Science Media Centre

High levels of chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease, according to a new study. However, the authors and independent experts urge caution in the interpretation of the results.   The research, to be published today in the British Medical Journal, analysed data from previous studies [...]

A review of scientific literature by The Cochrane Library suggests moderate reductions in salt intake don’t lead to reduced risk of a person suffering cardiovascular events or dying. The paper, Reduced Dietary Salt for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (Cochrane Review)’ by R.S. Taylor et al. will be published [...]

A new study has found that a smoking cessation drug prescribed in New Zealand is associated with an increased risk of heart attack. The research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, examined data from several randomised controlled trials and found that the use of varenicline (branded Champix in New Zealand) was associated with a [...]

An international study involving New Zealand patients and researchers has shown that a pill containing  a combination of treatments has significant impact on heart disease in at-risk individuals. The international randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of the ‘polypill’ in reducing risk factors for heart-disease, such as blood pressure and cholesterol. The pill contains a [...]

Martin Johnston writes in the New Zealand Herald about a new study which suggests that the long-term use of popular painkillers, including NSAIDs like ibuprofen and diclofenac, increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. It found that ibuprofen use was associated with three times’ higher risk for stroke than placebos (the highest risk), with [...]

New Zealand Herald’s Chris Barton investigates new evidence of palm kernel-derived trans fats in New Zealand dairy products and their suggested link to polyvascular disease and stroke in at-risk patients. An excerpt: “It’s long been known that naturally occurring trans fats are present in the milk and the meat of ruminant animals such as sheep [...]

A hard-hitting report from the UK health watchdog group National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) calls on government and the food industry to cut salt and fat from processed foods — a move it says would save tens of thousands of lives a year. The report recommends a public health approach to combat [...]

Tim Cronshaw writes in Business Day about recent US research suggesting that processed meat can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and the reaction from the New Zealand Meat Processors Association, which says the research could mislead kiwis. Kiwis eat less processed meat than those who took part in the study, meaning [...]

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine this month has prompted calls in Europe for EU-wide salt legislation. In the NEJM paper, the authors undertook a computer simulation showing the effects of population-wide reductions in dietary salt intakes among adults aged 35 to 85 years living in the USA. They claim [...]

A report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that erectile dysfunction is linked with cardiovascular disease. As a result, doctors are being urged to ask their male patients whether they experience erectile dysfunction – a simple question the study believes could save lives. An excerpt: (read in full here) [...]