From the American Heart Association's 39th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention March 24-27, 1999, Orlando, Fla.

To complement our news releases, here are some additional news tips reported by the American Heart Association for Wednesday, March 24. For more information, March 24-27, call Carole Bullock or Darcy Spitz at the Omni Rosen Hotel, Ph.: 407-996-2410. Before or after those dates, call the AHA's News Media Relations office in Dallas: Ph: 214-706-1173.

4:00 p.m. -- #P13 -- Too much salt means higher risk of heart disease and stroke for overweight people. In a study of nearly 1,000 men and 1,700 women, researchers found that high dietary salt intake is a strong risk factor for heart disease and stroke death in people who are overweight. Over an average 19-year follow-up, scientists at Tulane School of Public Health in Louisiana found that a 100 mmol increase in sodium intake was associated with a 96 percent increase in stroke deaths, a 48 percent increase in deaths from coronary heart disease, a 67 percent increase in combined deaths from heart disease and stroke, and a 43 percent increase in deaths from all causes. Researchers also found a 35 percent increased stroke incidence. Jiang He, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Ph.: 504-588-5165.

4:00 p.m. -- #P15 -- Women who snore may be at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Listening to someone snore can undoubtedly get on your nerves, but for the person snoring the problem may be more serious than a simple annoyance. Researchers say that snoring can activate the sympathetic nervous system -- the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary actions, such as heart rate, blood pressure and breathing -- by causing a temporary condition called hypoxia that results from obstructed breathing. Once the sympathetic nervous system is act
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Contact: Carole Bullock
caroleb@heart.org
214-706-1279
American Heart Association
25-Mar-1999