Heart Disease
Cardiologist, author, and heart health expert Dr. Sarah Samaan offers advice on how to live a heart smart life.
-
Jun 30 2011
Say Cheese! A Bit of Good News about Dairy Fat
For anyone seeking to improve their heart health, full-fat dairy products have become all but taboo thanks to their bounty of saturated fat. Seemingly paradoxically, several studies in the past few years have suggested that dairy consumption ma...
-
Jun 27 2011
What You Should Know about Simvastatin
Simvastatin, also known as Zocor, is a statin drug that doctors prescribe to lower cholesterol. It was first approved by the FDA in 1991 and went generic in 2006. Although there are more potent non-generic statin drugs—some with less potential ...
-
Jun 20 2011
Fish: Baked, Broiled, or Fried?
Fish is a terrific source of lean protein. Cold water fish, especially salmon, provides heart healthy omega-3 fats in abundance. But does a fried fish burger provide the same heart protection as a grilled fillet of wild salmon? Let’s be honest...
-
Jun 06 2011
The Truth about Tropical Oils and Heart Health
Body lotions oozing with coconut and palm oil make our skin feel silky smooth, but what do they do for the heart? It’s an important question. Although most saturated fat comes from animal fat, tropical oils are the most important plant-based so...
-
Jun 02 2011
Apples for Your Heart Health
There may truth to the old adage that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Or you may prefer the old Welsh version, “eat an apple before going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” However you slice it, apples are darn ...
-
May 31 2011
What You Need to Know about C-Reactive Protein
model of a c-reactive proteinHigh-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a hot topic for cardiologists and other physicians who share a strong focus on prevention. CRP is clearly associated with heart disease risk, but exactly how it shoul...
-
May 23 2011
High Triglycerides: The New American Heart Association Guidelines
Triglycerides, simply put, are a form of fat that circulates in the blood. Triglycerides come from fat in the diet, but are also produced from the carbohydrates that we eat. Sugar and starchy carbs, including white bread, white rice, white past...
-
May 19 2011
Juice Up Your Heart
The heart health benefits of wine are well established, although not so well understood. Wine is rich in substances known as polyphenols which are known to be heart protective. Resveratrol, one of the principal polyphemols in red wine, may also...
-
May 16 2011
Teenage Weight Gain: A Heart Attack Waiting to Happen?
It’s easy to laugh off a teenager’s unhealthy lifestyle as something he’ll grow out of. But a new study by Dr. Amir Tirosh and colleagues, published in the April 7, 2011 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that a teenage life...
-
May 09 2011
Hypertension: It’s Time to Take it to Heart
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is called the “silent killer” for a very good reason. This usually painless condition is a major contributor to heart disease, stroke, dementia, and kidney failure. Hypertension, defined as a blood pressure...
About the Author
