The Inflammation-Lowering Diet You Might Not Have Heard Of

Cleveland HeartLab diet, inflammation, lifestyle habits

If you have high blood pressure, you may be familiar with the DASH diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This plant-based eating pattern was designed to bring down harmful blood pressure levels and it is very effective. Research has shown that the DASH diet greatly lowers blood pressure, compared to the typical American diet, even when the …

Go Green for Your Heart!

Cleveland HeartLab diet, lifestyle habits

Spring is still a few weeks away. But you don’t have to wait until then to go green—at least when it comes to your heart. For starters, there’s good news about the benefits of green tea. A growing volume of data ties this tasty brew to better heart health. In the most recent research—published in the journal, Stroke—people who had …

Surprising Heart-Healthy Snacks

Cleveland HeartLab diet, lifestyle habits

A heart-healthy diet may sound boring if you’re not used to eating this way. This eating pattern calls for lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, and limited amounts of red meat, whole-fat dairy products, salt, and added sugar. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of your favorite treats. Here are a few popular snacks that are …

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 …

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 …

Vegan & Plant-based Diets and Heart Disease

Cleveland Heartlab diet, heart attack and stroke

Simple Diet Advice for Heart Health in 2018 The evidence for the heart-healthy effects of vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based diets in general just keeps getting stronger. New studies suggest that adopting the principals of plant-based diets could be a smart way to start the New Year. Researchers at New York University School of Medicine recently pitted vegan diets against the …

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 …

The Gut, the Heart, and TMAO

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke, TMAO

The Surprising Link Between the Gut and Heart Health Science has long recognized that what we eat plays a critical role in our heart health. Now the details of this complex connection are coming into focus. One of the more intriguing recent discoveries has to do with the role of the gut microbiome—the trillions of microbes that reside in the …

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 …

5 Benefits Of Fish Oil For Heart And Brain Health

Cleveland Heartlab heart attack and stroke, inflammation, vitamins and supplements

Americans spend more than $1 billion a year on fish oil supplements to support heart health, fight inflammation, prevent diseases, and boost mental functioning. But how significant are cardiovascular benefits? Both supplements and fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, herring, lake trout and sardines) are rich in two essential omega-3 fatty acids: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Some …