Heart Health Archive

Formally published results of the SPRINT trial confirm the early conclusions released in September. A target systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 120 mm Hg or less offers real health benefits, including a lower risk for cardiovascular problems and even death. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, the results are so compelling that everyone should know his or her blood pressure and develop a plan with a primary care physician to achieve and maintain the “ideal” blood pressure for them.

These potent medications are for hard-to-manage cases of high cholesterol—not replacements for the tried-and-true statins.

For optimal results, you need to take your medication regularly and time it correctly to your meals.

Have you tried to cool the burning discomfort of heartburn with medication and failed to get full relief? If so, a few simple adjustments to optimize your treatment may be all you need.

This simple activity is one of the best ways to protect your heart.

Ask the doctor

Q. I am scheduled for an electrical cardioversion for my atrial fibrillation. What should I expect?

A. Electrical cardioversion is a procedure to convert a fast or irregular heartbeat (such as what happens with atrial fibrillation, or afib) to a normal rhythm. Before the procedure, your cardiologist may recommend a special ultrasound test of your heart to check for blood clots. Cardioversion may dislodge any clots, which can be life-threatening. So if clots are found, the procedure may be delayed for a few weeks, so you can take blood-thinning medications to lower your risk of complications such as stroke.

Participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program following a heart attack helps people live longer and better.

Do you ever feel dizzy or faint when you stand up? Here's one common reason—and what to do about it.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is on the rise. Should you be tested for it?

For nearly half a century, the top three causes of death in the United States were heart disease, cancer, and stroke. But a slow, steady drop in deaths from stroke and a gradual rise in fatalities from lung disease have shifted that long-held order. In 2008, chronic lower respiratory diseases rose to third place on the list of leading killers.

Research we're watching

Want to nudge down your cholesterol level? Try a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. New research adds to earlier evidence that among the whole grains, oats are the most effective choice when it comes to lowering cholesterol.

The findings were gleaned from 24 studies that looked at blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) in people who ate diets featuring whole-grain foods versus non-whole-grain control diets. Compared with the control diets, whole-grain diets lowered total cholesterol levels by an average of 4.6 points. Diets featuring oats proved to be slightly superior, dropping cholesterol levels by 6.5 points, on average. An added bonus: whole-grain diets don't appear to lower beneficial HDL cholesterol. The report appeared in the September 2015 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In emergency departments, doctors routinely test blood levels of a protein called troponin to diagnose people with suspected heart attacks. That's because damaged heart muscle releases troponin into the bloodstream. Now, new research suggests that a high-sensitivity troponin test may help identify people with heart disease who face a high risk of fatal heart events.

For the study, published in the August 13 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers measured troponin levels with the high-sensitivity test in nearly 2,300 people with type 2 diabetes and stable heart disease (meaning they had narrowed heart arteries and chest pain but not a heart attack). Within five years, nearly one in three people with elevated troponin levels had a heart-related problem or died from one.