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MONDAY, Dec. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Liver disease can affect heart health and that includes even early forms of the disease, a new study reveals. While it had previously been known that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with cardiovascular death, the relationship was poorly understood, said researcher Dr. Alan Kwan. He is a cardiologist and cardiac imaging researcher in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Smidt Heart Institute, in Los Angeles.The relationship may also have been partly obscured by risk factors the two diseases often have in common, such as diabetes.In this study, researchers compared scores of a marker for liver fibrosis (FIB-4 scores) that can indicate risk of developing severe liver disease. The investigators compared these FIB-4 scores with heart...

THURSDAY, Dec. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults who harbor more vitamin D in their brains may stay mentally sharper, a new study suggests.Researchers found that when older adults had higher levels of vitamin D in their brain tissue, they tended to perform better on standard tests of memory and thinking. They were also less likely to have dementia or milder cognitive impairments.Experts stressed that the study does not prove that vitamin D, itself, protects against dementia -- a complex brain disease that has many contributors. And no one should start downing supplements based on the findings, they said.For one, too much vitamin D can be harmful. And the study did not assess how much vitamin D participants were actually getting day to day."We have no evidence that getting more...

THURSDAY, Dec. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Singer Celine Dion announced Thursday that she is living with a rare neurological condition called stiff-person syndrome.Dion said she has canceled and postponed tour dates to deal with her health issues.“As you know, I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now. I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through,” Dion said on Instagram. “Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff-person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people,” Dion continued. “While we’re still learning...

THURSDAY, Dec. 8, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- On a sunny fall day, Baltimore dads Joe Greco and John Holschuh teamed up to take on their teenage sons in a game of 2-on-2 basketball in the Greco family's driveway.The boys were tough foes. Teammates on their high school squad, the teens pushed their dads hard for an hour, leaving Greco and Holschuh tired and needing a break.The boys went inside to play video games. Greco and Holschuh, who played basketball in college, lingered in the garage, cooling down and chatting about sports.Twenty minutes into their break, Holschuh looked at Greco and said, "I'm starting to feel … "And then he passed out.Greco caught his friend, keeping him from hitting his head on the concrete floor. Holschuh – who was 49, exercised regularly and...