Reuters reports that researchers in Great Britain examined the medical records of more than 13,700 adults with IBD and more than 71,600 people from the general population without the condition for the study.

They found that individuals with IBD were overall three times more likely to get a blood clot compared to others without the condition. However, individuals suffering from an IBD flare-up are eight times as likely to get a potentially deadly blood clot.

"The increased risk we have demonstrated for patients with active disease outside the hospital means that their doctors should regard them as a high-risk group during these times," study co-author Dr. Matthew Grainge told Reuters.

The study’s authors say their findings prove that healthcare providers must educate IBD patients about the risk of clots and methods of prevention during flare-ups.

IBD refers to a group of conditions, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, marked by chronic inflammation in the intestines. Symptoms include stomach pain and diarrhea.

Among the natural remedies believed to help treat IBD are acupuncture and supplements such as evening primrose oil, borage oil, fish oil, or probiotics.

A study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association looked at the relationship between body mass, weight distribution and incidence of blood clots in veins – known as venous thromboembolism (VTE) – on middle-aged men and women over a period of 10 years.

Researchers say that more weight, an increased body mass index and waist and hip circumference increased the risk for VTE regardless of gender. However, increased hip circumference made women more susceptible for clots and increased waist circumference increased the risk for men.

"The implications to the public are that all types of obesity increase the risk for VTE, but the location of body fat also plays some unknown role. For health professionals, the implication is that all types of fat distribution should be taken into account when evaluating risk for VTE," said lead researcher Dr Marianne Tang Severinsen.

VTE results when a clot breaks free from one blood vessel and blocks another – typically from the legs to the lungs. Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are the two types of potentially deadly VTE.

Among the resources health care experts recommend to avoid blood clots are lifestyle changes including increased exercise and weight loss, drinking plenty of fluids and wearing support stockings, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A team of researchers from various medical institutions in Graz, Austria, set out to establish the link between SVT and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), a potentially fatal condition where clotting occurs within muscles or other deep tissue.

They found that 24 percent of participants in their study, all of whom had SVT, tested positive for DVT, most typically within the same limb showing SVT symptoms. According to Dr. Barbara Binder, one of the study’s authors, "The results of this study indicate that concurrent deep vein thrombosis is more likely when superficial vein thrombosis affects the lower leg."

Conventionally blood clots are treated with blood thinners, which work well but must be carefully monitored and properly dosed in order to avoid a dangerous level of thinning that could lead to excessive bleeding.

People with SVT can help prevent new clots from forming by exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet. Eating garlic or drinking a glass of tomato juice daily have proven to be effective ways to treat existing blood clots.

They reviewed the findings of more than 12,000 patients in 52 clinical trials to further the information on cancer-related anemia, and found that the risk of death for those patients increased by about 15 percent when taking the drugs.

Although the treatments may still be warranted for situations where transfusions are not an option, researchers argue that policies should "recommend against the routine use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents as an alternative to blood transfusion in patients with cancer," according to the study.

While iron is generally accepted as one way to limit the effects of anemia, several other supplements may help those at risk to maintain or improve heart health.

For example, scientists at the University of Porto found that certain antioxidants in olive oil helped maintain red blood cell function, allowing the cells that exist to work more efficiently.

Grapes and grapeseed extract may also minimize one effect of anti-anemia medications, according to researchers in Australia who found that the fruits limit blood clotting.

Though the possible harmful side effects of Innohep^® were discovered last year, drug manufacturer Celgene^® sent an updated warning last week about how the risk now applies to elderly patients suffering from renal insufficiency.

Celgene^® sent out a similar letter last year in July that stated the risk only applied to patients aged 90 years or older.

In the study, conducted in February of 2008, a total of 176 participants were given Innohep^® to treat their blood clotting, NewsInferno.com reports. After three months, 13 percent of them had died.

As of October 15th, 2008, the FDA had received approximately 383 reports worldwide of Innohep^® side effects, including at least 96 Innohep^®-related deaths, according to the article. The FDA is scheduled to receive an updated report which will complete their review of the Innohelp^® death risk some time this month.

People interested in an alternative to Innohep^® for blood clotting may want to look into natural supplements such as fish oils or adding ginger to their diets to treat their condition.

Dr Scott Small of Columbia University Medical Center found an increased level of glucose in the blood can affect the dentate gyrus, an area of the brain involved with the creation of short-term memories, the St. Petersberg Times reports.

"As we age our muscle cells become less sensitive to insulin, so we have glucose spiking in our blood, and the dentate gyrus is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in glucose," Small told the news provider.

This occurs because glucose lingers in the blood after a meal, especially in older people, according to the article. In response, the pancreas pumps out more insulin, which normally changes glucose into muscle cells. But because the older cells don’t respond to the insulin in the same way, it leaves extra glucose in the blood.

Small’s research may offer a clue as to why people suffering from diabetes are more prone to memory problems, even without an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.

"A study we did a couple of years ago found that physical exercise improves the function of the dentate gyrus by improving glucose utilization," Small said.

Food and nutritional supplements do provide the fuel your body needs. But that fuel can’t produce energy until your cells generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP). And to generate ATP, your cells need the Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) “spark” to turn nutrients into energy!

Hundreds of major scientific studies have proven the health benefits of CoQ10 since it was discovered more than 50 years ago. It’s one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants—it gives your body the ability to repair damaged cells and replace dying ones.

But that’s not all! CoQ10 also…

• Rejuvenates your aging brain, liver, lungs and other organs.
• Destroys free radicals before they can prematurely age and damage your skin, hair, eyes, muscles, bones and organs.
• Can significantly improve heart function—and cause no harmful side effects or drug interactions.

A German medical journal indicated that cardiologists treating patients for weakening hearts and loss of blood flow said the patients’ symptoms greatly improved after being given CoQ10.

CoQ10 also helps in reducing high blood pressure, chest pain and irregular heartbeat. Findings published in Pharmacotherapy show 51 percent of patients with high blood pressure were able to stop taking as many as three blood pressure drugs after supplementing with CoQ10 for less than four and a half months.

And according to the Cardiovascular Drugs Therapy, CoQ10 may improve the condition of 91 percent of patients who have suffered a major interruption of blood flow to the heart within 30 days after starting CoQ10.

CoQ10 users had less than one-third as much chest pain and 72 fewer heart rhythm disturbances than non-users. And total cardiac events—including cardiac deaths in the CoQ10 group—were about half that of the other study participants.

Years of research have even proven that the more CoQ10 you have in your body, the longer you’ll live. CoQ10 is one “spark” that must never go out—your life literally depends on it!

Your risk of heart disease increases if you’re older, a smoker, overweight, have high blood pressure, don’t exercise enough or have a stress-filled life. And heart problems can also be hereditary. If you’re at risk, you must be especially careful during the winter months. Why?

• Colder temperatures cause your blood vessels to get smaller, which reduces the flow of blood and oxygen supply to your heart.
• Your blood becomes thicker when temperatures drop, and this can cause an increase in the risk of clotting.
• Cold weather can lead to an increase in blood pressure, which puts more stress on your heart.
• If you’re not used to exercising, your risk of a heart attack during winter weather may increase from overexertion. For example, you shovel snow when you’re only accustomed to lifting the TV remote.
• If you don’t know the dangers of being outdoors in cold weather, you could suffer from hypothermia—an abnormally low body temperature. Most deaths from this condition are caused by heart failure.
• During the winter time, “there is a change in the ratio of daylight to dark hours, which changes the hormonal balance, and the hormones involved such as cortisol, can lower the threshold for a cardiovascular event,” said Stephen P. Glasser, M.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine in a health report.

And now that you know your risk factors for heart disease, and the extra strain cold weather can put on your heart, you can be better prepared to protect your heart’s health during these harsh winter months.

The findings, published in this month’s Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, state older age at diagnosis and kidney inflammation can lead to an increase in blood clots in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, which is more commonly known as lupus, Reuters reports.

Blood clots in SLE patients have not been the focus of many studies and it appears there are no studies involving Asian-Americans, wrote Dr. Lindsey A. Criswell in the journal, according to the article. Because of this, the researchers examined a large and ethnically diverse study group for risk factors for blood clots.

Approximately 1,930 people participated in the study, which found smoking, kidney inflammation, longer disease duration, and the use of immune-altering drugs were all factors in an increased risk of blood clots. However, patients who were diagnosed with lupus at an early age were less likely to develop clots.

Some people who suffer from blood clots have turned to nutritional supplements to treat their condition.

And although heart disease is considered by many to be a “man’s disease,” it really is no respecter of gender—it is the leading cause of death for both American men AND women. Scary? You bet it is!

But take heart! There are things you can do to protect your all-important organ. I’ve mentioned to you how to understand the risk factors for a heart attack—and how to zero in on the risks that you can do something about. And now we’re going to look at another way to determine your risk category for a heart disaster—getting your blood tested.

In order to do that, you need to visit your doctor regularly, depending of course, on your health status. Why? Because there are certain heart markers in your blood that can tell you if your arteries are already hardening.

If your doctor finds the following in your blood results, you should immediately take action to protect your heart and prevent a heart disaster:

• High fibrinogen—This could be an indication that your blood is clotting too much.
  High C-reactive protein—This is an indication that acute inflammation is occurring somewhere in your body—possibly inside your blood vessels.
• High glucose—This condition can cause a heart attack indirectly by the weakening of blood vessels, a familiar condition of a long-term case of diabetes.
• High insulin—This occurs with Type 2 diabetes.
• High iron—This is an indication of problems with your liver.
• High triglycerides—This condition is tied to high insulin levels and high sugar intake over time.
• Low testosterone—This is a sign that because of aging, youth hormones are decreasing.
• Metabolic syndrome—One in four people over age 30 are believed to already have this syndrome, which is mainly characterized by high insulin levels. Too much insulin causes “inflammation” in your blood and can initiate clotting in your arteries, including inside your heart and brain.

Now you can see there are many things going on inside your body that can affect your heart negatively. So I encourage you to see your doctor regularly and have your blood tested. This way you can get a heads-up on hidden problems that can put you at risk for a heart disaster.