A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that social stress may lead to heart disease by causing the body to deposit more visceral fat in the abdominal cavity and speeding up the buildup of harmful plaque in blood vessels—the perfect storm for the world’s number one killer.

Obesity and heart disease have also been linked to lower socioeconomic status, and Carol A. Shively, Ph.D., a professor of pathology and the study’s principal investigator, says it may be because the fewer resources you have to buffer yourself from the stresses of life (aka bills, long hours at work, hard-to-please bosses, or staying in an unhealthy relationship), the more likely you are to experience these health problems.

But why do they think it’s stress and not just multiple meals off the Dollar Menu? Continue Reading →

People joke that they’re from another planet and, in honor of National Heart Month, I decided to find out how different their hearts were, too. (Let’s say I had a hunch, considering the only tear I ever saw a BFB shed over a movie was when Frodo disappeared at the end of The Lord of the Rings saga). To get to the bottom of things, I asked Barbara Roberts, MD, FACC, director of the Women’s Cardiac Center at The Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI, and author of How to Keep From Breaking Your Heart: What Every Woman Needs to Know About Cardiovascular Disease, if she could set the record straight—and while I had her attention I asked her what else us girls can do to show our tickers some TLC. Her answers were so interesting! Get this: High levels of triglycerides, aka fat in our blood, put women at a greater risk for heart disease than when levels are elevated in men. And did you know we should all be getting our cholesterol checked yearly once we hit 20 or that women are more likely to have a “silent” heart attack or that smoking puts us at a higher risk of diabetes than it does boys? Do you know your numbers?? Check out Dr. Roberts thoughts below—and let me know if you have any other Qs! Thanks so much for talking with us, Dr. Roberts! Our hearts thank you! Continue Reading →

Next time you and your man are staring down delivery menus on a Friday night, choose Chinese. A recent study by Canadian researchers found that a Western diet (think lots of meat, eggs, fried foods and salty snacks) increased the risk of a heart attack by 30 percent over a diet full of fruits and veggies. An Oriental diet, full of tofu and soy sauce, didn’t bother that thumper one bit. The theory? The benefits of tofu cancel out the sodium-filled sauces. Even better: toss a salad while you wait for the delivery to arrive.