Serious Health News from the New York Times

According to a New York Times news report dated June 24 by Denise Grady, prominent journalist Tim RussertTim Russert's sudden death this month at 58 was deeply unsettling to many people who, like him, had been earnestly following their doctors' advice on drugs, diet and exercise in hopes of avoiding a heart attack.

Mr. Russert, the moderator of "Meet the Press" on NBC News, took blood pressure and cholesterol medicine and aspirin, rode an exercise bike, had yearly stress tests and other exams and was trying to lose weight. But he died of a heart attack anyway.

Mr. Russert's death shows that good medical care is not an absolute guarantee of protection. Nor is cardiology an exact science. A person's risk of a heart attack can only be estimated, and although drugs, diet and exercise may lower that risk, they cannot eliminate it entirely. While the death rate from heart disease has declined, but it is still the leading cause of death in the United States, killing 650,000 people a year. About 300,000 die suddenly, and about half, like Mr. Russert, have no symptoms.

A second New York Times health update by Brenda Goodman states that high blood pressure, the most commonly diagnosed condition in the United States, is becoming increasingly resistant to drugs that lower it, according to a panel of experts assembled by the American Heart Association.

After reviewing the available research on drug-resistant hypertension, a phenomenon first described in the 1970s, the panel found that it became more likely with advanced age, weight gain, diet high in sodium, sleep apnea or chronic kidney disease.

The moral of the two news items appears to be that apart from medication, a healthy life style, including diet and exercise, can contribute to better health. While it may not guarantee immunity from the unexpected, living a healthy life can cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes.