Dentist Visit Helps Heart

Research finds that individual who had their teeth cleaned once a year had a 24% lower risk of heart attack and 13% lower risk of stroke than otherwise.

TV = Death

Research finds that cardiovascular disease rates rise with average daily TV viewing times - even if you're physically fit.

Researchers studied the viewing habits and health of ~9,000 adults. For every hour watching tv each day, risk of death from cardiovascular disease increased 18%. People watching 4 hours or more each day were 80% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease vs. those who watched for 2 hours or less each day.

The same applies for sitting in front of a computer or sitting idly - sitting for long stretches negatively affects levels of blood sugar and fats.

Fixing a Broken Heart ... Through the Stomach

Scientists are looking to the stomach to help treat those suffering from heart attacks. Scientists used stem cell patches of lab-grown heart cells onto rats' stomachs' fatty tissue - which is rich in blood vessels and has previously been used to regenerate other organs. After a week, they transferred the patches to the rats’ damaged heart. Experiments showed that the patches did indeed improve the heart's condition.

Still, much work is needed as the procedure is considered too risky for elderly patients because of the extensive amount of surgery time required.