Johns Hopkins Health Alerts | Healthy Living After 50 | Erectile Dysfunction, Exercise, Dementia

Healthy Living Update #1: Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease

Erectile dysfunction (ED) isn’t just an embarrassing problem—it can be a sign of a serious cardiovascular disorder. A study of over 9,000 men found that ED was as strong a risk factor for later cardiovascular events as smoking or a family history of heart attack. If you are experiencing ED, don’t limit yourself to finding an impotence drug—also ask your doctor about cardiovascular evaluation and possible treatment of other risk factors, such as high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure.

Healthy Living Update #2: Exercise and dementia

Exercise may help stave off dementia—and you don’t have to spend the day at the gym to gain this protective benefit. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who exercised for just 15 minutes a day three times per week had a 32% lower incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than non-exercising subjects. The exercises examined in the study included walking, hiking, bicycling, calisthenics, water aerobics, swimming, and weight training.

Healthy Living Update #3: Women who drink cola

Women cola drinkers may want to cut down on the beverages—not just to protect their teeth but also their hearts. While coffee may not cause high blood pressure in women, cola drinks have been linked to the condition. A recent study tracked the caffeine consumption habits of more than 150,000 women over a 12-year period. Even though coffee and tea were not found to cause high blood pressure, both sugared and diet colas were linked to an increased risk. Researchers were unsure why colas had this effect.

Healthy Living Update #4: The dangers of breathlessness

It’s easy to dismiss a bout of breathlessness, but new evidence suggests that could be a serious mistake. Researchers found that otherwise asymptomatic patients who complained of shortness of breath were at increased risk for death from a cardiac event—up to four times the risk in patients without a known history of coronary artery disease. If you’ve been suffering from repeated episodes of shortness of breath, it’s definitely worth a doctor’s visit to find the underlying cause, even if you’ve been feeling well otherwise.

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts | Healthy Living After 50 | Erectile Dysfunction, Exercise, Dementia