Latest news with #cardiovascular
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
How long will you live? This exercise test may have the answer
A new study has shown how a simple exercise could predict natural and cardiovascular causes of death. Researchers wanted to see whether non-aerobic physical fitness, assessed by a sitting-rising test, could predict premature deaths in middle-aged and older people, and on Wednesday, their results were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. They tested the theory on 4,282 adults aged 46-75 years from 1998 to 2023. Most of the participants, 68 percent, were men. 'None of them presented relevant physical or clinical limitations for fitness testing,' researchers said. All of the participants performed a sitting-rising test to evaluate the main components of non-aerobic physical fitness, which are muscle strength/power, flexibility, balance and body composition. The test was simple, yet not necessarily easy. Participants had to sit and rise from the floor without other body parts such as hands, elbows or knees touching the floor. Their instructions were as follows: ''Without worrying about the speed of movement, try to sit and then rise from the floor, using the minimum support that you believe is needed,'' the study's authors wrote. If participants used any extremities for support, they'd lose points. They also needed to steady themselves as a perceived partial loss of balance would knock down their score. Researchers found that non-aerobic physical fitness 'was a significant predictor' of natural and cardiovascular mortality in the participants. After following up with patients about 12 years later, researchers found there were 665 deaths due to natural causes. Those who scored a perfect 10 points on the sitting-rising test had death rates of 3.7 percent. Death rates tripled to 11.1 percent for people with a score of 8 points and 'dramatically increased' by 42.1 percent for those with a score of 0 to 4 points, according to researchers. The study was done at a private clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and most of the participants 'belonged to upper socioeconomic and education strata of the country.'
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Health
- Fox News
Cannabis use raises risk of heart attack and stroke more than cocaine, other drugs, major review suggests
The potential risk of cannabis use has been in the spotlight following recent research pointing toward negative health effects. This includes a new meta-analysis by French researchers, published in the journal Heart, which reviewed multiple studies to assess the link between cannabis and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The researchers analyzed data from more than 400 million patients involved in 24 previous cross-sectional studies (capturing data at a single point in time) and cohort studies (following patients over time). One study focused on medical cannabis. The overall results noted a significant increase in risk of major cardiovascular events, including a 29% higher likelihood of heart attack, 20% higher risk of stroke and twice the chances of cardiovascular death. The danger was also elevated in people who used cannabis at least once a week. Several studies found higher odds of acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. One study pinpointed the risk among younger populations aged 15 to 22, while another observed it in patients who used cannabis more than once a week. One study from the primary French administrative database for hospitals found that, compared to other illicit drugs like cocaine and opioids, cannabis was a larger predictor of heart attack. Another study analyzed the association between cannabis and acute coronary syndrome (reduced blood flow to the heart) in nearly 15,000 patients ranging from 18 to 54 years old. The analysis found no significant association in the overall sample, but signaled a higher risk in a subgroup of patients aged 18 to 36. Cannabis use significantly increased all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of patients who experienced a heart attack before age 50. A UK Biobank analysis pointed out that women have a "significantly higher" risk of cardiovascular mortality than men. The larger review concluded that these findings reveal "positive associations" between cannabis use and MACE, and should "encourage investigating cannabis use in all patients presenting with serious cardiovascular disorders." Although medical marijuana can provide relief for people with conditions like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer and other illnesses, overuse has been linked to potential health risks, especially for seniors. The authors of the French review acknowledged that there were some limitations to the findings – primarily that there is a lower prevalence of cocaine and opioids compared to cannabis use. "Cannabis exposure was poorly reported in the included studies, which prevented our meta-analysis from assessing it," they wrote. There was also a potential for some degree of bias in some of the studies due to lack of information or missing data. "Studies that relied on patient surveys faced substantial bias regarding exposure and outcome misclassification when patients assessed these data themselves," the researchers noted. Other potential limitations included overlapping data and limited timeframes. During an appearance on "America's Newsroom" in early June, Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel commented on a recent study that found more seniors are using cannabis than ever before, despite the potential health risks. Siegel noted that regular use of cannabis can be dangerous if not tracked. "We definitely jumped the gun by not anticipating all the medical risks here." "You might use a gummy to go to bed, and then the next thing, you're using two gummies, or three gummies, and it could increase anxiety, it can increase discombobulation, you're not thinking clearly, ER visits are on the increase," he cautioned. "We know about problems with the lungs," Siegel added. "It can accelerate dementia and can affect behavior." The doctor likened the use of marijuana to the effects of smoking cigarettes in terms of damage to the heart and lungs. "It is absolutely an active chemical we need to watch out for, and I'm very disturbed that the elderly are using it," he said. "We've completely jumped the gun [on legalization] because people are going to the ER with psychosis. They're going there with vomiting disorders. They're having car accidents as a result," he went on. For more Health articles, visit "We are studying Colorado ever since it was legalized there, and the results are not pretty. We definitely jumped the gun by not anticipating all the medical risks here." Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
Marijuana's Links to Heart Attack and Stroke Are Becoming Clearer
While most Americans consider marijuana safe, new research published this week found that use of the drug is associated with a higher risk of stroke and heart attack, including among younger adults. The analysis, which examined data from 24 studies and was published in the journal Heart, also found that marijuana use was associated with a twofold increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. While this data only shows a correlation and cannot prove that marijuana caused these effects, it is well-established that the drug can raise blood pressure and heart rate and alter the heart's rhythm, said Dr. Ersilia DeFilippis, a cardiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. And a number of other studies have also suggested a link between the drug and cardiovascular issues. The analysis comes at a time when nearly half of U.S. states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and when a record share of U.S. adults — 15 percent in 2022 — report using it. Emilie Jouanjus, the senior author of the new study and a pharmacologist at the University of Toulouse in France, said that while there may be good reasons for people to take marijuana, including for stress and anxiety, patients can't assume that it is harmless. She and other experts said that everyone should be treating marijuana with caution, and suggested several ways people can mitigate their risk. Who is most at risk? Generally speaking, older adults and people with underlying conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol or pre-existing heart issues are at the greatest risk, experts said. That's because their cardiovascular systems tend to be more fragile, and marijuana further stresses the heart. In 2023, about 7 percent of U.S. adults age 65 and older reported using marijuana in the past month. But the average age of patients included in the new analysis was just 38, an indication that marijuana increases risks among younger people, too. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Medscape
20 hours ago
- Health
- Medscape
Women Survive Longer Than Men After Coronary Bypass
A meta-analysis of more than 140,000 patients found men and women have similar survival rates during the first decade after undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Beyond 10 years, women show slightly better survival outcomes than men, but both sexes have higher mortality than the general population. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed all-cause mortality in CABG patients and non-CABG patients from three databases: MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and the Cochrane Library. The analysis included 142,165 patients from eight studies examining long-term (at least 5 years) all-cause mortality as the primary outcome. The researchers used the Kaplan-Meier method to calculate all-cause mortality, and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling to compare differences between the groups. TAKEAWAY: Over a 19-year period, men and women who had undergone CABG were more likely to die of any cause than the general population (hazard ratio [HR] for men, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.23; P = .002; HR for women, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.47; P = .045). = .002; HR for women, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.47; = .045). Analyses revealed no significant difference in life expectancy compared to the general population in the first 10 years. Direct comparison between the sexes showed slightly better survival in women than in men after the 10-year mark (HR for men, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08; P = .012). IN PRACTICE: 'In the first years post-CABG as graft patency is high, CABG seems to provide similar results in men and women,' the researchers reported. 'However, in the very long term, with possibly diminishing graft patency, a survival advantage in female patients becomes evident. Beyond menopause, a variety of risk factors are differentially distributed between men and women, which may be associated with longer graft patency. These include smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and alcohol consumption, all of which may contribute longer graft patency in women,' they added. SOURCE: The study was led by Hristo Kirov, MD, of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena, Germany. It was published online on June 11, 2025, in The American Journal of Cardiology . LIMITATIONS: The study design had limitations of observational series, including methodological heterogeneity of included studies and residual confounders. Differences in the survival curves after 10 years may be attributed to the lack of long-term follow-up in some of the studies involved in the analysis. DISCLOSURES: The authors reported having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Cannabis users 29% more likely to experience heart risks, new study shows
A new study builds on previous research that shows marijuana usage can be attributed to cardiovascular risks. Research published in Heart, an international peer-reviewed journal, documents that adults who use cannabis are 29% more likely than nonusers to develop Acute Coronary Syndrome and 20% more likely than nonusers to suffer from stroke. Acute Coronary Syndrome is any condition brought on by a reduction or blockage of blood flow to the heart, which can result in heart attacks. Researchers surveyed 24 studies conducted between 2016 and 2023 that involved more than 400 million participants, ranging mostly between 19 and 59, according to the study. "Our findings are consistent with those from previous reviews, which outlined a positive association between cannabis use and cardiovascular disorders," the study states. "The increased awareness of this potential risk among cannabis users should encourage investigating such use in all patients presenting with serious cardiovascular disorders." Marijuana news: New study finds cannabis edibles raise risk of premature heart disease Simply put, not enough research has been conducted to determine just how marijuana affects the cardiovascular system. The research that has been done has largely been conducted on the effects of smoking cannabis, in contrast to other modes of consumption like edibles. But generally, researchers understand that marijuana can make the heart beat faster and raise blood pressure, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ahmed Mahmoud, a clinical instructor at Boston University, previously told USA TODAY that researchers believe marijuana may make small defects in the coronary arteries' lining, the thin layer of cells that forms the inner surface of blood vessels and hollow organs. "Because cannabis increases the blood pressure and makes the blood run very fast and make some detects in the lining to the coronary arteries, this somehow could make a thrombosis (formation of a blood clot) or a temporary thrombosis in these arteries, which makes a cardiac ischemic (stroke) or the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen to function," Mahmoud previously told USA TODAY. "This is what makes the heart injured and this is a myocardial infarction or heart attack." Terms to know: Is marijuana the same as cannabis? What is THC? The new study aligns with previous research about cannabis' effects on the cardiovascular system. A study published earlier this year found that people under the age of 50 who consume marijuana are about 6.2 times more likely to experience a heart attack than nonusers. Young marijuana users are also 4.3 times more likely to experience an ischemic stroke and 2 times more likely to experience heart failure, the study shows. And a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association last year found the same, that cannabis users are more likely to experience cardiovascular risks than those who do not partake. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heart risks 29% more likely among cannabis users, study shows
