Cold Weather Linked to Heart Deaths

While cold temperatures are known to increase blood pressure and trigger processes that thicken the blood, new research may have uncovered another reason why the number of cardiovascular-related deaths spikes during the winter months—cold weather may lead to inflammation in the body. Researchers measured the levels of three inflammatory markers in blood samples taken from approximately 1,000 adults with a history of heart attacks. They found that after just three consecutive days of cold weather, elevated levels of one inflammatory marker were present in their samples; and after five days, levels of the other two markers had increased as well.