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Artery calcification is almost twice as common in night owls compared to early birds, according to a study. Circadian rhythm appears to be particularly important for the heart and blood vessels during the early stages of the disease. Artery calcification, or atherosclerosis as it is also known, involves fatty deposits accumulating on the inside of the arteries, making it harder for blood to pass through. The study, involved 771 men and women aged between 50 and 64, all of whom are part of the larger population study SCAPIS. The degree of artery calcification in the heart's coronary arteries was examined...

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up inside artery walls. This can can block arteries and cause heart attacks and strokes. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which could help to prevent the buildup of fatty deposits in arteries— a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. DHA supplements are often consumed orally, but most are poorly absorbed by the gut. . To improve the absorption, a research team worked on laboratory models to deliver DHA to the bloodstream that could be more effective...

Patients with a specific form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness, are also highly likely to have either underlying heart damage from heart failure and heart attacks, or advanced heart valve disease, or carotid artery disease associated with certain types of strokes, according to a study. This research, is the first to identify which types of high-risk cardiovascular and carotid artery disease are linked to the eye disorder. "We have been able to connect these specific high-risk cardiovascular diseases to a specific form of AMD, the one with subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs)," explains R. Theodore Smith,...

A study has linked key nutrients, including protein, zinc and niacin, to improvements in heart health. Improvements in metabolic and cardiovascular health seen during weight loss in people with obesity are traditionally attributed to either the weight loss itself or the accompanying changes in glucose, blood pressure or blood fats. Participants with metabolic syndrome and obesity (55.5% male, average age 53 years) were enrolled in a one-year intensive multidisciplinary weight loss program. Arterial wall stiffening is linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and so blood vessel flexibility was used as a proxy for cardiovascular health. Three...

Vitamin D May Protect Against Peripheral Artery DiseasePeople obtain vitamin D by making it themselves (through skin exposure to sunlight), by ingesting foods such as fish and fortified dairy products that contain vitamin D, or by taking dietary supplements. (Credit: iStockphoto/Nikolay Suslov) ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2008) — People with low vitamin D levels may face an increased risk for peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. PAD is a common disease that occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed by fatty deposits, causing pain and numbness and impairing the...

Stem cell injections might someday be used to treat a debilitating cardiovascular condition called peripheral arterial disease (PAD), researchers say. People with PAD have poor blood circulation -- especially in the legs -- and can suffer sores, ulcers and even amputations. PAD is caused by a clogging and hardening of the arteries, and patients may need surgical procedures such as angioplasty or an artery bypass graft to widen narrowed blood vessels. However, as many as 12 percent of PAD patients can't have these surgical procedures. That's why researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis are investigating the...

BOSTON -- The former chief of Boston's massive Big Dig highway project negligently failed to disclose $1.4 billion in cost overruns to the public, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission settlement announced yesterday. James J. Kerasiotes and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority have agreed to the settlement of fraud claims, but are not admitting or denying the findings, SEC officials said. Kerasiotes ran the highway project until he was fired in 2000, when reports surfaced that Big Dig officials were keeping the public cost of the project artificially low. Neither he nor the Turnpike Authority were fined as part of...

Eating fish 'reduces artery damage in smokers' Eating fish can help reverse the artery damage caused by smoking which leads to heart attacks and strokes. Scientists have found that one serving of fish may be enough to stop arteries hardening in smokers while vitamin C is also beneficial, as is a drug used to treat gout. Researchers gave 15 smokers supplements of taurine, an amino acid which exists naturally in all kinds of fish - not just the "oily" varieties thought to be the most healthy. Taurine lessened a harmful effect caused by smoking which causes blood vessels to lose...

<p>LAST WEEK, Acting Governor Jane Swift, Mayor Thomas Menino, House Speaker Thomas Finneran, and Senate President Thomas Birmingham introduced legislation to create the Millennium Greenway Trust, a public entity that would own the Central Artery corridor, to be known as the Rose Kennedy Greenway.</p>