How Do Performance Enhancing Drugs Affect Cardiovascular Health
By Aliza Hirsch, Exercise has the power to confer extensive health benefits. However, at extreme levels, there are those athletes and competitors who are willing to sacrifice their wellbeing for the sake of improved performance. Despite the recent stricter enforcement of drug testing and punishment for drug use amongst competitive athletes, the use of [...]
The Paradox of the Morning Run: The influence of Circadian Rhythm on Cardiovascular Health and Exercise
By Aliza Hirsch, Biological processes that follow a 24-hour cycle are defined as circadian [1] . Specifically in relation to cardiovascular health, previous research has reported a pattern between greater incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD), which is unexpected death due to loss of heart function, myocardial infarction (MI), also known as a heart [...]
Cardiovascular Disease and Mental Health
By Kenzie MacDonald, According to Dr. Hans Selye, the ‘Father’ of stress research, stress is a nonspecific reaction of the body to any demand upon it1. Stress can be a positive or beneficial response that facilitates adaptation and stimulates development2. Positive stress is often perceived to be within our coping abilities, short-lived, stimulates motivation [...]
New SCBC Research – “Time of Day Study” – NOW RECRUITING!!
There is no disputing the tremendous benefits of exercise, however is there a safest time of day to exercise? As seen in publicly reported events such as marathons and professional sports, there is paradoxically a slight increased risk of myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death (SCD) during vigorous activity. Biological processes in living organisms that [...]
Oh Cholesterol, what do you do?
By Andrew Golin, The terms “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol” are used repeatedly to describe high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) respectively. But what are HDL or LDL? What actually is cholesterol and why do we need it? In order to understand what HDL and LDL are and why they are regarded as [...]
Where are the Women? The Gap in Cardiovascular Disease Research
By Kenzie MacDonald Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in women, currently accounting for approximately one-third of deaths in women globally1. Since 1984, the annual CVD mortality rate in women has exceeded that of men, highlighting the particularly lethal nature of CVD in women2. Despite unanimous support of these facts, in many [...]
Background: Coronary Artery Calcification
By Andrew Golin, The largest artery in the body, the aorta, carries oxygenated blood to all parts of the body via the circulatory system. The coronary arteries branch off from the aorta and supply oxygenated blood to heart tissue. It is thus critically important that the coronary arteries remain healthy in order for the heart [...]
Death of Alan Thicke raises questions about health risks for older hockey players (interview with Dr. Isserow)
WATCH: The news that Alan Thicke died while playing hockey with his son has raised questions about older men playing intense sports. Linda Aylesworth reports on what can be done to reduce the risk. The news that actor Alan Thickedied while playing hockey at the age of 69 has undoubtedly sent a chill through the [...]
Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes
By Paul Clerc, Atrial fibrillation occurs when the electrical activity of the heart enters into an abnormal rhythm. In normal circumstances, the atrium (small chamber) of the heart beats once followed by a beat of the ventricle (large chamber) in a 1:1 fashion. During atrial fibrillation, the atrial pumping is uncoordinated and more rapid. This [...]