Don’t live in the South – Medical researchers call the South the “stroke belt,” because people born there have a higher risk of dying from stroke as adults, even if they later move away. Remember, it’s not LIVING there that’s the problem, it’s being BORN there. However, those who were both born in the stroke belt AND lived there as adults have the highest risk.
Researcher Maria Glymour says, “Our results cannot pinpoint a specific explanation, but they are consistent with other research suggesting that the roots of stroke risk begin in childhood or even infancy.”
New breakthroughs on heart attacks: A common household chemical may raise your cholesterol and exposure to 5 types of common viruses may increase your risk of having a stroke, which is the 3rd leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the US.
We all know about the dangers of high blood pressure, but the way that certain pathogens affect us is a new (and not very nice) discovery.
There is new evidence that prior infection with pathogens such as the herpes and Chlamydia viruses (both of which are sexually-transmitted) promotes inflammation, which contributes to arterial disease and thus increases stroke risk. Researcher Mitchell S. V. Elkind says, “Each of these common pathogens may persist after an acute infection and thus contribute to perpetuating a state of chronic, low-level infection.”
When it comes to viruses (like the flu virus), it’s well known that they mutate, which makes it hard to create vaccines that will protect people throughout the flu season. Researchers want to find out whether viruses that have adapted to higher temperatures (similar to increases due to global warming) can jump species more easily. If so, there may be more heart attacks in our hotter future. Biologist Marty Ytreberg says, “If it turns out that our idea is right, it could have enormous implications.”
As people who have warned about global warming long before people like Al Gore started talking about it, we know all about the enormous implications for what may happen soon. If (or when) it does, our subscribers will be ready because they’ve joined forces during our weekly chats. If you want to make the kind of like-minded friendships that will last a lifetime, act now: Subscribe today! Remember, less than $12 gets you a 3-month subscription.
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