Heart Disease
Saturated Fats and Heart Disease
A group of international scientists has slammed the belief that saturated fats clog up the arteries, causing coronary heart disease. In an editorial published in the British Journal of Sports… Audio
Screen all babies for heart disease, specialists urge
Some hospitals already carry out screenings on newborns, but others don't. Researchers are now looking at the feasibility of introducing the practice across the country.
Stress risk to heart 'starts in the brain'
The effect of constant stress on a deep-lying region of the brain explains the increased risk of heart attacks, a study suggests.
Bad air is bad for health
Air pollution is the world's leading environmental risk factor for disease, and it causes early deaths even in clean countries such as New Zealand. Audio
How the sugar industry downplayed links to heart disease
Newly released documents reveal how the US sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to downplay the link between sugar and heart disease and instead promote saturated fat as the culprit. Audio
Genetics and Disease
Humans think they’re sophisticated but have fewer genes than a banana. With two percent of our genome encoding proteins, scientists are turning to junk DNA to determine the chance of heart disease and… Audio
Lipoprotein(a) - little known but high risk for heart disease
Lipoprotein(a) increases the risk of heart disease in 20% of people and doesn't respond to diet or exercise, so the hunt is on to find a treatment. Audio
First night sleep problems and testosterone
Why do we always seem to sleep badly the first night we stay in a new place? Dr Chris Smith reports on a new study suggesting that we keep half of our brain on alert to guard for danger the first time… Audio
Vegan Village
Hundreds of Auckland Vegan food lovers have swamped New Lynn’s night market for its first Vegan Village evening. Audio
Mammograms as cardiac screening tool
Could mammograms be used for more than assessing a woman's risk of breast cancer? Like whether she has heart disease, a condition that in the US is about 7 times more likely to kill her than breast… Audio
NZ Heart Modelling Research Fights World's Major Killer
In New Zealand cardiovascular disease (heart, stroke and blood vessel disease) is still the leading cause of death, accounting for 30% of deaths annually. Nick Smith from the University of Auckland is… Audio
Short people are at a greater risk of heart attack
Short people are at a greater risk of a heart attack. Audio
The link between eating saturated fat and heart disease.
A New Zealand authority on nutrition says fat is a risk factor for heart disease and people should be eating less of it. Audio
Heart meds perform poorly for 1/3 of heart attack sufferers
New research shows a third of New Zealanders who suffer a heart attack could benefit from a different drug regime. Following a heart attack patients are routinely prescribed aspirin and clopidogrel -… Audio
Claims about the health benefits of coconut oil
Claims about the health benefits of coconut oil have been scotched by the country's leading specialist in oils and fats... who says it could in fact increase the risk of heart disease. Audio
Dark Matter of the Genome
Donated heart tissue is being used to delve into what used to be known as junk DNA to indicate genetic risk of cardiac disease. Audio
Caldwell Esselstyn: Plant Based Diet
Surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and author of 'Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease', on how oil, dairy and meat exacerbate the thickening of the walls of arteries, triggering heart disease. Audio
Insight, Sunday 8 February: Cholesterol
Sue Ingram looks at whether the link between high cholesterol levels and heart disease needs to be reassessed Audio