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A recent study has shown that patients, and particularly women, who consume a lot of salt can lower their blood pressure by consuming potassium-rich foods such as bananas, avocados, salmon and spinach. High blood pressure has long been known to be a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, and in this study the blood pressure lowering

At the time of writing we are in the midst of a heatwave in London, with temperatures of up to 40°C threatened over the next few days. Quite understandably a big topic of conversation at the moment is how impossible it is to sleep in such heat, and how weary everyone is feeling as a

When you have a blood test to check your cholesterol the total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol elements are generally measured. However cholesterol metabolism is highly complex and there are many other elements that can also be measured. One element called lipoprotein (a) is currently hitting the headlines. Lipoprotein (a) was first identified in

The NHS recommends that adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week to help protect against heart disease. Whilst some people benefit from the exercise-focussed environment of a gym, others prefer to incorporate exercise into their daily regime such that it does not feel like exercise at all. We

Avocados have become extremely popular over the last few years and are known to be a good source of many vitamins, minerals and monounsaturated (i.e. good) fats. Now a new study has shown that people who regularly eat just two portions of avocado per week (one portion is roughly equal to half an avocado) are

Salt is an essential mineral for most living things, regulating the levels of fluid in the body and aiding electrical signalling in the nervous system. A fine balance of the minerals sodium and potassium is needed to pull fluid through the walls of blood vessels from the blood stream and into the kidneys, where it

Statins are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the UK, and their benefits in terms of reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke and sudden death have been proven in studies time and time again. Many people refuse to even try a statin, believing the risk of developing side-effects to be too high. In

Palpitations are a common symptom experienced by many people, but without an ECG taken at the time of symptoms, it is very difficult to determine whether or not they require treatment. The Kardia device by AliveCor has revolutionised diagnosis of the most common rhythm disturbance, atrial fibrillation, by allowing patients to record their ECG at

Atrial fibrillation is the most common rhythm change we see, and the risk of developing it increases with age, such that the lifetime risk is estimated to be around 37% for people aged 55 and above. The most significant risk that atrial fibrillation (AF) presents is the risk of stroke; the irregular heart beat predisposes

It is a well known fact that a high body mass index (BMI) significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, to the extent that more than two thirds of deaths associated with a high BMI are actually caused by the consequences of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure. What is perhaps

Among middle-aged people without heart disease, drinking up to 3 cups of coffee per day was associated with a lower risk of stroke or death over the next decade, along with better heart structure and function, in a study of nearly 500,000 participants. Drinking no more than 3 cups of coffee per day was associated