Should You Take Aspirin for Your Heart?

Cleveland HeartLab Aspirin Therapy, diet, exercise, heart attack and stroke

The risks might be greater than the benefits. But talk to your doctor before you make a change.  Many people take a low-dose aspirin (75-100 mg) every day to protect their heart. But new guidelines may be changing this common practice. The US Preventive Service Task Force makes recommendations to doctors for patient care. Recently it warned that aspirin may …

COVID-19 and Your Metabolic Health

Cleveland HeartLab COVID-19, diabetes, diet, exercise

You probably already know that people with heart problems, obesity, and diabetes have a higher risk with COVID-19. These conditions increase the chances that you will need to be hospitalized, require a ventilator, and have long-lasting problems because of COVID. Researchers are beginning to understand the links between these diseases and COVID a lot better. They have found that the …

Get Moving to Lower Stroke Risk

Cleveland HeartLab exercise, Stroke

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown changed the fitness habits of most Americans. But many people still haven’t started exercising again. Here’s a good reason to do it: A new study in the journal Stroke found that the less active people were, the higher their risk for stroke. A stroke happens when a blood clot cuts off the blood supply to your …

A New Way to Help Your Heart: Stretch!

Cleveland HeartLab exercise, lifestyle habits

You stretch to make your body more flexible and less stiff. But did you know it can do the same for your blood vessels? It’s true. New research from the University of Milan in Italy showed that a 12-week stretching regimen improved blood flow, lowered blood pressure, and decreased the stiffness of arteries. Good blood flow leads to less damage …

Battling Quarantine Weight Gain

Cleveland HeartLab COVID-19, diet, exercise, lifestyle habits

Restrictions on some activities are starting to lift around the country, so it’s a good time to take stock of your health.  Weeks under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic have been challenging!  Here’s what’s happening in many households: Less exercise Many people are getting less physical activity than they used to. Gyms and exercise studios may still be closed …

A Heart Month Special Report: The Surprising Facts About Women in Your Life and Heart Disease

CHL Marketing blood pressure, exercise, heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits, Stroke, women's health

Heart disease is the top killer of men and women, but it affects men and women differently. It’s important to understand the differences to protect the hearts and lives of women and help them get the best care. For Heart Month, we look at some of the differences between men and women. In the past, experts used to think women’s …

The Heart Benefits of Seeking Green

Cleveland Heartlab blood pressure, diet, exercise, heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits, Stroke, women's health

Everyone knows a walk in the park or the woods is good for the soul. But did you know it might also be good for your heart? More and more research shows that spending time in green spaces boosts heart health. In a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association in 2018, researchers found that people who lived …

The Surprising Link Between Depression and Heart Disease

Cleveland Heartlab blood pressure, cholesterol, diet, exercise, heart attack and stroke, inflammation, lifestyle habits

You might have heard that people who are depressed are more likely to have heart disease. People who have heart disease are also more likely to get the blues. Having both heart disease and depression is worse for your health than just having heart disease. A 2017 study found that people diagnosed with depression after they’d had a heart attack …

Young women, heart attacks and how to prevent them

Cleveland Heartlab blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, diet, exercise, heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits, Stroke, women's health

Here’s some good news about heart disease, the number one killer of Americans:  the rate of heart attacks and strokes is dropping and has been for decades. That means you are less likely to develop these problems than in the past. But there’s bad news, too: heart attacks are striking more young people, particularly younger women. New research shows that …

Can Energy Drinks Harm Your Heart?

Cleveland Heartlab diet, exercise, heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits, vitamins and supplements

Energy drinks are popular with people who want a power boost, including children and athletes. But these drinks, which contain caffeine, sugar, herbs, and other ingredients, may do more harm than good. A recent study from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston found that having just one energy drink had a bad effect on the flow of …

5 Everyday Habits to Lower Inflammation and Help Your Heart and Brain Health

Cleveland Heartlab diet, exercise, inflammation

It can take years for hidden inflammation to harm your health, raising your risk for heart attacks and stroke. Fortunately this damage can be reversed. Over time, a poor diet (too much sugar, for example), lack of exercise, a smoking habit, and other personal lifestyle choices may lead to low levels of long-term, continuing inflammation. This type of inflammation can …

High-Intensity Interval Training and Your Heart

Cleveland Heartlab exercise, heart attack and stroke

A Little Exercise Goes a Long Way for Your Heart Scientists agree: There is little that’s more beneficial to your heart than exercise. But today’s busy schedules can make it hard to establish a regular routine. Fortunately, researchers are finding that it’s not necessary to run marathons or spend long hours on the treadmill to get substantial cardiovascular perks. More …

Festivities Ahead? Strategize to Keep the Holidays Healthy and Heart-Smart

Cleveland Heartlab diet, exercise, heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to the holidays and your health. The good news: Research shows that the average American puts on just about a pound between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day (though heavier people add more than five pounds). The bad news: Most people never shed the extra weight, according to a study in the …

Sitting is the New Smoking

Cleveland Heartlab diabetes, exercise, heart attack and stroke, inflammation, lifestyle habits

Is Sitting the New Smoking? The headlines on the health dangers of sitting are hard to ignore. Inactivity has been recognized as an independent risk factor for heart attack and stroke—as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. Now the American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a strongly worded advisory aimed at getting people up and moving, even those who are already physically …

5 Ways to Tell If You Have Chronic Inflammation

Cleveland Heartlab diabetes, diet, exercise, inflammation, lifestyle habits

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and cancer have shared risk factors, including systemic inflammation, University of Colorado Cancer Center investigator Tim Byers, MD, MPH reported at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2015. For example, says Dr. Byers, “Obesity leads to a chronic inflammatory state and circulating growth factors that have adverse effects on the heart, and can also …

The Easiest Workouts to Boost Heart Health

Cleveland Heartlab exercise, heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits

Strenuous daily exercise may actually raise risk for heart disease, stroke and blood clots, while moderate physical activity a few times a week lowers it substantially, according to a new study of 1.1 million women published in Circulation. Not only did the study pinpoint exactly how hard and how often women should work out to get the best protection against …

6 Ways Women May Reduce Their Heart Disease Risk by 92%

Cleveland Heartlab diabetes, diet, exercise, heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits

Following six healthy lifestyle habits may reduce women’s risk for heart disease by 92 percent, compared to women with none of these habits, a new study published in Journal of American College of Cardiology suggests. Researchers from Harvard and other centers tracked 88,940 women whose ages were 27 to 44 at baseline over a 20-year period. With February marking American …