People who walk more or walk faster live longer, study finds
Rosacea treatments: What works?
For sleep apnea, a dental device may be as effective as CPAP
Carb cycling: What is it, and does it work?
Understanding orthorexia: Have your healthy eating goals gone too far?
Melatonin or magnesium: Can either supplement help you sleep?
Salmonella, E. coli, Cyclospora, and other germs that cause food poisoning: What you need to know
Naturally gluten-free foods
Harvard study: Healthier fats linked to longer life after prostate cancer diagnosis
Shingrix shingles vaccine linked with lower heart disease risks
Heart Health Archive
Articles
Blood pressure drugs may extend life even for frail, older people
Research we're watching
Frail, older people with health problems may live longer if they take the blood pressure medications their doctors prescribe, according to a study published in the August 2020 issue of the journal Hypertension.
Previous research suggests that in general, older people benefit from blood pressure drugs. But trials usually don't include people with multiple medical conditions, because those health problems make longevity findings challenging to interpret.
FDA approves broader use of clot-prevention drug
Research we're watching
Ticagrelor (Brilinta), a drug that helps prevent blood clots, was approved in 2011 for treating people who had experienced a heart attack or acute coronary syndrome (a sudden loss of blood flow to the heart). Now, the drug can be prescribed to a broader group of people. In June 2020, the FDA expanded ticagrelor's approval to reduce the likelihood of first heart attack or stroke among high-risk people with coronary artery disease.
The expansion is based on results from a multiyear study of more than 19,000 people with coronary artery disease and diabetes at high risk for a heart attack. Participants who took aspirin plus ticagrelor were less likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, or death from heart disease compared with those who took aspirin alone.
Chronic pain linked to higher risk of heart attack and stroke
Research we're watching
People with chronic pain may be more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those without chronic pain, according to a study published online May 7, 2020, by the journal Pain Medicine.
From 2001 to 2005, researchers identified 17,614 Taiwanese people who had used pain relievers for at least three months. The most common causes of pain were spinal disorders, arthritis, and headaches; the pain relievers included both over-the-counter drugs and prescription opioids. For the comparison group, researchers used 35,228 people without chronic pain who were matched by age and sex to those in the first group.
The mental side of cardiac rehab
If you have experienced a heart attack or undergone a heart procedure, don't neglect your mental health during recovery.
Recovery from a heart attack, heart failure, angioplasty, or heart surgery — what doctors call heart events — can be stressful. Depending on your condition, it may also involve cardiac rehabilitation. This medically supervised program focuses on exercise, diet, and lifestyle changes. While the primary focus is to help you physically, you also need to address your mental and emotional health.
"It's normal to have some anxiety and stress after a heart attack or heart surgery," says Dr. Christopher Celano, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "But how long these feelings linger, and whether they are also associated with symptoms of depression, can affect your rehab recovery success and potentially increase your risk of future problems."
Does alcohol help protect the brain?
News briefs
Here's a finding worth toasting if you're partial to a tipple: a study published online June 29, 2020, by JAMA Network Open linked low-to-moderate alcohol drinking in middle age with better cognitive (thinking) skills in older age. Researchers analyzed the health data of about 20,000 adults (average age 61) who took part in cognitive screenings every few years during a nine-year period and reported how much alcohol they drank each week. Men who had fewer than 15 drinks per week, and women who had fewer than eight drinks per week, were considered moderate drinkers. And they're the ones who appeared to have better word recall and vocabulary over time, and slower rates of cognitive decline, compared with people who never drank. The study is observational and doesn't prove that drinking alcohol protects the brain. In fact, the subject is debated: some studies have suggested that moderate alcohol drinking is associated with better cardiovascular health compared with heavy alcohol intake, but other studies have found that drinking any amount of alcohol increases the risk for high blood pressure and stroke. The takeaway: if you're going to raise a glass, do so only in moderation.
Image: © Ridofranz/Getty Images
How does sleep apnea affect the heart?
Ask the doctor
Q. My husband is reluctant to get tested for sleep apnea. But I'm pretty sure that he has it, and I'm concerned because I've heard that it can contribute to heart disease. How are these two conditions connected?
A. As you likely know already, people with sleep apnea may snore loudly and may also periodically gasp for breath throughout the night. These explosive snorts often wake up bed partners or roommates — although not necessarily the person with apnea.
Racquet sports: A good way to ramp up your fitness
From badminton to pickleball to tennis, hitting objects across a net can be a fun, effective way to get in shape.
Looking for an exercise that gets your heart pumping and strengthens muscles in your legs, arms, and core? Tennis and other racquet sports can serve up all those benefits and more. In fact, several long-running studies have linked racquet sports to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a longer life.
"Playing tennis is an amazing workout. And no matter how good you are, you can have fun doing it," says Joe DiVincenzo, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and former competitive tennis player. In general, racquet sports engage muscles throughout your upper and lower body, which challenges your heart. During a match, you do frequent, short bursts of high-intensity activity interspersed with less vigorous movements — a perfect example of interval training. Also known as HIIT (high-intensity interval training), this workout strategy seems to be a good way to boost cardiovascular fitness.
Treating high blood pressure is good for heart and brain
In the journals
Lowering high blood pressure with medication is good for the brain as well as the heart, suggests a study published online May 19, 2020, by JAMA.
Scientists reviewed 14 trials involving more than 96,000 people who had their high blood pressure monitored without medication vs. those who took one or more blood pressure drugs, such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin-receptor blockers. Almost 58% were men, and the average age was 69. The people were tested for dementia or cognitive impairment (trouble learning a new task, concentrating, or making decisions) before taking medication. They were tested again an average of four years later.
Lowering blood pressure may help prevent dementia
High blood pressure can damage the brain in several ways. Treating this common problem can protect your mind as well as your heart.
High blood pressure seldom causes any symptoms. But over time, the excessive force and friction of blood pushing against the inner walls of the arteries can damage blood vessels throughout the body. And while the biggest threat may be to your heart, your brain can also suffer.
Even slightly elevated blood pressure in middle age has been linked to a 30% higher risk of dementia two decades later. But taking blood pressure drugs may help people avoid that risk, according to a study in the May 19, 2020, issue of JAMA.
New advice about a common heart variation: Patent foramen ovale (PFO)
Researchers are beginning to better understand if, when, and how to address this condition, which is linked to a newly recognized type of stroke.
In the womb, all fetuses have a foramen ovale (Latin for "oval hole") between the heart's right and left upper chambers (atria). This opening allows blood to take a shortcut within the heart rather than following a longer path through the lungs, which cannot work until they are exposed to air. After birth, when a newborn baby takes his or her first breath, the foramen ovale begins to close. Most of the time, it seals completely within a few months.
But in about a quarter of people, that doesn't happen. This anatomical variation is called a patent foramen ovale (patent means open) or PFO. Most people never know they have it, because a PFO doesn't cause any signs or symptoms. For the most part, the condition is harmless.
People who walk more or walk faster live longer, study finds
Rosacea treatments: What works?
For sleep apnea, a dental device may be as effective as CPAP
Carb cycling: What is it, and does it work?
Understanding orthorexia: Have your healthy eating goals gone too far?
Melatonin or magnesium: Can either supplement help you sleep?
Salmonella, E. coli, Cyclospora, and other germs that cause food poisoning: What you need to know
Naturally gluten-free foods
Harvard study: Healthier fats linked to longer life after prostate cancer diagnosis
Shingrix shingles vaccine linked with lower heart disease risks
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