According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is equally divided among men and women. It is the leading cause of death for American Indians, Alaska Natives and African Americans....
Obesity is a growing concern for many parents. Childhood obesity rates increased by 65 percent in boys and 70 percent in girls between 1988 and 2004, according to a 2006 study published by website Science Daily. This rise in childhood obesity...
Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood that provides energy to the body. High triglyceride levels can be a sign of unmanaged diabetes, obesity or liver disease. Children with high triglycerides may be at risk for elevated levels of LDL, the...
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each minute in the United States, someone dies from an event related to heart disease--a disease that prevents the...
Low density lipoproteins, or LDL, is considered the "bad" cholesterol. Excess amounts of LDL cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream can lead to plaque buildup within the arteries. This buildup can cause blockages, which can lead to heart...
Cardiovascular disease, also known as heart disease, is a term used to describe several conditions that affect the heart. Coronary artery disease, congenital heart defects and arrhythmias are all considered heart disease. According to the Mayo...
High blood cholesterol increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Keeping your cholesterol low is even more important if you have risk factors for heart disease: if you are 45 years old or older for men and 55 or older for women, have had a...
Statins are a class of drugs that block an enzyme in the liver that forms cholesterol. They are prescribed when cholesterol levels are high, to reduce risk of heart attack in diabetics and in people with family history of early heart disease, and...
Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol is the "bad" type of cholesterol. This type of cholesterol can accumulate along the inside of your arteries, making it harder for blood to reach your heart. Your target LDL cholesterol levels vary...
Cholesterol, a soft, waxy substance, travels through the bloodstream in small carriers called lipoproteins. The body naturally makes cholesterol, which is necessary to produce hormones, vitamin D and other substances. Cholesterol also enters the...
Two types of lipoproteins carry cholesterol in the blood, including low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol. Doctors refer to HDL cholesterol as "good" cholesterol because it transports...
There are numerous problems associated with heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, the most common type of heart disease among Americans is coronary artery disease or CAD, which can lead to heart attack....
According to the American Cancer Society, each day about 3,500 people under the age of 18 try their first cigarette, while an additional 1,100 become regular smokers. The earlier smoking tobacco starts, the more likely it is to cause health...
When you exercise, it is important to keep an eye on your heart rate and blood pressure. A change in either one may say a lot about your heart health. Exercise naturally increases blood pressure because your heart is working harder. It is not...
Diabetics need to be concerned about maintaining low cholesterol levels because they are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular heart disease (CHD). In fact, CHD is the most common cause of death in people with diabetes, according to Om P....
There are three levels of cholesterol that can be checked during testing: total; low-density lipoprotein (LDL); and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Total cholesterol is the most common measurement, according to the American Heart Association...
Many women develop unattractive spider veins, especially as they age. While they can be treated by cosmetic procedures such as laser therapy, prevention is the best course. Fortunately, there are certain vitamins which can help maintain healthy...
Zantac (ranitidine) helps fight gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and other conditions where acid backs up from the stomach into the esophagus to make heartburn. The drug works as a histamine H2-receptor antagonist...
The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet was devised by the U.S. government's National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) to give guidance to people who have blood cholesterol problems. The TLC Diet doesn't have a recommendation for how many...
Coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. Coronary artery disease is a condition in which fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances in the blood build up inside the coronary arteries, forming plaque. Scientists have...
Cholesterol is an essential substance that plays a role in several vital functions in your body, including hormone production, cell tissue generation, nerve insulation, digestion and vitamin D synthesis. While its function in your body is...
Coronary heart disease, or coronary artery disease, is the single leading cause of death of men and women in the U.S. In fact, according to the April 2005 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, cardiovascular diseases are expected to be the...
Health professionals use a variety of criteria to determine ideal weight. Body mass index (BMI) is one method of calculating one's ideal weight based on one's height. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), BMI is easy to use,...
Your ideal body weight, or healthy body weight, is determined by several factors, and the actual number you see on a scale when you weigh yourself is only one of them. Your ideal weight falls within a range and is determined by your height, body...
Health professionals with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that results from the 2007 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate that an estimated 17 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are obese,...
In 2005, I suffered the first serious knee injury of my life, a slight tear of the meniscus. Actually "injury" is a misnomer because nothing really happened; I just woke up one day with a stiff knee and soon couldn't walk. After pounding my body...
High blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to more serious problems if you do not address the issue early. Heart disease is a serious concern that can affect those afflicted with untreated hypertension. The American Heart Association...
An accumulation of cholesterol in the bloodstream can clog the arteries, impede blood flow to the heart and lead to heart disease. You have harmful and protective cholesterol. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol contributes to fatty...
Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol can accumulate over time and form plaques on the inside of the arteries. This decreases blood flow to the heart and leads to heart disease. High cholesterol has no symptoms, so you need to find out your...
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes mental retardation. Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of severe learning disabilities in children. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of down syndrome in this video.
