There's been a great deal of research done and an abundance of data that suggests that vitamin E supplementation does not play a role in reducing the chance of heart attack. However, a new study points to underdosing as the reason for the vitamin's repeated failure.

Oxidative stress occurs when free radicals damage cellular proteins, fats and DNA. Though free radicals are byproducts or normal metabolism, they are also produced in excess when the body is in certain disease states, heart disease not withstanding. Researchers conducted animal studies to determine if vitamin E (and other antioxidant compounds) could offer some protection against heart attack in individuals with excessive free radical damage. However, subsequent studies on vitamin E revealed that almost no benefit came from its consumption.

But, researchers are now suggesting that in this earlier clinical trials, test subjects were not given large enough doses of vitamin E for it to show any effect. Upon upping the dosage to 1600 IU per day (which is twice that was used in the earlier studies), the test subjects showed a significant reduction in oxidative stress.

Having low cholesterol will improve your chances against heart disease and other heart problems, but it appears that very low cholesterol has a bad side too -- it's been linked to cancer, according to a new study.

The findings come out of a study that was measuring the amount of damage that statins--a type of cholesterol medication that includes the brand names Lipitor, Pravachol and Zocor--had on other organs in the body, including the liver. However, if you're on statins, there's no need to worry just yet. It's thought the risk is fairly minimal and researchers will have to investigate further to determine more information.

I am a Licensed Practical Nurse with five years' experience in this profession. I believe it is essential to go back to the basics in all things in order to really understand them. I am fascinated by how our bodies work and I hope I can get my readers to share my fascination. I hope we all learn new things and marvel again at the things we already know. This feature -- which includes a closing section on how disease affects the topic in question -- will run on The Cancer Blog on Wednesdays, and The Cardio Blog and The Diabetes Blog on Thursdays. [The contents in this post are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional medical care.]

We start with the cell, because so much of what happens to us when we get sick, and how we get healthy again, can be explained by what happens on a cellular level. The cell is extremely complex and I will only touch on the basics in these posts, but at least we can have a rudimentary understanding.

Structure of cells

A cell has three basic parts:

1) Plasma membrane: This post will discuss the membrane in more detail.

2) Cytoplasm: All the cellular contents between the plasma membrane and the nucleus and can be further divided into the Cytosol and Organelles.

3) Nucleus: Technically an organelle, but usually considered separately because of its numerous and diverse functions.

Membrane

A membrane lies at the border of the cells. It consists of lipids and proteins.

Phospholipids (one of the three classes of membrane lipids) are formed into what is called a lipid bilayer. This occurs because it is amphiphilic (containing both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties). The hydrocarbon tails of the molecule are hydrophobic (water repelling) and its polar head it hydrophilic (water loving). As the plasma membrane faces watery solutions on both sides, its phospholipids accommodate this by forming a phospholipid bilayer with the hydrophobic tails facing each other. Picture a row of heads facing the outside of the cell -- which contains water -- with the tails facing in and another layer of the heads facing the inside of the cell with the tails facing in.

Feeling slighted these days? Like your boss just doesn't notice or appreciate your hard work? Well, my only suggestion is to either start looking for a new job, or do your best to not let it get to you. Or else.

British researchers found that people who feel as though they are always being treated unfairly at work or at home are at an increased risk of heart attack. By asking a few thousand civil service workers to rate how they feel in response to the following statement: "I often have the feeling that I am being treated unfairly," the researchers discovered that feeling unappreciated has a significant effect on a person's risk of heart attack.

In the study, the participants were asked to rate how they felt they were treated at work; based on a scale of 1 through 6 (1 being treated the most fairly and 6 being treated the least). After tracking these participants for 11 years, the results revealed a much greater incidence of heart attack in the people who believed they were treated unfairly at work than the results expressed by those who felt as though they were treated fairly.

Talk about annoying...I wrote this entire post toward the end of last week, only to have the whole thing erase on me just before it published. Oh well, I'll do my best to paraphrase from memory.

Let's see, where was I? Oh yes, I was going to point out some new-found benefits of calcium. Milk does a body good -- yes, we all know the trite tag lines. Got milk? Yeah, we've heard all about that one, too. The thing is, this push for people to consume more calcium rich products has a great deal of merit, for there is more and more research pointing to how it can help you lose weight and, believe it or not, help you reduce cholesterol.

Canadian researchers put 63 overweight women on a diet and gave half of them 1,200mg of calcium per day. The other half of the women took a placebo. Fast forward fifteen weeks -- the women who took the calcium supplements lost approximately 2 pounds more than the placebo group and, interestingly enough, also showed that they had dropped their cholesterol level by twice as much as the other women.

What we can take away from this study: If possible, consume at least 1,000mg of calcium per day (the Recommended Daily Allowance). Source it from low-fat dairy, green vegetables, orange juice with calcium, or through supplements that can be purchased at most grocery and health food stores.

Meditation, siestas, and naps all are used to re energize us. I have friends who swear by the 20 minute power nap. But in a society where everyone pumps caffeine to stay awake and working 12 or more hours a day is becoming common place, can we take the advice of the Archives of Internal Medicine telling us that taking naps reduces heart attacks? Now studies show that taking 30 minute naps in the afternoons can help reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack. Working men seemed to benefit the most from the down time. The main reasoning in the study is that naps helped reduce stress and lowering stress helps reduce the likelihood of heart attacks.

In the largest study to date, Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos of Harvard University and the University of Athens Medical School, released facts on the health effects of napping. Researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped at least three times a week for about 30 minutes had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap. The researchers in this study factored in diet, exercise, smoking and other habits that affect the heart but still found napping seemed to help. It is speculated that the health advantages probably would extend to women as well.

Wouldn't it be great if companies in this culture would follow suit from the siestas in many other cultures? I can see an increase in the sales of reclining office chairs as I write.

Alright, here's some good news --

If you'll recall, I recently wrote a post based on how it takes eating as little as one meal that is rich in saturated fats for it to begin having an affect on your blood vessels. Obviously, that's not the good news. What is the good news is that a study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that if you take a walk right after you eat that saturated fat laden meal, you can actually reduce the food's chances of causing the vessels to narrow.

Although the study was based on a very small sample size (eight people), it still may have some merit. The researchers compared the arteries of eight 25-year-olds through three different study set-ups: eating a low-fat breakfast; eating a breakfast that was high in fat and then taking a 45-minute walk; and eating a high fat breakfast, only to then sit around on their butts for a while. It turned out when they ate a meal high in fat and then sat around, the researchers found a narrowing in these subjects' arteries. After consuming a high-fat meal but then taking a walk, the subjects experienced a dilation in their blood vessels. And when they stuck to a low-fat meal but did not exercise, there wasn't much change at all. The most interesting part is that after the people ate the high-fat meal and then took a walk, their blood vessels became more dilated than when they ate the low-fat food and remained sedentary.

This isn't me creating a good excuse to adopt a "Pig Out then Work Out" exercise philosophy, but it does allow you to feel less guilty about something you ate -- just so long as you shed your guilt on a track or a treadmill!!

A new study redefines the way red wine benefits cardiovascular health -- drinking about two glasses a day protects the brain from damage caused by stroke.

A compound found in red grape skins and seeds, called resveratol, helps build cell resistance to free radical damage -- reducing the effects of stroke by up to 40 percent. Drinking red wine turns on a particular antioxidant system in the body that protects against nerve damage -- an enzyme in the brain, called heme oxygenase.

The Johns Hopkins University study results from testing on mice. Scientists emphasize that more testing on humans is needed to finalize results -- but they are very excited to have pinpointed the substance in red wine that benefits health.

Heavy drinking can contribute greatly to heart disease, as well as many other ills over time. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this interesting method of treatment, the facts are intriguing. Did you know that in the 50's and 60's, pioneering psychiatrists experimented with treating alcoholism with a single dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD, in a safe and nurturing, yet clinical environment?

The records also show that the small group of individuals who underwent this particular treatment still have not taken a drink to this day. Published in the journal Social History of Medicine, the study was founded on the theory that LSD could produce a similar effect of hitting rock bottom in the bottle -- but without the pain of delirium tremens. For the full-fascinating-report, click here.

Young people with psoriasis may be at higher risk for heart disease, suggest the results of a new study. Researchers highly recommend that young people with psoriasis may want to address all the possible lifestyle changes they can implement to protect themselves from future heart disease -- such as improved diet, exercise, sleep patterns, quitting smoking, etc.

The study also found that the risk of heart disease in conjunction with psoriasis reduces with age -- a 60-year-old is much less likely to be as at risk as a 30-year-old. If you are in the early phase of your life -- even in your early 20's -- and suffer from psoriasis, start thinking about ways you can reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

An ancient medicinal berry, commonly used in Asia and Europe -- from the sea buckthorn plant -- has been found to produce a highly antioxidant heart healthy juice and pulp when properly processed.

Scientists found a solution to the poor quality juice squeezed from the berries in the old method of production. By processing the fruit in a high-speed centrifuge, the juice results in higher vitamin C content and other antioxidants that combat heart damaging free radical cells in the body. Through this speedy-spinning process, the resulting extracted pulp was also found to be especially rich in vitamin E, plant sterols and carotenoids -- compounds found to naturally lower cholesterol.

Sometimes doctors don't focus on the treatment of the whole person. One-fifth of heart patients are depressed, but it seems cardiologists don't know how diagnose or treat the emotional aspect of their heart condition. What's lacking for cardiologists is a standard assessment for diagnosing depression.

Depression often prevents patients from feeling motivated to follow their doctors recommendations -- so how are they going to get better if their depression is not treated first? There is also the possibility that anti-depressants could decrease blood clots by normalizing platelet activity. Generally, people with more positive attitudes have better health and survival rates.

Have you hear of CRP? I'm not talking mouth-to-mouth -- what I'm referring to is the dangerous new heart disease risk factor known as C-Reactive Protein. Found at especially high levels in lower income folk, CRP is a by-product of blood vessel inflammation caused by immune system response.

High levels of CRP have been shown to double the risk of heart attack and stroke. If you already have a moderate risk for heart disease, or if you have good cholesterol levels but have a family history of heart issues, high blood pressure or diabetes -- you should get your CRP levels tested.

The good news is, CRP levels are lowered by the same steps taken daily to prevent heart disease -- losing weight, exercising regularly and not smoking. Your doctor may also recommend a daily aspirin or a statin (even if your cholesterol level is fine) to soothe those inflamed vessels.

Good news -- and bad -- for women with breast implants. They don't cause more breast cancer or make you more prone to heart disease, according to a new study. In fact, because women who opt for voluntary invasive surgery are required to be in the best of health prior to laying out on the operating table, most actually have a lower than average risk of dying from such diseases. A relief for the implanted.

The bad? The studies consistently found that women who opt for cosmetic enhancement surgery -- not because they need it mind you -- are 73 percent more likely to commit suicide. It's very sad. Of course, the study wasn't able to say why -- however researchers suspect low self-esteem and depression as major reasons. They also recommend that plastic surgeons refer their patients to mental health practitioners if they suspect depression or suicidal tendencies in their patients.

The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) found that the overall risk of developing heart disease in U.S. adults has not dropped over the last 18 years. Some individual risk factors were found to have lowered, such as a decreased smoking. However, heart disease risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes have risen. "The results of this study suggest that a more holistic public health approach to reduce CHD risk may be needed," the investigators said.

What do they mean by a more "holistic" approach? Perhaps that a more active, healthy, balanced lifestyle be promoted by government? In the media? The key to preventing heart disease is simple -- living a relaxed, happily productive and satisfying life, full of love and generosity.

Try forgiving someone, especially yourself if you miss a day of exercise or eat something you like that isn't so good for you. If you are content and relaxed in your life, it is far easier to motivate to exercise everyday. Plus, eating healthy balanced meals will make you feel good on an emotional-spiritual level, so it won't be difficult to get up and moving.