Tomorrow’s Health: preventing 2nd heart attacks, diabetes screening & harmful chemicals

(WWNY) - A text message support program is helping heart attack survivors adopt healthier lifestyles to reduce the risk of a second heart attack.

A study published in the journal Circulation found 86% of participants in a year-long pilot program that sent educational and encouraging messages found it to be useful.

Patients say the program reminded them to take medication, eat a more nutritional diet, and exercise.

Diabetes screening

Screening patients of color for diabetes through targeted measures could help improve disparities and overall health outcomes.

A new study in the annals of internal medicine shows doctors could catch new diagnoses earlier by screening minorities at younger ages.

Researchers also believe testing for minorities should be expanded to include patients who have lower body mass indexes.

Harmful chemicals exposure for pregnant women

Pregnant women are increasingly at risk for exposure to harmful chemicals through plastics and pesticides.

According to researchers at the University of California San Francisco, the majority of expectant mothers are exposed to dozens of chemicals which could impact their child’s development.

Latina mothers were shown to be at greatest risk with high exposure to chemicals used in preservatives and plastics.

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