Vitamin C appears to reduce early recurrence of a type of abnormal health rhythm known as atrial fibrillation, after patients undergo cardioversion. Cardioversion is a procedure used to convert an irregular heart rhythm to a normal heart rhythm by applying electric shock. Vitamin C also appears to reduce inflammation that accompanies this condition. Atrial fibrillation recurrence may be due to electrophysiological changes in the chambers of the heart, known as atrial remodeling. Previous animal...

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An elevated blood level of an enzyme produced by liver damage also appears to predict the risk of heart disease and stroke. In a recent study, researchers report that men with even moderately high levels of the enzyme gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were at a 28% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than were those with low levels. For men with the highest levels, the risk was 68% greater. In women, the increase in...

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New research suggests that fish may indeed be "brain food". In a study of 135 mothers and their infants, researchers at Harvard Medical School found that mothers' fish consumption during pregnancy aided fetal brain development. Overall, the greater a woman's fish intake during the second trimester, the better her 6-month-old performed on a standard test of mental development. On the other hand, when mothers had fairly high mercury levels -- as measured in hair...

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