Cardiac News

Here's the "healthy heart" checklist:

• plenty of exercise
• healthy low-fat diet, with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
• time to relax even when school pressures are high  

Doctors have long known that people with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or poor exercise habits were at higher risk for heart disease than the general population. Yet doctors couldn't explain the fact that one-third of all heart attacks occur in individuals who are in overall good physical shape, with normal cholesterol and low blood pressure. Recently researchers have identified arterial inflammation as a possible cause of heart disease, which may also explain these unexpected heart attacks.

Researchers are still trying to understand the connection between inflammation in the arteries and heart disease. In the meantime, they have devised a simple blood test that indicates the presence of arterial inflammation. The blood test may become a major tool in screening patients for risk of heart disease.

• Read more about the new blood test in CNN's article: "New blood test may be best predictor of heart attack."

This finding doesn't mean that the factors on the basic checklist aren't important. They have a long-term impact on your health starting from an early age. What you eat and how you exercise today may have adverse effects on your heart, even if you won't feel them until sometime in the future. For more information, read CNN's article: "Study: Junk food raises teens' risk of heart disease."

Learn about the Problem

• Learn about heart disease in the activity Biology Gateways: The Cardiovascular System and Health: Heart Disease.
  
  
• Learn how various factors affect the heart in the Biology Gateways activities: Blood Pressure and Circulation and The Cardiovascular System and Health: The Effect of Exercise.
  

Think about the Problem

Explain how each of the following factors might contribute to heart disease:

• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• being overweight
• insufficient exercise
• thickened artery walls

If necessary, refer to the American Heart Association site.

For the Teacher: Extending the Problem

• The American Heart Association site is an excellent resource for learning more about health and disease of the human cardiovascular system. Divide the class into groups and have each group prepare a presentation on one of the following topics: warning signs of heart disease, proper nutrition and exercise, recommended schedule of routine medical tests.
  
  
• The AHA also sponsors Just Move!, an online personal fitness center. The site provides fitness news and helps users evaluate their fitness needs. Students can keep an online personal fitness diary and get feedback from virtual personal trainers.
  
  
• Students can learn about pacemakers in the Teaching the News article, "Elton John Gets Pacemaker."
  
  
• Often the findings of similar medical studies will contradict one another, or a new study will overturn popular medical "truths." Have students read the CNN article: "The push and pull of medical headlines." Then hold a class discussion about how students can become educated readers of medical news. Invite a doctor to speak to the class about how the medical community keeps up with news and evaluates contradictory reports.