BMI and Heart Failure

Both body mass index (BMI) and waist size influence a person's risk of being hospitalized with heart failure or dying of the condition, new research shows."This study reinforces the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight through diet and exercise," Dr. Emily B. Levitan of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, a researcher on the study, told Reuters Health.In heart failure, the organ becomes too weak to pump blood efficiently through a person's body, leading to fatigue, swelling of the legs, and difficulty breathing. Heart failure is the top cause of hospitalization among Americans 65 and older, Levitan and her colleagues note in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

Smoking and Metabolic Syndrome

High rates of tobacco smoking and a condition called metabolic syndrome are combining to increase the risks of heart disease and stroke among older individuals in China, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease -- including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides (another type of blood fat). The syndrome is typically diagnosed when a person has three or more of these conditions.
Metabolic syndrome was associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, the researchers note, and the risk was higher among former and current smokers than among people who had never smoked.
Further analysis showed that the combined effect of smoking and metabolic syndrome on heart disease and stroke was stronger in women than in men. Moreover, only in women was exposure to secondhand smoke associated with these conditions.