Critical Illness Insurance Cost Calculator Created

To help consumers understand the affordability of cancer insurance and critical illness insurance, an online calculator has been introduced by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

"Cost is always a critical factor when consumers are considering a purchase and that's especially true with insurance products today," states Jesse Slome, director of the critical illness insurance organization.   "The Association's new cost calculator will appear at the very top of almost every page on our new website and provide instant costs for $10,000 of cancer insurance."

The critical illness insurance cost calculator merely requires the consumer enter their sex, age and whether they are a smoker or non-smoker.  "There is no personal information needed to immediately see the cost," Slome explains.  "The cost appears immediately and we don't ask or want to gather any personal information.  We merely are striving to show consumers how affordable this important coverage can be."

Slome noted that the decision to show the cost for $10,000 of cancer insurance was made to be most beneficial to the largest number of young adults.  "For millions of Americans between the ages of 35 and 55, cancer is the critical illness they are most likely to have prior to reaching age 65 to 70," Slome shares.   "The average critical illness insurance policy purchased today is around $15,000 in benefits, so the modest policy seemed to make the most sense.  Obviously, if someone wants more coverage, they can easily estimate what their potential cost might be."

The critical illness insurance cost calculator is designed to demonstrate the affordability of cancer insurance and encourage consumers to seek actual pricing for coverage options.   "When consumers hear they can purchase cancer insurance protection for the cost of one or two cups of coffee a month, they'll be interested enough to take the next steps to learn more,:" Slome predicts.

The calculator revealed that a male, age 45 who does not use tobacco could pay as little as $48 a year for $10,000 of cancer insurance.  A female, age 45 who uses tobacco would pay $108 yearly for the same level of insurance.  "I chose to show smoker and non-smoker rates because it shows the numbers most fairly," Slome adds.  "When rates are the same for both, the non-smokers are more or less subsidizing some of the added risk of insuring smokers."

To learn more and access the critical illness insurance cost calculator, visit the Association's website at www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org.

Jesse Slome is founder and director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, headquartered in Westlake Village, California.  Slome also heads up the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance as well as the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.

Critical Illness Insurance Association Relaunches Website

The American Association for Critical Illness Insurance has relaunched the organization's website designed to create heightened awareness of and interest in cancer insurance as well as critical illness insurance.

"We intend for the new website to be the nation's primary and trusted resource for information," shares Jesse Slome, director of the organization first founded the critical illness insurance organization in 2009.   "Millions of Americans between the ages of 35 and 55 could greatly benefit by understanding how these two highly affordable forms of protection can provide enormous benefit in the event of a cancer diagnosis, a heart attack or stroke."

The new Association website will contain both relevant information on critical illness insurance protection as well as the three primary health conditions, cancer, heart attacks and strokes.

"Every single day, thousands of Americans hear the dreaded words, you have cancer," Slome explained.  "Every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a heart attack and another person has a stroke.  Most of these individuals today will survive but they and their family will face enormous financial consequences and many will go bankrupt, even when they have health insurance coverage."

Slome, who founded the Association at the request of several leading industry executives, noted the website relaunch was part of a planned ongoing awareness campaign.  "Our mission is twofold, first to educate consumers about this important topic," Slome noted.  "And, second, to support insurance professionals who market critical illness solutions."

The new website will have special sections focused on critical illness insurance planning, facts related to cancer, heart attacks and stroke as well as the beginnings of a center where insurance agents will be able to access information and tools.  "At the present time, there is no membership program for agents," Slome shared.  "We will see what level of interest develops over the next few months."

Most critical illness insurance policies are sold via the worksite with several major insurers comprising the largest industry players.  "We see two major trends, a number of new insurance companies that are launching new critical illness insurance products," Slome added.  "The second is an increase in the number of insurers as well as distributors who are promoting and encouraging the sale of critical illness insurance policies."

To learn more, visit the Association's website at https://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org.

Jesse Slome is founder and director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, headquartered in Westlake Village, California.  Slome also heads up the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance as well as the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.

15 Minutes Of Exercise Reduces Cancer Risk By 10 Percent

New research finds that just 15 minutes of daily physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer.

The current generally accepted exercise recommendations call for adults to do a total of 2.5 hours of physical activity weekly. That equates to about 150 minutes per-week.

This week, researchers released the results of a study that reports that doing only a quarter-hour of daily exercise or about 105 minutes a week still provides benefits.

Adults who exercised for an average of 92 minutes per week were 10 percent less likely to die of cancer, and had a three-year longer life expectancy, on average. Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise beyond the minimum 15 minutes further reduced the risk of all-cause death by 4 percent and the risk of cancer death by 1 percent.

"Over 1.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year so anything that reduces the risk is most welcome news," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org.

The study included more than 390,000 residents of Taiwan. Researchers followed these individuals for an average of eight years and, based on self-reported amounts of weekly exercise, placed them into five categories.

Individuals interested in receiving a cost quote for critical illness insurance from a designated American Association for Critical Illness Insurance professional can complete the organization's free quote request form accessible at http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org/free-quote/ or by calling the Association's offices.

Critical Illness Insurance Trade Group Offers Free Sales Training

There's really no explanation why critical illness insurance sales continue to lag in the U.S., declares Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance http://www.aacii.org. According to Slome, the protection first introduced in 1983 now sells well in 54 other countries worldwide.

"There are over 65 million Americans between the ages of 30 and 49, creating an enormous opportunity for the sale of critical illness insurance products," states Slome. "These adults understand the risk of being diagnosed with cancer or having a heart attack. They simply have no knowledge that an affordable financial solution like critical illness insurance exists but we are going to change that starting in 2011."

The industry trade association established in 2009 just announced a free education campaign for insurance and financial professionals. The trade group is waiving the $98 membership fee offering free sign-ups which includes access to the Association's online Learning, Marketing and Sales Center. The Center provides access to sales training modules, industry research, marketing and sales tools.

"We plan to educate 10,000 insurance professionals during the year and to significantly jumpstart product awareness and ultimately sales," Slome adds. "Every agent or broker who has clients in their 30s or 40s will benefit by understanding how simple it is to offer and sell this highly affordable form of protection."

The free membership offer will be continued for at least the first six months of 2011. For more information or to sign-up for free membership, visit the Association's website http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org/free .

Annual Cancer Death Rates In Europe Drop

There will be nearly 1.3 million deaths from cancer in Europe in 2011, according to predictions from a study published in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology.

The estimates, which have been reached after researchers used for the first time in Europe a new mathematical model for predicting cancer mortality, show a fall in overall cancer death rates for both men and women when compared to 2007. But they also highlight some areas of concern, particularly rising rates of lung cancer in women.

Researchers looked at overall rates in the European Union (EU) and also individual rates in six major EU countries: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK.

They predicted there would be 1,281,466 cancer deaths in the EU in 2011 (721,252 men and 560,184 women), compared to 1,256,001 (703,872 men and 552,129 women) in 2007. When these figures are converted into world standardized rates per 100,000 of the population, this means there will be a fall from 153.8 per 100,000 to 142.8 per 100,000 in men, and from 90.7 to 85.3 in women -- a drop of 7% in men and 6% in women -- since 2007.

"Cancer is no longer an immediate death sentence, the vast majority of people today survive," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, the leading U.S. trade organization. The overall downward trend in cancer death rates is driven mainly by falls in breast cancer mortality in women, and lung and colorectal cancer in men.

However, the number of women dying from lung cancer is increasing steadily everywhere apart from in the UK, which has had the highest rates in women for a decade and is now seeing a leveling off. In the EU as a whole, world standardized death rates from lung cancer in women have gone up from 12.55 per 100,000 of the female population in 2007 to 13.12 in 2011.

Lung cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the first cause of cancer death in Polish women, as well as in women from the UK. The number of women who will die from lung cancer this year in the UK is 15,632 (compared to 14,900 in 2007); this represents a slight drop in the death rate from 20.57 per 100,000 women in 2007 to 20.33 in 2011. In Poland, 6,343 women will die from lung cancer this year compared to 5,643 in 2007, and this represents an increase in the death rate from 15.53 per 100,000 women to 16.60 in 2011.

Declines in mortality from other major cancers such as stomach, uterus, prostate and leukaemia are likely to be seen in 2011, say the researchers.

Health News: Heart Disease And Stroke Costs Will Triple

The cost of treating heart disease and stroke in the United States is expected to triple in the next 20 years, to $818 billion.

According to the American Heart Association this $545 billion increase in costs for treating heart disease and stroke is largely due to the aging of the population.

"The burden of heart disease and stroke on the U.S. health care system and American families will be substantial," said Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

The projected increase in costs will be based on the current rate of heart disease adjusted for changes in the overall age of Americans and the anticipated racial mix of patients.

Experts noted that these estimates do not take into account the additional costs for those who have more than one condition, or new treatments that might come along, To curb this rise in costs, the panel said that effective prevention strategies are needed if we are to limit the growing burden of cardiovascular disease.

American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown said in a news release that "unhealthy behaviors and unhealthy environments have contributed to a tidal wave of risk factors among many Americans. Early intervention and evidence-based public policies are absolute musts to significantly reduce alarming rates of obesity, hypertension, tobacco use and cholesterol levels."

Right now, 36.9 percent of Americans have some type of heart disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and other conditions. By 2030, that number will rise to 40.5 percent of the population, or about 116 million people, according to the report.

The biggest increases are thought to be in stroke, up 24.9 percent, and heart failure, up 25 percent.
Between 2010 and 2030, the cost of caring for patients with heart disease will go from $273 billion to $818 billion, the panel predicted.

In addition, heart disease will cost billions more in lost productivity, increasing from about $172 billion in 2010 to $276 billion in 2030. These losses include days missed from work or home tasks because of illness, plus lost earnings due to premature death.

There are also a number of low-cost, high-value cardiovascular protective therapies that are available but are underutilized in routine clinical care that could also help to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

These include keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control, not smoking and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which means eating a healthy diet, getting exercise and keeping your weight down. These strategies have been proven to substantially reduce the risk of heart disease.

For more information on affordable critical illness insurance protection which can provide a tax-free lump sum cash payment upon diagnosis of a heart attack or stroke, viasit the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance's website http://www.crititcalillnessinsuranceinfo.org

Critical Illness Insurance News: Study Ties Diet To Longer Life

According to medical researchers, today's leading causes of death have shifted from infectious diseases to chronic diseases. These include cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Both of these illnesses may be affected by diet a study published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals.

Researchers examined data regarding the associations of dietary patterns with mortality through analysis of the eating patterns of over 2500 adults between the ages of 70 and 79 over a ten-year period. They found that diets favoring certain foods were associated with reduced mortality.

By 2030, an estimated 973 million adults will be aged 65 or older worldwide according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance which tracks data related to critical illnesses. This study sought to determine the dietary patterns of a large and diverse group of older adults, and to explore connections between these dietary patterns with survival over a 10-year period.

Researchers were able to group the participants into six different clusters according to predominant food choices including healthy foods, high-fat dairy products, meat, fried foods, and alcohol and sweets and desserts.
The "Healthy foods" cluster was characterized by relatively higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and lower consumption of meat, fried foods, sweets, high-calorie drinks, and added fat. The "High fat dairy products" cluster had higher intake of foods such as ice cream, cheese, and 2% and whole milk and yogurt, and lower intake of poultry, low-fat dairy products, rice, and pasta.

The study was unique in that it evaluated participants' quality of life and nutritional status, through detailed biochemical measures, according to their dietary patterns.

After controlling for gender, age, race, clinical site, education, physical activity, smoking, and total calorie intake, the "High-fat dairy products" cluster had a 40% higher risk of mortality than the "Healthy foods" cluster. The "Sweets and desserts" cluster had a 37% higher risk. No significant differences in risk of mortality were seen between the "Healthy foods" cluster and the "Breakfast cereal" or "Refined grains" clusters.

Protein Could Yield Treatments For Liver Cancer

A protein switch called TAK1 helps prevent liver damage, including inflammation, fibrosis and cancer.

Research from United States and Japanese scientists explain that learning more about how TAK1 works could improve understanding about the development of liver disease and cancer, and lead to new therapies.

The researchers noted these findings in their report, released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

TAK1 appears to be a master regulator of liver function according to the dean of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine statement issued in a university news release.

It was already known that TAK1 activates two proteins that play a role in immunity, inflammation, programmed cell death and cancer. But it wasn't clear whether TAK1 promotes or prevents liver cancer.
To investigate this question, scientists created mice with liver cells that lacked TAK1 and found that the mice had a high rate of liver cell death. To compensate, the rodents' livers produced too many cells, resulting in liver damage that led to liver cancer, the researchers found.

Posted by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. Visit our website for more information on critical illnesses and a form of insurance that pays a tax-free lump sum payment upon diagnosis of cancer.

Calorie Intake Linked To Longevity And Cancer Development

Cutting consumption of glucose, the most common dietary sugar, can extend the life of healthy human cells and speed the death of precancerous cells, reducing cancer's spread and growth rate.

According to findings reported by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, reducing calorie-intake can benefit longevity and help prevent diseases like cancer that have been linked to aging.

The researchers conducted tests by growing both healthy human-lung cells and precancerous human-lung cells in laboratory flasks. The flasks were provided either normal levels of glucose or significantly reduced amounts of the sugar compound, and the cells then were allowed to grow for a period of weeks. Restricted glucose levels led the healthy cells to grow longer than is typical and caused the precancerous cells to die off in large numbers.

Every year some 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer. It ranks as one of the leading factors for the need for costly long-term care according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance among aging seniors.

Two key genes were affected in the cellular response to decreased glucose consumption. The first gene, telomerase, encodes an important enzyme that allows cells to divide indefinitely. The second gene, p16, encodes a well known anti-cancer protein.

Healthy cells saw their telomerase rise and p16 decrease, which would explain the boost in healthy cell growth, the researchers explained. The research into the links between calorie intake, aging and the onset of diseases related to aging is thought to be a first of its kind given that it used the unique approach of testing human cells versus laboratory animals.

Many Stroke Survivors Don't Take Lifesaving Meds

About one-fifth of ischemic stroke survivors don't take medications that can reduce their risk of another stroke.

According to research, about 19 percent of patients didn't take prescribed blood thinners. Each year about 600,000 Americans experience their first stroke and 185,000 have a recurrent stroke according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Over 143,579 people die each year from stroke in the United States and stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65. The risk of having a stroke more than doubles each decade after the age of 55 the Association notes.

Ischemic stroke is caused by blocked blood flow in the brain. Several types of medications can reduce the risk of another ischemic stroke. These include blood thinners - also known as antithrombotic medications, of which aspirin is the most common.

This seven-year study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, examined 4,168 ischemic stroke survivors. Researchers found that about 19 percent of patients didn't take blood thinners. Men, older patients and non-Hispanic patients were more likely to take blood thinners.

The study will be published in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Drinking Coffee Reduces Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer

A new study reveals a strong inverse association between coffee consumption and the risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancers.

Data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference revealed that coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer.

Medical researchers report that that men who drank the most coffee had a 60 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer than men who did not drink any coffee. This is the first study of its kind to look at both overall risk of prostate cancer and risk of localized, advanced and lethal disease.

Some 745,000 men are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance that tracks critical illness data for cancers, heart attack and stroke. Approximately 300,000 men die each year of cancer.

The researchers are unsure which components of the beverage are most important, as coffee contains many biologically active compounds like antioxidants and minerals. They study examined both regular and decaffeinated coffee intake of nearly 50,000 men every four years from 1986 to 2006.

Nearly 5,000 men developed prostate cancer over that time. The researchers examined the association between coffee consumption and levels of circulating hormones in blood samples collected from a subset of men in the cohort. The results do suggest there is no reason to stop drinking coffee out of any concern about prostate cancer, the report adds.

For free price quote for critical illness insurance, go to: American Association for Critical Illness Insurance Consumer information Center.

Smoking Exposure Now Linked to Colon And Breast Cancers

Add colorectal and breast cancer to the list of malignancies caused by smoking according to new studies.

Two studies strengthen the case for the dangers of secondhand smoke for people exposed to fumes as children and as adults. According to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, some 17 cancers are now attributed to smoking. Cancer and heart disease are the major critical illnesses impacting millions of Americans yearly.

Inhaling secondhand fumes may raise a woman's odds for breast cancer or a child's lifetime risk for lung malignancies according to the studies. Another study found that long-term smokers have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer, a finding that factored into the recent decision by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to assert that there is "sufficient" evidence to link the two, up from its previous "limited" evidence.

In preparing their reports, the researchers adjusted for other colorectal cancer risk factors, such as not getting screened, obesity, physical activity and eating a lot of red or processed meats. They noted that people who smoke are already more likely to engage in these types of behaviors.

This study followed almost 200,000 people over 13 years. According to the medical researchers, current smokers had a 27 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer and former smokers a 23 percent increased risk compared with people who had never smoked.

People who had smoked for at least half a century had the highest risk -- 38 percent higher than never smokers -- of developing colorectal cancer. People who ceased smoking before the age of 40 or who had not smoked for 31 or more years had no increased risk.

Other studies focused on the risk of secondhand smoke, or passive smoking. In one, children exposed to secondhand smoke had a higher risk of developing lung cancer as adults, researchers from institutions including the U.S. National Cancer Institute found. In another, California researchers found that adult non-smoking women who had spent long periods of time in smoking environments upped their odds of developing postmenopausal breast cancer.

The breast cancer findings were seen mostly in postmenopausal women, with a 17 percent higher risk for those who had had low exposure, a 19 percent increased risk for those with medium exposure and a 26 percent increased risk for those who had high long-term exposure over their lifetime.

The studies were published in the December issue of Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention,

More Americans Surviving Lung Cancer

Survival rates for advanced lung cancer patients in the United States have improved modestly.

According to the new study, researchers found that one-year overall survival rate for lung cancer increased from 13.2 percent in 1990 to 19.4 percent in 2005, while two-year overall survival increased from 4.5 percent to 7.8 percent.

Some 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. Lung and bronchial cancers account for about 15 percent of all cancer.

Researchers analyzed data on more than 100,000 patients diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between 1990 and 2005. The patient information was in the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database.

The study authors noted that the improved survival rates may come from changes in the management of advanced lung cancer over the past two decades, including new chemotherapy agents and regimens, increased use of salvage chemotherapy and the introduction of molecularly targeted therapies.

The study is published in the December issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

First National Critical Illness Insurance Study Examines U.S. Buyers

Nearly half of individuals purchasing critical illness insurance protection were under age 45 according to the first national study of buyers conducted by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

The industry trade group released the findings of a study that reveals one third (34%) of purchasers were between ages 45 and 54 and the majority (87%) purchased $50,000 or less in benefits. The study examined sales data for over 130,000 individual and voluntary worksite policies and certificates issued.

"Critical illness insurance is growing in acceptance as consumers understand the risk and financial exposure resulting from cancer, a heart attack or stroke," explains Jesse Slome, the organization's executive director. First introduced in the United States in 1996, some 600,000 individuals have purchased critical illness coverage available from about 20 insurance companies.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of individual buyers opted for coverage of less than $20,000 according to the study's findings. For those purchasing in the worksite setting, some 65 percent chose benefits of $20,000 or less.

The vast majority of purchasers do so prior to turning age 55. Among those purchasing individual critical illness insurance policies, 20 percent were under age 35; 27 percent were between ages 35 and 44 and 34 percent were between 45 and 54. Buyers purchasing coverage in the workplace were about the same age according to the Association report. Policies providing a $10,000 benefit for a 40 year old can range from $150 to $300-per-year.

Individual buyers tended to be male (52% versus 48% female) while those purchasing in the workplace were more likely to be female (59% versus 41% male).

"We anticipate the market for critical illness insurance products will increase in the years ahead," predicts Slome. The Los Angeles-based association will undertake an aggressive consumer awareness campaign in 2010 to build an understanding of the benefits of the protection that is popular outside of the United States. "Every year, millions of Americans are diagnosed with a critical illness and the vast majority survive," Slome explains. "The financial cost even for those with health insurance can be devastating and one of the leading reasons 1.5 million Americans declared bankruptcy even before the current economic crisis." Critical illness insurance policies range in cost based on the age, sex and use of tobacco products. A policy providing a $10,000 cash benefit can range from about $150 a year to $400 a year experts explain.

Access to the full study results can be viewed on the organization's website http://www.aacii.org.

Diabetes Cases To Double In United States By 2034

The number of people with diabetes in the United States is expected to double over the next 25 years.

The study published in the December issue of Diabetes Care predicts that by 2034 about 44.1 million people will have the disease, up from 23.7 million today. At the same time, the cost of treating people with diabetes will triple, rising from an estimated $113 billion in 2009 to $336 billion in 2034.

Researchers note that a key factor driving the soaring costs is the number of people living with diabetes for lengthy periods. Over time, the cost of caring for someone with diabetes tends to rise along with their risk for developing complications, such as end-stage renal disease, which requires costly dialysis according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

In making their estimates, researchers at the University of Chicago used data on people 24 to 85 years old who took part in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Health Interview Study.

Prior forecasts, including the ones currently used by the federal government's budget analysts, have underestimated the burden, the researchers noted. A 1991 study, for example, predicted that 11.6 million people would have diabetes in 2030. In 2009, there were already more than twice that many living with diabetes.

Among Medicare beneficiaries, the number with diabetes is expected to rise from 8.2 million to 14.6 million in 2034, with an accompanying rise in spending from $45 billion to $171 billion the study reveals. The high cost of chronic disease is one of the most pressing issues facing the United States as legislators grapple with financial strains on Medicare and the larger issue of health-care reform, the researchers explained.

Factors driving the increase in diabetes cases include the aging population and continued high rates of obesity, both of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells don't use it correctly. In the study, the researchers assumed that the obesity rate would remain relatively stable, topping out at about 30 percent in the next decade and then declining slightly to about 27 percent in 2033.

Ginkgo Won't Prevent Heart Attack Or Stroke in Elderly

The herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not prevent heart attacks, stroke or death when taken by people aged 75 and older.

Researchers report that the herbal supplement may help ward off peripheral artery disease. According to the findings of a new study, the popular herbal remedy might help prevent the leg-circulation problem known as peripheral artery disease.

Ginkgo contains nutrients called flavonoids, which are also found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine, and are believed to offer some protection against cardiovascular events, according to the researchers. The supplement, increasingly popular in the United States and Europe, has been touted to improve memory, and to prevent dementia, heart disease and stroke.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that ginkgo had no benefit in preventing heart attack or stroke. Consistent with observations of researchers in Europe, the medical experts noted that ginkgo appeared to have some benefit in preventing peripheral vascular disease.

Last year the same University of Pittsburgh team reported that ginkgo biloba had no effect on preventing dementia. For their latest study, researchers randomly assigned 3,069 patients to 120 milligrams of highly purified ginkgo biloba or placebo, twice a day as part of the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study.

Over the six years of the trial, 385 participants died, 164 had heart attacks, 151 had strokes, 73 had mini-strokes ("transient ischemic attacks") and 207 had chest pain, the researchers found. There was no significant difference between those taking ginkgo or placebo for any of these outcomes, the study reports.

However, among the 35 people who were treated for peripheral artery disease, 23 received placebo and 12 were taking ginkgo -- a statistically significance difference, the researchers noted. About 8 million Americans have peripheral artery disease according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

Peripheral artery disease typically affects the arteries in the pelvis and legs. Symptoms include cramping and pain or tiredness in the hip muscles and legs when walking or climbing stairs, although not everyone who has PAD is symptomatic. The pain usually subsides during rest.

Heart attack, Stroke, Health news, Medical news, American association for critical illness insurance

Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Older Men, Not Women

Moderate-to-high intensity exercise may help reduce stroke risk in older men but not in women.

New research examined over 3,000 men and women, average age 69, who were followed for about nine years. During that time, there were 238 strokes among the participants. At the start of the study, 20 percent of the participants said they did regular moderate-to-high intensity exercise such as jogging, swimming or tennis.  Some 41 percent said they did no physical activity. 

Men who did moderate-to-high intensity exercise were 63 percent less likely to have a stroke than people who didn't exercise. Over five years, the baseline risk of ischemic stroke which is the leading type of stroke for all study participants was 4.3 percent; 2.7 percent for those who did moderate-to-high intensity exercise and 4.6 percent for those who didn't exercise.

The study conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia appears in the Nov. 24 issue of the journal Neurology.  Taking part in moderate-to-heavy intensity physical activity may be an important factor for preventing stroke, noted the study's author. 

A large percentage of the participants were not taking part in any physical activities. This may be true of many elderly people who live in cities. Identifying ways to improve physical activity among these people may be a key goal for public health.

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States and the third leading cause of death according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, the national trade organization.  This year some 600,000 Americans will suffer their first stroke.

Kidney Transplant Plus Sleep Disorder Adds Up to Trouble

Kidney transplant patients with sleep apnea are at increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. 

Researchers in Hungary conducted a study of kidney transplant recipients and found that 25 percent had moderate to severe sleep apnea, a rate similar to that seen in kidney disease patients on dialysis awaiting a transplant. 

The findings they note indicate that both types of patients who have the breathing-related sleep disorder should be considered at high risk for serious heart-related complications.  Transplant recipients with sleep apnea were more than twice as likely as those without the syndrome to be taking three or more anti-hypertensive drugs, but still had higher blood pressure than those without the sleep disorder. Obesity increased a transplant patient's risk of developing sleep apnea. 

Organ transplants are increasingly available according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.  Some critical illness policies will provide a cash benefit when a transplant is received.

When the Hungarian medical researchers calculated risk scores, they found that kidney disease patients with sleep apnea were twice as likely to suffer heart disease or stroke than those without sleep apnea.  They recommend that physicians should screen transplant patients for obstructive sleep apnea and offer appropriate treatment," the study authors concluded. 

The study will be published in January in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Moderate Drinking May Help Your Heart

A Spanish study has found that long-term moderate drinking decreased the risk of heart disease by up to one-third in men and to a lesser degree in women.

The type of alcohol -- beer, wine or spirits -- made no difference, the researchers reported in the Nov. 19 online issue of Heart. The Spanish analysis used 10-year data on over 40,000 men and women who were participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer study.

 But for men, there was a point at which the coronary benefits of alcohol declined, and risk began to rise again.  The rate of coronary heart disease for non-drinking women in the study was 56 per 100,000. For women listed as low drinkers, averaging less than 5 grams a day, it was 42. For women who were moderate drinkers (5 to 30 grams a day), it was 36; for high drinkers (30 to 90 grams a day) it was 12; and for heavy drinkers (more than 90 grams a day) it was 12.

The rates for men were 398 per 100,000 for those who never drank, 318 for low drinkers, 255 for moderate drinkers, 278 for high drinkers and 334 for heavy drinkers, the researchers reported.

The report showing that the source of alcohol made no difference does help puncture one explanation for what has come to be called the "French paradox," the low level of heart disease seen in that country despite consumption of what Americans would describe as an unhealthy, fat-rich diet. Some experts have attributed the paradox to the beneficial effects of red wine.

A number of well-done studies have shown that people who drink have higher levels of HDL cholesterol.  HDL cholesterol is the "good" kind that prevents formation of artery-blocking plaque deposits.

The American Heart Association recommendation is that "if you drink, do so in moderation." That means one to two drinks a day for a man, one drink a day for a woman, with a drink defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine or 1 ounce of 100-proof spirits.

Every 34 seconds an American will suffer a heart attack according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. 

SOURCES: Eric B. Rimm, Sc.D., associate professor, epidemiology and nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; Kenneth Mukamal, M.D., internist, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Nov. 19, 2009, Heart, online.

Diuretics Still Best Treatment for High Blood Pressure

Diuretics are confirmed as the best first-line treatment in older men and women with high blood pressure according to new research.

Medical researchers reported the findings of a study at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association this week.   They reported that the thiazide-type diuretic chlorthalidone outshone three other treatments -- a calcium channel blocker, an ACE inhibitor and an alpha-receptor blocker -- in most areas.  This was especially effective in lowering the incidence of stroke and heart failure.

An estimated 80 million American adults have one or more types of cardiovascular disease according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.  Some 785,000 will have a new coronary attack this year according to the industry trade group. 

The findings the medical experts note are largely unchanged.  They note that the main message is that treating hypertension [high blood pressure] is very necessary and that treating hypertension with chlorthalidone resulted in a significant reduction in heart failure and stroke. 

The original trial, begun in 1994, involved more than 42,000 patients with hypertension and at least one other risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The participants were randomly assigned to take one of the following anti-hypertensive drugs: chlorthalidone (the diuretic), amlodipine besylate (the calcium channel blocker), doxazosin mesylate (the alpha blocker) or lisinopril (an ACE inhibitor). 

The five-year follow-up, which ended in 2002, was intended to see if new differences emerged with long-term use of the medications, especially regarding coronary heart disease, total mortality, heart failure and aggregate cardiovascular disease. 

This is the largest hypertension trial to date, one researcher noted.  Earlier results had also found that diuretics were as good or better than other blood pressure-lowering drugs for treating hypertension in patients with metabolic syndrome (a collection of factors that put people at risk of heart disease), especially black patients.