6 Signs of Chronic Inflammation You Shouldn’t Ignore

Cleveland HeartLab diet, heart attack and stroke, inflammation, lifestyle habits

You may have heard about inflammation from your doctor or read about it on the Internet. There are 2 kinds: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is part of the normal healing process. It causes the redness, warmth, swelling, and pain you feel when you cut yourself or get a splinter. But when inflammation sticks around for a while, it can …

Should You Take Aspirin for Your Heart?

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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 …

Get Moving to Lower Stroke Risk

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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 …

What to Know About the Link Between Cancer and Heart Disease

Cleveland HeartLab cancer, heart attack and stroke, inflammation, lifestyle habits

When you are diagnosed with cancer, heart disease is the last thing on your mind. But there’s a growing awareness of a link between cancer and heart problems. Recent research in Nature Communications that looked at more than 7 million cancer survivors showed that the risk of death from heart disease among cancer patients is 2 times greater than that …

How the Road to Menopause Affects Your Heart

Cleveland HeartLab heart attack and stroke, inflammation, lifestyle habits, women's health

If you’re getting close to menopause, you’re probably not looking forward to annoying symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. But you may not realize that there’s a bigger health concern: a higher risk for heart disease. Doctors have known for a while that the risk for heart attacks and strokes in women after menopause is greater than for women …

“How Sweet It Is”: Does It Matter to Your Heart this Holiday Season?

Cleveland HeartLab diet, heart attack and stroke

You may know that drinking sugar-sweetened drinks isn’t the wisest health move. Sodas, coffee or tea with sugar, lemonade, sports drinks, and fruit punch aren’t just bad for your waistline. Consuming a lot of these beverages increases your risk for heart attacks and stroke. But you might be surprised to know that diet drinks—those that contain artificial sweeteners—aren’t much better …

Heart Risks and Pregnancy

Cleveland HeartLab blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, women's health

More and more, researchers are finding that pregnancy health and related factors in young women are connected to the future heart health of older women.  The latest review of 32 studies is the most powerful evidence yet. It is called an “umbrella study,” because it combines the results of many other review studies. Umbrella studies are considered among the highest …

How COVID-19 Can Harm Your Heart Even When You’re Not Infected

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The COVID-19 isn’t just harming those who get this dangerous infection; even those who don’t get infected may still be getting sick because of it. The latest research suggests that deadly heart attacks are one of the health risks affected by the pandemic. In a new study from JAMA Cardiology, researchers looked at more than 14,700 patients in several states …

The Unexpected Heart Benefit of Getting the Shingles Shot

Cleveland HeartLab heart attack and stroke, inflammation, Stroke

You probably know a few ways to prevent problems like strokes and heart attacks. These include things like eating a heart-friendly diet, walking or being physically active regularly, and not smoking. Now there’s a surprising new way to avoid heart attacks and strokes—the shingles vaccine. Shingles results from the same virus (herpes zoster) that gave you chicken pox as a …

Say Yes to Fish Oil!

Cleveland Heartlab cholesterol, diabetes, diet, heart attack and stroke, inflammation, Stroke, vitamins and supplements, women's health

Confused if you should be taking a fish oil supplement? That’s not surprising. Sometimes headlines say the omega-3 fatty acids in them can lower heart risks. Others say the opposite. But the data in favor of fish oil has been growing. Two recent studies show a strong benefit – especially if you don’t like or can’t eat fish itself. The …

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 …

Top Herbs for Your Heart

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

A healthy diet is the first step toward a healthier heart. Eating lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, healthy fats like olive oil, and lean protein like fish and chicken, can’t be beat for preventing heart attacks and strokes.   But how you prepare these foods also makes a big difference. A variety of herbs have been shown to give …

You Probably Don’t Get Enough of this Hidden Heart Helper

Cleveland Heartlab cholesterol, diet, heart attack and stroke, inflammation, lifestyle habits, Stroke

Heart-healthy diets include plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain bread and pasta. One thing these foods have in common is fiber. Fiber is good for your body in many ways and especially good for your heart. The results of a large review study just released by the World Health Organization (WHO) are …

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 …

The Wonderful Ways Dark Chocolate Helps Your Heart

Cleveland Heartlab blood pressure, cholesterol, diet, inflammation

Exercise. Eat healthy. Stay slim. Lower your stress. This “to-do” list is great for a healthy heart, but it may not sound like fun. Thank goodness, there’s chocolate! Hundreds of studies have found that chocolate—specifically, dark chocolate— keeps the heart and blood vessels in good shape. Here are some of the ways this delicious treat helps the heart: It may …

The Heart Risk of Vaping

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke, lifestyle habits

Smokers sometimes turn to e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking. But according to new research from Boston University School of Medicine, they may be trading one health harm for another. The study looked at the effects of nine flavorings common in e-cigarettes and other tobacco products on a type of cell that lines the walls of blood vessels, including the …

New Heart Benefits of Vitamin D

Cleveland Heartlab blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, vitamins and supplements

Vitamin D plays many important roles in the body—from strengthening your bones to boosting your immune system to help keep you healthy. Research also shows it keeps your heart and blood vessels in good working condition. Here are a few of the ways the so-called “sunshine vitamin” keeps the heart strong and healthy: Preventing stroke A new report from Italy …

4 Essential Steps to Surviving a Heart Attack

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke

Every 43 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack. Yet the outlook has never looked better for patients who recognize symptoms and get to the hospital promptly. Over the past decade, hospitals and health systems have quietly revolutionized the way they treat heart attacks. Ambulances now electronically transmit electrocardiogram (EKG) images ahead when a heart attack patient is …

Can an Infection Cause a Heart Attack?

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke

Can just getting sick increase your risk for heart disease? Accumulating research suggests so. Researchers have long noted a connection between infections like influenza and atherosclerosis. Moreover, the flu vaccine has been linked to a lower risk for cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and stroke, in the year following vaccination. Accumulating evidence shows a similar phenomenon is at work with more …

Detecting Hidden Heart Disease Before it Harms

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke, inflammation

People who are slim, don’t smoke, and don’t have diabetes usually don’t worry too much about their hearts. Those with good control of their blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels, even less so. But an alarming new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology may soon change that calculus. Researchers from Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos …

Avoid These “Holiday Heart” Hazards

Cleveland Heartlab diet, heart attack and stroke

It’s the season for wonder and joy. But Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s celebrations have a downside when it comes to the heart. Deadly heart attacks rise during the last month of the year and holiday excesses can lead to heart rhythm disturbances like atrial fibrillation. A national study in the journal Circulation, which examined death certificates over a three-decade …

Stopping Stroke is a No-Brainer!

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Every two seconds, someone in the world has a stroke. Every five seconds, someone dies due to stroke. World Stroke Day, on October 29, is an opportune time to make note of the progress that’s been made to stop stroke—and the efforts that have fallen short. First the good news: Strokes can be prevented and if they do occur more …

The Dangers of Stopping Aspirin

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke

Taking a daily low-dose (81mg) aspirin is one of the simplest preventive measures heart patients and those at a high risk for a cardiovascular event can follow. It’s also one of the most important. Yet people often stop this common prescription. A new study suggests that stopping prescribed aspirin could be a serious mistake. The research, from Uppsala University in …

Familial Hypercholesterolemia:
The Hidden Cholesterol Condition

Cleveland Heartlab cholesterol, heart attack and stroke

September is National Cholesterol Education Month—a reminder to get a cholesterol check and learn ways to reduce high levels in order to prevent heart attacks and strokes. It’s also a good time to highlight a harmful lipid condition that often goes undiagnosed and unnoticed until disaster strikes. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder that leads to early and aggressive …

Preventing Heart Failure

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke

Some 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure, which happens when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs in the body. People with heart failure experience symptoms that significantly impact their quality of life, such as shortness of breath during the activities of daily life and general fatigue and weakness, as their hearts …

The Cardiac Risks of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Cleveland Heartlab inflammation

As if the chronic pain and mobility challenges of rheumatoid arthritis weren’t burdensome enough, it’s becoming clearer that people with the disease face another serious health threat—a greater risk for heart disease. Some 1.5 million Americans, a majority of them women, have this form of arthritis, an autoimmune disease that happens when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, …