Heart Disease

Regular coffee drinkers have ‘cleaner’ arteries

4th March 2015

Drinking a few cups of coffee a day may help people avoid clogged arteries – a known risk factor for heart disease – Korean researchers believe. They studied more than 25,000 male and female employees who underwent routine health checks at their workplace. Employees who drank a moderate amount of coffee – three to five cups a day – were less likely to have early signs of heart disease on their medical scans. The findings reopen the debate about whether coffee is good for the heart. Heart effects There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the effect of coffee on heart health. Some studies have linked consumption to heart risk factors, such as raised cholesterol or blood pressure, while others suggest the [More…]

What Causes Coronary Heart Disease?

16th September 2014

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is arguably the the UK’s biggest killer. CHD develops when the blood supply to the muscles and tissues of the heart becomes obstructed by the build-up of fatty materials inside the walls of the coronary arteries. What is coronary heart disease? Your heart is a pump the size of a fist that sends oxygen-rich blood around your body. The blood travels to the organs of your body through blood vessels known as arteries, and returns to the heart through veins. Your heart needs its own blood supply to keep working. Heart disease occurs when the arteries that carry this blood, known as coronary arteries, start to become blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits. The inner lining of the coronary arteries [More…]