Heart Health Archive

Research we're watching

Late in 2019, the FDA approved a new use for icosapent ethyl (Vascepa), a drug that is a highly purified form of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish.

The drug was originally approved in 2012 for treating people with very high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. Now, icosapent ethyl is approved for people with triglyceride levels greater than or equal to 150 milligrams per deciliter who also have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease despite taking the highest tolerable dose of a cholesterol-lowering statin. A large trial found that the drug decreases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from cardiac causes by 26% when compared with a placebo.

Research we're watching

Long-term exposure to traffic noise has been linked to a greater risk of heart disease. New research reveals additional clues about this connection.

Researchers studied nearly 500 adults over a five-year period and gathered traffic and aircraft noise data for each person's home address. After adjusting for other factors that contribute to cardiovascular risk (including air pollution), they found that every 5-decibel increase in the average 24-hour noise level was associated with a 34% increase in heart attacks, strokes, and other serious heart-related problems.

To help stave off cardiovascular disease, you may not need to run very far, very fast—or even very frequently.

Jogging and running rank among the most popular forms of exercise in this country. But how fast and how long do you need to run to reap the cardiovascular rewards of this activity? A recent study suggests that for both questions, the answer may be less than you think (see "The latest research on jogging and running").

"The main takeaway message is that running even just once a week seems to offer some cardiovascular benefits," says Dr. Adam Tenforde, director of the Running Medicine Program at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. It's heartening news for people who enjoy running but can't do it more frequently, either for logistical reasons or health issues such as knee arthritis, he adds. These findings might also inspire people who do brisk walking to add a few minutes of running to their exercise regimen.

There is a lot you can do to lower your chances of having a stroke. Even if you've already had a stroke or TIA ("mini-stroke"), you can take steps to prevent another.

Controlling your weight is an important way to lower stroke risk. Excess pounds strain the entire circulatory system and can lead to other health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obstructive sleep apnea. But losing as little as 5% to 10% of your starting weight can lower your blood pressure and other stroke risk factors.

Lifestyle changes have been shown to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event, but can they also help those with diabetes? A recent study found a positive association between healthy lifestyle choices and reduced cardiovascular risk for those with type 2 diabetes.

When it comes to understanding this link, the devil is in the details.

When we talk about LDL cholesterol, it's always described as bad or harmful — and with good reason. High blood levels of this artery-clogging substance boost the risk of heart disease, the nation's leading cause of death. The more you can lower your LDL cholesterol (through diet, exercise, or medications), the lower your risk of a heart attack. For heart attack survivors, national guidelines recommend aiming for an LDL cholesterol level of less than 70 milligrams per deciliter to prevent a second heart attack.

In the past year, however, two studies in the journal Neurology reported a higher risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke in people with LDL levels of 70 and lower. While that sounds worrisome, a closer look at the findings can put these results into perspective.

Research we're watching

Taking supplements that contain high levels of biotin (vitamin B₇) can lead to falsely low results on a blood test used to detect heart attacks, according to an FDA warning issued late last year.

For adults, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for biotin is 0.03 milligrams (mg), which is easily obtained through a healthy, varied diet. Many multivitamins and prenatal vitamins contain far more biotin than the RDA. And some supplements — particularly those marketed to improve hair, nails, and skin — contain 20 mg, or nearly 650 times the RDA.

Research we're watching

A drug long used to treat a painful form of arthritis called gout may also benefit heart attack survivors, according to a new study.

Derived from the autumn crocus, colchicine (Colcrys, Mitigare) helps to ease the joint inflammation and pain that characterize gout. Because mounting evidence suggests that inflammation plays a role in heart disease, researchers have tested various anti-inflammatory drugs in heart patients. The latest study, published online Nov. 16, 2019, by The New England Journal of Medicine, tested colchicine against a placebo in 4,745 people who had experienced a heart attack within the previous month. All the participants also took standard drugs to treat heart disease, including statins, aspirin, and other clot-preventing drugs.