These Hidden Risk Factors Can Make Women More Likely to Develop Heart Disease

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3 years ago

April 14, 2023

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Share on Pinterest Fly View Productions/Getty ImagesAround 60 million women in the US have cardiovascular disease (CVD).Women from racial and ethnic minority groups are at greater risk of CVD death.A new American Heart Association (AHA) statement emphasizes that doctors must also consider social determinants of health when screening for CVD.These include factors such as discrimination, environment, and language barriers.

An estimated 60 million women in the US (equal to 44% of the population) live with some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Additionally, 1 in 5 deaths among women stems from CVD with those from racial and ethnic minorities at greater risk.

Traditional contributing factors, such as obesity, smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol, are frequently considered by doctors when assessing a patients CVD risk.

However, a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA), published in its journal Circulation, highlighted that medical professionals must look beyond these when monitoring and treating CVD in women, especially those from underrepresented groups.

In comparison to other women, Black women in the US (including African American and Afro Caribbean) have the highest rate of heart disease, stated Dr. Heather M. Johnson,a preventive cardiologist at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida, who was not involved with the report.

The AHA researchers stated that nontraditionalsocio-economic factors such as discrimination and environment must be considered if the gap in CVD treatment and survival between whites and racial and ethnic groups is to be reduced.

Many of these are often overlooked but can significantly affect health risks, care, and outcomes.

Understanding both traditional and nontraditional risk factors are important to prevent heart disease, but also to support the early diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women, Johnson told Healthline. How bias, discrimination, and racism can affect your health

In the statement, the researchers said: Behavioral and environmental factors and social determinants of health disproportionately affect women of underrepresented races and ethnicities.

These factors result in a higher prevalence of CVD and significant challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions, they added.

Five social determinants of health were emphasized in the AHAs statement. But what are they and how do they influence CVD?Discrimination

The AHA noted that discriminatory barriers faced by ethnic communities lead to high levels of stress. This, in turn, contributes to CVD issues such as inflammation and hypertension.

Research also highlights that minority groups can encounter racial bias and stereotyping from white healthcare providers which may lead to patients having their concerns dismissed or receiving poorer care.

Studies show this is often due to the activation of stereotypes that influence clinical judgment, said Heather Orom, PhD, associate professor of community health and health behavior at the University at Buffalo.

Furthermore, when actions are perceived as racially motivated or discriminatory, this can put a wedge between provider and patient and create an environment of mistrust, said Dr. Deborah L. Crabbe, a professor of medicine at the Temple Heart and Vascular Institute at Lewis Katz School of Medicine.

As a result, she told Healthline, patients may not follow through with care recommendations and may even seek other providers, perhaps delaying care for their medical condition.Language barriers

Understanding medical terms and phrasing can be tricky enough for patients at the best of times. However, things are complicated further when the doctor and patient dont share the same first language.

Language barriers can reduce patients satisfaction with their care, care quality, and safety, explained Orom.

Furthermore, she told Healthline, such barriers can hinder the doctor-patient relationship, prevent patients from advocating for themselves, and inhibit the doctor from understanding the full complexity of a patients condition and their life circumstances. Environment

The AHA statement revealed that environmental factors, such as air pollution, high long-term arsenic exposure, and cadmium and lead exposure, have been linked to CVD.

Studies show minority groups are more likely to live in areas with more air pollution and closer proximity to toxic waste and other hazards.

For decades, polluting industries, waste facilities, and other sources of exposure, such as highways systems, have been more likely to be placed in neighborhoods of color, Orom revealed. This stems from the fact these communities have had less political and economic clout. Assimilation to a different culture

The AHA statement didnt expressly state how acculturation or assimilation to a different culture can impact CVD.

However, this is an important factor for CVD that often is missed, stated Dr. Yu-Ming Ni, a cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center.

For instance, he shared with Healthline that older studies of Japanese individuals showed those who traveled to Hawaii and then to the continental U.S. had higher CVD rates than their peers who stayed in Japan.Healthcare access

It was noted in the AHA statement that there is evidence that SDOH factors experienced in youth, such as inability to access healthcare or inability to afford care, may affect heart health into adulthood and contribute to CVD risk factors and outcomes in adulthood.

Research shows that Black, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native individuals are less likely to have health insurance.

But healthcare access isnt only about insurance, said Crabbe. For example, [it also] includes geographic access to a particular health care service.

Orom concurred, stating there is a typically lack of high-quality healthcare facilities in neighborhoods where people of color have historically lived.

Other social burdens can limit access, too. For example, United States Census Bureau data shows that ethnic minority groups are generally poorer compared to white populations. Poverty can prevent individuals from purchasing necessary medications, for example.

Finally, Michele Horan, a registered nurse and COO of Healthy Alliance, shared that other daily stressors such as care responsibilities and the potential of eviction can reduce the capacity of underserved communities to access healthcare.

In most cases, these urgent situations are prioritized over ones health and well-being, Horan told Healthline. Addressing life challenges, in my experience, will almost always surpass healthcare, accessible or not. What to discuss with your doctor

If you think youre at higher risk of CVD, its crucial to ensure your doctor is aware of your concerns and potential risk profile.

Ni said discussing with your doctor means they can be more aggressive with screening.

For example, doctors might choose to test for disease states with no symptoms earlier than usual if the fear is that someone has a higher risk due to the environment they live in, he explained.

Tests and screenings generally vary depending on the patient and their history.

Its recommended that everyone understands their individual risk for heart disease and has a preventive heart health evaluation, Johnson said.

This assessment, she explained, includes a detailed discussion of their traditional and nontraditional risk factors for heart disease.

According to Johnson, further preventative screening tests are also possible and include:Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)Coronary artery calcium scan (also known as a calcium score)Special cholesterol tests What can healthcare professionals do to help?

According to the AHA researchers, culturally sensitive, peer-led community and healthcare professional education is a necessary step in CVD prevention.

Language barriers can be overcome by providing translators or simply using language apps, such as Google Translate. Studies show that using such app in healthcare settings can significantly improve both doctor and patient satisfaction.

Horan said healthcare providers need to screen patients from minority groups in a culturally competent and sensitive way.

Identifying barriers and the root cause behind them with a proactive lens is often the only way to effectively coordinate care in a manner that addresses their patients full spectrum of needs, she asserted.

Education is vital for both medical professionals and patients, said Crabbe.

Healthcare organizations can provide training and education to staff regarding the challenges that minorities and women face in receiving healthcare, she noted.

Meanwhile, Crabbe continued, opportunities to provide education to improve the health literacy of minorities and women could help improve patient acceptance of healthcare recommendations, and thus compliance.

Entertainment

Rob Reiner death: Whoopi Goldberg among stars to condemn ‘disgusting’ Trump post about murdered film director

Published

21 mins ago

December 16, 2025

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Rob Reiner death: Whoopi Goldberg among stars to condemn 'disgusting' Trump post about murdered film director

Donald Trump has launched an extraordinary attack on film director Rob Reiner, who was found stabbed to death with his wife on Sunday, as it was revealed the filmmaker’s son had been arrested on murder charges.

The US president said in a post on Truth Social that Reiner was “a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star”.

Mr Trump said Reiner and his wife died “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS”.

“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace,” Mr Trump wrote.

Celebrities and politicians have criticised Mr Trump for his comments, labelling them “disgusting” and “petty”.

“What a disgusting and vile statement,” actor Patrick Schwarzenegger said on X, while Californian Democrat Zoe Lofgren condemned Mr Trump’s comments as “a new low for this petty, hateful man”.

Talk show host Whoopi Goldberg compared the president’s comments to those he made after the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, when Mr Trump hit out at critics.

“I don’t understand the man in the White House. He spoke at length about Charlie Kirk and about caring, and then this is what he puts out. Have you no shame? No shame at all? Can you get any lower? I don’t think so,” she said.

“This is a sick man,” California governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X.

Republican US House member Thomas Massie also addressed the comments, saying: “Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered.”

Meanwhile, Reiner’s son, Nick, 32, has been “booked for murder”, Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said. The LAPD later said Nick Reiner remains in custody without bail.

Mr McDonnell said the department’s robbery and homicide division was handling the investigation.

“They worked throughout the night on this case and were able to take into custody Nick Reiner, a suspect in this case,” he said, calling the deaths “a very tragic incident”.

It comes as it emerged Nick was reportedly disruptive when he joined his father and mother, Michele Singer Reiner, at a party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien on Saturday night, the day before the killings.

Reiner and his wife were upset and embarrassed about their son’s behaviour, Sky News’s US partner NBC News cited a source as saying, and expressed concerns about his health.

The outlet cited another source saying Nick’s behaviour had made other guests uncomfortable. They said he interrupted a conversation comedian and filmmaker Bill Hader was having with two guests and, when told it was a private conversation, stood still and stared before storming off.

Reiner and his wife apparently died of stab wounds, US media reported.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman were found dead inside a property in the Brentwood neighbourhood, without identifying the victims. The victims were later confirmed to be Reiner and his wife.

The case against Nick Reiner will be presented to the Los Angeles county district attorney’s office for filing consideration on Tuesday, according to the LAPD.

Nick Reiner has spoken publicly of his struggles with addiction after he had cycled in and out of treatment facilities by the age of 18, with periods of homelessness and relapses in between.

Reiner and his son explored their difficult relationship and Nick Reiner’s struggles with heroin addiction and homelessness in a 2016 film called Being Charlie, which they co-wrote.

Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to Nick Reiner’s “drug addiction and other issues” in a statement on X.

“This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies,” Ms Taylor Greene said.

“Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It’s incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy especially when it ends in murder.”

Reiner was a celebrated director whose work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and 1990s.

He directed classics such as This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men and Stand By Me.

He also acted, starring in Sleepless In Seattle and The Wolf Of Wall Street among others. His most recent high-profile work was a recurring guest role in the hit show The Bear.

He met Michele Singer in 1989, while directing When Harry Met Sally. They have three children together.

Singer used to work as a photographer and took the photo of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book Trump: The Art Of The Deal.

Former US president Barack Obama has led tributes. He wrote on X that “Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele. Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen”.

Harry Shearer, who collaborated with Reiner on This Is Spinal Tap, said in a statement: “Rob was a friend and collaborator through much of my life. He was funny, he was smart, he was a mensch.”

He said Reiner’s wife was a “very good friend” to his own wife, Judith, adding: “This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy.”

Christopher Guest, who starred in Reiner’s films This Is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride, and his wife Jamie Lee Curtis said in a joint statement that they were “numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michelle Singer Reiner”.

The couple said: “There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”

Reiner was a champion of liberal causes and a political activist.

In the 2004 presidential election, he backed Democrat candidate John Kerry and featured in advertisements taking aim at incumbent president George W Bush.

Reiner also supported Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.

“This is a devastating loss for our city and our country. Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said.

California governor Mr Newsom paid tribute to Reiner’s activism as he said he was “heartbroken” over the director’s death.

“Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights – from taking on Big Tobacco, fighting for marriage equality, to serving as a powerful voice in early education,” Mr Newsom said in a statement.

“He made California a better place through his good works. Rob will be remembered for his remarkable filmography and for his extraordinary contribution to humanity.”

Former House speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, said: “Personally, Rob cared deeply about people and demonstrated that in his civic activities – whether by supporting the First 5 initiative or fighting against Prop 8 in California.

“Civically, he was a champion for the First Amendment and the creative rights of artists. And professionally, he was an iconic figure in film who made us laugh, cry and think with the movies he created.”

Environment

Ford pivots EV battery plants to grid + data center battery storage

Published

1 hour ago

December 15, 2025

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Ford pivots EV battery plants to grid + data center battery storage

Ford battery storage — BlueOval SK, Glendale, KY Image: Ford

Ford is jumping into the battery energy storage business, betting that booming demand from data centers and the electric grid can absorb the EV battery capacity it says it’s not using.

To achieve this, Ford plans to repurpose its existing EV battery manufacturing capacity in Glendale, Kentucky, into a dedicated hub for manufacturing battery energy storage systems.

Ford pivots from EVs to battery storage for data centers

Ford says it will invest about $2 billion over the next two years to scale the new business. The Kentucky site will be converted to build advanced battery energy storage systems larger than 5 megawatt-hours, including LFP prismatic cells, BESS modules, and 20-foot DC container systems — the kind of hardware increasingly used by data centers, utilities, and large-scale industrial companies.

The company plans to bring initial production online within 18 months, leaning on its manufacturing experience and licensed battery technology. By late 2027, Ford expects the business to deploy at least 20 gigawatt-hours of energy storage annually.

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The move follows a joint venture disposition agreement reached last week between Ford, SK On, SK Battery America, and BlueOval SK. Under the agreement, a Ford subsidiary will independently own and operate the Kentucky battery plants, while SK On will fully own and operate the Tennessee battery plant.

Ford is also planning a separate energy storage play in Michigan. At BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall, the company will produce smaller amp-hour LFP prismatic cells for residential energy storage systems. That plant is on track to begin manufacturing in 2026, and it will also supply batteries for Ford’s upcoming midsize electric truck — the first model built on the company’s new Universal EV Platform.

Electrek’s Take

Overall, the shift reflects Ford’s broader push toward what it calls “higher-return opportunities.” Alongside taking a step backward to add more gas-powered trucks and vans to its US manufacturing footprint, Ford says it will no longer produce some larger EVs, such as the Lightning F-150, where softer demand and higher costs are resulting from the lack of support for EVs by the Trump administration. (Batteries produced at the Glendale plant were for the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning. The best-selling electric truck in the US in Q3, before the federal tax credit expired, was the Ford F-150 Lightning, with 10,005 EVs sold, a 39.7% year-over-year increase.)

With tax credits eliminated and regulatory uncertainty, Ford is pivoting to adjacent markets, including grid-scale and residential energy storage, to keep its battery plants running and justify billions in sunk investment.

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Technology

Merriam-Webster declares ‘slop’ its word of the year in nod to growth of AI

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2 hours ago

December 15, 2025

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Merriam-Webster declares 'slop' its word of the year in nod to growth of AI

The logos of Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude by Anthropic, Perplexity, and Bing apps are displayed on the screen of a smartphone in Reno, United States, on November 21, 2024.

Jaque Silva | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Merriam-Webster declared “slop” its 2025 word of the year on Monday, a sign of growing wariness around artificial intelligence.

Slop is now defined as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence,” according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. The word has previously been used primarily to connote a “product of little value” or “food waste fed to animals”

Mainstream social networks saw a flood of AI-generated content, including what 404 Media described as a “video of a bizarre creature turning into a spider, turning into a nightmare giraffe inside of a busy mall,” that the publication reported had been viewed more than 362 million times on Meta apps.

In September, Meta launched Vibes, a separate feed for AI-generated videos. Days later, OpenAI released its Sora app. Those services, along with TikTok, YouTube and others, are increasingly rife with AI slop, which can often generate revenue with enough engagement.

Spotify said in September that it had to remove over 75 million AI-generated, “spammy tracks” from its service, and roll out formal policies to protect artists from AI impersonation and deception. The streaming company faced widespread criticism after The Velvet Sundown racked up 1 million monthly listeners on without initially making it clear they produced their songs with generative AI. The artist later clarified on its bio page that it’s a “synthetic music project.”

According to CNBC’s latest All-America Economic Survey, published Dec. 15, fewer respondents have been using AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, in the last two to three months compared to the summer months.

Just 48% of those surveyed said they had used AI platforms recently, down from 53% in August.

WATCH: OpenAI’s Sora 2 sparks AI ‘slop’ backlash