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A single pill that contains five drugs could protect against heart attacks and stroke, a study suggests.

It is thought the polypill could reduce heart disease by 62 per cent and stroke by 48 per cent, according to the study published in the Lancet this week.

The pill tested is called Polycap and contains a cocktail of a statin, aspirin and three blood pressure drugs usually prescribed individually to people with, or at risk of, heart disease.

Principal investigator Dr Salim Yusuf, from McMaster University in Ontario, said: "The thought that people might be able to take a single pill to reduce multiple cardiovascular risk factors has generated a lot of excitement; it would certainly revolutionise heart disease prevention as we know it."

A previous study suggested that if everyone over the age of 55 and everyone with cardiovascular disease took such a pill, it would reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease by over 80 per cent, and largely prevent heart attacks and stroke.

However, opposition to a ‘one-pill-fits-all’ strategy has come from critics, who disagree with the idea of taking drugs to prevent heart conditions over maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

One in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure, according to the charity Blood Pressure UK, which is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

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Proteins found in common garden peas could help in the fight against high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease, according to a new study.

Researchers observed a 20 per cent reduction in blood pressure in rats with polycystic kidney disease that were fed with the protein extracted from yellow garden peas.

"In people with high blood pressure, our protein could potentially delay or prevent the onset of kidney damage," says study presenter Dr Rotimi Aluko, a food chemist at the University of Manitoba in Canada.

High blood pressure is also a major risk factor for other conditions such as heart attack or stroke.

More effective control of hypertension could help people seeking to obtain high blood pressure life insurance.

Scientists do not know exactly how the protein works, but it is thought to boost production of another protein that increases kidney function.

The team plan to test the pea extract in humans with mild hypertension within the next year at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with hypertension.

Energy drinks could prove harmful to people with heart disease, a study reports.

Healthy adults who drank two cans of energy drink a day experienced increased heart rate and blood pressure, according to the study published in Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

While the increase was not thought significant in healthy adults, it could prove harmful to those with a pre-existing heart condition.

Dr James Kalus, lead author of the study at Henry Ford Hospital, said: "Based on our findings, we recommend that people who have hypertension or heart disease and are taking medication for them to avoid consuming energy drinks because of a potential risk to their health."

It is believed that the effects observed could be caused by the drinks’ high levels of taurine and caffeine, both known to have a direct effect on cardiac function, according to Dr Kalus.

This latest research follows reports by Talking Retail that one of the UK’s leading energy drink manufacturers will launch a larger, 473 ml can version of its drink at the end of the month to meet consumer demand.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with heart conditions.

Eating eggs could help reduce the risk of heart disease, the latest research has claimed.

A study by scientists in Canada has suggested the foodstuff may lower blood pressure.

Researchers from the University of Alberta found proteins are produced when eggs come into contact with enzymes in the stomach, those with high blood pressure life insurance may be interested to hear.

Those behind the study stated in a report published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and the British Nutrition Foundation’s Nutrition Bulletin that this could have a similar effect to a prescription medication which lowers blood pressure.

Professor Bruce Griffin, a researcher at the University of Surrey and joint author of the work, commented that there is a misconception among the public which links eggs to heart disease.

He added: "The public does not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat - indeed they can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature’s most nutritionally dense foods."

Earlier this month, a US study of 25,000 women claimed those suffering from migraines could be twice as likely to have a heart attack as those who do not.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with heart disease.

Around 20 per cent of people carry a gene variant which raises the risk of high blood pressure, according to a new study.

New research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine examined the genetic coding of hundreds of people across the United States and Europe, reports the BBC.

Those people found to be carrying the STK39 gene variant were found to have raised blood pressure – or hypertension – compared to those carrying different versions.

Several genes have been studied for possible links to hypertension, but STK39 has been pinpointed as the most commonly occurring in those with the condition.

It is believed that one in people from western countries have high blood pressure, which often goes undiagnosed.

Dr Yen-Pei Christy Chang, one of the researchers, said: "This discovery has great potential for enhancing our ability to tailor treatments to the individual - what we call personalised medicine."

In other health news, a new vaccine that can prevent asthma-like symptoms has recently been developed.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with health conditions

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has revealed that Louise Banks, who had a major congenital heart defect, is lucky a doctor noticed her symptoms and diagnosed her before her heart gave in to the strain.

Prenatal screening and more advanced medical technology mean that such defects are picked up on sooner by medical staff, according to the UK charity.

Cardiac nurse for the BHF, Ellen Mason commented: "Large holes in the heart are normally diagnosed at a younger age, due to the symptoms that they cause. Louise’s case is quite unusual, especially as her heart has also coped with the added strain of pregnancy."

Holders of life insurance policies may be interested to learn that Louise Banks is rejoicing in her survival by organising a fundraising event for the BHF.

The fundraising summer ball will be held near Exeter at the Woodbury Park Hotel on June 20th. The BHF and Macmillan Cancer Trust will be splitting the proceeds.

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Individuals wanting to ward off obesity or lower their blood pressure may do so with the help of a pedometer, it has been claimed.

US researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine found that using the pocket-sized device can help ordinarily sluggish people become more physically active, lose weight and reduce blood pressure.

With a pedometer counting the number of steps an individual makes each day, the researchers looked at a wide range of studies and concluded that its use increased physical activity by 2,183 steps.

Of those observed by the academics, almost all pedometer users lost weight and experienced improvements in blood pressure.

Lead author Dr Dena Bravata pointed out that such reductions in blood pressure are linked to reduced risk of death by stroke or cardiovascular causes.

"Just over 2,100 steps might not sound that much, but it equates to a 27 per cent increase in physical activity," she commented.

Another study by US and UK researchers has shown that the death rate owing to heart disease is beginning to climb for young women across the Atlantic.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with obesity, high blood pressure or heart disease

Obese people and those living with diabetes may benefit from a new treatment which lowers blood pressure, it has emerged.

Direct renin inhibitors (DRIs) have been found to target the causes of raised blood pressure (hypertension), thereby offering increased protection against heart and renal disease, as well as the blindness associated with diabetes.

Peter Sever, professor of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics at Imperial College London, pointed out that inhibiting the activity of renin can ultimately prevent its "pathological consequences" in the tissues of the kidney, eye, heart, blood vessels and brain.

"Whilst any patient with elevated blood pressure will benefit from DRI therapies, patients with type-2 diabetes, who are prone to obesity and also cardiovascular, renal and eye damage, are also candidates for DRI therapy as an early component of blood pressure-lowering treatment," he remarked.

Further trials are being carried out to test the treatment’s ability to reduce damage to the heart, kidneys and other organs, as well as cut the rate of deaths, heart attacks, strokes and renal failure in patients with diabetes and high blood pressure.

According to a recent review of public health, England has the highest levels of obesity in Europe and diabetes is on the rise.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity and diabetes

Strokes, the third most common cause of death in England and Wales after heart disease and cancer, can happen "to anyone at any age", a charity has warned.

According to the Stroke Association, there is a common misconception that the condition only affects older members of the population, particularly men.

In fact, the charity pointed out, a quarter of all strokes happen to people under the age of 65, with around 150,000 people experiencing one in the UK every year.

A spokesperson for the Stroke Association added that although most people affected are over 65, anyone can have a stroke, including children and even babies.

"There always needs to be more awareness of the risk factors with stroke," emphasised the charity’s representative.

"High blood pressure is the single biggest factor of stroke and obviously people don’t realise they have high blood pressure unless they get it measured, so it’s vitally important that people do it regularly," she added.

The Stroke Association recommends that people exercise regularly, stop smoking and eat healthily to improve their blood pressure.

Around 300,000 people are living with moderate to severe disabilities as a result of a stroke.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions