News Tips Friday, Marc...( From the American Heart Association...),Health

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 Friday, March 26. 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.

12:15 p.m. -- #P67 -- More exercise means less inflammation and lower risk for cardiovascular disease in elderly. Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease and there is growing evidence linking inflammation to the development of atherosclerosis. Researchers combined these two ideas and investigated the association between inflammation and physical activity in a group of 5,888 healthy men and women over age 65 involved in the Cardiovascular Health Study. The study found that those with the highest levels of physical activity had lower blood levels of C-reactive protein, white blood cell count and fibrinogen -- all markers for inflammation -- when compared with individuals with the lowest levels of physical activity. The study suggests that reduced inflammation may be a benefit of exercise. The researchers say more investigations are needed to verify their findings. Dominic Geffken, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Ph.: 802-656-8964.

12:15 p.m. -- #P93 -- Size does matter: The size of cholesterol particles is an independent risk factor for heart disease study shows. Researchers have determined that having small-sized particles of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) -- which carry cholesterol in the blood -- was associated with an increased risk for heart disease. The scientists analyzed information from three long-term stud
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Contact: Carole Bullock
caroleb@heart.org
214-706-1279
American Heart Association
26-Mar-1999