Public Health Moment

Middle-age individuals who smoke, have high blood pressure, or have diabetes run a high risk of being hospitalized for dementia later in life.

That's according to a research study of more than 11,000 people, led by Alvaro Alonso, a University of Minnesota epidemiologist.

Alonso adds that this research provides one more reason why people should quit smoking and concentrate on improving their cardiovascular health.

Listen to Alonso on Public Health Moment

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Researchers have found that people with high oxidation levels of LDL, or low-density lipoprotein—a particle that carries cholesterol throughout the blood—are much more likely to develop metabolic syndrome.

David Jacobs, a University of Minnesota epidemiologist, was the lead researcher of this study.

• Listen to Jacobs on Public Health Moment

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About 780,000 Americans each year suffer a stroke. And stroke kills more than 150,000 people a year, making it the No. 3 cause of death behind heart disease and cancer.

Who is at risk? People with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, smokers, heavy drinkers, and those who are obese.

Dr. Kamakshi Lakshminarayan, a University of Minnesota neurologist, explains what you should do to lower your risk.

Listen to Lakshminarayan on Public Health Moment

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Over the last 10 years, the death rate from heart disease has dropped 45 percent in Minnesota--faster than in any other state. That's according to a report from the American Heart Association.

John Finnegan, dean of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health says there are several reasons for this good news.

• Listen to Finnegan on Public Health Moment

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Too much meat, fried foods, and diet soda can increase your risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a condition that can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Dairy products, on the other hand, appear to reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

That's according to a University of Minnesota study involving ninety-five hundred people. The study was co-auathored by Pamela Lutsey.

• Listen to Lutsey on Public Health Moment

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Three out of four American adults know little or nothing about peripheral arterial disease or PAD, a common blockage of blood vessels in the legs that boosts heart risk. That's according to a report co-authored by Dr. Alan Hirsch, a professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota.

• Listen to Hirsch on Public Health Moment

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September is National Cholesterol Education Month, an annual campaign to alert people to have their cholesterol levels checked and to take steps to lower it, if need be.

The general consensus is that anything greater than 200 for total cholesterol is too high, according to Dr. Russell Luepker, a University of Minnesota professor of epidemiology.

• Listen to Russell Luepker on Public Health Moment

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Young adults who are physically active are less likely to develop high blood pressure. That's according to researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Lead researcher David Jacobs says that the results were from 15 years of research involving more than 4,000 people.

• Listen to David Jacobs on Public Health Moment

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February is National Heart Month, an annual campaign to alert people to the risks of heart disease. One risk factor is high blood pressure. But what does it mean to have high blood pressure? We asked Jim Neaton, a biostatistician at the University of Minnesota.

• Listen to Jim Neaton on Public Health Moment

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