Stay positive for a healthy heart

Stay positive for a healthy heart

Having a positive attitude encourages heart disease patients to 

exercise more which in turn increases longevity‚ says a study.

Researchers found the 

most positive patients 

exercised more and had a
42 per cent less chance of

 dying for any reason during

 the follow-up period.
Deaths were less than 

10 per cent.
Among patients with less 

positive attitudes‚ 50 deaths

 occurred 

(16.5 per cent). Positive mood

 and exercise also cut the risk

 of heart-related hospitalisations‚

 reports Science Daily.
Coronary artery disease is 

caused by narrowed arteries 

that don't provide enough blood and oxygen to the heart.
"We should focus not only on increasing positive attitude in cardiac
rehabilitation‚ but also make sure that patients perform exercise on a regular basis‚ as exercise is 

associated with both increased levels of optimism and better health‚" said Susanne S. Pedersen‚ 

one of the study authors and professor of cardiac psychology‚ the Department of Medical and

 Clinical Psychology‚ Tilburg University‚ the Netherlands‚ and adjunct professor of cardiac 

psychology‚ the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital‚ Denmark.
The new research has been published in the American Heart Association
journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Calcium supplements risky for kidney patients

Calcium supplements risky for kidney patients

A study in Canada has revealed that kidney patients who take 

calcium supplements to lower their phosphorus levels may be 

at a 22 per cent higher risk of death than those who take 

other non-calcium based treatments.

The study has shown 

that the long-term 

consequences of taking

 calcium supplements 

can be dangerous for 

patients with kidney 

disease.

The researchers 

analyzed 4600 patients

 and assessed the risk of 

heart disease among 

individuals prescribed 

the medication containing

 calcium and those 

prescribed the medication 

without calcium.

They found 22% reduction in death among patients who took non-calcium based treatments.

They also found less artery calcification or hardening in patients who did not take calcium 

supplements.

The researcher Dr. Sophie Jamal who is a physician at Women's College Hospital in Toronto 

said that further research is necessary to help understand how exactly calcium increases the 

risk of death.