You’ve probably heard that whole foods are better for you than processed foods. Processed foods, made in a factory, are easy to grab while you are on-the-go and often very tasty. They’re also hard to avoid if you live a busy life. Most foods that come in a bag or a box are processed. Not all processed foods are bad. …
Can Summer Heat Raise Your Risk of Heart Attack? Summer is the time to go to the beach, tend the garden, or have a picnic in the park. But the hot weather this time of year has a downside. If you aren’t careful, it could set you up for a heart attack or stroke. That’s especially important if you already …
Can Antibiotics Increase Your Heart Attack Risk? You may have heard that taking too many antibiotics can make them less helpful. This happens because bacteria become resistant to these medications over time. Sometimes, antibiotics may not work at all when you really need them and this can be quite dangerous. But there’s a new reason to be careful about taking …
You probably know that you need to exercise to have a healthy heart. But you might be surprised at how little activity it takes. A new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that moving just 10 minutes a week helped. Researchers looked at surveys the government collected from more than 88,000 Americans, ages 40 to 85, from …
Everyone has some stress in their lives, from money worries to a scary diagnosis or the death of a loved one. But stress isn’t just unpleasant, it can also affect your health, especially your heart health. In 2004, research, called the INTERHEART study, looked at over 24,000 people in 52 countries and found that those with high stress had a …
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 …
Fasting and Your Heart People have often turned to fasting—not eating, or limiting food, for a period of time—to lose weight. Now research shows that eating less at certain times of the day or week may not only help you shed pounds but may also improve your heart’s health. The data have to do with eating patterns where people alternate …
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 …
When it comes to heart attack risk factors, you probably know that high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol put you in the danger zone. But these triggers may surprise you: A hot temper If you have a problem with anger, it could raise your risk for heart attacks. One study found that after an angry outburst, people had an …
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 …
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 …
The rich foods and sweet treats of the holidays can make it hard to keep a heart-healthy diet. But one small change in your eating habits could help: eating the day’s larger meals in the middle of the day. You probably know that what you eat and how much you eat is very important to your heart and your health. …
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 …
It’s hard to imagine, but your gut—your stomach and intestines—are home to trillions of germs. That might sound bad, but the germs in your gut can actually keep you and your heart healthy. There are both “good” and “bad” germs in the guts of healthy people. The good ones can release helpful substances from foods and control the bad ones, …
You might be enjoying the cooler air as the seasons change. But winter weather has a downside: It can raise your risk for heart problems. A new study in the journal JAMA Cardiology found that there’s a big jump in heart attacks when the forecast includes cold temperatures, a strong wind, low sunlight, and low pressure in the atmosphere. They …
Heart disease is called a silent killer because you often don’t know it’s there until you have a heart attack or stroke. But there can be clues, if you know where to look. Here are 10 surprising signals that you may be at risk for heart problems. Sore or Bleeding Gums Bad dental health can lead to bleeding gums, which …
For many years, the number of people dying from heart disease has decreased. But now that trend is starting to slow down. In 2016, more than 415,000 people died from a heart problem that could have been prevented. This unexpected number comes from a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The organization is trying to …
From time to time, everyone feels down, worried, or nervous. But when feelings of mental suffering last a long time or are out of control, it may lead to heart problems. A new study from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland found this out when researchers looked at the connection between upsetting feelings and heart attacks and strokes in more …
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 …
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 …
You’ve probably heard of the heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet. And you may have heard of the DASH Diet, which is designed to lower blood pressure. But you may not have heard of the Portfolio Diet. All three eating patterns are based on plant foods and help the heart. But if lowering cholesterol is very important to you, the Portfolio Diet deserves …
For decades, millions of Americans have been advised to take low dose aspirin daily to prevent heart attacks and strokes. But new research is raising questions about this common practice. It’s not that aspirin doesn’t work to keep the heart healthy. It does. It’s just that the dose your doctor wants you to take may need to change in order …
When it comes to your heart’s health, the foods you eat can hurt or they can help with healing. It all depends on how they affect inflammation. Inflammation, even at low levels, which continues for a long time, has been shown to lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other common health conditions. The latest proof comes from a new study, …
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 …
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 …
There are many parts of a heart-healthy diet—including one that keeps the heart and blood vessels in good shape and keeps blood flowing well to every part of the body. But some foods are especially good at lowering the chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or other heart problem. Keep reading to learn what you should put in your …
There is no shortcut to better heart health: You really do need to exercise, eat well, and keep a healthy weight in order to have a healthy heart. However, more and more research shows that a common supplement could give your heart and blood vessels a healthy boost. It’s called Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This natural substance in the body is …
If you are confused about fish oil supplements these days, it’s not surprising. Recent news stories suggest that these popular supplements may not be all they’re cracked up to be. Large groups of people, such as those living in Japan who eat high levels of omega-3 fatty acids (the type of fats found in fish oil supplements) over long periods …
Inflammation is not always a bad thing. When you cut yourself or have a splinter or get an infection, your body fights off any harmful invader with inflammation. So, short term inflammation is part of the normal healing process. But if there is a long-term continuing presence of inflammation, it often can cause a problem that worsens the effects of …
The 3 million Americans with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease often have severe diarrhea and stomach pain, lose weight, and feel tired. They may sometimes develop blockages in their bowels or have trouble digesting food, which can put their very lives at risk. On top of all that, new research presented recently at the American College …
When Bob Harper collapsed at the gym from a heart attack last year, according to a New York Times report, it was the ultimate head scratcher. Host and trainer on NBC’s hit show, “The Biggest Loser,” Harper, 52, was about as fit as they come. It is now known that Harper had high levels of a blood particle called lipoprotein …
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 …
What the President’s Physical Exam Results Can Teach Us About Heart Health While cardiologists have debated the finer points of the President of the United State’s recent health report, his yearly check-up is raising awareness of heart disease risk indicators that can help gauge risk over time. Among the more common risk factors, the President’s body mass index (BMI), 29.9, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
New Definitions Designed to Stop This Silent Killer The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recently released long awaited new guidelines for managing blood pressure and they include significant changes for monitoring and treating this critical factor in heart health. Nine other health professional organizations endorsed the changes. Blood pressure is always reported using two numbers. The …
The debate over whether or not to eat breakfast just got a little more serious. Research has previously suggested that skipping morning meals may lead to weight gain and boost the risk for diabetes and high cholesterol. But a new study draws a straight line between forgoing breakfast and the development of dangerous plaque in the arteries. The study, recently …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
The Surprising Heart Risks of High-Risk Pregnancies Heart disease is usually the last thing on a woman’s mind during pregnancy. But if her pregnancy is high risk, her future heart health may be on the line, accumulating research suggests. Recent studies show that women with high-risk pregnancies or complications, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia—a hypertensive condition related to pregnancy—have …
A New Anti-Inflammatory Nutrient Lutein, a nutrient that’s related to beta-carotene and vitamin A, is often thought of as the vision vitamin. It’s used as a supplement to prevent eye-related conditions including macular degeneration, cataracts, and retinitis pigmentosa. But new research from Linköping University in Sweden suggests that there’s a vital new role for this vitamin known as a carotenoid, …
The Heart Health Move You Can’t Afford to Miss With the stacks on your desk and overflowing in-box, taking a vacation can seem like more trouble than it’s worth. And there’s always the fear that the boss will decide you’re dispensable while you’re soaking up the sun in Tahiti. It’s no wonder that a recent survey from the careers website …
About 90 percent of strokes each year in the U.S. occur in people age 50 and older. Yet alarming new research shows that significantly more young adults are experiencing stroke, even as rates among older people may be improving. The new data, from the Centers for Disease Control, found a significant increase in hospitalizations due to stroke among men and …
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 …
Sugar plays a well-known role in the development of obesity and diabetes. But research is beginning to show that it’s also murder on the heart. Over the 15 years of a Harvard School of Public Health study, those who got 17 percent to 21 percent of their calories from added sugar were 38 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular …
