How can stem cell therapies be used to treat hearts damaged by heart attack or heart failure? Harnessing the next generation of therapies based on stem cells is the intense focus of leading researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The evidence on the tremendous benefits of fiber in reducing chronic diseases continues to mount. Recently, French researchers found that in a study of 6,000 men and women, the higher the participants' fiber intake, the lower their risk of being overweight or having elevated blood pressure or cholesterol levels--powerful risk factors for heart disease.

Versatile, nutritious and flavorful, beans not only offer an incredible range of aromas and flavor, but they also play a role in preventing such chronic ailments as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and some cancers.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine is experimenting with a novel adult stem cell therapy, using patients' bone marrow cells that are involved in arterial formation and repair.

For years, companies have encouraged employees to get healthy, with mixed results. Now major employers such as DTE Energy and DaimlerChrysler AG are taking a new tack--offering cash rewards, gift certificates and lower health care deductibles to workers who get health screenings and participate in wellness programs.

"I always thought of myself as 'bullet-proof because of my generally healthy lifestyle and athletic career," Ray Knight, former third baseman for the Mets and 1986 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP), says. "When I found out that I had suffered a heart attack, I was scared, concerned, anxious, and upset."

Each year, thousands of Americans undergo a medical treatment called chelation therapy for a variety of ailments, including coronary artery disease (CAD). While critics question the benefits, supporters contend the therapy saves lives.

New imaging scans are allowing physicians a noninvasive, closer, and detailed look at the heart, described as similar to holding a living heart in the hand. Until now, the most accurate procedure used to measure the degree of plaque buildup was the coronary angiogram, which remains the gold standard.