How fast can you run a mile?

Your answer may predict your risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next decade or so, according to two new studies.

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers say that how fast a middle-age person can run a mile can help predict the risk of dying of heart attack or stroke decades later for men and could be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease for women.

The researchers analyzed the heart disease risk of 45 to 65 year-old men based on fitness levels and other traditional risk factors such as age, blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking habits.

They found that fitness levels among middleaged men show marked differences in risk for cardiovascular disease.

For instance, a 55-year-old man runs a mile in 15 minutes has a 30 percent lifetime risk of developing heart disease. In contrast, a 55-year-old who runs a mile in eight minutes has a lifetime risk of less than 10 percent.

“Heart disease tends to cluster at older ages, but if you want to prevent it, our research suggests that the prescription for prevention needs to occur earlier – when a person is in his 40s and 50s,” said Dr. Jarett Berry, assistant professor of internal medicine and a corresponding author on both studies.

According to the results, a high fitness level can lower the risk of heart disease even when other risk factors are present.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in industrialized nations.  It is especially lethal for women, whose risk for heart disease is hard to assess and rises dramatically as they age.

The fitness test, researchers said, were particularly helpful in identifying women at risk for heart disease over the long term.

The studies mark the first time fitness levels have been used to attempt to predict risk for heart disease.

They were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation.

Scientists say they have discovered the trigger that causes varicose veins to form.

German researchers report that a single protein called transcription factor AP-1 binds to DNA and produces another set of proteins that cause varicose veins to form.

The finding may lead to the development a drug therapy that improves the quality of life for people who suffer from varicose veins.

In the study, Thomas Korff, Ph.D., and his colleagues increased the blood pressure in a single vein of the ear of white mice and tracked the resulting changes in size and form of nearby veins for several days. They also studied the activity of specific proteins in the veins that were connected to the enlarged one.

The scientists found that inhibiting AP-1 with nucleic acid-based drugs significantly reduced the synthesis of proteins associated with varicose veins in the ears of mice.

“Most people know varicose veins as an unsightly reminder of aging,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, “but for some, varicose veins cause significant pain that affects the quality and in some cases, length of life. While surgery may be beneficial in some cases, it’s not the ideal solution. This research really opens the doors for an entirely new approach to treatment and prevention.”

The study was published in The FASEB Journal.

Though the use of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy has been a matter of concern for mothers-to-be, new research indicates that even a high dosage of vitamin D is safe and effective for the pregnant women who need it.

Even the highest amounts of vitamin D intake were not associated with any adverse effects in mothers or their newborns.  Previously, it was thought that vitamin D supplements could cause harm to the fetus.

University of South Carolina researchers monitored the pregnancies of 350 women and assigned them to one of three groups.  One group received 400 IU of vitamin D per day, the second group received 2,000 IU per day and the third received 4,000 IU daily.

The researchers found that women who received the highest dose of vitamin D (4,000 IU per day) were more likely to achieve and sustain the desired level of circulating levels of vitamin D throughout their pregnancy.  The two other groups did not achieve desired levels.

“In our study subjects, a daily dosage of up to 4,000 IU of vitamin D was required to sustain normal metabolism in pregnant women,” said lead researcher Dr. Bruce Hollis from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Vitamin D has also been linked to a number of other health benefits, including strong bones, low blood pressure and protection from autoimmune diseases.

A study conducted by Stanford researchers, unrelated to this one, has even found evidence that vitamin D may protect against skin cancer.

Besides supplements, the largest source of vitamin D is actually sun exposure.  Vitamin D can also be found in eggs, fortified milk and fatty fish, such as salmon.

The study was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Even healthy children as young as 9 can start to show an increased risk of future heart problems if they do not exercise, according to a new study.

Researchers from Sweden and Denmark assessed the level of physical activity in 200 children, with an average age of 9.8 years, over a period of four days through the use of an electric waist belt.

The children were also tested for various cardiovascular disease risk factors, including blood pressure, resting heart rate, fitness and body fat.

Results showed that children who were more physically active had a lower risk factor score for cardiovascular disease than children who were less active.

“It is well known that physical inactivity in adults is associated with a wide range of diseases and all causes of death” said lead author Dr Tina Tanha from the Department of Clinical Sciences at Skane University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden.   ”We believe that our study now demonstrates a clear clinical association between physical inactivity and multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors in children.”

Physical activity, she added, may account for up to 11 percent of the variance in scores between active children and less active children.

The results are important, according to Tanha, because cardiovascular disease is often a result of an accumulation of factors over time.

The study was published in Acta Paediatrica.

Bananas vs. Figs

A pretty ubiquitous breakfast food/snack versus a dark horse.  Bananas are fast and easy to eat.  Figs are as well, but not nearly as common.  Which is better for you?

Six fresh figs (about 30 calories each) do a little more damage than one large banana – 180 calories versus 120 calories – but are so much better for you potassium wise.

That’s right, bananas are not the king of potassium, as you might have thought.  Though they normally get the credit, six figs equal about 20 percent of your daily potassium needs.  That’s about double what you’d find in a banana.

Potassium is great for lowering blood pressure, which can in turn reduce your risk for heart disease and death.

Not only that, figs are also one of the best fruit sources of calcium.  One serving (six figs) has as much calcium as a ½ cup of fat-free milk.

Check out previous This vs. That posts:

Pretzels vs. Pistachios

We run into a number of warning labels in day-to-day life, but sometimes it’s the most routine activities that can have surprising – and deadly – consequences.

A new study has compiled a list of everyday actions that can temporarily raise your risk of rupturing a brain aneurysm and suffering a stroke.

Check them out here:

-Coffee consumption (increases risk by 10.6 percent)

-Vigorous physical exercise (7.9 percent)

-Nose blowing (5.4 percent)

-Sexual intercourse (4.3 percent)

-Straining to defecate (3.6 percent)

-Cola consumption (3.5 percent)

Being startled (2.7 percent)

-Being angry (1.3 percent)

How many of those “risky” activities have you done today?  No need to worry excessively – intracranial aneurysms (IAs) only affect an estimated 2 percent of the general population, and most never rupture.

The reason these activities increase the risk of an IA rupture, according to researchers, is that they all cause a sudden and short increase in blood pressure, which seems to be a common cause for aneurysmal rupture.

The study was published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.