Heart Health Archive

Research we're watching

People with chest pain caused by narrowed heart arteries (angina) who report feeling hopeful about their condition seem to fare better than those who are less optimistic, new research finds.

The study, published May 1 in the American Journal of Cardiology, included nearly 2,400 people with chronic angina who had undergone a procedure to open at least one narrowed heart artery (known as revascularization). More than half rated themselves as optimistic or very optimistic, and most stayed positive over the following 12 months. During that time, they were about 40% less likely to be hospitalized or to need another revascularization compared with people who were less optimistic, even after researchers accounted for other illnesses and angina frequency.

Even though "nut" is in its name, a peanut is actually a legume. Like soybeans, lentils, and other legumes, peanuts are edible seeds that grow in pods. Still, most people think of them as nuts, along with tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. (Unlike other legumes, which grow on vines or shrubs, peanuts grow underground.)

Nutritionally speaking, peanuts and tree nuts are fairly similar: they're all rich in healthy unsaturated fats and fiber, as well as several vitamins and minerals. Numerous studies suggest that people who eat peanuts or tree nuts frequently have lower rates of heart disease compared with people who rarely eat them. One added bonus for peanuts: they're not as pricey as tree nuts, making them a more affordable addition to your daily menu.

Even short-lived, subtle stroke symptoms should be evaluated.

Imagine trying to write a note, but it feels like you're moving the pen through wet concrete. Or you suddenly can't see normally — it's as if a black curtain has dropped over one of your eyes.

If these odd symptoms last for only a few minutes, you might be tempted to brush them off and blame muscle cramps or fatigue. Don't make that mistake, says Dr. Christopher Anderson, director of Acute Stroke Services at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Both of the above scenarios are examples of a possible transient ischemic attack (TIA), commonly referred to as a ministroke. Caused by a temporary lack of blood in part of the brain, a TIA is a warning sign that you are at risk for a stroke.

Q. My blood pressure is high when I first get up in the morning, generally around 160/80, but always drops back to normal (around 120/75) by 11 a.m. and stays that way throughout the day. I take two different blood pressure pills in the morning. What might cause this? Should I make any changes?

A. Blood pressure normally comes down during sleep. It then returns to your usual level just before you wake up.

For years, experts recommended low-fat diets as a way to lower cholesterol and heart disease risk. Today, we know that low-fat isn't the way to go after all. A healthy diet includes plenty of "good-for-you" fats — and limits the unhealthy ones.  Current dietary guidelines recommend that you get 20% to 35% of your daily calories from fat. Even more may be fine, if you follow these simple guidelines.

Favor the "good" fats.

The best sources of healthy fats are oily, cold-water fish, such as salmon and tuna; plant sources such as avocados and nuts; and vegetable oils, such as olive, canola, soybean, and cottonseed oils. These fats promote heart health because they lower cholesterol levels — and they may even fight chronic inflammation, which may contribute to heart disease. It's okay to get up to 35% of your daily calories from fat — as long as most of it comes from sources like these.

It's usually best to get calcium, magnesium, and potassium from food. Are you getting enough?

A healthy, balanced diet plays a major role in blood pressure control. And you should consume some specific minerals on a regular basis for good blood pressure management: calcium, magnesium, and potassium. But do most of us get enough of these? "If you're eating a healthy diet, you probably have nothing to worry about. But people eating a diet of processed and canned foods or taking certain medications might not be getting enough of these micronutrients," says Dr. Randall Zusman, director of the Division of Hypertension at the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center.

Try losing weight, changing your diet, and exercising.

Sometimes getting your blood pressure under control requires that you take several medications each day, such as a diuretic and a calcium-channel blocker. But some therapies don't involve medication. "People who have drug intolerances or are unwilling to take medications can try pill-free therapy, and it can also be used to make a medication regimen more effective," says Dr. Randall Zusman, a cardiologist and Harvard Medical School associate professor.

This checklist can help ensure accurate readings both at the doctor's office and at home.

 Image: © Maica/Getty Images

Blood pressure is a key indicator of cardiovascular health. So it's vitally important to make sure that you check yours regularly — and accurately. But according to the American Heart Association (AHA), health care professionals don't always follow the proper techniques when measuring a person's blood pressure. The AHA cites seven common errors (detailed below) that can lead to an artificially high blood pressure reading.

Plus, there's one additional step that may be overlooked after you get a blood pressure reading of 130/80 mm Hg or higher, a level that defines high blood pressure, says endocrinologist Dr. Naomi Fisher, director of the Hypertension Service and Hypertension Innovation at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

News briefs

There's a silver lining in a recent study that found older women who were sedentary for long chunks of time had a much higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease than women who sat less. The observational study, published Feb. 22, 2019, in Circulation, analyzed activity patterns of more than 5,000 older women (ages 63 to 97) for a week, and then followed them for another five years. Both the total time spent sitting each day and the duration of each period of inactivity was measured with fitness trackers. The key finding: an additional hour of total sedentary time was associated with a 12% higher risk for cardiovascular disease during the follow-up period, and when that sitting time was made up of long uninterrupted sedentary sessions, the risk was far higher (as much as 54%) than when it was accumulated in short, regularly interrupted bouts of sedentary time. The silver lining: reducing sedentary time by an hour per day was linked to a 12% lower risk for cardiovascular disease and a 26% lower risk for developing heart disease during the study period. Even better: researchers say the one-hour reduction each day doesn't have to be accumulated at one time. The moments spent jumping up to get a glass of water, running out to your mailbox, or darting across the house to get the phone can all add up. The key is to interrupt your sitting time with activity that will get your heart and lungs pumping.