Heart Health Archive

New, improved devices and apps may better guide you to exercise at the right intensity to help your heart.

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Perhaps the best-known problem with fitness trackers is that people often retire them to a junk drawer after a few months, once the novelty of using them wears off. But that's not the only shortcoming with these devices, which are typically worn around the wrist or clipped to clothing.

Sure, they'll count your steps, display your heart rate, and even estimate how many calories you've burned—although you'll probably need to sync your tracker with an app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer to see these data. However, very few of the popular free apps of this type are grounded in published evidence. And they don't necessarily follow well-established exercise guidelines. Even if you do meet recommended daily exercise goals—like 30 minutes of brisk walking or 10,000 steps—how do you know if you're really working your heart enough to keep it healthy? And what if you've been sedentary for years or have a chronic medical condition—can an app help you exercise safely?

Most people with atrial fibrillation take anti-clotting drugs to prevent strokes. For those who cannot take these drugs because of a high risk of bleeding, a tiny, basket-like device implanted in the part of the heart that traps clots may be an alternative. 

Despite new research, the answer is unclear. Use caution when taking any pain medication on a routine basis.

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People with aching joints from arthritis—which affects nearly one in four adults—often rely on drugs known as NSAIDs to ease the pain of this often-debilitating condition. These popular medications also relieve headaches, cool fevers, and dampen inflammation. But with the exception of aspirin, most NSAIDs pose a risk to the cardiovascular system, notes Harvard professor Dr. Elliott Antman, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"Taking NSAIDs routinely over a long time period can raise the risk of blood clots, increase blood pressure, and accelerate cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Antman. While the danger is greatest in people with heart disease, it's also present in people without any signs of the disease.

There's no good evidence that taking calcium supplements can harm your heart. Still, it's best to get this mineral from foods, not pills.

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For decades, doctors have encouraged people to consume plenty of calcium, a mineral best known for building strong bones. About 43% of people in the United States, including close to 70% of older women, take supplements that contain calcium. Concern about osteoporosis—the bone-weakening disease that leaves older adults prone to fracturing a hip, wrist, or other bone—has driven this trend.

Calcium also keeps your muscles, nerves, and blood vessels working well, and it's one of the key minerals involved in blood pressure control. With regard to heart disease, though, there's one potentially confusing aspect of the calcium story. A test researchers often use to look for early signs of heart disease is known as a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan (see "Seeing calcium specks inside arteries"). There's no direct connection between the calcium you consume and the amount in your arteries. But in recent years, several studies have observed a link between the use of calcium supplements and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Lifestyle habits such as not smoking, avoiding obesity, exercising, and following a healthy diet may cut a person’s risk of heart disease in half, even if they have genes that put them at a high risk of cardiovascular disease. 

People who bike to work or cycle for pleasure may have a slightly lower risk of heart disease compared with noncyclists. 

A new study found that a minimally invasive stent procedure is just as effective as bypass surgery for people with left main coronary artery disease. Stenting also had a lower risk of complications and death compared with the surgery.

A large international study of people around the world suggests that extreme physical exertion or emotional upset may be triggers for a heart attack. 

Dairy products don't seem to harm the heart. But plant-based fats are probably a better choice than cheese.

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Health-conscious consumers know to steer clear of diets that include lots of meat—especially fatty, salty processed meat. But what's the deal with dairy? Nutrition experts have long recommended low-fat milk and yogurt as good choices for getting the two to three daily servings of dairy recommended by federal dietary guidelines.

Over the past few decades, Americans have been spooning up more yogurt and drinking much less milk. But the biggest change by far has been in our cheese consumption, which has skyrocketed since the 1970s (see "Trends in dairy intake: Less milk, more cheese and yogurt").