People with high blood pressure and high cholesterol should also pay attention to their eyes. A new Irish study indicates that the two conditions are not only are bad for your heart, they may also harm your eyesight. The report in the Archives of Ophthalmology says...high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol levels appear to increase a condition called Retinal Vein Occlusion. It happens when one or more veins carrying blood from the eye to the heart become blocked and cause bleeding or fluid build-up. It can lead to vision loss. ******************* Doctors may need to do something more than hand out a prescription to lower heart disease risks in overweight individuals." A new study suggests that daily doses of statins and blood pressure medications will not be enough to prevent heart disease among the growing number of overweight or obese Baby Boomers. The simple truth, experts say, people must shed the pounds. The Wake Forest University research involved more than 6,800 men and women aged 45 to 84. It revealed an even greater prevalence of overweight and obesity than shown in similar studies done five years earlier. Researchers fear as obesity increases so will heart disease rates. ************************ The bulge around the belly may be more harmful than the fat you may have anywhere on your body. A new study in the journal, Circulation shows that belly fat may cause blockages in the arteries. The university of michigan researchers implanted fat cells into the belly of mice. the fat cells later developed inflammation. Those mice developed blockages more quickly. when the scientists gave the mice an anti-inflammatory drug to reduce inflammation, it also reduced the blockages. The research could lead to better heart disease medications.
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