Month: March 2014

Having strong muscles as a child may help to lower the risk of future heart disease, a new study suggests. The study included more than 1,400 sixth graders. Researchers tested their hand-grip strength. This has been shown to reflect overall muscle strength. The study also included tests of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Kids with greater grip strength tended to have lower levels of LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and triglycerides, another blood fat. They also had more HDL (“good cholesterol”) and slightly lower blood pressure. Their blood sugar levels also were a bit lower, which could lead to a lower risk of diabetes. Researchers adjusted their numbers to account for other things that can affect heart disease risk, such as being thinner or getting more exercise overall. They found that strength by itself was linked with healthier measurements.

Blood pressure should be checked more often in people who have had a stroke, says a study. That’s because keeping blood pressure consistently low can reduce the risk of a second stroke. But many stroke survivors do not maintain low blood pressure (under 140/90), according to a study of nearly 3,700 stroke patients. Those who had low blood-pressure readings more than 75% of the time also reduced their chances of another stroke by 54%. And they lowered their risk for heart attack. But only one-third of study participants had low blood-pressure readings this frequently. Study authors said that people who have had a stroke need to take medications as directed and have their blood pressure checked more often. The study was published online March 27, in the journal Stroke. U.S. News and World Report wrote about it the same day.