes more difficult to use erectile dysfunction (ED) as an indicator of cardiovascular (CV) disease as age increases, according to a report in the February 2009 issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Analysis has shown that the prognostic value of ED for risk of cardiovascular disease is much higher for men who have suffered erectile dysfunction in their 40s, but significantly lower for men who experience erectile dysfunction in their 70s.

A study which was published on-line in Circulation in Jul 2007 suggests that drinking more than one soft drink per day poses a 44% greater risk for developing metabolic syndrome as compared to drinking less than one soft drink per day.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of various risk factors, like elevated (but not yet over the limit) triglycerides and glucose levels and increased waist circumference, that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH for short, is a dietery pattern designed to lower blood pressure. In a new analysis of data from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), the DASH diet has been shown to reduce the risk for both coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. It appears that individuals who best adhere to this kind of diet over the long term, enjoy the biggest reduction of risk for coronary heart disease and stroke.

Although a healthy diet and a good exercise regime may seem the obvious ways of reducing one's risks for cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction and heart failure, no prior research has investigated the benefit achieved with a combination of several healthy lifestyle behaviors on coronary heart disease (CHD). Findings from a new Swedish study by Dr. Agneta Akesson and colleagues indicate, that the combined benefit of diet, physical activity, nonsmoking and healthy body weight could prevent as much as three out of every four cases of myocardial infarctions (MI) in women.

Mediterranean diet, based on fruits, vegetables, virgin olive oil and tree nuts, rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated fatty acids, has long been believed to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. Oddly enough though, until now, there have been no proper scientific studies done to test these assumptions.