Low salt foods are just as safe or safer than high salt level products in spite of expectations that cutting salt levels in food would increase the risk of spoilage by bacteria, say scientists today at the Society for General Microbiology's 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from 3-6 September 2007.

Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are often linked to DNA damage that occurs when metal ions in the body such as iron and copper produce reactive oxygen compounds that damage human cells.

Anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin) and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., acetylsalicylic acid) are key therapeutic agents in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Mayo Clinic physicians have identified that simply being diagnosed as obese increases a patient’s likelihood of establishing a treatment plan with their physician, a crucial step in improving health. It’s a significant finding, because obesity is a growing worldwide epidemic and the second leading cause of preventable death in developing countries.

UNSW researchers have uncovered an important naturally occurring mechanism in the body where "bad" cells that cause blockages in our blood vessels are kept under strict growth control, while "good" cells that keep our blood vessels free of clots and growths are left unaffected.

A research group of the UAB Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine and the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, directed by Francesc Xavier Avilés, is the coordinator of a European project aimed at studying proteases with fluorescent molecules that allow their monitoring in healthy and pathological situations.

Heavy metals and other toxins have been linked to many human diseases, but determining exactly how they damage the body remains a mystery in many cases. New research focusing on a relatively obscure, misunderstood protein suggests mercury's link to heart disease can be traced to activation of this enzyme, which triggers a process leading to plaque buildup in blood vessel walls.

The causes of "broken heart syndrome" remain a mystery, but doctors will soon have an easier time recognizing and treating this rare, life-threatening condition, thanks to data being reported at the 30th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), May 9-12, 2007, in Orlando, FL.

New study finds cherry-enriched diets lowered blood cholesterol, insulin levels and other factors linked to this 'silent epidemic'

The first-ever Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on the Management and Prevention of Obesity in Adults and Children, published April 10, 2007 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), recommend that waist circumference be measured in all Canadian adults, and that a national surveillance system be developed that incorporates this measurement along with height and weight.

The common painkiller, ibuprofen, may boost the likelihood of heart problems in high risk patients who have osteoarthritis, suggests research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Women in their 70s who keep active could be dodging painful arthritis symptoms, according to research published today in Arthritis Research & Therapy. The study is the first to show that the more you exercise, the better your chances of preventing the onset of stiff and painful joints.