Researchers: Pneumonia vax cuts heart disease risk

A new study indicates that a pneumonia vaccine can significantly cut the risk of heart disease. The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, concluded that the vaccine reduced the risk of heart attacks in the elderly by as much as 50 percent.

"The magnitude of the effect was really surprising for us," said Dr. Danielle Pilon, the study's lead author and an associate professor of medicine at the Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec. "We didn't expect the vaccine to lower the risk of heart attacks by such a high rate."

Researchers believe that the vaccine has anti-inflammatory properties, which inhibits the buildup of plaque in blood vessels. And they're urging physicians to use the pneumonia vaccine more liberally as a protection against heart attacks.

- read the report from Canada.com

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