Originating in China, green tea has been around for centuries. It is known for its numerous health benefits and is widely consumed for its refreshing taste and soothing aroma. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, which can help boost the immune system and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. In addition to its health benefits, green tea also offers a calming effect, making it a popular choice for those looking to relax and unwind. With its delicate flavor and natural goodness, it has gained popularity worldwide and is now enjoyed by people of all cultures and backgrounds. From sencha to matcha, the best green teas are often consumed as well for their lightly caffeinated properties for those looking for a different option than their morning coffee. However, its low caffeine content ensures that it can be enjoyed throughout the day without causing jitters or disrupting sleep patterns.
Of course, green tea has been sporting benefits galore for as long as it’s been around. But, new research reveals that green tea may contain an ingredient capable of reducing harmful plaques in the brain that leads to the development of Alzheimer’s. Green tea catechins and resveratrol inhibit the growth of sticky beta-amyloid plaques. When this protein clumps together in the brain, it disrupts neural cells and leads to the telltale signs of Alzheimer’s, such as memory loss and confusion.
Prior studies show a daily cup may improve brain function and even fight obesity. Now scientists say the traditional Chinese drink could hold the key to beating cancer. According to researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, green tea may switch on a gene called p53, which blocks the development of tumors. The protein destroys damaged cells or stops them from dividing as repairs are carried out. An antioxidant found in green tea, however, improves its efficiency, the study shows.
That’s a whole lot of power in one little tea bag. While studies continue to follow the effects of green tea’s properties and antioxidants on our health, we have researched across numerous expert sources to bring you today’s list of the top five best green teas you can buy now. Our list of the best green teas is based on the most frequently recommended products across 10 expert reviews. Don’t see your favorite on the list? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Green Tea (Photo by Na visky on Unsplash)
The List: 5 Green Teas Most Frequently Recommended By Experts
The first spot on our list goes to the Rishi Tea Sencha. This no-frills green tea is “certified organic, non-GMO, and 100% green tea. Sencha tea has a delicate flavor profile with sweet and bright earthy notes, making it an easily drinkable beverage. Rishi sources their sencha tea from Kyushu Island in southern Japan, and each box contains 15 sachets filled with organic sencha green tea leaves,” describes VeryWellFit.
Rishi Tea Sencha Green Tea
“Sencha is a Japanese green tea that’s easy to identify by its long, thin leaves and easy to drink throughout the day thanks to its moderate caffeine content. It can contain a range of flavors but typically leans toward the grassier, vegetal side. Rishi Tea’s sencha strikes a great balance with a predominantly hearty taste that’s underlined by a light sweetness,” says The Spruce Eats.
“Mild in both its flavor and its caffeine content, the Rishi Tea Sencha Organic Green Tea is a great choice for beginners and enthusiasts alike. This is a great tea to have on hand for sipping and savoring, whether for comfort on a cold day or iced to help hydrate yourself for a workout session. We love it for the great value, the earthy taste, and the sustainable business practices, right down to the eco-friendly packaging,” writes Active.
The runner-up spot goes to Vahdam Green Tea. If you’re skeptical of green tea, this is our pick for an easy first try. “What set it apart was a very subtle smokiness that half the group could taste and disliked and the other half couldn’t even pick up on (which is just proof that our palates really are so different!). This inconsistency resulted in a lack of unanimity, but a cup we’d all, at the end of the day, put our pinkies up for,” notes Today.
Vahdam Green Tea
“If you prefer loose-leaf, try this green tea, hand-picked in the Himalayan region of India. We love that the packaging is certified carbon- and plastic-neutral (meaning every time the company emits carbon or uses plastic, they remove the same amount from the environment),” explains MBG Food.
“This product is incredibly smooth with a rich yet mellow taste that even the pickiest tea drinker will love. The leaves are packaged in thin, spacious bags so there’s enough space in the tea bag for the leaves to unfurl, leading to a better infusion and providing a richer taste. The sealed bag is great for keeping the aroma and freshness locked in the tea leaves for longer,” comments Cuisine At Home.
Choice Organics Jasmine Green Tea has the honor of the third spot on our list, with a perfectly balanced and not at all overpowering flavor. “A cup of Choice Organics Jasmine Green Tea is a lovely way to begin the day (or finish it!). It’s a delicate blend of green tea and jasmine flower aroma. The green tea mix is flavored with a delicate scent of sweetness from the jasmine petals. Comparatively, the caffeine content of eight ounces of coffee is roughly 90 mg, whereas each green tea bag will offer you about 30 mg. And you can be assured that you’re consuming a healthy beverage. Featuring all-natural and with only the finest ingredients, the tea offers a healthy alternative to sugary beverages,” observes The Street.
Choice Organics Jasmine Green Tea
“The caffeine level is perfect, and after experimenting with steep times, it never becomes bitter like the other green tea brands. Everyone loved the jasmine flavor and agreed that it struck the perfect balance and wasn’t too strong. Some of us preferred to drink it without any additions because the jasmine was the perfect touch, but others found that it tasted even better with lemon and either honey or agave,” notes Eat This, Not That!
“This green tea is super fragrant while it steeps, but don’t let that trick you into thinking that it’s going to go down like a bottle of grandma’s perfume. Of all the jasmine teas we tasted, this one had the most pleasant and harmonious floral flavor by far. Rather than masking the tea, the jasmine really complements the pleasant-tasting green tea. I definitely still want bath products that smell like this, but it’s nice that it doesn’t only taste like something you’d soak in,” writes Sporked.
The fourth spot is dedicated to Bigelow’s Classic Green Tea. An always trusty pick if you’re in a bind at your local grocery store. “Green tea can be expensive, depending on the variety and brand. Bigelow Classic Green Tea offers an affordable alternative. Their green tea leaves are hand-picked from high elevated gardens, and each tea bag is packaged in a foil packet to protect it from air, moisture, and other aromas that might affect the flavor,” explains VeryWellFit.
Bigelow Classic Green Tea
“Bigelow was one of the most potent of the pack, but it had a nuttiness and slight bitterness that made it rank a bit lower than others. We did appreciate, however, how green tea-forward the bag was, making it an ideal option for green tea baking (if matcha is too intense). All in all, it was solid,” says Today.
“The great thing about the Bigelow Green Tea is that it’s packed with essential antioxidants, making it a complete delight for your taste buds as well as a healthy choice to improve your heart health. And, since it’s available in five varieties — classic, organic, green tea with ginger, matcha green tea with turmeric, and a variety pack with even more flavors to choose from — you’re sure to find one that suits you. Or maybe get all the flavors and try them all,” comments Cuisine At Home.
Last but certainly not least is Twinings Green Tea. A fairly popular brand that sometimes goes overlooked, “I was quite shocked to find Twinings on this list since it’s not typically my go-to tea brand, but everyone agreed that it was exactly what they need when a craving for a straight-up, no-frills cup of green tea strikes. They also said it was light enough to drink multiple cups of while not becoming bitter if left to steep for too long. Though typically a proud dissenter, I couldn’t help but agree, which means I have yet another brand to keep in mind while shopping,” reports Today.
Twinings Green Tea
“The classics stay classic for a reason, and this tasty blend is no different. If you are looking for the grassy, slightly tannic flavors that are associated with a strong green tea, then this is your best bet,” describes Delish.
“This green tea is sourced directly from Zhejiang Province, which is located on the southeastern coast of China. This province has a humid subtropical climate with the perfect combination of sunshine and rain to yield smooth, fresh, and natural-tasting tea. So, with this pick, you know you’ll be getting something special,” concludes Cuisine At Home.
What makes a quality green tea?
So you might be left wondering why some green teas are considered higher quality than others? There are plenty of factors that separate these higher-end teas from others. The best green teas often come from regions with ideal climate and soil conditions. Traditional areas in China and Japan, for instance, are renowned for their high-quality green tea.
The way the tea leaves are processed significantly affects quality too. Handpicked leaves, gentle steaming (for Japanese teas) or pan-firing (for Chinese teas), and careful drying are signs of high-quality processing. Good storage conditions are vital to maintain quality. Exposure to air, light, or moisture can degrade the tea. Freshness also plays a role – the sooner the tea is consumed after processing, the better its quality.
Generally, but not always, higher quality green teas are more expensive due to the care in cultivation and processing.
Here are some additional tips to consider if you’re looking to become a true green tea connoisseur:
Whole Leaf Wonders: Ditch the dust and broken bits! Look for loose leaf teas with whole, vibrant leaves. They offer superior flavor, aroma, and antioxidant potential.
Freshness First: Time is of the essence! Green tea loses its magic over time. Seek out recently harvested teas, ideally within a year, for peak flavor and potency.
Origin Story: Explore the world! Different regions produce vastly different green teas. Japanese Sencha offers grassy notes, Chinese Dragonwell boasts nuttiness, while Gunpowder from China delivers a smoky punch.
Brewing Brilliance:
Temperature Talk: Respect the delicate leaves! Use lower water temperatures (70-80°C) for Sencha and Gyokuro, slightly higher (80-90°C) for Dragonwell and Gunpowder.
Steeping Secrets: Time matters! Shorter steeps (30-60 seconds) for lighter teas, longer steeps (2-3 minutes) for bolder varieties. Over-steeping leads to bitterness, so keep an eye on the clock!
Water Wisdom: Pure, filtered water is your friend. Hard water can negatively impact the taste and color of your tea.
The Sensory Symphony:
Color Cues: A vibrant green or jade hue is a good sign. Brown or yellow leaves indicate age or improper processing.
Aromatic Allure: Breathe deep! Fresh green tea should offer subtle aromas of grass, seaweed, or even fruitiness. Avoid musty or pungent scents.
Flavor Fireworks: Each sip should be a unique journey. Look for complex, layered flavors like fresh grass, toasted nuts, seaweed, or floral notes. Avoid bitterness or astringency, which can indicate over-steeping or poor quality.
Beyond the Basics:
Organic Matters: Consider organic, ethically sourced teas. This supports sustainable farming practices and ensures higher quality leaves.
Flavor Fusion: Experiment! Green tea pairs beautifully with fruits, herbs, even spices. Discover your own signature blend.
Mindful Moments: Make brewing a ritual. Savor the process, the aromas, the warm cup in your hands. Green tea is more than just a drink; it’s a moment of mindful escape.
High cholesterol levels in adolescence can cause structural and functional cardiac damage leading to premature heart damage and death, but a new study finds earlier checks could prevent 20-percent of the adult population developing preventable heart problems.
Conducted in collaboration between the University of Exeter, University of Bristol, and the University of Eastern Finland, results are published in Atherosclerosis. The current study used data from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90’s cohort, also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
According to the World Health Organization cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, killing more than 17.9 million people every year. This new research has found elevated cholesterol and dyslipidaemia in children and adolescents increases the risk of premature death by their mid-40s and heart issues such as subclinical atherosclerosis in their mid-20s.
Dr Andrew Agbaje of the University of Exeter led the study and says these findings show earlier cholesterol checks are needed. He said: “We are seeing the first evidence of the catastrophic effects of elevated cholesterol levels on the heart more than two decades before the age of 40 – which is when current health guidelines recommend cholesterol check. Waiting until the age of 40 years might result in one in five of the adult population developing preventable heart problems.
“To reduce the risk of dyslipidaemia, experts have proposed universal paediatric lipid screening including the potential adoption of an ‘adolescent cholesterol passport’ to help track the increase in cholesterol levels and initiate a timely preventive treatment in the young population. Our recent studies are now contributing stronger evidence that may facilitate a healthier heart. Therefore, public health experts, paediatricians, parents, and health policymakers should encourage early cholesterol checks, especially in the teenage years.”
In total, the data of 1,595 adolescents (955 female) was analysed. The adolescents were 17 years old at baseline and they were followed up for seven years until young adulthood at age 24. Cholesterol levels and evidence of heart damage were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Signs of heart structure damage are left ventricular hypertrophy and high relative wall thickness, whereas signs of heart function damage are left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and increased left ventricular filling pressure.
With extensive control for fat mass, muscle mass, insulin, glucose, inflammation, blood pressure, smoking status, sedentary time, physical activity, socio-economic status, and family history of cardiovascular disease, and using adults’ cut points for diagnosing heart damage, it was observed that increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels increased the risk of premature heart damage by 18 to 20-percent. Whereas increased triglycerides doubled and tripled the risk of early structural and functional heart damage within seven years.
These results were seen both among adolescents with normal weight and among those considered overweight or obese. Some of these results were also seen among those with normal blood pressure and those with elevated blood pressure. The findings also revealed that both males and females were affected alike. It was discovered that while increased cholesterol contributed 30-percent to the direct damage of the heart, both increased fat mass and blood pressure indirectly contributed 40-percent to heart damage. The remaining 30-percent could be explained by genetics and sedentary time.
Dr Andrew Agbaje of the University of Exeter said: “Recently we discovered that increased sedentary time from childhood contributed 70-percent of the increase in cholesterol level before mid-20s and that engaging in light physical activity can completely reverse elevated cholesterol and dyslipidaemia. Taken together, these findings suggest that being sedentary is at the root of health problems and childhood and adolescent sedentariness is a one-way ticket for cardiovascular diseases and death.”
Most people who smoke started smoking when they were teenagers. Those who have friends and/or parents who smoke are more likely to start smoking than those who don’t. Some teenagers say that they “just wanted to try it,” or they thought it was “cool” to smoke.
The tobacco industry’s ads, price breaks, and other promotions for its products are a big influence in our society. The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars each year to create and market ads that show smoking as exciting, glamorous, and safe. Tobacco use is also shown in video games, online, and on TV. And movies showing people smoking are another big influence. Studies show that young people who see smoking in movies are more likely to start smoking.
A newer influence on tobacco use is the e-cigarette and other high-tech, fashionable electronic “vaping” devices. Often wrongly seen as harmless, and easier to get and use than traditional tobacco products, these devices are a way for new users to learn how to inhale and become addicted to nicotine, which can prepare them for smoking.
Who is most likely to become addicted?
Anyone who starts using tobacco can become addicted to nicotine. Studies show that smoking is most likely to become a habit during the teen years. The younger you are when you begin to smoke, the more likely you are to become addicted to nicotine.
According to the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report (SGR), nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke started before age 18, and nearly all started by age 26. The report estimates that about 3 out of 4 high school students who smoke will become adults who smoke – even if they intend to quit in a few years.
Is smoking tobacco really addictive?
Addiction is marked by the repeated, compulsive seeking or use of a substance despite its harmful effects and unwanted consequences. Addiction is mental or emotional dependence on a substance. Nicotine is the known addictive substance in tobacco. Regular use of tobacco products leads to addiction in many users. Nicotine is a drug that occurs naturally in tobacco and it’s thought to be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.
How nicotine affects you
Nicotine and other chemicals in tobacco smoke are easily absorbed into the blood through the lungs. From there, nicotine quickly spreads throughout the body.
When taken in small amounts, nicotine causes pleasant feelings and distracts the user from unpleasant feelings. This makes the tobacco user want to use more. It acts on the chemistry of the brain and central nervous system, affecting mood. Nicotine works very much like other addicting drugs, by flooding the brain’s reward circuits with a chemical called dopamine. Nicotine also gives a little bit of an adrenaline rush – not enough to notice, but enough to speed up the heart and raise blood pressure.
Nicotine reaches the brain within seconds after taking a puff, and its effects start to wear off within a few minutes. The user may start to feel irritated and edgy. Usually it doesn’t reach the point of serious withdrawal symptoms, but the person using the product gets more uncomfortable over time. This is what most often leads the person to light up again. At some point, the person uses tobacco, the unpleasant feelings go away, and the cycle continues. If the person doesn’t smoke again soon, withdrawal symptoms get worse over time.
As the body adapts to nicotine, people who use it tend to increase the amount of tobacco they use. This raises the amount of nicotine in their blood, and more tobacco is needed to get the same effect. This is called tolerance. Over time, a certain nicotine level is reached and the person will need to keep up the usage to keep the level of nicotine within a comfortable range.
People who smoke can quickly become dependent on nicotine and suffer physical and emotional (mental or psychological) withdrawal symptoms when they stop smoking. These symptoms include irritability, nervousness, headaches, and trouble sleeping. The true mark of addiction, though, is that people still smoke even though they know smoking is bad for them – affecting their lives, their health, and their families in unhealthy ways. In fact, most people who smoke want to quit.
Researchers are also looking at other chemicals in tobacco that make it hard to quit. In the brains of animals, tobacco smoke causes chemical changes that are not fully explained by the effects of nicotine.
The average amount of nicotine in one regular cigarette is about 1 to 2 milligrams (mg). The amount you actually take in depends on how you smoke, how many puffs you take, how deeply you inhale, and other factors.
How powerful is nicotine addiction?
About 2 out of 3 of people who smoke say they want to quit and about half try to quit each year, but few succeed without help. This is because they not only become physically dependent on nicotine. There’s also a strong emotional (psychological) dependence. Nicotine affects behavior, mood, and emotions. If a person uses tobacco to help manage unpleasant feelings and emotions, it can become a problem for some when they try to quit. Someone who smokes may link smoking with social activities and many other activities, too. All of these factors make smoking a hard habit to break.
In fact, it may be harder to quit smoking than to stop using cocaine or opiates like heroin. In 2012, researchers reviewed 28 different studies of people who were trying to quit using the substance they were addicted to. They found that about 18% were able to quit drinking, and more than 40% were able to quit opiates or cocaine, but only 8% were able to quit smoking.
What about nicotine in other tobacco products?
Nicotine in cigars
People who inhale cigar smoke absorb nicotine through their lungs as quickly as people who smoke cigarettes. For those who don’t inhale, the nicotine is absorbed more slowly through the lining of the mouth. This means people who smoke cigars can get the desired dose of nicotine without inhaling the smoke directly into their lungs.
Most full-size cigars have as much nicotine as several cigarettes. Cigarettes contain an average of about 8 milligrams (mg) of nicotine, but only deliver about 1 to 2 mg of nicotine. Many popular brands of larger cigars have between 100 and 200 mg, or even as many as 444 mg of nicotine. The amount of nicotine a cigar delivers to a person who smokes can vary a great deal, even among people smoking the same type of cigar. How much nicotine is taken in depends on things like:
How long the person smokes the cigar
How many puffs are taken
Whether the smoke is inhaled
Given these factors and the large range of cigar sizes, it’s almost impossible to make good estimates of the amounts of nicotine larger cigars deliver.
Small cigars that are the size and shape of cigarettes have about the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette. If these are smoked like cigarettes (inhaled), they would be expected to deliver a similar amount of nicotine – 1 to 2 mg.
Nicotine in smokeless tobacco
Smokeless tobacco delivers a high dose of nicotine. Nicotine enters the bloodstream from the mouth or nose and is carried to every part of your body.
Nicotine in smokeless tobacco is measured in milligrams (mg) of nicotine per gram (g) of tobacco. It’s been found to vary greatly, for instance as much as 4 to 25 mg/g for moist snuff, 11 to 25 mg/g for dry snuff, and 3 to 40 mg/g for chew tobacco. Other factors that affect the amount of nicotine a person gets include things like:
Brand of tobacco
Product pH level (how acidic it is)
Amount chewed
Cut of tobacco
Still, blood levels of nicotine have been shown to be much the same when comparing people who smoke cigarettes to those who use smokeless tobacco.
Nicotine in non-combusted products
Non-combusted tobacco products come in various forms and are used in different ways. Non-combusted products contain nicotine and can lead to nicotine addiction.
Non-combusted (heat-not-burn) cigarettes have a heating source and tobacco. The tobacco is heated to a lower temperature than a regular (combustible) cigarette. The heat creates an aerosol that is inhaled by the user.
Dissolvable tobacco products are edible. They can be lozenges, strips, gummies, or sticks. They can be easily hidden and can look like candy.
Nicotine gels are tobacco products that are rubbed on, and absorbed by, the skin.
Nicotine in e-cigarettes
The e-liquid in most e-cigarettes (vapes) contains nicotine. However, nicotine levels are not the same in all types of e-cigarettes, and sometimes product labels do not list the true nicotine content.
There are some e-cigarette brands that claim to be nicotine-free but have been found to contain nicotine.
Why is it so hard to quit tobacco?
Stopping or cutting back on tobacco causes symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Withdrawal is both physical and mental. Physically, your body is reacting to the absence of nicotine. Mentally, you are faced with giving up a habit, which calls for a major change in behavior. Emotionally, you might feel like as if you’ve lost your best friend. Studies have shown that smokeless tobacco users have as much trouble giving up tobacco as people who want to quit smoking cigarettes.
People who have used tobacco regularly for a few weeks or longer will have withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop or greatly reduce the amount they use. There’s no danger in nicotine withdrawal, but the symptoms can be uncomfortable. They usually start within a few hours and peak about 2 to 3 days later when most of the nicotine and its by-products are out of the body. Withdrawal symptoms can last a few days to up to several weeks. They get better every day that a person stays tobacco-free.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following:
Dizziness (which may last a day or 2 after quitting)
Depression
Feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger
Anxiety
Irritability
Trouble sleeping, including trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares
Trouble concentrating
Restlessness or boredom
Headaches
Tiredness
Increased appetite
Weight gain
Slower heart rate
Constipation and gas
Cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip
Chest tightness
These symptoms can lead a person to start using tobacco again to boost blood levels of nicotine and stop symptoms.
It’s never too late to quit using tobacco. The sooner you quit, the more you can reduce your chances of getting cancer and other diseases.
Within minutes of smoking your last cigarette, your body begins to recover:
15 years after quitting
Your risk of coronary heart disease is close to that of a non-smoker.
These are just a few of the health benefits of quitting smoking for good, but there are others, too.
Quitting smoking lowers your risk of other cancers over time as well, including cancers of the stomach, pancreas, liver, cervix, and colon and rectum, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Quitting also lowers your risk of diabetes, helps your blood vessels work better, and helps your heart and lungs.
Quitting smoking can also add as much as 10 years to your life, compared to if you continued to smoke. Quitting while you’re younger can reduce your health risks more (for example, quitting before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%), but quitting at any age can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.
Are there other benefits of quitting that I’ll notice right away?
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some other rewards that you’ll notice right away and some that will show up over time.
Right away you’ll save the money you spent on tobacco. And here are just a few other benefits you may notice:
Food tastes better.
Your sense of smell returns to normal.
Your breath, hair, and clothes smell better.
Your teeth and fingernails stop yellowing.
Ordinary activities (for example, climbing stairs or light housework) leave you less out of breath.
You can be in smoke-free buildings without having to go outside to smoke.
Quitting also helps stop the damaging effects of tobacco on how you look, including premature wrinkling of your skin, gum disease, and tooth loss.
People often use hair care products to keep their hair healthy and lustrous, but are these products really safe? According to the alarming results of one study, some hair care products often contain decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, a volatile compound more commonly known as D5.
In many countries, particularly those in the European Union (EU), the amount of D5 that can be used in products is limited because the compound has been found in aquatic ecosystems and marine life.
D5 also has lubricating properties. The ingredient gives a slippery and silky feeling when applied to the skin and hair, and it allows a product to spread more easily. This is why D5 is used in medical implants, lubricants, sealants and windshield coatings.
Details of the study were published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. D5, also known as cyclopentasiloxane, is used in different personal care products, such as:
Antiperspirant
Concealer
Deodorant
Eyeliner
Eye shadow
Foundation
Hair conditioner
Hair detangling products
Hair spray
Hairstyling gel and lotion
Lipstick
Moisturizer with SPF
Shampoo
Sunscreen
Waterproof mascara
D5 can harm the respiratory tract, liver and nervous system
The scientists who conducted the study reported that D5 has been found to “lead to adverse effects on the respiratory tract, liver, and nervous system of laboratory animals.”
Unlike the EU, the U.S. is not restricted in its use of D5 in personal care products. Because of this, a research team made up of experts from Indiana University and Purdue University tried to find out what, if any, amount of D5 is safe, particularly in indoor settings.
The study findings revealed that common leave-in hair care products expose people to a potentially toxic amount of D5. The exposure also increases when using appliances like hair straighteners. (Related: 7 TOXIC ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products.)
Researchers conducted the study in a specially controlled environment at Purdue University called the “Zero Energy Design Guidance for Engineers” (zEDGE).
zEDGE is a tiny house that allowed the researchers to control the air temperature, humidity and ventilation in different rooms, including the bathroom.
During 46 experiments, the scientists instructed the volunteers, who were between the ages of 18 and 65, to go through their typical hair care routine within the zEDGE under different air environments.
Using the zEDGE, the research team would make changes such as turning the exhaust fan on high, opening windows and venting air to the outside.
According to initial measurements, the study participants could inhale up to 20 milligrams (mg) of D5 per 20-minute hair session in a room without ventilation.
The researchers also reported that the volunteers with longer hair were exposed to 2.5 to 5.4 more emissions than individuals with short hair. Additionally, if the volunteers used appliances to heat their hair, exposure increased.
The worst offender was hair straighteners, which increased an individual’s exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by 145 percent, versus a curling iron, which increased exposure by at least 65 percent.
To avoid exposure, the scientists recommended avoiding the products altogether.
If this isn’t an option, they said the next best solution would be to run an exhaust fan while using such products. The researchers explained that turning on a fan could reduce peak exposure by at least 70 percent, and the concentration is reduced by up to 95 percent after 20 minutes.
However, even using a fan has disadvantages. The researchers said that exposure to the chemicals didn’t stop with the person who coifed their hair.
Depending on the ventilation system, other people, including those outdoors and in urban environments, could be at risk for exposure to VOCs, particularly D5.
While past research showed that wash-off products containing D5 are not toxic to humans, animals or aquatic organisms, the silicone-based chemical can also accumulate.
The EU has enforced a strict limit on D5 because of how much it accumulates in the water. Experts have voiced their concerns because the chemical bioaccumulates through the food chain once it builds up in a body of water.
Fresh pieces of aloe vera. The peels of this plant can be used as a natural pesticide against harmful insects, research suggests. Copyright: Marco Verch, (CC BY 2.0).
Speed read
Aloe peels have bioactive compounds that can ward off bugs
Findings may offer new use for peels that are usually discarded as waste
Could be catalyst for organic farming and traditional medicine
[NEW DELHI] The discarded peels of aloe vera can be used as a natural pesticide, helping farmers protect staple food crops from harmful insects, research suggests.
Globally, between 20 and 40 per cent of crop yields are lost to pests, which has a direct impact on food security and nutrition, according to CABI (the parent organisation of SciDev.Net).
Aloe vera is a stemless, cactus-like plant that is widely cultivated in Australia, China, India, Jamaica, Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania and the US. Its gel-like substance is used to heal wounds, sunburns, and skin diseases, and to prevent baldness.
However, aloe vera peels or rinds are considered worthless and usually disposed of as agricultural waste.
“By repurposing the leftover aloe peels that are currently discarded, aloe production can be made more sustainable and contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Debasish Bandyopadhyay, chemistry professor, University of Texas RGV
“It’s likely that millions of tonnes of aloe peels are disposed of globally every year,” says Debasish Bandyopadhyay, an assistant professor in chemistry at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, US, and principal investigator on a study to find ways to add value to aloe while reducing waste.
At a meeting of the American Chemical Society this month (17 August), Bandyopadhyay and his colleagues showed how aloe vera peels can act as a natural insecticide, staving off insects from crops such as maize or millet.
“We proved that [aloe] vera rinds’ derived extracts act as a feeding deterrent and eventually kill agricultural pests,” Bandyopadhyay tells SciDev.Net.
He explains that insects do not like aloe vera peels as it contains phytochemicals (chemicals produced by plants) that are toxic for them.
“Insects may be harmed or killed by natural substances contained in aloe peels,” he adds.
“Exposure to these compounds can cause discomfort, illness or even disruptions in an insect’s ability to travel, eat and reproduce.”
The researchers became interested in the potential use of aloe peels as insecticide after visiting a site where they noticed that insects left aloe leaves alone while attacking the leaves of other plants. They hypothesised that aloe peels have specific defence chemicals.
To investigate, they collected and dried out the peels and then produced extracts from the peels with substances such as dichloromethane (DCM), hexane and methanol.
Univera’s aloe farm in Tampico, Mexico. Researchers have become interested in the potential use of aloe peels in insecticide production. Photo by UNIVERA (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Their experiments showed that the DCM extract of aloe peels had substantial insect-killing properties against farm pests, as did six other compounds from the peels.
Significantly, the compounds did not show toxic properties, suggesting that aloe-peel-based insecticide wouldn’t have significant safety concerns for people.
“By repurposing the leftover aloe peels that are currently discarded, aloe production can be made more sustainable and contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Bandyopadhyay tells SciDev.Net, citing Zero Hunger as an example.
Economic potential
Chiranjib Chakraborty, a professor at the School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University in Kolkata, India, believes the findings have huge economic potential and could help promote organic farming and traditional plant medicines.
“The world is now looking at organic farming,” he tells SciDev.Net.
He believes the research findings could support a shift to a more sustainable farming and replacement of chemical-based practice in millions of farms devoted to rice, wheat, maize and millet.
According to a 2021 review published in the journal Molecules, indiscriminate and prolonged use of synthetic pesticides leads to human health issues, water, air and soil contamination, and pest resistance.
Plant-derived pesticides, which are cheap and eco-friendly, are an important alternative to synthetic pesticides, protecting the environment and human health and enhancing crop production.
Chakraborty believes the study opens up avenues for research on other traditional medicinal plants to find scientific evidence of the purported beneficial properties.
Before we get to the deep dive (below), which I know you will totally appreciate, let’s start with the BENEFITS of Sauna!
Personally, I adore sitting in a sauna and do it very often. When you sit in your infrared sauna…you’ll love the relaxing warmth, the way it soothes your muscles and boosts your happiness…and the knowledge that you’re doing something EXCELLENT for your health.
And a growing amount of evidence shows saunas to be a POWERFUL force for health—that can trigger your body’s natural HEALING and ANTI-AGING mechanisms. What benefits can you expect?
Let’s Start With Stress! Saunas have been traditionally used to ease stress and produce feelings of relaxation. Saunas feel good. Sitting in your sauna, in the comfort and privacy of your own home, will calm you like nothing else can. Stress is literally killing us. Sadly, a heart attack happens every 43 seconds in the U.S. Stress is also linked to the 6 most deadly diseases, including stroke and high blood pressure.
Cardiovascular Health: In 1981, the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that: “Regular use of a sauna may impart similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and its regular use may be as effective as a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning calories as regular exercise.(1)
In addition, a large study conducted in Finland showed saunas to be beneficial for preventing cardiovascular deaths. In the study, compared to men who never use the sauna, frequent sauna users (4-7 times per week) were 50% less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes.(2)
Weight Loss: Did you know the science says that you can burn up to 600 calories in one 30-minute sauna session? YES! According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.(3)
Saunas heat your core body temperature, increasing your blood flow and heart rate (much like exercise)—which has been shown to help you lose weight. Research conducted by Binghamton University found that, on average, participants who spent a 45-minute session in an infrared sauna 3 times a week lost 4% body fat in 16 weeks.(4)
Detoxification: Sweat is one of the major elimination channels for toxins. Heat above 160 degrees also causes the body to produce heat shock proteins, which help detoxify your body at the cellular level. Many doctors recommend saunas for supporting your body’s natural detoxification systems.
In fact, toxicologists have shown that sweating is a major method of excreting pesticides(5) and toxic metals(6), including cadmium, lead, and aluminum.
By using the sauna repeatedly, high mercury levels can be reduced to normal.(7)
Studies have also shown that saunas can help rid the body of Bisphenol A (BPA).(8)
Additionally, sauna therapy has proven to be useful for people with mold exposure and mycotoxins.(9)
Immune System: Infrared saunas raise your body temperature, inducing an artificial fever. This “fake fever” stimulates the immune system, resulting in an increased production of disease-fighting white blood cells and antibodies. A 1% increase in body temperature results in a 40% increase in immunity, according to Nobuhiro Yoshimizu, MD, PhD.(10)
In fact, research shows that regular sauna use can lead to significantly fewer incidences of the common cold!(11)
Beauty Benefits: A study published in The Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy showed significant improvements in skin appearance after regular near-infrared use.(12) Participants in the study experienced a reduction in wrinkles and crow’s feet, as well as improved overall skin tone, including softness, smoothness, elasticity, clarity, and firmness.
And many people report healthier skin and fewer skin issues with regular sauna use, such as:
Improved tone and texture
Greater elasticity
Wrinkle reduction
Improved stretch marks and cellulite
Treating and preventing acne
When you get out of your sauna, expect your skin to be pink, and thousands of pores cleansed of impurities. But that’s not all…
That’s only some proven benefits research is finding for sauna use. Other papers and clinical trials report impressive improvements in:
Pain(13)
Inflammation(14)
Arthritis(15)
Improved Sleep(16)
Mood Disorders(17)
Improved quality of life for diabetes(18)
Reduced risk of stroke(19)
Yes, it’s quickly becoming more common – and largely accepted – that during your lifetime, you’ll experience declining health. Almost as if there was an expectation to suffer from one or more of these issues, among others: joint or back pain and stiffness, brain fog or cognitive decline, thinning bones, or being diagnosed with various health challenges.
As you may know, exercise and eating a balanced diet are 2 essential pillars that can help you age gracefully – But did you know that another is…HEAT?
And – one powerful way you can experience the profound healing of heat is with an INFRARED SAUNA – a place where you can truly relax in your own home. A sauna engages your body’s NATURAL healing and health-supporting mechanisms using heat, and healing infrared rays.
A sauna is beneficial in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:
Enhanced weight loss
Pain relief
Detoxifying
Clearer and healthier skin
Heart health
Boosts immunity
Improved mental health
Reduced inflammation …and MORE
In fact, there is a growing amount of evidence that shows saunas to be a POWERFUL health force that can trigger your body’s natural healing and anti-aging mechanisms.
In summary, let’s be honest, we all could use a little more relaxation and detoxification – and sweat happens to be one of the major elimination channels for toxins. Actually, heat above 160 degrees also triggers the body to produce heat shock proteins, which helps to detoxify your body at the cellular level.
That’s only some of the PROVEN benefits research is finding for regular sauna use.
We promote a handful of sauna companies several times a year. Be sure to watch your email – we’ll always say SAUNA in the subject line to let you know when we have a special VIP Q&A event on this powerful health restorative.
Sweating stands as a powerful “incentive” behind many human inventions. From the creation of air conditioning and deodorants to the popularity of shorts and moisture-wicking fabrics, numerous innovations have emerged to address the challenges posed by perspiration. Simply put, manufacturers tend to put a negative spin on the act of sweating.
Unfortunately, while sweating is known to play a pivotal role in cooling our bodies, its broader benefits often remain overlooked. Beyond merely evaporating water to reduce body heat, sweating offers a range of systemic advantages that enhance our overall well-being.
In the following exploration, we’ll delve deeper into the multifaceted benefits of sweating and consider why embracing it might be a valuable addition to our lives.
The sweaty secret to detoxifying your body from heavy metals and toxins
When your pores expand to release sweat, their function extends beyond temperature regulation. The skin accumulates various toxic substances, making it a conduit for exposure to pathogens and harmful compounds.
Although the epidermis acts as a protective barrier, preventing many toxins from entering our system, some inevitably penetrate. Whether through ingestion or everyday encounters, sweat plays a vital role in expelling a significant portion of these toxins. Notably, heavy metals, like cadmium, are more concentrated in sweat than in blood or urine, suggesting sweating as a primary elimination route for such contaminants.
Given that heavy metals and toxins can build up in tissues, leading to pervasive and lasting harm, effective detoxification methods become crucial. This becomes especially pertinent for those residing or working in environments predisposed to heavy metal exposure.
Can sweating improve immune function?
While sweat itself and the act of sweating do not boost your immune system to fight off a cold, there is an innately immune-boosting aspect to perspiration. Your sweat glands release antimicrobial compounds that inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and viruses on the surface of the skin. Dermatitis, for instance, is often caused by a mild fungal infection and sweating can help alleviate the itchiness and occurrence of types of dermatitis.
Additionally, the method by which you are sweating – specifically if you are exercising – does actually have immune-boosting effects. Exercise helps move blood and lymphatic fluid and can help mobilize your body’s immune system in response to an infection.
How to get the most out of sweating
One of the easiest ways to increase your sweating is to exercise. Physical activity has innumerable health benefits, from cardiovascular strengthening to improved immune function, mental clarity, libido, anti-aging effects, longevity, anti-cancer effects, and so on. If you want to start getting the benefits of a good sweat today, try walking, cycling or even playing some pickleball. The key here is to have fun and dress warm enough (in layers) to generate a good sweat. Keep in mind, when dressed in layers, your exercise intensity can be mild and still generate plenty of sweat.
Saunas are another way to get a good sweat in every day. Most gyms or bathhouses have saunas or some type of sweat room you can utilize for your health. Some studies suggest that the act of sweating helps make your blood vessels more pliable, able to react and dilate better when blood flow is occluded. There is even ample evidence that saunas can help reduce the risk of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases later on in life.
Even something as simple as adding spiciness to your food – such as hot peppers or cayenne – can induce sweating, add flavor, and have positive health benefits.
Embrace the sweat!
While sweating might feel bothersome, especially on scorching summer days prompting multiple showers, it offers health advantages that often go unnoticed. Instead of feeling vexed by those damp shirts, consider the benefits: you’re expelling toxins and creating an environment hostile to microbes on your skin.
Smoking shrinks the human brain, and once that brain mass is lost then it’s gone for good, a new study warns.
Brain scans from more than 32,000 people strongly link a history of smoking with a gradual loss of brain volume. In fact, the more packs a person smoked per day, the smaller their brain volume, researchers found.
The study also establishes the potential series of events that leads to smoking-related brain loss, with a genetic predisposition to smoking eventually causing decreased brain volume.
“It sounds bad, and it is bad,” said senior study author Laura Bierut, a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
“A reduction in brain volume is consistent with increased aging,” Bierut added in a university news release. “This is important as our population gets older, because aging and smoking are both risk factors for dementia.”
The study, published recently in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, helps explain previous studies that have found smokers at higher risk for age-related brain decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
“Up until recently, scientists have overlooked the effects of smoking on the brain, in part because we were focused on all the terrible effects of smoking on the lungs and the heart,” Bierut said. “But as we’ve started looking at the brain more closely, it’s become apparent that smoking is also really bad for your brain.”
Scientists have long known that smoking and smaller brain volume are linked, but they haven’t been able to figure out which causes the other. There’s also a third factor to consider — genetics. Both brain size and smoking behavior are influenced by genetics; in fact, about half a person’s risk of smoking can be attributed to their genes.
To untangle the relationship, Bierut and her colleagues analyzed smoking history, genetic data and brain scans on more than 32,000 people gathered as part of a large United Kingdom database that contains info on half a million people.
Analysis revealed that a person’s genetic predisposition leads to smoking, and smoking then causes a decline in brain volume.
Unfortunately, the shrinkage seems to be irreversible. The brains of people who had quit smoking years before remained permanently smaller than those of people who never smoked, data show.
“You can’t undo the damage that has already been done, but you can avoid causing further damage,” said lead researcher Yoonhoo Chang, a graduate student at Washington University. “Smoking is a modifiable risk factor. There’s one thing you can change to stop aging your brain and putting yourself at increased risk of dementia, and that’s to quit smoking.”
Heart failure sounds frightening because it sounds like the heart just stops working. Do not be discouraged by the term heart failure. Heart failure means the tissues of the body are temporarily not receiving as much blood and oxygen as needed.
There are two types of heart failure, systolic and diastolic.
Systolic heart failure: This condition occurs when the pumping action of the heart is reduced or weakened. A common clinical measurement is ejection fraction (EF). The ejection fraction is a calculation of how much blood is ejected out of the left ventricle (stroke volume) divided by the maximum volume remaining in the left ventricle at the end of diastole, or when the heart is relaxed after filling with blood. A normal ejection fraction is greater than 55%. Systolic heart failure is diagnosed when the ejection fraction has significantly decreased below the threshold of 55%.
Diastolic heart failure: This condition occurs when the heart can contract normally but is stiff, or less compliant, when it is relaxing and filling with blood. The heart is unable to fill with blood properly, which produces backup into the lungs and heart failure symptoms. Diastolic heart failure is more common in patients older than 75 years of age, especially in patients with high blood pressure, and it is also more common in women. In diastolic heart failure, the ejection fraction is normal or increased.
About 5.7 million people in the United States have heart failure. The condition is more common among African Americans than Caucasians.
About 5 million people in the United States have heart failure.
About half of those with congestive heart failure die within five years after their diagnosis. These statistics vary widely, as a patient’s exact diagnosis and response to therapy play a large role in patient survival. Any questions about diagnoses and therapy should be discussed with the treating doctor or other health care professional.
With advancements in diagnosis and therapy for heart failure, patients are feeling better and living longer.
Advances in research are providing more options and improving outcomes for people with congestive heart failure.
What Is Congestive Heart Failure?
The heart is fundamentally a blood pump. It pumps blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The oxygenated blood returns to the left side of the heart. The left side of the heart then pumps blood into the circulatory system of blood vessels that carry blood throughout the body.
The heart consists of four chambers.
The two upper chambers are called atria and the two lower chambers are called ventricles.
The right atrium and right ventricle receive blood from the body through the veins and then pump the blood to the lungs.
The left atrium and left ventricle receive blood from the lungs and pump it out through the aorta into the arteries, which feed all organs and tissues of the body with oxygenated blood.
Because the left ventricle has to pump blood to the entire body, it is a stronger pump than the right ventricle.
Picture of congestive heart failure. The heart is a pump that works together with the lungs. The heart pumps blood from the veins through the lungs where oxygen is added and then moves it on to the arteries. This pumping action creates relatively high pressure in the arteries and low pressure in the veins. Image courtesy of Bryan Moss at Scott and White Hospital, and David A. Smith, MD.
Heart failure is an illness in which the pumping action of the heart becomes less and less powerful. When this happens, blood does not move efficiently through the circulatory system and starts to back up, increasing the pressure in the blood vessels and forcing fluid from the blood vessels into body tissues. Symptoms depend on which area of the body is most involved in the reduced pumping action.
When the left side of the heart (left ventricle) starts to fail, fluid collects in the lungs (edema). This extra fluid in the lungs (pulmonary congestion) makes it more difficult for the airways to expand as a person inhales. Breathing becomes more difficult and the person may feel short of breath, particularly with activity or when lying down.
When the right side of the heart (right ventricle) starts to fail, fluid begins to collect in the feet and lower legs. Puffy leg swelling (edema) is a sign of right heart failure, especially if the edema is pitting edema. With pitting edema, a finger pressed on the swollen leg leaves an imprint. Non-pitting edema is not caused by heart failure.
As the right heart failure worsens, the upper legs swell and eventually the abdomen collects fluid (ascites). Weight gain accompanies fluid retention and is a reliable measure of how much fluid is being retained.
Although heart failure is a serious medical condition, there are many causes and the outcome can vary from person to person. Heart failure may develop gradually over several years, or more quickly after a heart attack or a disease of the heart muscle. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is generally classified as systolic or diastolic heart failure and becomes progressively more common with increasing age. In addition, patients with risk factors for heart disease are more likely to develop congestive heart failure.
What Are Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms and Warning Signs?
Many people with heart disease notice symptoms during physical exertion or exercise.
People with congestive heart failure sometimes do not suspect a problem with their heart or have symptoms that may not obviously be from the heart.
Early symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, or a feeling of not being able to get a deep breath, especially when lying down.
If a person usually does not have breathing problems, they may think they have a cold, flu, or bronchitis.
Any or several of these above conditions may coexist along with congestive heart failure.
Congestive heart failure can have the following major symptoms and signs.
Exercise intolerance
A person may be unable to tolerate exercise or even mild physical exertion that he or she may have been able to do before. The body needs oxygen and other nutrients during physical activity. A failing heart cannot pump enough blood to provide these nutrients to the body.
The ability to exercise, or even to walk at a normal pace, may be limited by feeling tired (fatigue) and having shortness of breath.
Shortness of breath
If a person has congestive heart failure, he or she may have difficulty breathing (dyspnea), especially when he or she is active. Ordinary activities, such as sweeping or even walking around the house, may be difficult or impossible. The shortness of breath that accompanies these activities usually gets better with rest.
When congestive heart failure worsens, fluid backs up into the lungs and interferes with oxygen getting into the blood, causing dyspnea at rest and at night (orthopnea). If a person has congestive heart failure, he or she may awaken at night short of breath and have to sit or stand up to get relief. This condition is known as paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Several pillows may help with a more comfortable sleep. A person may also prefer sleeping in a recliner rather than in a bed. As the buildup of fluid in the lungs becomes very severe, a frothy, pink liquid may be coughed up.
Fluid retention and swelling
Puffy swelling (edema) in the legs, the feet, and the ankles may occur, particularly at the end of the day or after prolonged sitting. Often, the swelling is more noticeable in the ankles or on the lower leg in the front where the bone, the tibia, is close to the skin.
Pitting edema can occur when pressing down on the skin in the puffy areas. The indentation where the finger pressed may be visible for a few minutes. Pitting edema is not synonymous with heart failure; it can have other causes, including liver and kidney failure. Nonpitting edema is generally not caused by heart failure.
Swelling may be so severe as to reach up to the hips, scrotum, abdominal wall, and eventually, the abdominal cavity (ascites).
Daily weight checks are necessary in persons with heart failure because the amount of fluid retention is usually reflected by the amount of weight gain and increasing shortness of breath. Persons with heart failure should know their dry weight, which is what they weigh when they feel good with no pitting edema.
What Causes Congestive Heart Failure?
More common heart disease risk factors include high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease in a close blood relative, obesity, high blood pressure, smoking, and peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a syndrome that can be brought about by several causes. Congestive heart failure is a weakening of the heart caused by an underlying heart or blood vessel problem, or a combination of several different problems, including the following:
Blocked blood vessels supplying the heart muscle (coronary arteries), which may lead to a heart attack (This is known as ischemic cardiomyopathy. If there are other, noncoronary causes, these are collectively termed nonischemic cardiomyopathy.)
Infections, commonly viruses, which for unknown reasons affect the heart in only certain individuals
High blood pressure that results in thickening of the heart muscle (left ventricular hypertrophy)
Congenital heart diseases
Certain genetic diseases involving the heart
Prolonged, serious arrhythmias
A variety of less common disorders in which the heart muscle is infiltrated by a disease process
There are over a hundred other less common causes of heart failure, which include a variety of infections, exposures (such as radiation or chemotherapy), endocrine disorders (including thyroid disorders), complications of other diseases, toxic effects, and genetic predisposition. However, the cause of congestive heart failure is often idiopathic, or unknown. People who have diabetes are at increased risk for both ischemic and nonischemic heart failure.
Congestive heart failure may be exacerbated by the following lifestyle habits:
Unhealthy habits, such as smoking and excessive use of alcohol
High salt intake, which may cause more fluid retention
Noncompliance with medications and other therapies
Whether through disease and/or complicating lifestyle choices, the pumping action of the heart can be impaired by several physiologic mechanisms:
Direct heart muscle damage (cardiomyopathy): The heart muscle can become weak because of damage or disease and thus does not contract or squeeze as forcefully as it should. This damage to the muscle can occur from any of the diseases mentioned above, but sometimes, the cause is unknown.
Damage to heart muscle due to blockage: When the coronary blood supply is blocked, this results in a heart attack (myocardial infarction). A heart attack commonly causes severe pain in the chest, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, and/or a feeling of impending doom. A heart attack may rapidly lead to either cardiac arrest (no heartbeat) or permanent damage to the left ventricle. If this damage is bad enough, that part of the heart will not work properly, which leads to heart failure. Prompt (emergency) medical attention is critical for all heart attacks.
High blood pressure (hypertension): Abnormally high blood pressure increases the amount of work the left ventricle has to do to pump blood out to the circulatory system. Over time, this greater workload can damage and weaken the heart, leading to heart failure. Proper treatment of high blood pressure can prevent left ventricular failure.
Heart valve problems: The valves of the heart normally keep the blood flowing in the proper direction through the heart. Abnormal heart valves impede this forward flow in one of two ways:
An incompetent valve is a valve that does not close properly when it should and allows blood to flow backward in the heart, “against the current.” When blood flows the wrong way across a valve, the heart has to work harder to keep up its output. Eventually, this backed up blood accumulates in the lungs and the body and the heart muscle weakens.
A stenotic valve is a valve that does not open properly. Blood flow through the narrowed opening is blocked, creating an increased workload on the heart that can also lead to heart failure.
Abnormal rhythm or irregular heartbeat:Abnormal heart rhythms can lower the heart’s effectiveness as a pump. The rhythm may be too slow or too fast, or irregular. The heart has to pump harder to overcome these rhythm disorders. If this excessively slow or fast heartbeat is sustained over hours, days, or weeks, the heart can weaken, which may lead to heart failure.
What Are the Stages of Congestive Heart Failure?
Once a diagnosis of heart failure is established, evaluation of heart failure is important. Providing a complete and accurate history of symptoms is essential. Two major groups have established various stages of congestive heart failure.
The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association stages patients according to the progression of their heart failure. The stages are as follows:
Stage A: High risk for developing heart failure
Patient has one or more risk factors for developing heart failure.
Stage B: Asymptomatic heart failure
This stage includes patients who have an enlarged or dysfunctional left ventricle from any cause, but are asymptomatic.
Stage C: Symptomatic heart failure
Patient experiences heart failure symptoms — shortness of breath, fatigue, inability to exercise, etc.
Stage D: Refractory end-stage heart failure
Patient has heart failure symptoms at rest in spite of medical treatment.
Cardiac transplantation, mechanical devices, more aggressive medical therapy, or end-of-life care may be necessary.
The New York Heart Association classifies patients based on their physical limitations. Classifications are as follows:
Class I: No limitations of physical activity, no symptoms with ordinary activities
Class II: Slight limitation, symptoms with ordinary activities
Class III: Marked limitation, symptoms with less than ordinary activities
Class IV: Severe limitation, symptoms of heart failure at rest
How Long Can You Live With Congestive Heart Failure?
Based on a clinical study, it was determined that one in every five people will develop heart failure in his or her lifetime. Some of the most common risk factors for heart failure include the following:
Certain exposures, such as radiation and some types of chemotherapy
Infection of the heart muscle (usually viral)
When Should You Call a Doctor if You Think That You Have CHF?
Often cardiologists, who specialize in heart failure, can work together with primary care doctors and other health care providers to diagnose and treat congestive heart failure. Certain symptoms need to be checked by a doctor. If a person has any of the symptoms listed below, they should call their health care provider for an appointment. If symptoms listed below are severe or of sudden onset, seek immediate emergency care.
Shortness of breath that seems to be getting worse or causes difficulty sleeping
Waking up at night with shortness of breath
Sleep is better in a semi-upright position in a chair or recliner than flat in bed.
Shortness of breath develops with mild exertion and is worse than usual.
Unusual fatigue that is not relieved with rest
A dry cough that will not go away or seems otherwise unusual
Swelling in the ankles, feet, or legs that does not go away
Other, more subtle symptoms of heart failure that are also seen in other diseases warrant a visit to a health care provider, especially if linked to any of the symptoms already listed above. These include:
Always take chest pain seriously. Congestive heart failure, per se, usually does not cause chest pain. However, remember other serious conditions that cause chest pain, such as angina and myocardial infarction, can coexist with heart failure.
If these symptoms develop quickly or worsen rapidly, seek emergency treatment.
Shortness of breath
Severe, unrelieved chest pain
Swelling in the legs that becomes painful, even in one leg
What Procedures and Tests Diagnose Congestive Heart Failure?
Congestive heart failure CHF can be confused with other illnesses that cause breathing difficulties, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, and asthma. Talking to a medical professional, along with receiving a physical exam and tests available only at a medical office or hospital, are necessary to make an definitive diagnosis. Some of the most useful tests are mentioned below.
Chest X-ray: This is very helpful in identifying the buildup of fluid in the lungs. Also, the heart usually enlarges in congestive heart failure, and this may be visible on the X-ray film. In addition, other disorders may be diagnosed.
An electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG) is a painless test that measures the electrical activity (rhythm) of the heart. For this test, which takes just a few minutes, one lies on a table with electrodes attached to the skin of the chest, arms, and legs. The ECG can reveal several different heart problems that can cause heart failure, including heart attacks, rhythm disorders, long-standing strain on the heart from high blood pressure, and certain valve problems.
However, the ECG result may be normal in heart failure.
Blood tests: People may have blood drawn for lab tests.
Low blood cell counts (anemia) may cause symptoms much like congestive heart failure or contribute to the condition.
Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and other electrolyte levels may be abnormal, especially if the person has been treated with diuretics and/or has kidney disease.
Tests for kidney function.
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) can be measured. This is a hormone produced at higher levels by the failing heart muscle. This is a good screening test; the levels of this hormone generally increase as the severity of heart failure worsens.
Echocardiogram (echo): This is a type of ultrasound that shows the beating of the heart and the various cardiac structures. It is safe, painless, and one of the most important tests for diagnosing and following patients with heart failure over time.
An echocardiogram can be useful in determining the cause of heart failure (such as problems with the muscle, valves, or pericardium) and it provides an accurate measurement of the left ventricle’s ejection fraction, an important measure of the heart’s pumping function.
In multiple-gated acquisition scanning (MUGA scan), a small amount of a mildly radioactive dye is injected into a vein and travels to the heart. As the heart pumps, pictures are taken. The pumping performance of the left and right ventricles can then be determined from these pictures. This test is used far less often than echocardiography.
Stress testing: A treadmill or medication (nonwalking) stress test is used to help evaluate the cause or causes of heart failure, in particular, regarding coronary artery disease. This test is frequently combined with nuclear imaging or echocardiography to improve accuracy. Stress testing is commonly performed and is a cornerstone of diagnostic cardiology.
Magnetic fields are used to provide images of the structure of the heart and its ability to pump blood to the body.
If used with a special MRI contrast agent (gadolinium), it can provide information about inflammation, injury, and blood flow to the heart.
Cardiac catheterization (cath): During this procedure, a small tube is inserted into and artery in the leg or arm. The catheter is moved to the heart to measure pressures inside the heart and to put contrast into the coronary arteries to look for blockages.
Although this test is invasive, it is common and considered the “gold standard” for diagnosing coronary artery disease as well as for measuring various pressures in the heart and diagnosing certain disorders of the heart valves.
What Is the Treatment for Congestive Heart Failure?
The treatment of heart failure depends on the exact cause, but it can usually be treated effectively. The overall goals are to correct underlying causes, to relieve symptoms, and to prevent worsening of the condition. Symptoms are relieved by removing excess fluid from the body, improving blood flow, improving heart muscle function, and increasing delivery of oxygen to the body tissues. This can be done by the various congestive heart failure treatments listed in this sections.
If the underlying cause of heart failure is not correctable by surgery or catheterization procedures, medical treatment is composed of lifestyle changes and medications.
What Diet Plans, Lifestyle Changes, and Management Tips Help Treat Congestive Heart Failure Naturally?
Lifestyle changes recommended by your doctor or other health care professional can help relieve symptoms, slow the progression of heart failure, and improve one’s quality of life. Lifestyle changes that may be helpful in preventing or relieving heart failure include those recommended by the American Heart Association and other organizations as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Once diagnosed and under the care of a qualified medical professional, patients can and should do several things at home to increase their comfort and reduce the chance of the condition getting worse.
In fact, the more active role patients take in managing heart failure, the more likely they are to do well.
Making the lifestyle changes described here will make a real difference. Not only will patients feel better, but they will increase their chances of a longer, healthier life.
Alcohol (up to one drink per day is usually fine, unless prone to excessive intake/alcoholism)
Excessive emotional stress and/or depression (seek professional help)
High altitude (breathing is more difficult because of the lower level of oxygen in the atmosphere; pressurized cabin air travel is usually fine)
Herbal or other complementary medicine without first consulting a doctor to see if they are safe
Patients with congestive heart failure should know the following information that may apply to their disease:
Keep walking or doing some form of aerobic exercise. Join a cardiac rehabilitation program (this program can monitor a person’s exercise capacity).
People with diabetes must control their blood sugar level every day. Patients should know their HbA1C level. It should be less than 7.0%, and preferably less than 6.5%.
People with high blood pressure should measure it regularly, and make sure they know the value, (systolic pressure should be below 140 mm Hg in everyone and even below 130 in many individuals).
People with elevated lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) can take medications to get the bad cholesterol (LDL) below 70 optimally (or at least below 100), good cholesterol (HDL) above 40 for men and 50 for women, and the triglycerides below 150.
Diuretics (Water Pills) and Vasodilator Drugs for Congestive Heart Failure
Medications help control both the underlying causes of heart failure and the symptoms. Medications are the most critical part of therapy for heart failure. Usually, several types of medications are required to address as many of the physiologic imbalances as possible.
People with heart failure usually take several different medications that work in different ways to lessen heart failure symptoms, to prevent worsening of the underlying disease, and to prolong life.
Diuretics (water pills): The buildup of fluid is usually treated with a diuretic.
Diuretics cause the kidneys to remove excess salt and accompanying water from the bloodstream, thereby reducing the amount of blood volume in circulation. With a lower volume of blood, the heart does not have to work so hard. The number of red and white blood cells is not changed.
The end result is an improvement in the ability to breathe (clear out water in the lungs) and a lessening of the swelling in the lower body.
Most of these drugs tend to remove potassium from the body, but some drugs, such as diuretics containing triamterene or spironolactone, can increase potassium levels, so either way potassium levels need to be monitored carefully.
Spironolactone and eplerenone are not only mild diuretics but can also be used with stronger diuretics like furosemide (Lasix). They have been shown to prolong life in certain types of heart failure patients when used in combination with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. The patient’s physician will know what medication or combinations should be best for each individual; however, it is not uncommon for dosages and medications to be changed by the physician as the disease changes or if better medication becomes available.
Digoxin (Lanoxin): Digoxin is a mild inotrope and, in some cases, is beneficial as an add-on therapy to ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers. Digoxin is an old medicine, used for more than 200 years; it is derived from the foxglove plant. It is the most common form of digitalis.
Digoxin can reduce heart failure symptoms and hospitalizations, but it does not prolong life.
Digoxin is mainly used as an antiarrhythmic to control the rate of the heart in atrial fibrillation and flutter. In contrast, excessive digoxin in the blood can cause life-threatening arrhythmias.
Although commonly used in the past, digoxin has moved far down the list of recommended drugs for treatment of heart failure. It is still considered for patients who are taking ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta-blockers and/or diuretics and are still experiencing heart failure symptoms.
Vasodilators: These medications enlarge the small arteries or arterioles, which relieve the systolic workload of the left ventricle. Therefore, the heart has to work less to pump blood through the arteries. This also generally lowers blood pressure. Just as importantly, they reduce the levels of certain deleterious hormones and signals that can worsen heart failure.
ACE inhibitors are the most widely used vasodilators for congestive heart failure. They block the production of angiotensin II, which is abnormally high in congestive heart failure. Angiotensin II causes vasoconstriction with increased workload on the left ventricle, and it is directly toxic to the left ventricle at excessive levels.
ACE inhibitors are important because they not only improve symptoms, but they also have been proven to significantly prolong the lives of people with heart failure. They do this by slowing progression of the heart damage and in some cases improving heart muscle function.
Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) work by preventing the effect of angiotensin II at the tissue level. Examples of ARB medications include candesartan (Atacand), irbesartan (Avapro), olmesartan (Benicar), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), telmisartan (Micardis), and eprosartan (Teveten). These medications are usually prescribed for people who cannot take ACE inhibitors because of side effects. Both are effective, but ACE inhibitors have been used longer with a greater number of clinical trial data and patient information.
Nitrates, Apresoline, Beta Blockers, and Inotropes Drugs for Congestive Heart Failure
Nitroglycerin is a nitrate preparation that is administered to treat acute chest pain, or angina.
Hydralazine (Apresoline) is a smooth muscle arterial vasodilator that may be used for congestive heart failure. Clinical trial data has shown hydralazine plus nitrates to be especially effective in African-Americans with heart failure, when used in addition to ACE inhibitors or ARBs.
Isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine (BiDil) is a fixed dose combination of isosorbide dinitrate (20 mg/tablet) and hydralazine (37.5 mg/tablet). This drug is indicated for heart failure in African-Americans based in part on results of the African American Heart Failure Trial (A-HeFT).
Hydralazine is also especially valuable in patients who have poor kidney function and/or are intolerant to ACE inhibitors and ARBs.
Beta-blockers: These drugs slow down the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and have a direct effect on the heart muscle to lessen the workload of the heart. Specific beta-blockers, such as carvedilol (Coreg) and long-acting metoprolol (Toprol XL), have been shown to decrease symptoms, hospitalization due to congestive heart failure, and deaths. Other beta-blockers include bispropolol (Zebeta), atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol (Inderal), and bystolic (Nebivolol), but they are generally not used with significant congestive heart failure.
Beta-blockers work in part by blocking the action of norepinephrine on the heart muscle. They prevent norepinephrine from binding to beta-receptors in the heart muscle and arterial walls. Norepinephrine may be toxic to the heart in prolonged, high doses. Clinical trials have proven that beta-blockers gradually improve the systolic function of the left ventricle, thereby improving symptoms and prolonging life.
The foundation of modern therapy of systolic heart failure is a combination of ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers. If at all possible, every patient should be on both drugs for improvement of left ventricular function and prolongation of life.
Inotropes: IV inotropes are stimulants, such as dobutamine and milrinone, which increase the pumping ability of the heart. These are used as a temporary support of a very weak left ventricle that is not responding to standard congestive heart failure therapy. Commonly used inotropes are dobutamine (Dobutex) and milrinone (Primacor). Phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine) may be used when a patient is suffering with severe low blood pressure.
ACE inhibitors and ARBs may cause the body to retain potassium, but this is generally only a problem in people with significant kidney disease, or in people who are also taking a potassium-sparing diuretic, such as triamterene or spironolactone. Potassium levels can be monitored with lab testing.
Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are arterial vasodilators that are not used for treatment of heart failure because clinical trials have proven no specific benefit. However, calcium channel blockers are useful for lowering blood pressure. If the cause of the congestive heart failure is high blood pressure and the patient is not responding to ACE inhibitors or ARBs, a CCB may be considered. Some CCBs include diltiazem (Cardizem), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin), nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat), and amlodipine (Norvasc).
These above-mentioned medications can be very effective in treatment of patients with systolic heart failure. There are not many successful therapies proven with clinical trial results available for patients with diastolic heart failure. Patients with diastolic heart failure are often prescribed these medications to treat their underlying conditions, such as hypertension or coronary disease, and as an extrapolation of favorable results, in the treatment of systolic heart failure. Several clinical trials are ongoing.
The medications listed above are very commonly used, but other mediations may be prescribed depending on the underlying cause of the heart failure or medical condition.
Getting the most out of congestive heart failure medications involves the following:
Keep a diary of daily weight, and bring it to the doctor every follow-up visit.
Since people with heart failure are often on many drugs, the likelihood of drug interactions increases. The medications taken for other medical problems may affect what drugs are prescribed for heart failure. Because of this, people are advised to always bring a current list of medications and any other supplements or nonprescription drugs with them every time they visit a doctor. Note that many of these medications come in combination pills under different marketing names.
Take medication as directed by the health care provider. If he or she does not tell the patient how to take their medication or the patient does not understand how to dose the medication, ask the doctor or medical caregiver to explain the medication treatment in detail to the patient.
Follow the recommendations of the health care provider about diet, exercise, and other lifestyle issues.
Be informed about the side effects of medications.
Develop an action plan with the doctor so the patient and their family know what to do promptly if congestive heart failure symptoms worsen.
Congestive Heart Failure Procedures and Interventions
Other treatments or procedures may be offered, depending on the underlying cause of the heart failure.
Angioplasty: This is an alternative to coronary bypass surgery for some people whose heart failure is caused by coronary artery disease and may be compounded by heart damage or a previous heart attack. Angioplasty is performed to treat narrowing or blockage of a coronary artery that supplies the left ventricle with blood. The narrowing or blockage is caused by cholesterol deposits.
Angioplasty begins with the cardiac catheterization procedure during which a long, thin tube called a catheter is inserted through the skin, into a blood vessel, and threaded into the affected artery. This procedure is performed while the person is under local anesthesia.
At the point of the atherosclerotic narrowing or blockage, a tiny balloon and/or an expandable metal stent, attached to the end of the catheter, is inflated and/or deployed.
The expanded stent pushes aside the cholesterol deposits (plaque) that are blocking the artery so that blood can flow through in a more normal manner.
Pacemaker: This device controls the rate of the heartbeat. A pacemaker may keep the heart from going too slow, increasing heart rate when the heart is not increasing enough with activity. It also helps sustain regular rates when the heart is not beating in a coordinated way. Or, the pacemaker performs some combination of these.
A pacemaker is an electrode on the tip of a wire, usually implanted inside the heart by an electrophysiologist or specialized cardiologist in the cardiac cath lab. This wire goes to the right ventricle, frequently with a second wire to the right atrium (dual-chamber pacemaker).
A pacemaker can stimulate a heart that is beating too slowly to beat faster; sometimes, this requires medications in addition to the pacemaker.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD): This device returns the heart to a normal rhythm by pacing or delivering an electrical shock, with a life-threatening arrhythmia.
ICDs are indicated for ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy patients with slight or marked physical limitations and low left ventricular ejection fractions (<30% to 35%) since these patients are at higher risk for serious ventricular arrhythmias. In these circumstances, an ICD may be implanted as part of a pacemaker device. This defibrillator can detect and electrically shock a life-threatening arrhythmia back to normal.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT): This involves a biventricular pacemaker that is used to synchronize the pumping action of the left and right ventricles. Synchronization improves the effectiveness of the heart as a pump since with heart failure the pumping action is sometimes uncoordinated.
One pacer lead is placed in a coronary vein on the back side of the heart, overlying the left ventricle. The other pacer is placed in the usual right ventricular position. This improves the coordination of contraction between the left and right ventricle, especially if the patient has a left bundle branch block (LBBB). In LBBB, the electrical signal to the left ventricle is delayed.
Biventricular pacing has been shown to improve exercise capacity, prevent the progression of heart failure symptoms, and prolong life in certain patients.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy is frequently combined with an ICD to shock a person out of life-threatening arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. The worse the function of the left ventricle, the higher the risk for sudden death secondary to these arrhythmias.
Temporary cardiac support: An intra-aortic balloon pump is used as temporary support for left ventricle function, such as in a large heart attack, waiting for the heart to recover. There are other similar devices that can be used to temporarily support the heart if there is something that can be done for the underlying heart failure.
When Is Surgery Necessary for Congestive Heart Failure?
Surgery can repair some underlying causes of heart failure, such as blockage of the coronary arteries, a valve problem, a congenital heart defect, or thickened pericardium. For patients with severe coronary artery disease, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery can be conducted to circumvent blockages in vessels and ensure that the heart muscle maintains its blood supply. Valve replacement surgery can also be performed to repair malfunctioning heart valves. However, once the heart’s ability to pump blood is severely, permanently, and irreversibly impaired, no surgery can repair the damage. The only alternative is a heart transplant. This option is for patients who are not elderly and who do not have other medical conditions that would make it unlikely for a heart transplant to be successful. Heart transplant evaluations are done in specialized centers. Over the years there have been new innovations in the field of cardiac surgery and if a heart transplant is not available, a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) may be implanted to help prolong life.
Left ventricle assist device (LVAD): This device is surgically implanted to mechanically bypass the left ventricle. It can be used as a “bridge to transplant” until a heart transplant is available.
Alternatively, LVADs are also being used as “destination therapy” in patients who are not eligible for a transplant, but only at approved specialized medical centers.
Total artificial heart (TAH): For patients with severe, end-stage heart failure.
These devices are most commonly used as a temporary bridge to heart transplantation, but can be used as destination therapy in patients who are not eligible for a transplant and have a high chance of mortality within 30 days.
This technique is constantly improving, but is still limited to specialized centers and is considered experimental at this time.
Congestive Heart Failure Follow-up
If a patient has congestive heart failure, he or she will need frequent, regular medical attention to adjust medications and watch for side effects. Keep scheduled regular visits with the health care provider, as he or she recommends, because congestive heart failure is a serious medical condition that requires constant monitoring. Patients need to educate themselves as much as possible about this life-threatening condition and follow the suggestions below:
Establish a daily routine for taking medication properly and on schedule.
Weigh in daily. Every morning, record the weight in a diary, and take it to the health care provider every visit. An accurate bathroom scale is helpful in monitoring weight gain or loss from day to day in order to detect fluid retention.
Keep a list of all medications, with the exact name and dose, and know why each one is taken. Bring them to each follow-up visit so the doctors can double check to make sure patients are on the correct medication and dose.
Reminder boxes for medications are helpful.
Be sure to keep all these medications away from small children who may accidentally swallow them. Many of the drugs prescribed for congestive heart failure are more dangerous in overdose than other medications.
Can You Prevent Congestive Heart Failure?
Congestive heart failure can be the ultimate result of a number of diseases, or lifestyle choices, that damage the heart. Some of these can be prevented. Others cannot be prevented but can be treated successfully.
Some examples of illnesses or lifestyle choices that can lead to congestive heart failure are as follows:
Coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease), including heart attack
Congenital heart disease (a heart condition that one is born with)
Infection (particularly some common viruses that can rarely severely affect the heart and cannot be reliably predicted or prevented)
Damage to the heart valves
Alcoholism
Smoking
In some cases, a family history of heart failure can be present. Many cases are a combination of factors, and in other cases, the cause is unknown.
If a person has congestive heart failure, they are at increased risk of developing pneumonia. They probably should receive both the pneumonia vaccination and annual flu shots. Patients should ask their doctor or other health care professional to be sure.
What Is the Survival Rate for Congestive Heart Failure?
Heart failure is a major health problem that comes with the aging of America. Today, many more people are surviving heart attacks and other heart diseases. Enduring these heart conditions allows them many more years of quality life, but can eventually lead to the development of heart failure.In recent years, more effective medications have been developed that improve the outlook of heart failure. Medications are the mainstay of therapy with congestive heart failure.
New and sophisticated treatments are allowing people to live longer. These results are proven by clinical trials in which patients volunteer to take new therapies under strict ethical and scientific monitoring.
Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators have improved and now offer the ability to control rare, but life-threatening, disturbances of heart rhythm in some people.
Some people may even benefit from sophisticated treatments such as heart transplants and newer forms of temporary mechanical hearts and LVADs.
Support Groups and Counseling for Congestive Heart Failure
Having the support of doctors and other health care professionals, family, friends, and caregivers is essential to effectively coordinate all of the needs of a person with heart failure.
People with severe heart failure have special needs beyond standard medical care.
Advance directives are legal documents that tell doctors and hospitals what treatments you might not want, should you become unable to speak for yourself.
A living will provides instructions while you are still alive, for example, if you have specific wishes if your heart or breathing stops.
A medical durable power of attorney allows someone you designate to make medical decisions on your behalf, if you become unable to make these decisions.
pulmonary edema care may be required when you and your physicians agree that your prognosis for survival is poor. Professional hospice caregivers emphasize pain control and emotional support.
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