Monday, September 12, 2011

Gimme Blood

This is kind of interesting -- most cardiovascular problems occur in the morning. And that's when the body creates the most platelets.

"Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have demonstrated that the circadian system, the body's internal clock, regulates human platelet function and causes a peak in platelet activation corresponding to the known morning peak in adverse cardiovascular events.....In this study, the researchers demonstrated that the body clock regulates platelet function and causes a peak in platelet activation corresponding to the morning peak in adverse cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke. A high level of platelet activation can lead to adverse cardiovascular events by influencing blood clotting. According to Scheer, this finding mimics the pattern of morning peaks in cardiovascular risk and tells us that platelet function is likely one of the factors that contributes to this morning peak in adverse cardiovascular events."

They're not saying it's the only reason, or even a primary one, but still: wow.

Found here.

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