The fresh report of the American Heart Association (AHA) in relation to the need of maintaining fitness reveals that the threat of death from cardiovascular disease or CVD has been reduced drastically. But it should be noted, the same report has also stated that the cardiovascular disease happens to be the primary cause of death among Americans. The report has been published in the 17th December early online issue of Circulation, and is reported to be compiled by the AHA Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee.

It is stated in the report that:
• The age-adjusted CVD death rate in the US for 2004 was 288.0 per 100,000 people.
• This is down from 307.7 per 100,000 in 2003.
• CVD was listed as the underlying cause of 869,724 deaths in 2004.
• This compares with 911,163 deaths in 2003.
• The second leading cause of death in the US was cancer, which claimed 553,888 lives in 2004.
• Even when considered on its own (apart from CVD as a whole), heart disease is the number 1 killer in the US, claiming 451,326 lives in 2004.
• When considered separately, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US (150,074 deaths in 2004).
• The fourth is accidents, which claimed 112,012 American lives in 2004.

Dr Donald Lloyd-Jones, the eminent Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, chaired the AHA’s Statistics Committee, which produced the report, along with the AHA’s Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. While talking to the reporter he said that, “These statistics make it clear that cardiovascular disease remains, by far, our greatest public health challenge.” “We hope it will raise awareness that cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of disability and death in the United States, is highly preventable and very treatable; if people make themselves aware of their risks and the potential approaches,” he added. This brings to us the question, are we doing enough to keep ourselves fit?

Do you always have a distaste for diets? Now, perhaps you may have the great need of it. It has been found by the researchers of the Tel Aviv University that there is the presence of a direct link between obesity and bad breath. With the gain of overweight, the breath of the very person will smell unpleasant to those around him or her. It is to be noted that the research was led by breath expert Prof. Mel Rosenberg from the Department of Human Microbiology and The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. In addition, the study also released the discovery, for the first time in the recorded history, regarding the adequate scientific evidence linking bad breath to alcohol consumption.

While talking to this reporter Prof. Rosenberg said, “The finding on alcohol and bad breath was not surprising because the anecdotal evidence was already there. However, the finding that correlated obesity to bad breath was unanticipated. I can’t go out into the world and smell everybody’s breath, and quite frankly I’ve already smelled many thousands of cases. My goal now is to give people a list of the potential factors that could lead to this condition, so they can treat themselves”

He also said, “You should tell people in your family if they have bad breath. It is curable in almost all instances, and it can be a sign of disease. As for work colleagues, they might be happy for the advice, but they might not.” Among the prime reasons of bad breath, from now on, the inclusion of obesity is completed along with the consumption of alcohol. The other prime reasons are dry mouth, poor dental hygiene, and possibly even the morning cup of coffee. But with the maintenance of regular diets one can be relieved from the symptom of bad breath. Log on the Internet for further information.