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Heart Attack Archive
Articles
Low-dose aspirin might not benefit healthy adults
Research we're watching
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Taking a low-dose aspirin every day could bring more risks than health benefits to healthy older adults, according to three papers from a single study, published online September 16 by The New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which began in 2010, included more than 19,000 adults ages 65 and older in the United States and Australia, who were free of cardiovascular disease, dementia, or disability, and followed participants for 4.7 years on average. Researchers found that treatment with a daily low-dose aspirin did not prevent dementia or disability. And rates of cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks and stroke) were similar between participants who took low-dose aspirin therapy and the comparison group that did not. While health outcomes were largely the same, people in the aspirin group were more likely than those who were not taking daily aspirin to experience significant bleeding, both in the gastrointestinal tract and the brain — a known risk of aspirin therapy.
While low-dose aspirin does not appear to benefit healthy older adults, this does not apply to people with known cardiovascular disease. For them, aspirin therapy significantly decreases risk of heart attack and stroke.
Is aspirin best for peripheral artery disease?
Ask the doctor
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Q. Is there something stronger than aspirin I can take for peripheral artery disease in my legs?
A. People with peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the legs have blockages (plaques of atherosclerosis) in the arteries that impair the flow of blood. Based on large scientific studies involving over 5,000 people with PAD, authorities recommend taking a daily aspirin tablet. For people with PAD, smoking cessation, regular exercise, and often other medicines such as statins, can help prevent further plaque buildup and decrease symptoms.
The head-heart connection: Mental health and heart disease
Common mental health disorders are linked to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Learn to spot the warning signs.
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Heart disease and mental health issues are both common. So it's not surprising that these problems often occur together. But are people with depression or anxiety more prone to developing cardiovascular disease?
Teasing out the answer to that question has proved tricky. Some factors known to contribute to a higher risk of heart disease (for example, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and smoking) are also common in people with mental health issues. Now, new research that adjusts for those potentially confounding factors suggests the answer is yes.
Is it safe for women to drink alcohol?
Ask the doctor
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Q. The Harvard Health Letter has often said that it is generally healthy for women to have one alcoholic drink per day. Yet I hear a recent study showed no benefit. What's the truth?
A. Before answering your question, let's define "one drink": it's 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. And it means having one drink each day of the week, not having seven drinks on Saturday night, sleeping it off Sunday, and begging off until next Saturday night. Now, despite the recent study, we stick with what we've said, which reflects the research of outstanding nutrition scientists at Harvard and elsewhere.
Spectator sports: How a high-stakes game may affect your heart
Research we're watching
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Stressful events — even positive ones, such as watching an exciting sporting match — can affect your heart. During World Cup soccer and the National Football League's Super Bowl, rates of heart attacks and heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias) increase, both among sports fans and within the local population. A study published online August 20 by the American Journal of Cardiology takes a closer look at this risk.
Researchers examined data from 133 people with implanted cardiac devices in St. Louis, Mo., during two 10-day periods. The first was in early September of 2011 (the control period). The second was six weeks later during the World Series, when the St. Louis Cardinals played a series of dramatic games against the Texas Rangers.
Weight may determine how much aspirin is needed to prevent heart attacks
In the journals
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Low-dose aspirin therapy has been shown to help prevent heart attacks, but a study in the Aug. 4, 2018 issue of The Lancet suggests men who weigh more than 154 pounds may need higher doses. Researchers analyzed 10 trials that evaluated daily aspirin therapy for cardiovascular disease prevention in 120,000 men and women. The study participants had no history of heart or vascular disease. The researchers found that low-dose daily aspirin — 75 to 100 mg — was associated with reduced risk for heart attack and stroke among both men and women who weighed less than 154 pounds.
However, there was no significant effect for heavier patients. (About 80% of the men in the study were among this group.) The reason? The researchers speculated that people with more weight also have higher amounts of esterase, an enzyme that reduces how much aspirin is available in the body.
Taking a multivitamin probably won’t help your heart
Vitamins don't seem to reduce cardiovascular risks, according to a new report.
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There may be reasons to take a multivitamin, but improving your cardiovascular health is not one of them, says a report in the July 10 issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. The authors found that for the average person, taking a multivitamin supplement didn't help prevent cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes.
The findings were based on a review of general population studies conducted from 1970 to 2016, involving more than two million people. Researchers looked for associations between multivitamin supplementation and cardiovascular outcomes. But they weren't able to find any links.
An unusual type of heart attack
Ask the doctor
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Q. Is it possible to have a heart attack even if you don't have any blockages in your heart's arteries?
A. Yes, you can. Doctors refer to heart attacks without blocked arteries as MINOCA, which stands for myocardial infarction (that is, heart attack) with non-obstructive coronary arteries. When it occurs, people may experience typical heart attack symptoms, such as chest pressure or pain in the center of the chest (or the arms, jaw, neck, or stomach) and trouble breathing. They also have elevated blood levels of a protein called troponin, a marker of heart damage that is used to diagnose a heart attack. But the next test — a special x-ray of the heart's arteries called an angiogram — shows no evidence of a significant buildup of fatty plaque blocking any of the heart's arteries.
A possible culprit in early heart attacks
High blood levels of a fatty particle called lipoprotein(a) may explain some unexpected premature heart attacks.
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Have you ever heard of a middle-aged man who was in great shape, never smoked, had a normal cholesterol level, but still had a heart attack? Many people either know someone who fits that profile or have read about Bob Harper, the celebrity fitness trainer from the TV show The Biggest Loser, who had a heart attack last year at age 52.
For Harper, the culprit apparently was an abnormally high level of lipoprotein(a). Also known as Lp(a), it's a variant of the familiar "bad" LDL cholesterol (see "Cholesterol 101: Lipoprotein basics"). Lp(a) particles are LDL with an extra protein attached.
Eczema may signal higher risk of cardiovascular problems
Research we're watching
 Image: © Tharakorn/Getty Images
About one in 10 people has eczema, a chronic inflammatory condition that leaves skin dry and itchy. People with more severe forms may experience a scaly rash or skin that cracks and oozes. These people may also be at greater risk for heart attack and stroke, according to a study in the May 23 issue of The BMJ.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 385,000 adults with eczema, which was classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Each was matched with up to five people of similar age and sex who didn't have eczema.
Recent Articles
Medicare versus Medicaid: Key differences
Lost a tooth? What to know about dental implants
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Evidence-based uses and unproven claims
Gatorade. Liquid IV. Do you need extra electrolytes?
Sexual violence can cast a long shadow on health
Prostate cancer: Short-course radiation just as effective as longer-term treatments
Eggs, protein, and cholesterol: How to make eggs part of a heart-healthy diet
Can a quick snooze help with energy and focus? The science behind power naps
Autism: The challenges and opportunities of an adult diagnosis
Hospice care: Overview of a compassionate approach to end-of-life care
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