Metabolic Syndrome Significantly Boosts Risk Of Heart Failure In Middle Age
Metabolic syndrome significantly boosts the chances of heart failure in middle age, suggests research published ahead of print in Heart. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure, unfavourable blood fat levels, and diabetes. The researchers base their findings on regular monitoring of more than 2,300 men who were aged 50 between 1970 and 1974 and who were tracked until the age of 70. [click link for full article]

New Scoring System Predicts Gastric Bypass Surgery Risk
Duke University Medical Center surgeons have developed a simple scoring system based on five patient characteristics that can predict which candidates for gastric bypass surgery would be at highest risk for dying.If validated by additional prospective studies, the new scoring system not only would give surgeons concrete information on which to base treatment options, but would help patients make informed decisions about potential risks, its developers said. [click link for full article]

Obesity Is Associated With Less Favorable Outcome After Radiation Therapy For Prostate Cancer
Obese men with prostate cancer are at higher risk for treatment failure after primary radiation therapy, according to a new study. Published in the August 1, 2006 issue of CANCER (http://www.interscience.wiley. [click link for full article]

Cracking news! Eggs are the new superfood
Eggs have long been demonised as being bad for the heart. Yet new research suggests shows that far from raising cholesterol, they can protect the heart and even ward off cancer

Vegetables ‘can clear the arteries’
A healthy dose of vegetables every day may help to keep the heart arteries clear, a new study suggests. They work to reduce hardened and narrow arteries, which can lead to heart disease and stroke